Let’s do a calendar, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.Well, they—I.e. Kilgore Police Department’s public relations specialists—were wrong.Now, every time Dax Tremaine walks around a corner, the women of Kilgore, Texas can’t help calling him Mr. January.Mr. January, can you fix my flat tire? Mr. January, can you cuff me? Mr. January, can you sign my boob?It goes from bad to worse when even on a … goes from bad to worse when even on a SWAT call, the women won’t stay away.
***
It was the worst time of her life. Rowen Roberts had finally admitted to herself that the man she loved would never love her back. She was just fired from her job for violating client confidentiality, and to make matters worse, she’s held up at gunpoint in a convenience store where she only wanted some ice cream to help mask the pain.
The moment the gun is pressed to her forehead, she knows she has a decision to make. Follow the rules and maybe possibly live, or go down swinging where at least she can salvage just a little bit of her dignity.
And when Mr. January himself tells her to do what the gunman says, she’s had enough. Rowen has never really been a girl that does what she’s told. Mr. January won’t have to save her. She can dang well save herself.
more
“Dax was like a shot of warm whiskey straight to the heart.”
I was so intrigued by the synopsis, knowing that the Mr. January situation would be very amusing. Knowing that there would be plenty of #HotCops, some that I’d met before and others I could look forward to spending time with in the future. And all of that is true…
What I wasn’t expecting was to get beside myself upset over what happens to Rowen. I got attached to her and wanted to throw a shovel in the trunk and solve at least one of her problems…permanently. Don’t look at me like that, all innocent, I know I’m not the only one that commits virtual crimes while reading.
If you are a fan of this author’s work, you’re gonna be thrilled with the support characters that won’t be strangers. Everything that you’ve loved in the past will just be the icing and sprinkles on the cake that you get to have and eat as well. I can’t get enough. The line forms here…
So being fairly new to Lani Lynn Vale’s work but having binged the hell out of the series I have read I wanted to read more but don’t have the time to binge any of her longer series. Then I found this one. And I am still a fan. I love her writing style and her strong female characters and protective alpha men.
After reading the blurb I was expecting something a little bit different from what I got but I think that was more my preconceptions of how I thought it was going to play out. It wasn’t a negative in any way just different.
Dax was the perfect hero. He was sweet and loving and open but also possessive and protective. He is exactly what I love in my book boyfriends and the reason I have become so hooked on the author’s work.
Rowen was a great character in her own right. She had a pretty major thing happen to her but she dealt with It. Sure she was upset but she didn’t make it a major issue. She just went about falling in love with Dax and living life.
Their chemistry was awesome and I liked the secondary characters who I’m assuming will be getting their own books as the series progresses. I am thinking I’ll have to find the time to read the OG generation while I’m waiting for these ones to be written.
These books just keep getting better and better, I love we get to see older characters that we originally loved and now their kids are our leading men and women. Dax is a cop and is Mr. January he is getting attention that he doesn’t want except for Rowen’s attention. They kind of grew around each other but until recently bad luck has sent Rowen back to her hometown and into Dax’s sights. These two are perfect together and I loved their story.
Just when I thought I couldn’t love Lani more she gives me SWAT 2.0!!! Her SWAT series was the first one that I had to wait on books for so getting their kids now is just so much fun! Dax is everything his daddy was just a bit dirtier! This is a seriously amazing start to a new series and I can’t wait to get more!
By Laura
Rowen wanted Theo. Theo wanted her sister, Katy. Katy wanted nothing to do with Theo. Theo then continued to repel Rowen’s subtle advances and started dating the only woman to have tortured her for a year. Rowen then lost her job. With nothing holding her back, she moved back home, reconnected with Dax, found him to be more man than any man she’d ever met, and quickly realized that everything she wanted was right there for the taking. Their story was so cute and hot and it was everything. Rowen and Dax were awesome, their families and their connections were awesome, and even the bits of drama were awesome. Whenever I’m looking for an amazing read, LLV has always got me covered. Sexy and sweet alpha heroes find their feisty and adorable heroines. She can be trusted to get you out of a reading slump and knows just how to provide you with an entertaining read Every. Single. Time. GUARANTEED! One-clicking this book should be a no-brainer.
Pretty original book that tracks how Rowen and Dax meet. Funny and heartwarming, this novel is full of laughter, love, jealous ex-girlfriends, and family. Kept me entertained from the first page to the last. Highly recommend it!
Hands down LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. It’s my new favorite of this author and she has a lot of amazing books.
This new series is about the next generation. We first get Rowan and Dax who will have you laughing nonstop. These two meet/see one another again after an awful incident happens to Rowan and has her moving home. But these two instantly start a friendship that turns into more before either one of them realizes. There is a little drama but karma has a way of catching up to those who does bad.
We also get to see Luke and Reese and Max and Payton again!!!!
I would definitely recommend reading this book, it won’t disappoint
Another great read from the lani Lynn vale, characters have great chemistry and get along very well. All in all, I love it!
Great start to a new Lani Lynn Vale series! So, so happy that the SWAT offspring are getting ALL the books!!
Loved Rowen. Loved Dax. LOVED them together. Their interactions with their families, the easy way they fell for one another, the love they share so freely… *le sigh* I wanna be friends with them & I wanna attend every dinner they have with their extended SWAT family!
The Shondra & Rachelle crap was super annoying but it was kinda nice to get a classic b*tch-baddie storyline this time around. It wasn’t something out-of-the-blue or WTF?!, it felt like a natural, crazy-a** progression for those twunts. 😉 As for Theo… I’d be a-okay not hearing from him again.
Looking forward to the next book in this series, Fries Before Guys, featuring Derek & Avery BUT… even more excited to FINALLY get my hands on the first book in The Valentine Boys series, Herd That!
SIDE NOTE: Why did the blurb for this book never happen?!
January – This is the first of the SWAT 2.0 Generation. Most of the men on the SWAT team have history with SWAT, as in their parents were the original SWAT.
This was a fun read. I’ve read most of Lani’s books and I always like to read about “the after” of her characters. Dax’s parents are from her 1st series Freebirds. And Rowen’s dad is the leader of the SWAT team.
This wasn’t one of a favorite from the author. I don’t like when they throw in outrageous things to make drama. (Nair in shampoo? Really?) That’s soo High School. And having family in law enforcement, and NOTHING happens to the people who hurt you? Not buying it.
I enjoyed catching up with the secondary characters.
5 STARS
When I heard Lani Lynn Vale would be writing the second generation of KPD Swat Men I couldn’t wait to read them! Just Kidding follows the story of Rowen, daughter of Luke and Reese Roberts. I loved Rowen in Center Mass. She was an adorable 4 year then and is now grown up and has just passed her bar exams to become a lawyer. Rowan is a feisty, strong and resilient. She has had a terrible prank pulled on her and the way she handled it all with so much grace I couldn’t believe. I would never have been able to handle it as well as she did! When SWAT team member, Dax realizes Rowen is back in town and all grown up he can’t stay away. His protectiveness towards her I loved. He is gorgeous with all his tattoos and sexy charm. Their passion and chemistry is all consuming. These two were a force together. Excellent writing with the right amount of romance and drama to keep me turning the pages until the end. I am looking forward to Avery and Derek’s story next in Fries Before Guys.
I absolutely love Rowen and Dax. Poor Rowen, she endures a lot but she hold her head high and moves on. I enjoyed how protective, understanding, and lovable Dax was with Rowen. Lani Lynn Vale is amazing, she never disappoints.
I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down! A great start to a new series! It was a great fast read! Can’t wait for the next one!
Received an arc for an honest review
It’s great reading about the kids from the earlier series. Especially when some of the previous, much loved characters make an appearance.
Another LLV success – a must read.
I just loved this book, it had me laughing out loud the whole time. It also had my heart warming and falling for both Dax and Rowan, they were awesome. I look forward to reading this whole series.
Rowen Roberts is supposed to be starting her career with the man of her dreams. That is if she would get offered a position, which she didn’t and the man of her dreams is a figment. The guy she has been crushing on for years she realizes is really not interested in her and she has wasted her time. One night of letting a bit loose though has a consequence by trusting someone she should never have trusted and heading home .
When his boss asks Dax Tremaine a favor, he doesn’t hesitate. What he doesn’t expect is Rowen. Rowen is a calming balm after the Police Departments calendar comes out and since he is Mr. January he is getting attention he does not want. What will Dax do though when he realizes Rowen feels the same as he does?
Loved this, was a bit of a surprise of what was going on with Rowen. Terrific first book in this series. I am anxious to read more and was so disappointed when this was over. Wanted to reread right away.
Wow! This new series just blew my mind. We have Dax a man who did a calendar shot for charity and it is something he can’t escape from. Then we have Rowen who just melted my heart. I absolutely fell in love with the first generation SWAT and now we get the kids and I love reading their stories as well. Rowen is the kind of female character that you root for and love, hurt when she hurts and get angry by what happens. The story is one that kept me entertained as I giggled out loud many times. I loved the chemistry between the characters. I didn’t want this story to end and I can’t wait for what happens next. Lani Lynn Vale has done it again!!!!
Just Kidding by Lani Lynn Vale is the first book in her SWAT Generation 2.0 series. Focusing on the younger members of the Kilgore Police Departments SWAT team this book is Dax Tremaine and Rowen Roberts’ story.
Rowen is doing the best she can but as an intern in a San Antonio law firm and with a hostile coworker she has had just about enough. When hostile coworker takes things so far beyond the limits of too far Rowen realizes it time to go home to Kilgore.
Despite his in personal demons Dax agrees to e part of a fundraising calendar. As Mr. January he also gets to go first. Taking the chiefs daughter with him as a favor is the least he can do. Especially when she’s as much in need of a break as anyone could be.
Between Rowen’s strength and kindness and Dax’s sweet and patient outlook these two hit it off big time. There are, of course, a few hiccups along the way, but between his horrible ex and her horrible ex coworker there is enough drama to keep the story fast paced, a little shocking, and filled with the awesome insta-love I have come to expect from a Lani Lynn Vale story. Enjoy!
I swear that if you’re ever having a crappy day, reading a book by this author will fix your day pretty fast. The story line is uncomplicated, there’s a lot of humor and crazy, a little bit of angst, not a lot of profound stuff, and yet the joy de vivre in the story-telling is a sworn humor improver.
Again, the richness in the story lies in the wonderful characters. These people are all connected to previous stories and they’re starting to feel like friends. Rowen, daughter of Luke Roberts’ (chief of the Kilgore PD) was in love with a guy who was in love with her sister Katy. However, he turned out to be interested in crazy Shondra, who was in fact jealous of Rowen. And for her affections, Rowen ended up with a bald head. You have to read about it in the book!
Rowen, who had just passed the bar, quit San Antonio and headed home to Kilgore, looking for a job. There she landed with a job, courtesy of Dax, and also landed in a fog of lust, courtesy of Dax too, who grew up big (in all aspects!), is full of tattoos and full of gorgeousness. He’s been photographed and featured in the PD calendar as Mr. January, a source of a lot of irritation for Dax, but beneficial for the charities chosen by the participants. There’s a lot of fun times for Mr. January!
The story is simple, girl meets boy she knew from high school but saw him as unattainable. Year later, they meet and they are on equal standing, plus boy grew up some muscles and added yummy tattoos. They also get close because they are now neighbors, share some time together and Dax has a chance to realize how cute and what a wonderful person Rowen is. And, because this is an LLV story, there are crazy women on the warpath against Rowen, and Dax gets to play her hero.
This was a fantastic and fun read, chock full of family and friends from previous books, to the point I got confused and now have an inclination to pore over past reviews and clear up all the genealogy, fun task! I loved the story, loved the characters, and loved how happy it made me after reading it!
I really enjoyed this story, but of course, anything Lani writes is just fun for me.
Dax doesn’t want to be a public persona, hence his disdain for the Kilgore Police Department’s calendar. Someone a long time ago put him “out” there and he has had a hatred for photos and publicity since. His goal is to always remain under the radar.
Rowen has just had one hell of a day, and she is in no mood for a broody cop. She’s funny, goofy and about sick of people giving her a hard time. Plus, you know that unrequited love thing. Yea, it happens.
I loved the pairing of these two. The building of their relationship was funny, real and just plain sweet. Lani is so good at showing that side of the Kilgore men! Another 5 star read!