Review: One Bullet by Casey Wolfe

Title: One Bullet

Author: Casey Wolfe

Publisher: NineStar Press

Length: 152 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: Casey Wolfe created two really great characters with a nice chemistry in Shawn and Ethan. There’s a good mix of characters who bring warmth and humor to the storyline, and the story itself is an easy read with a nice flow to it.

Reviewed By: Maryann

Blurb: When Ethan Brant was shot, he found himself dealing with severe PTSD and unable to do his job as a police officer any longer. With the aid of Detective Shawn Greyson, the man who saved his life, Ethan not only finds himself again but discovers love as well.
Shawn’s life growing up was less than ideal, however, he overcame that to become who he is today. That doesn’t mean he isn’t missing something in his life. What Shawn hadn’t realized, upon first meeting, was that Ethan could give him all that and more.
One bullet changed both their lives.

Review: Ethan Brant, off-duty policeman, is caught up in a bad situation—he’s shot by fellow officer. Resigning from the force and becoming somewhat of a recluse, he suffers from PTSD and panic attacks whenever confronted by police. Ethan is trying to have a normal day while walking to work, but when police confront him and become aggressive, even after Ethan identifies himself, he goes into full panic mode.

Detective Shawn Greyson shows up on the scene, and is more than angry that the orders laid out were not followed. He is well aware of who Ethan is—Shawn was there when Ethan was shot, and he helped save Ethan’s life. Shawn, feeling protective of Ethan, takes him home, where Shawn becomes a source of calm for Ethan. They start to spend a lot of time together, going places, discussing family, and Ethan invites Shawn to meet his parkour friends. It’s interesting to see a different side to Shawn, then, as he struggles with abrupt changes and the new social environment.

Shawn has also been reading various self-help books about PTSD, and with Ethan eventually agreeing to Shawn attending his therapy sessions, they learn about controlled exposure and music therapy. As Shawn gets more wrapped up in his cases, Ethan agrees to spending time at the station, testing the new therapy strategies. Ethan even finds that he likes Senior Detective Richard Davies, and they both give Shawn a hard time.

Just as things start to heat up between Shawn and Ethan, however, Ethan disappears. Shawn is sick with worry, but Davies has received a text from Ethan. Driven to the edge, Shawn heads to Ethan’s apartment and breaks in, and he’s shocked and hurt by what he finds. Is this the end of the beginning, or can Ethan come up with a good explanation for leaving?

Casey Wolfe created two really great characters with a nice chemistry in Shawn and Ethan. Ethan still has an innocence about him, and Shawn is the protector. Having their own separate issues, the storyline also addresses the need for both Ethan and Shawn to heal. There’s a good mix of characters who bring warmth and humor to the storyline, and the story itself is an easy read with a nice flow to it. It gives an insight as to how different Shawn’s and Ethan’s lives and families are. As I sometimes am intrigued by secondary characters, I’m hoping there’s a sequel with Davies and Sebastian.

You can buy One Bullet here:
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