Annie reminds me of Sandra Bullock’s character at the beginning of Miss Congeniality – rough, tough, no man wants to work with because she’s a woman – in combination with a plot line very similar to 21 Jump Street.Annie Blake is a DEA agent who has been working on a drug ring that’s producing a new drug, S2, targeting high school athletes. The big problem? Lots of these high school football stars are dropping dead, having heart attacks and other heart issues, not to mention some crazy aggression and other unhealthy things.Unlike the Kenney Chesney song, she did not find the tractor sexy.After a quick clean-up in Miami, she’s sent off to Kentucky, where they believe the drug is originating. She infiltrates the school under the guise of the guidance counselor, and is easily getting inside intel on the football team by simply doing her counselor job…if curtailed specifically, just a bit.But there’s a problem. Every time she runs into biology teacher/football coach Cade Davies, she’s breaking up a fight, and keeping a kid hyped up on S2 from beating his face in. After a while, Cade gets the distinct impression that Annie is not quite who she says she is, and thanks to some of his fed brothers, discovers her DEA identity.It wasn’t very often she met someone she instantly liked, but Father James was one of them. He was kind of portly, balding on the top of his head and had a smile that made you want to sit down and tell him your whole life story. He could be trouble.Keeneston is a small town – the kind of idealistic town where nothing of major consequence ever happens, where you can send your kid off down the street and know it’s safe, and where the whole town gathers at the local eatery. In Keeneston, the Rose sisters and John Wolfe run the town…and the gossip mill grapevine. After a few casual dinners together, Annie and Cade are at the center of attention throughout the town.Within a minute, a picturesque town with its old buildings painted in whites, yellows and tans came into view. Barrels of pink, purple, yellow and white flowers lined Main Street. Some people stood talking on the corner and waved at Margaret as she drove by. There were little shops that sold antiques, a stately courthouse and more people waving at her. What I loved was how no one in the town was immune. Each person was in on the gossip, filling in everyone else, and if anything, Keeneston residents have mastered the phone tree better than some schools. People were finding out things that were going down before even Cade knew, and were calling to tell him to get somewhere and do something. News in Keeneston travels at the speed of light.And with that “news” also comes the bets for Cade and Annie. Everyone around town keeps asking, or letting on, about a particular month being the best month because they’ve placed their bets. It’s a little much, but it’s characteristic small town where everyone knows everyone…and their business.“He brought your dog into it? Wow. That’s low.”This book also had a personal backstory for Annie, who grew up in foster care. She has lived alone her entire life since entering foster care, and is dealing with coming to terms with staying alone or becoming part of a family, which after being in Keeneston it’s not hard for her to make up her mind. There’s just one problem…she does have a nearby relative, who wants to be a part of her life. Annie has to deal with a lot of past anger and pain from years of being unwanted.Cade is also got a handful going on with his football team. Several of his players have become engrossed in the new S2 drug, a steroid on steroids that goes undetected in the normal drug testing. He ends up spending the majority of the season fighting one particular player using S2, who is throwing his talents and his team down the toilet.Annie also thinks Cade has no clue…and is kind of, well, incapable. Just like Cade checks out Annie’s story, Annie checks out his.Annie couldn’t believe it. Shock had her frozen as she stared at the computer monitor in front of her. “Son of a …,” shoe groaned. She buried her face in her hands and muttered, “I told him to learn self-defense, and he’s a freaking national hero with a higher clearance level than I could ever dream of…”I love the way the novel ends and wraps up – in more ways than one, none of which I can share without spoiling anything. I’ll just say that one lucky football player ends up being able to go to his first choice college.“That’s it, Miles Jackson Davies. No dessert!” Marcy reached over and grabbed the slice of pumpkin pie sitting in front of him. Annie watched in disbelief that this big, serious, tough guy hung his head and pouted when his mother took his desert away. Annie Blake is an Agent with the DEA. She is good at her job...for the most part. She is great at solving cases and getting the bad guy. What is her downfall? She tends to be a bit rough with her bad guys and is a lot of the time accused and with abuse to them. Finally her boss has enough after, yet another, bad end to a case. He sends her off on a drug case in Kentucky. She is to be a high school counselor and while doing that needs to find out where the boss of a certain drug circle is. She doesn't think much of this new job, she is used to moving around a lot, having been a foster kid, but what she doesn't count on is the coach at this high school to be so attractive and annoying to her. Cade Davis knows there is more to Annie than she is telling, he just has to figure out what that is. When he does find out her secret AND she finds out his secret they decide to become partners...in more way than one. Soon they are on the trail of a hot drug boss and hoping to bring him down before anyone else gets hurt. When playing with fire though, someone is bound to get burned. Will they really be able to bring down a huge drug circle without getting in too deep and hurt or killed? Will Annie finally find her place in life, in this small town? This was a good and fairly quick read for me. I wouldn't call it a favorite book I have read, but it was pretty good and I am glad I read it. I found some parts to be a bit too in depth, but they quickly turned around and changed into the quick paced read. The part I enjoyed the most about this read, by far, was all the characters. They were simply fantastic and so detailed and developed. I especially loved Annie, a woman who had a horrible start to her life, but is determined to be the best she can be no matter what now. She is such a strong character and woman, one that a reader can look up to. I also enjoyed the small town setting. It was so accurate to how things can be in a a tiny little town, right down to the welcoming committee when you first move there. I loved reading all about the "ways of the small town". The plot was good too, it was clear and I was kept guessing right up to the end as to who really was behind the drug circle. Turned out I was way off, but I still enjoyed it! The ending to this book was something too! It was an ending, but was an ending that can be very easily continued. 4/5 Stars!
What do You think about Bluegrass Undercover (2012)?
great story, just think the cover does not do the book justice.
—ilovemonaandgucci
