Romance novels by their very nature are predictable creatures. A reader knows when she (or in my case, he) opens the book that a man and a woman are going to meet, fall in love and have a happily ever after, defying all odds. Therefore, it’s up to the writer to do original and unique things to surprise, enchant and delight the reader. And even if a book is predictable from page one, wonderful writing and engaging characters can save the day. Unfortunately, in The Badge & the Baby, none of those things occur. A predictable storyline, characters whose actions defy logic, and a few unfortunate plot choices make this short novel seem very long.

Joel Wolfsley is a cop on the mend after being hurt on the job. Willa Darling is his next door neighbor who runs a dog kennel. She and Joel have known each other for a year, but have never taken the time to get to know one another. Joel aka ‘The Big, Bad Wolf,’ is too busy chasing down the bad guys to fall in love. Willa loves her quiet life running her business and mourns the fact that she is unable to bear children. The two characters are brought together when Joel needs help taking care of his niece who has been left with him.

Joel and Willa flirt and playfully spar while taking care of the child. There is a nice, sexy chemistry between the two and you can’t help but wonder why they didn’t get together before this. They ultimately take their relationship to the next level and make love in a steamy, sensual sequence. Neither Joel nor Willa wants a serious relationship out of this. You can pretty much guess what happens next.

Willa gets pregnant. Surprised? I wasn’t. That old, hoary plot point screamed at me from the moment Willa said she couldn’t have children and Joel had declared he didn’t want any. If that wasn’t bad enough, certain details that were totally illogical made it worse. Willa had been told she couldn’t have children because of an accident she’d had when she was young. But for a women who so obviously loved kids, and considering the medical technologies today, wouldn’t she have investigated further?

Furthermore, Joel wishes he had used protection, but hadn’t since she told him she couldn’t have kids and because “he knew they were clean.” Hmm. Just how did he know this? Had he and Willa discussed it? Had they gone out and had tests? If either of these incidents had occurred, they weren’t mentioned in the book. Now, I know that many times, romances ignore certain realities of the day because they might take away from the fantasy and I understand that. But, this book tried to have it both ways without coming across with all the details.

After learning he’s going to be a father, Joel proposes, but because he didn’t say he loved her, Willa turns him down. Now, I’d expect that the characters would take some down-time away from each other to think about what to do next. Instead, they continue seeing each other, continue sleeping together. I’d think this big (and getting bigger) problem between them would kind of put a damper on romance. And, did they discuss their situation or did they just ignore it in lieu of the good sex?

Another sticking point is Joel’s reason for not wanting a wife and children; he thinks it would be a distraction to his career and that such a job would put his family at risk. Surely he must know and work with lots of cops who do a perfectly fine job while raising a family (though it is difficult, admittedly). As for the perceived risk to his family, only in movies and books do criminals come after the cops who put them away. I just didn’t buy his flimsy logic.

Then there was the ever-constant use of Joel’s nickname or some other wolf cliche. I also wish the writer hadn’t made the choice to constantly remind us of Joel’s nickname ‘Big Bad Wolf’ or use some other wolf cliché (the Wolf’s lair, grinning like a Wolf, Wolf Man, etc, etc.). After about a dozen times, the point was beyond made – it was grating.

Still, to give the author her due, the chemistry between Joel and Willa worked quite well. Why the author didn’t do more to capitalize on it is a mystery. Had these two been given a more imaginative plot as well as actions that didn’t defy logic, it would have been a better book.