An Officer and An Italian by Dakota Trace

The Officer: independent woman wanting to stay that way, not needing anyone besides her partner, K-9 ‘officer’ Rambo. The Italian: business side of clothing firm, nudist when possible, and determined to get the girl. An Officer and An Italian have met their match in each other, but will he woo her to his side or will she win out and stay alone?

Sergio Rambaudi is enchanted when he’s pulled over by the feisty K-9 police offer, Rachel Arnsworth. Getting close to Rachel is proving to be a challenge for the Italian. When cookies and flowers aren’t working he’s willing to try anything, including find a nude beach to get his chance to woo Rachel.
While Rachel finds the transplanted Italian very sexy, she’s leery of having a relationship with a man who will be as possessive and domineering as her father. When her father’s girl-friend shows up and tells Rachel, she’s leaving Rachel’s dad, her life becomes even more complicated. When Smerelda, her dad’s girl-friend becomes Sergio’s staunchest supporter, Rachel knows she’s in trouble. How is a girl to resist a sexy Italian bent on seduction when even Rambo, her partner finds him irresistible?

Rachel Arnsworth is the daughter of a very controlling but ambitious attorney. Her mother died giving birth to her, and her father never lets her forget (as a method to guilt and control her). Her father has never gotten over her becoming a police officer instead of following in his footsteps. Between loosing her mother and her father always working, she was basically raised by her Italian nanny, Smerelda. Thus she recognizes what Sergio calls her when she gives him a ticket. And the Italian cookies he gives her while staying with her waiting for help to arrives after a semi hits her car just after she gave him that ticket.

Sergio Rambaudi has been in America for about ten years. He is the “bean counter” part of the clothing design business he and his brother own. Of course, he is attracted to Rachel, and had gotten to know her some while waiting for the rescue vehicles at the accident. Rachel reacted well when learning about the family nude bathing at beaches back in Italy, an important part of his life still. So he wants to date her. Her pushing him away and ‘running’ just makes more of a challenge (and probably attracts him more).

Rachel knows what men like Sergio are like. Especially traditional men from the old country, as her nanny would say. She has no desire to end up under another controlling, possessive man like her father. She refuses Sergio at every turn. Even when Smerelda shows up for a ‘visit,’ and tries to help Sergio.

At wits end, Sergio makes an off hand commit about a nude beach, and Rachel claims that he could date her when he can find one. Luckily, his brother’s house has a private beach, which he happened to turn into a private nude beach for the family. But Rachel is still using every excuse to keep away from Sergio.

What is a man to do? He just wants a chance to prove he likes her as she is, not wanting to change her. But is she willing to even risk it?

An Officer and An Italian is related to the story Barely There. This is the first of the stand alone stories about the Rambaudi brothers/family, but of course I read them out of order. (There is also a sister, Amina. But I don’t know that she has her own story. Yet, anyway…) Both Sergio and Rachel show up in Barely There, but only as minor characters, just as Nicolai from that story has a minor part in An Officer and An Italian. All good Italian families are in each other’s life business, so they can’t help making an appearance in each other’s stories. Anyone who reads my reviews knows I like reading stories about secondary/background characters from other books I’ve read. I didn’t realize An Officer and An Italian and Barely There were related before I started this, so I was happy to get to read Rachel and Sergio’s story.

An Officer and An Italian is a cute little story. Rachel is softer than many female cops one hears about. She is also much more forgiving of her father than I ever would have been (I think he just might have deserved to loose Smerelda, even if she is in love with him). One can also understand her running from Sergio after how her father is. As for Sergio, he I like. He tries one method after another to win Rachel. And he isn’t professing love after just a little while, but wanting a chance to see if they have a future. Much more realistic, even if he sticks around much longer than most men would have (maybe that appeal of what they can’t have?). That he, like his brother, is a yummy Italian doesn’t hurt either. But I must say that Rambo, the K-9 officer, sneaks in and steals several scenes! He is just too cute and loveable.

An Officer and An Italian is better than Barely There. The story and characters are more developed, and we can really ‘get into’ Rachel. At 88 pages, this is more than a quick read, but still short enough to fit in most busy schedules. An Officer and An Italian doesn’t have any big mystery or suspense, so if you need to unwind and looking for something lighter, this will fit perfectly.