To Protect and Serve

V.K. Powell
Bold Strokes Books

I don't know if it's the actual sex scenes that are the most important element in lesbian erotica, or the never-ending microanalysis of the tempestuous emotional states of the lead characters. This book has got plenty of both. It's a can't-miss entertainer, really: If the ricocheting between watery eyes and soggier panties doesn't do it for you, then you can smile at the silliness of it. Although Powell is actually a police vet, and her portrait of a college-town police department rings true, she doesn't waste too much time on the plot. Sure, there's this special investigative unit that's been tasked with busting a drug kingpin and solving a murder; but why focus on that when the elegant Lt. Troy and feisty Officer Morgan can't seem to stay out of each other's personal space as they try to decide whether they hate or love each other? I hope that in real life, police officers don't devote this much time and energy on the job to flirting, gossiping, nursing grudges and forming cliques; but in fiction, it's a heck of a lot more entertaining than Law and Order. With its buckets of erotic tension and soupcon of thrilling police work, To Protect and Serve is good trashy fun.