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One Day at a Time
DEA agent Pete Olivera has lived some hard times, so when a local cop is forced to shoot a teenage boy in the Indiana city Pete’s temporarily assigned to, he’s uniquely qualified to understand what Officer Joseph West is going through. Joseph’s actions were justified and saved lives—his own and those of the people around him—but knowing he did the right thing doesn’t ease his guilt. Pete knows Joe needs to come to terms with the shooting. But neither man realized that the friendship and love growing between them would be the most important step on the journey to peace—for them both.
59 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2012
About the author
Dawn Douglas
17 books20 followersDawn Douglas lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She realized she wasn't in Kansas anymore when she went to a meeting of her local Democratic party and she and the organizer were the only ones there! Dawn was a reporter for several years but now works in marketing. Next to spending time with her husband and daughter, writing anything from freelance news features to fiction is her favorite thing to do. In 2010, Dawn placed third in a national humor writing competition sponsored by News Portal Corporation.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 6, 2018
A very brief story about a DEA agent and a local cop who was in an officer-involved shooting. For such a short piece (under 60 pages), the character development was really well-done and the ending suggests the possibility of a relationship going forward. Enjoyable read.
July 20, 2012
This is a very short story, and so there isn’t much room for background information. The why’s and how’s of Pete’s assignment and the shooting are all done during the first few paragraphs, so lapidary that I had to read some sentences twice in order to get all the info that was squeezed into. But once this was out of the way, the story had some very intense and deeply emotional scenes, both within and outside the context of sex scenes. I found the connection between the two men very well done, the tension and attraction between them came alive on the pages even though there’s only one narrative perspective, Pete’s.
There’s also not a whole lot of characterization; most facts about the characters are told in inner thoughts or just stated rather than shown through actions.
Pete, the first-person narrator, is obviously more elaborated; he’s your typical hardboiled, world-weary tough guy who has his heart wrapped with a triple layer of barbed wire. Reaching out a hand of friendship to a stranger is so out of character for him that it surprises himself as much as it does Joe. He certainly didn’t mean to get attached–for one, his time in Indiana is limited, and for another, Pete may be bisexual, but he keeps his sex life carefully free of emotions. So developing feelings towards Joe definitely wasn’t on Pete’s agenda.
Joe, on the other hand, is a wholesome small-town cop, volunteer Little League baseball coach and generally good guy. He may have experimented with guys at some time, but mostly, he’s straight, as this is what a cop is supposed to be in his eyes. The awful snap-decision he had to make in order to save his and other people’s lives has thrown him off the rails, but meeting with understanding and compassion from such an unexpected source well and truely shatters him. After Pete helps him put himself back together, Joe’s view of life has shifted, to a point where he not only can see the inevitability of fate, but where he also reconsiders his picture of himself–which includes his sexuality.
By the end of the story,though, it isn't clear whether they might end up as friends, lovers, or even just as each other’s fond memory. It’s a true HFN ending that comes somewhat rushed and makes this short novella feel like a teaser or at least, like the beginning of something more–which I’d definitely like to read.
There’s also not a whole lot of characterization; most facts about the characters are told in inner thoughts or just stated rather than shown through actions.
Pete, the first-person narrator, is obviously more elaborated; he’s your typical hardboiled, world-weary tough guy who has his heart wrapped with a triple layer of barbed wire. Reaching out a hand of friendship to a stranger is so out of character for him that it surprises himself as much as it does Joe. He certainly didn’t mean to get attached–for one, his time in Indiana is limited, and for another, Pete may be bisexual, but he keeps his sex life carefully free of emotions. So developing feelings towards Joe definitely wasn’t on Pete’s agenda.
Joe, on the other hand, is a wholesome small-town cop, volunteer Little League baseball coach and generally good guy. He may have experimented with guys at some time, but mostly, he’s straight, as this is what a cop is supposed to be in his eyes. The awful snap-decision he had to make in order to save his and other people’s lives has thrown him off the rails, but meeting with understanding and compassion from such an unexpected source well and truely shatters him. After Pete helps him put himself back together, Joe’s view of life has shifted, to a point where he not only can see the inevitability of fate, but where he also reconsiders his picture of himself–which includes his sexuality.
By the end of the story,though, it isn't clear whether they might end up as friends, lovers, or even just as each other’s fond memory. It’s a true HFN ending that comes somewhat rushed and makes this short novella feel like a teaser or at least, like the beginning of something more–which I’d definitely like to read.
February 9, 2013
Very short romance with a DEA agent and a local cop which had promise, however it was just too short and I would like to see more of this couple in a longer story that could show more background and relationship for them.
March 29, 2013
2012 Review:
Ooh, excellent. Very sad, of course, given the subject, but overall the tone remained hopeful, which is what makes all the difference.
I absolutely loved the narrator. He was simply perfect, in his own closed-up, war-beaten way. I mean all he did was kind and unselfishly caring, no matter that he thought he was being rough. And Joe? Sweet guy, and it was good to see him get over the worst of it with Pete’s help.
It just made me sad that the ending .
But yep. Great short story. <3
Ooh, excellent. Very sad, of course, given the subject, but overall the tone remained hopeful, which is what makes all the difference.
I absolutely loved the narrator. He was simply perfect, in his own closed-up, war-beaten way. I mean all he did was kind and unselfishly caring, no matter that he thought he was being rough. And Joe? Sweet guy, and it was good to see him get over the worst of it with Pete’s help.
It just made me sad that the ending .
But yep. Great short story. <3
July 7, 2012
3.5 stars
It was a fast read and the MC's were really good together but the shooting consequences was skimmed over after the sex started so the trauma and having to deal with the guilt and other emotional issues was left by the wayside. Too short and not enough real couple time, maybe this is only the start.
It was a fast read and the MC's were really good together but the shooting consequences was skimmed over after the sex started so the trauma and having to deal with the guilt and other emotional issues was left by the wayside. Too short and not enough real couple time, maybe this is only the start.
June 16, 2015
This book largely suffered for me in theme. We don't live in a time where I can stomach a story about a cop who kills a kid, and so it was hard to enjoy, even with tropes and themes I otherwise like. The writing is good, which I expected based on the author's other books I've read, but I should have trusted my instincts and skipped this one despite a craving for good writing.
May 5, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, I just wished it was longer *sigh*
Definitely a book I'd recommend.
Definitely a book I'd recommend.
November 12, 2012
Something about the vibe of this story really bothered me. I'm not sure it's really appropriate to use the deaths of troubled teens and preteens as the catalyst for two guys getting together, which is exactly what happened.
First West and Olivera discuss the shooting death of a fourteen-year-old, then how four Afghani boys Olivera knew were "cut in half" (a weirdly gruesome and almost morbidly-fascinated description of an awful, awful thing, by the way) by Olivera's machine gun fire, then how it's actually their faults for making the decisions that lead them to situations where they're then killed. They're children. Olivera's pithy comment that "sometimes kids get a raw deal" not only doesn't make him seem the world-weary truth-teller that the author apparently wants him to be; it makes him seem a little psychopathic. Everyone might be responsible for themselves, but you can't kill a kid put into a hopeless situation and then dismiss what you did by saying, "Oh, well, he chose to be where he was and do what he did." It doesn't work like that, period.
THEN they immediately move into sex and joking and catharsis and more joking and then the end-- it's baffling. The tone is jarring, and though the writing isn't bad, it can't hold up to the switches in mood. Their sex wasn't hot, only grim.
I think my main problem was that the entire story was all about West's pain and Olivera's pain and never seemed to approach the pain of the children they killed. They boys-- Lucas Kingsley and the four kids in Afghanistan-- are just the vehicles for getting West and Olivera together. They're speechless, inanimate ghosts, and more than that, there's no sense they were ever anything else. Their only purpose was to embody the ~tough misery~ that West and Olivera suffered so that they could bond over it and get it on a lot. They appropriated the suffering and misery of the children and made it all about themselves in a way that I frankly found disgusting. I don't care about two assholes who murder kids, at least not if they're then so callous and dismissive about it. You know what, yes, Joseph West, it was your fault he died, because you shot him. Were there other factors at play? Sure, but you pulled the trigger and you have to take some of the responsibility for what follows.
This is an issue that exists in the real world; it warrants way more nuance than this story gives it, and more respect, to boot. There are an infinite number of factors that put a child in a kill-or-be-killed situation, and the book doesn't really acknowledge any of those, at least not in any serious way. More, in real life, many times kids (in Afghanistan and in America) are killed who've done nothing except be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the book doesn't acknowledge this, either. It uses this monstrous circumstance to bring the two mcs together the same way another book might use a passion for snowboarding, or attendance at a flower show. It's disgraceful.
In the end, I never got the sense that either character really cared about what they had done to the children, only that dead kids were good reasons to angst and drink and wallow in manpain. I don't care about Joseph West or Pete Olivera, but I felt Lucas Kingsley deserved more than that.
First West and Olivera discuss the shooting death of a fourteen-year-old, then how four Afghani boys Olivera knew were "cut in half" (a weirdly gruesome and almost morbidly-fascinated description of an awful, awful thing, by the way) by Olivera's machine gun fire, then how it's actually their faults for making the decisions that lead them to situations where they're then killed. They're children. Olivera's pithy comment that "sometimes kids get a raw deal" not only doesn't make him seem the world-weary truth-teller that the author apparently wants him to be; it makes him seem a little psychopathic. Everyone might be responsible for themselves, but you can't kill a kid put into a hopeless situation and then dismiss what you did by saying, "Oh, well, he chose to be where he was and do what he did." It doesn't work like that, period.
THEN they immediately move into sex and joking and catharsis and more joking and then the end-- it's baffling. The tone is jarring, and though the writing isn't bad, it can't hold up to the switches in mood. Their sex wasn't hot, only grim.
I think my main problem was that the entire story was all about West's pain and Olivera's pain and never seemed to approach the pain of the children they killed. They boys-- Lucas Kingsley and the four kids in Afghanistan-- are just the vehicles for getting West and Olivera together. They're speechless, inanimate ghosts, and more than that, there's no sense they were ever anything else. Their only purpose was to embody the ~tough misery~ that West and Olivera suffered so that they could bond over it and get it on a lot. They appropriated the suffering and misery of the children and made it all about themselves in a way that I frankly found disgusting. I don't care about two assholes who murder kids, at least not if they're then so callous and dismissive about it. You know what, yes, Joseph West, it was your fault he died, because you shot him. Were there other factors at play? Sure, but you pulled the trigger and you have to take some of the responsibility for what follows.
This is an issue that exists in the real world; it warrants way more nuance than this story gives it, and more respect, to boot. There are an infinite number of factors that put a child in a kill-or-be-killed situation, and the book doesn't really acknowledge any of those, at least not in any serious way. More, in real life, many times kids (in Afghanistan and in America) are killed who've done nothing except be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the book doesn't acknowledge this, either. It uses this monstrous circumstance to bring the two mcs together the same way another book might use a passion for snowboarding, or attendance at a flower show. It's disgraceful.
In the end, I never got the sense that either character really cared about what they had done to the children, only that dead kids were good reasons to angst and drink and wallow in manpain. I don't care about Joseph West or Pete Olivera, but I felt Lucas Kingsley deserved more than that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2016
I don't - what? No. You can't just quit there. YOU CAN'T! There is so much more left to say and so many things that haven't happened yet. Why, oh why is this not a full-length novel?
Loved the characters, loved their chemistry. Loved the writing style and it was beautifully written. Loved the dog and I hateloved the ending.
I wish it was longer, but nevertheless it was awesome.
4.2 stars
Loved the characters, loved their chemistry. Loved the writing style and it was beautifully written. Loved the dog and I hateloved the ending.
I wish it was longer, but nevertheless it was awesome.
4.2 stars
September 25, 2012
3.5 Kisses
For a book that falls under 65 pages it really packs a lot of punch. Ms. Douglas is a new author for me and I have to say that she really knows how to grip her readers in a complex and angsty story with two characters that lived and breathed off of the written page. This book is told in first person through Pete’s eyes. Normally, this is not my favorite way to read romances, but I have to admit, I liked Pete and I thought his perception of the events that happened was well told.
Pete is definitely an alpha male. He’s seen and has done a lot of unpleasant things in his life that has caused him to be stand-offish to others. As a DEA agent, he’s often perceived as cold, but really he cares more than he even wants to admit for himself. When he finds out an officer shot a young boy in self-defense, he immediately decides to help the man, Joseph, out. He’s understands Joseph’s pain and knows Joseph needs to get out of dodge for a while as things are still fresh in people’s minds and memories.
He finds himself at Joseph’s doorsteps and convinces him to go with him to his cabin so he can get away from prying eyes and judging minds. At first, Joseph doesn’t want to go, but Pete convinces him and soon they find themselves at Pete’s cabin where Joseph starts to really deal with the terrible turn of events his life has had. As he does this the two men start to form a bond between them and soon they fall into each other’s arms.
I liked this book a lot. It’s not an easy book to read. There’s a lot of angst and Joseph goes through a lot of heartache and despair over what happened. They seem to naturally fall into each other’s arms and I liked how Joseph really brought out Pete’s tender side. My only issue with the book is: I thought it was too short. There is a lot going on and I think it would have been a more developed read had the book been a longer novel. There are also many unanswered questions I had once I finished the novella, but I also realize that life is one big mystery to us all. We don’t know how things will turn out, and basically we all have to live each day for what it is.
Although the book ends on a positive note, there is a HFN ending. Pete knows he must leave town soon and no one knows Joseph is attracted to men, so we don’t know how things will really end up for this couple. The book felt a little rushed to me towards the end, but all in all I really liked it and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.
July 12, 2012
Good but shorter story about a Federal Agent, Pete Olivera, on assignment in Southern Indiana. While there, a local officer kills a teenager in self-defense after the teenager opened fire on him. It is further complicated by the fact that the teenager had once been on the Joe's Little League team. But the kid had fallen in with a gang and was in way over his head.
Pete has had a lot of experiences over the years and unfortunately one was similar to this incident. He decides to get Joe out of town during the kid's wake and funeral and takes him to his cabin in Kentucky. While there, Joe begins to fall apart a little with the grief and guilt and Pete is there to comfort him. Against his better judgement, things get physical.
This was a good premise and I would have liked for this story to be longer because I found the characters interesting and I would have liked to have seen more than a weekend of their interaction.
Pete has had a lot of experiences over the years and unfortunately one was similar to this incident. He decides to get Joe out of town during the kid's wake and funeral and takes him to his cabin in Kentucky. While there, Joe begins to fall apart a little with the grief and guilt and Pete is there to comfort him. Against his better judgement, things get physical.
This was a good premise and I would have liked for this story to be longer because I found the characters interesting and I would have liked to have seen more than a weekend of their interaction.
July 10, 2012
3.5 stars.
Big info dump in the beginning to get the reader up to speed. It would have been more interesting, more suspenseful if we'd seen the action in 'real time'. I'd rather read a longer book than a short story where my attention wanders before I'm 5% in because of all the telling. Show me the action!!
Apart from that, there was nice chemistry between the MCs, the writing was tight with just enough detail and emotion and humour. And the sex was HOT!
Big info dump in the beginning to get the reader up to speed. It would have been more interesting, more suspenseful if we'd seen the action in 'real time'. I'd rather read a longer book than a short story where my attention wanders before I'm 5% in because of all the telling. Show me the action!!
Apart from that, there was nice chemistry between the MCs, the writing was tight with just enough detail and emotion and humour. And the sex was HOT!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2012
This story was definitely to short, it was much more a prologue into a new possible series. At least it did look that way. We can't talk about a romance here, but sure both Pete Olivera and Joseph West could be really good together. I hope we will see more about them as a couple. This book is well written, sadly to short and doesn't have a boring moments.
July 12, 2012
Hm... i like the storyline and both characters are definitely likeable. But i can't help it. The ending was a bit rushed. I really wanted to know how their story ended. Sequel maybe???
July 11, 2012
Very good short m/m romance about a DEA agent on assignment to a small town police force who decides to help a cop depressed about having had to kill a teen gang member.
July 7, 2012
I really enjoyed this, I just wish it was longer. Hopefully the author is not done with these two men.
September 15, 2012
Enjoyable. Not the most memorable, but very entertaining.
July 11, 2012
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews