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In the Line of Duty #2.5
His Strings to Pull
A whirlwind affair or a headlong plunge into the deep end of forever?
An "In the Line of Duty" Short Story
As lifeguard Jenny Anderson keeps one eye on the rambunctious kids at the community pool, she can t help but keep the other one trained on the gorgeous, tattooed hottie peeling his shirt off near the lounge chairs. And she isn t the only woman at the pool drooling.
Right about the time her gaze drops to check for a wedding ring which, from bitter experience, she knows doesn t mean squat one of those kids plows into her from behind. Sending her in an ungraceful belly flop right into the deep end.
When the sleekly tanned lifeguard literally falls into his arms, her mouth opening and closing like a landed fish, Ving Duncan s special forces training kicks in. It s clear she needs air, and she needs it now.
The moment their lips collide, he wants her, all strings attached. By the time he finds out who she is his comrade s little sister it s too late. He s hooked, and he s already planning his next to get her to say yes. To a date. Maybe to forever
A whirlwind romance so hot and breathless, it could leave you needing a little mouth-to-mouth "
An "In the Line of Duty" Short Story
As lifeguard Jenny Anderson keeps one eye on the rambunctious kids at the community pool, she can t help but keep the other one trained on the gorgeous, tattooed hottie peeling his shirt off near the lounge chairs. And she isn t the only woman at the pool drooling.
Right about the time her gaze drops to check for a wedding ring which, from bitter experience, she knows doesn t mean squat one of those kids plows into her from behind. Sending her in an ungraceful belly flop right into the deep end.
When the sleekly tanned lifeguard literally falls into his arms, her mouth opening and closing like a landed fish, Ving Duncan s special forces training kicks in. It s clear she needs air, and she needs it now.
The moment their lips collide, he wants her, all strings attached. By the time he finds out who she is his comrade s little sister it s too late. He s hooked, and he s already planning his next to get her to say yes. To a date. Maybe to forever
A whirlwind romance so hot and breathless, it could leave you needing a little mouth-to-mouth "
48 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2014
46 people are currently reading
630 people want to read
About the author
Cathryn Fox
286 books1,373 followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cathryn Fox is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, aunt and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. Cathryn lives in beautiful Nova Scotia with her husband, who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. When not writing, Cathryn can be found Skyping with her son living in Seattle (could he have moved any farther away?) shopping with her daughter in the city, watching a big action flick with her husband, or hanging out and laughing with friends.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
November 5, 2014
3.0 RATING- If I hadn't read other books in this series, I'd likely be disappointed by this free short story. It's really short and everything happens so quickly, there is no real development. This story could actually be skipped over completely and you wouldn't miss much except for the characters in this book play roles in the next book. They are important in the sense that they are siblings of the main characters in the next book but the events in this book are not of great importance. So read or skip...no big deal. Don't judge the rest of the series by this short story though. The other books are solid contemporary romances!
October 19, 2014
2.75 stars - this was a short, free novella and the first one I read by this author. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was longer. There wasn't enough time to really get involved with the characters and it was instalove.
October 10, 2014
Slick‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
4 Stars
Review copy provided for an honest review
This is one of those books that as a reader makes me truly happy. In book two in this series, the hero and heroine meet on a plane on the way to the wedding of their siblings. His Strings To Pull is the story of how their siblings met and it is such a good story, so in reality this short story is book 1.5 in this series.
I’m a sucker for love at first sight romance and that’s exactly what happens to Jenny Anderson and Ving Duncan. A chance meeting at the community pool when Jenny literally falls into Ving the sparks begin to fly and it become apparent that these two were bound to be together. Ving wastes no time making Jenny understand he wants to date her but he wants more and while Jenny is skeptical at first due to some previous bad dating history even she has a hard time not admitting there is something special between them.
This is a super short story but one that will give readers who haven’t read this story a look into the characters and their lives and readers who have read this series the background on Jenny and Ving we all so desperately craved. A whirlwind romance with a bit of humor and a whole lot of sexiness makes His Strings To Pull and awesome addition to this series!
4 Stars
Review copy provided for an honest review
This is one of those books that as a reader makes me truly happy. In book two in this series, the hero and heroine meet on a plane on the way to the wedding of their siblings. His Strings To Pull is the story of how their siblings met and it is such a good story, so in reality this short story is book 1.5 in this series.
I’m a sucker for love at first sight romance and that’s exactly what happens to Jenny Anderson and Ving Duncan. A chance meeting at the community pool when Jenny literally falls into Ving the sparks begin to fly and it become apparent that these two were bound to be together. Ving wastes no time making Jenny understand he wants to date her but he wants more and while Jenny is skeptical at first due to some previous bad dating history even she has a hard time not admitting there is something special between them.
This is a super short story but one that will give readers who haven’t read this story a look into the characters and their lives and readers who have read this series the background on Jenny and Ving we all so desperately craved. A whirlwind romance with a bit of humor and a whole lot of sexiness makes His Strings To Pull and awesome addition to this series!
December 22, 2016
I got this one as a freebie so thought I would try it even though its a novella between books two and three in the series.
It was easy to slip into the story that begins with a humorous encounter at the community pool. Jenny is wary of men after discovering her boyfriend was a married man and she was 'the other woman' so even though Ving seems the perfect guy, she wonders if he's too good to be true. For Ving, it's practically love at first sight and he just needs to prove to Jenny that she can trust him.
This was a fast-paced attraction and ends on a happy for now with promises of a future. It was light and fun so now I'm ready to go back and start at the beginning with the series.
It was easy to slip into the story that begins with a humorous encounter at the community pool. Jenny is wary of men after discovering her boyfriend was a married man and she was 'the other woman' so even though Ving seems the perfect guy, she wonders if he's too good to be true. For Ving, it's practically love at first sight and he just needs to prove to Jenny that she can trust him.
This was a fast-paced attraction and ends on a happy for now with promises of a future. It was light and fun so now I'm ready to go back and start at the beginning with the series.
September 22, 2018
Premetto che è una novella e che qui in Italia si trova alla fine de #ilsuopasticcioatallulah e tratta di Ving e Jenny. Durante la lettura del romanzo mi ero, in effetti, fatta due domande su di loro e sono veramente contenta di aver ottenuto risposte.
Questa novella è di una dolcezza infinita, un amore lampo, un colpo di fulmine
Questa novella è di una dolcezza infinita, un amore lampo, un colpo di fulmine
May 18, 2024
This is a cute, quick, entertaining read. The author packs a lot into less than 60 pages. Ving and Jenny are interesting characters whom I enjoyed spending time with. The story is easy to read and get into.
May 27, 2017
Super fun sweet summer story! Jenny and aging are two fun loving sweet people. I loved that they fell hard and fell fast.
February 27, 2018
It was good nut too freaking short!
Good but short. I like novellas but I would have loved more about Ving! I'm not surprised that he fell so fast
Good but short. I like novellas but I would have loved more about Ving! I'm not surprised that he fell so fast
April 6, 2019
❤❤❤❤❤
February 28, 2023
A quick listen - sweet romance.
October 25, 2020
Talk about a whirlwind romance from the first splash in the pool. This book is part of a series but I don't think you need to have read them as it's really just focusing on Jenny and Ving. A short read to just unwind with before bed.
After getting knocked into the pool where Jenny is a lifeguard, and needing rescuing by the handsome stranger she couldn't keep her eyes off, looks like she needs a bit of mouth-to-mouth. Her mind takes it to mean something else entirely and its not long before the sewing seeds of a spark start. Mystery man called Ving who she thinks is probably married and father to the kids he was at the pool with. Turns out he just looks after them and is free as a bird looking for something more. Happy days as far as Jenny is concerned.
Ving is definitely looking for strings to stay close to her; he just needs to get her on a date first. Needing a clever way to ask her out he plans it all to get a yes. Anyone fancy a picnic date where sparks are flying no matter how fast? Seems these two need to cool down so a midnight dip in the pool might be just the ticket. Everything falling into place but is it too good to be true?
Not much character depth with either of them – not sure if they have popped up in other books – so a little in the dark about who they really are. Not that either mind as they feel like its fate pulling them together and the whole getting to know each other part will come next. Ending made me smile. Most of the book it seems they are either by the pool or in it. Doesn't have the cooling effect though more like causing temperatures to rise. Good job she has keys so they could pop in anytime the mood strikes.
After getting knocked into the pool where Jenny is a lifeguard, and needing rescuing by the handsome stranger she couldn't keep her eyes off, looks like she needs a bit of mouth-to-mouth. Her mind takes it to mean something else entirely and its not long before the sewing seeds of a spark start. Mystery man called Ving who she thinks is probably married and father to the kids he was at the pool with. Turns out he just looks after them and is free as a bird looking for something more. Happy days as far as Jenny is concerned.
Ving is definitely looking for strings to stay close to her; he just needs to get her on a date first. Needing a clever way to ask her out he plans it all to get a yes. Anyone fancy a picnic date where sparks are flying no matter how fast? Seems these two need to cool down so a midnight dip in the pool might be just the ticket. Everything falling into place but is it too good to be true?
Not much character depth with either of them – not sure if they have popped up in other books – so a little in the dark about who they really are. Not that either mind as they feel like its fate pulling them together and the whole getting to know each other part will come next. Ending made me smile. Most of the book it seems they are either by the pool or in it. Doesn't have the cooling effect though more like causing temperatures to rise. Good job she has keys so they could pop in anytime the mood strikes.
October 11, 2014
His Strings to Pull is a short, hot, sexy read which nestles between book one and two of the "In the Line of Duty" series. This is the story of how Ving Duncan, Tallulah Duncan's brother and Jenny Andersen, Garret Andersen's sister (Lu and Garret being the main characters from book two) meet. Jenny meets hottie Ving while working as a lifeguard and sparks immediately fly between the two. What we get is a whirlwind romance between the two "rescuing" each other from drowning in the pool which was seriously funny and hot.
"Oh hell. He was performing CPR, not kissing her." - Jenny
That whole scene was too funny for words. Loved the dashes of laughter and heat throughout such a short read. I adore the series as a whole and this just gave us a little more background to it. I would've liked a little more to the romance because I did start getting into it and love Cathryn Fox writing but I thought it was a nice addition. I can't wait for more of this series and these great characters.
"Oh hell. He was performing CPR, not kissing her." - Jenny
That whole scene was too funny for words. Loved the dashes of laughter and heat throughout such a short read. I adore the series as a whole and this just gave us a little more background to it. I would've liked a little more to the romance because I did start getting into it and love Cathryn Fox writing but I thought it was a nice addition. I can't wait for more of this series and these great characters.
January 23, 2015
This was not great for me. Jenny is the heroine. She's an adult woman of indeterminate age. She makes her living as a lifeguard at the community pool. Ving is the hero. He's an adult man, also of indeterminate age. He served in the military as a helicopter pilot, but he's apparently out of the military and it's not clear how he makes a living. He does have a single mother for a neighbor and he's babysitting her three children while she works (I had the impression this was volunteer work, along with the dog training stuff). Ving takes the kids to the pool and that's how he meets Jenny. In an amazing coincidence, Ving served with Jenny's brother in the military, so we VERY briefly meet a couple other eligible bachelors who will probably feature in future books in the series.
So, they meet one day. The next day, Ving asks her out on a date. That evening, they have their date. They have unprotected sex and fall deeply in love.
I found the dialogue awkward in places and I didn't buy the instant love at all.
So, they meet one day. The next day, Ving asks her out on a date. That evening, they have their date. They have unprotected sex and fall deeply in love.
I found the dialogue awkward in places and I didn't buy the instant love at all.
May 29, 2015
His Strings to Pull by Cathryn Fox is a quick, fun novella to read. It has a storyline that quickly pulls you in and before you know it, it is complete. It is a stand alone book, that could easily become a series. Though it is a short story, there is a development of characters and chemistry. I would love to have heard more and was sad to see it end!
In this story Jenny Anderson is on duty as a lifeguard at the local community pool. She is keeping an eye on everyone, including the gorgeous man with tattoos she had never seen before. When someone knocks her unexpectedly into the pool, she lands in his arms, stunned and out of breath. He mistakes her lack of breathing for needing rescued. This sets off a series of events for both of them that could be life changing.
In this story Jenny Anderson is on duty as a lifeguard at the local community pool. She is keeping an eye on everyone, including the gorgeous man with tattoos she had never seen before. When someone knocks her unexpectedly into the pool, she lands in his arms, stunned and out of breath. He mistakes her lack of breathing for needing rescued. This sets off a series of events for both of them that could be life changing.
October 23, 2014
I will say I love HEA's. I'm not really in love with this story.
Not only is it really really short! (I didn't read Amazon when I downloaded so I was not expecting that.)
This story was written at a fast pace read that seemed too good to be true. I am all for cheesy love stories but even this was too much for me. I love military men(married mine). There was not enough backstory. Not enough of everything. Each situation felt like I was given a 5 second slide show.
As my first read by Cathryn Fox.... Sadly I'm not impressed.
Not only is it really really short! (I didn't read Amazon when I downloaded so I was not expecting that.)
This story was written at a fast pace read that seemed too good to be true. I am all for cheesy love stories but even this was too much for me. I love military men(married mine). There was not enough backstory. Not enough of everything. Each situation felt like I was given a 5 second slide show.
As my first read by Cathryn Fox.... Sadly I'm not impressed.
October 23, 2014
It was good, but a little bit corny...
I enjoyed this very short story that was recommended to me by a friend. This is the first book in the series and I think it gave me a good idea on what to expect in future books.
I have to admit that my eyes did roll a few times with the insta-love and the...
oh no, no condoms
I'm on the pill and clean
I'm clean too and I don't do this normally...
sure...
I did enjoy this novella and it definitely caught my interest enough to buy more from this author.
I enjoyed this very short story that was recommended to me by a friend. This is the first book in the series and I think it gave me a good idea on what to expect in future books.
I have to admit that my eyes did roll a few times with the insta-love and the...
oh no, no condoms
I'm on the pill and clean
I'm clean too and I don't do this normally...
sure...
I did enjoy this novella and it definitely caught my interest enough to buy more from this author.
October 31, 2014
I got this book free on kindle.
Wow this was a quick read I finished the book in less than 4 hours.
I'm not use to the writing style, but as soon as you get in the swings of it the book isn't bad.
This is a great book for those who is in the mood for a quick romance book and don't want to waist mush time getting to the juicy parts.
Wow this was a quick read I finished the book in less than 4 hours.
I'm not use to the writing style, but as soon as you get in the swings of it the book isn't bad.
This is a great book for those who is in the mood for a quick romance book and don't want to waist mush time getting to the juicy parts.
November 5, 2014
GREAT
This was a great short story. It had instalove, a man who wanted to settle down and didn't whore around, a woman that had been hurt in the past, but wasn't jaded. This book was great because it had some cute moments, and good sex. The only down side was the Debbie downer in the story causing some doubts, but we bounced back from that quickly.
This was a great short story. It had instalove, a man who wanted to settle down and didn't whore around, a woman that had been hurt in the past, but wasn't jaded. This book was great because it had some cute moments, and good sex. The only down side was the Debbie downer in the story causing some doubts, but we bounced back from that quickly.
March 18, 2015
This book was just too short! I don't believe it served any purpose at all. I read it immediately after finishing 'His trouble in Tallulah'. If this was all that was to be written, it would have been better served as a prologue to Garret and Tallulah's story as they meet en route to their siblings' wedding.
March 17, 2016
Quite enjoyable.
However, I almost wish that this had been placed before book 2 instead of after, since book 2 is their wedding. So yeah, we get the twee of seeing how they met... but honestly... I think I would have rather read it first.
All in all though, I did enjoy it. Wish it was longer. Disappointed that we don't get more of their story.
However, I almost wish that this had been placed before book 2 instead of after, since book 2 is their wedding. So yeah, we get the twee of seeing how they met... but honestly... I think I would have rather read it first.
All in all though, I did enjoy it. Wish it was longer. Disappointed that we don't get more of their story.
December 4, 2015
This was in a bunch of books I received to stuff my Kindle. This is a very short read. We have a military man that meets a lifeguard at the pool. Then the story continues from there. This was just a glimpse into what I assume is going to tell there story. It was a nice steamy read. I just want to know what happens next!
July 16, 2015
Short sweet and fast pace story. Also, the cover was what attract me at the first place and boy I wasnt disappointed. I enjoy reading it in one sitting and I got hooked with the writing style. This wont be my last read from the author.
January 5, 2016
Yes. Yes, I absolutely loved this. It was sweet, raw, and steamy. I grabbed this one free on Kindle not realizing it was #2.5 in the series. Guess I need to go grab the rest of them. More of these Cathryn!
February 4, 2016
Brevity aside, this read like an incomplete manuscript (just 30 pages), over even before I could get invested in Ving and Jenny's HEA - which is a pity, because both really looked like characters I could get behind.
November 15, 2016
This was a short novella. A very quick and sweet read. No sex scenes, just vanilla romance, which every once and a while is nice. I will not necessarily seek out more of this series from reading this teaser story but it was a nice quick bite.
October 10, 2014
Short, spicy and a too abrupt ending.
October 7, 2014
This was such a good short story. I wish it wouldn't of ended and I could have found out what happened with Jenny and Ving. I am looking forward to reading more of this series!
October 8, 2014
Very quick speed read. Would have worked well as a long story. Hot, enjoyable with likable characters.
October 13, 2014
Sweet story, but way too short and ended too abruptly. Wished it was longer.
November 10, 2014
Way to short but still a great addition to the Line of Duty series. Thanks for a great free read Cathryn.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews