Blog Archives
Their Shared Determination
Patrol Officer Hudson follows a concerned woman searching for her missing brother, and her only clue leads her to an infuriating patrol officer who, while trying to keep her safe, is also keeping secrets from her. What inspired the setup of your story?
I do ride-alongs with my Sheriff’s office and assist in their new officer role-playing scenarios. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to volunteer with our sheriff’s office during the National Police Bloodhound Association (NPBA) Certification Program. Hiding from those bloodhounds, combined with my experience as a retired high school teacher, inspired me to put a troubled teen at the center of the story.
How does the search for Pike force Hudson and Verie to build trust faster than they otherwise might, and what did you want their disagreements about honesty, protection, and independence to reveal about each character?
Hudson cares about Pike and Verie’s family. Although Verie had never met Hudson, she knew from her mother that he was someone she could trust, and Pike’s note telling her to find Hudson reinforced that trust. At the same time, I wanted Verie to remain suspicious of him because he was still a stranger to her. She had been cheated on in a previous relationship, so trusting a man didn’t come easily.
Hudson is all about protecting and serving his community, and that includes Verie, even when she doesn’t necessarily want his protection. Their disagreements allowed me to show Hudson’s protective nature while also showing Verie’s independence and determination. Hudson believes withholding information is sometimes necessary to keep people safe, while Verie believes she deserves to know the truth, especially when it involves her brother. Searching for Pike forces them to work through those differences and learn to trust each other much faster than they normally would.
What role does family loyalty play in both the romance and the suspense storyline?
Family is extremely important to both Hudson and Verie. Verie’s loyalty to Pike is what drives the suspense. She refuses to give up on her brother, even when searching for him puts her in danger. Hudson already cares about Pike and wants to protect him, but he is first and foremost an officer of the law. He can’t ignore what Pike has gotten himself involved in simply because he cares about him and his family.
That same loyalty also brings Hudson and Verie closer together. As Hudson becomes more invested in keeping Pike safe, he also becomes protective of Verie and the rest of her family. Verie begins to see that his involvement isn’t just about doing his job—he genuinely cares about what happens to them. Their shared determination to bring Pike home safely helps build the trust between them and ultimately strengthens their relationship.
What is the next book in the Haven Island PD: Protecting Paradise series that you are working on, and when will it be available?
The next book in the Haven Island PD: Protecting Paradise series is Diver Sawyer. I’m also writing my clean romantic comedies under my other pen name, NL DiDeo, so I’m splitting my writing time between the two series. Diver Sawyer is currently planned for release in April or May 2027.
Together they must find her brother before it’s too late.
Verie
My brother’s missing. His medicine sat untouched on his desk, and the only clue he left behind was a note scribbled on a crumpled math assignment.
Find Hudson. Need help.
So I do.
Officer Hudson Shaw is bossy, infuriating, and far too handsome for his own good. He promises to help me, but every answer leads to more questions—and he’s keeping secrets.
I.don’t. like. liars.
Hudson
Verie thinks I’m hiding the truth.
If she knew everything, her life could be in danger.
Her brother is tangled up in something worse than either of us imagined. Every move he makes pushes him deeper into the crosshairs.
I’ll do whatever it takes to bring Pike home.
If I fail, I won’t just lose the case—I’ll lose Verie, too.
Patrol Officer Hudson is a first-person, dual POV small-town romantic suspense featuring a protective hero, forced proximity, slow-burn chemistry with serious heat, and family loyalty. HEA guaranteed.
Patrol Officer Hudson
Neri Lopez’s Patrol Officer Hudson drops you onto Haven Island just as Verie Tate arrives looking for her missing eighteen-year-old brother, Pike. Her best lead is Hudson Shaw, the patrol officer who once babysat Pike and whom Pike named in a note asking for help. Hudson’s search brings Verie into the orbit of a close-knit police department while Pike’s own chapters show how a night out with his old friend Tyler turns into a frightening stay among thieves and drug dealers. That three-way view gives this romantic suspense story an immediate pull: Verie is desperate for answers, Hudson is trying to earn his place as an investigator, and Pike knows more about the danger than either of them. The coastal setting has a busy, lived-in feel, from the bookstore and diner on Main Street to the beach rentals where trouble gathers.
The romance grows in the middle of that search. Hudson and Verie trade barbs, share meals, and find comfort in each other as the case stretches across a tense week. Their attraction is quick and openly steamy, with plenty of scenes that make this a contemporary police romance for readers who enjoy heat alongside danger. Their recurring arguments also give the relationship its shape. Verie needs honest updates about Pike and wants a say in what happens around her; Hudson’s protective instincts keep colliding with her resolve. Sometimes they make the same point several times, but those clashes show why trust matters so much to both of them. Hudson’s ambition to become a detective gives his work a personal stake, while Verie’s loyalty to her brother keeps the emotional pressure on even during the sweeter moments.
Pike’s chapters are the book’s strongest source of suspense for me. He’s grieving his father, struggling with his mental health and school, and only gradually accepting how Tyler uses their long friendship to control him. Once Pike agrees to help the police, his meetings at Sunset Bar, the monitored rental house, and the plans for a bank robbery turn the search into an undercover operation with real consequences. Lopez lets us see his fear and his wish to do something worthwhile at the same time. The supporting officers, especially Sawyer, Cain, Ryker, and their K-9 partners, give the investigation a team spirit, and their teasing adds warmth between the dangerous scenes. There’s a generous amount of police planning and repeated reassurance, so the middle moves at a leisurely pace even as the threat escalates.
What stays with me after the action is the way the Tate family starts talking to one another again. Pike’s disappearance exposes how each of them coped alone after their father’s death, and his return gives Verie, Stacci, and their mother a chance to reconnect. The book makes room for Hudson’s bond with Pike and for Vivian’s tentative new relationship, giving Haven Island the welcoming feel of a small-town romance series with an ensemble that has its own ongoing stories. The final stretch delivers a dramatic police confrontation and then settles into family dinners, career steps, and romantic commitments. If you like your romantic suspense with explicit love scenes, loyal friends, police teamwork, and a full-hearted happy ending, Patrol Officer Hudson offers all of that in a sunny island setting.
Pages: 383 | ASIN : B0HG7W6CMY
Shared Sense of Excitement
Detective Lucian follows a stubborn detective on Haven Island who makes it his personal mission to protect a sassy realtor who was attacked by a client, but falling in love was not part of his plan. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I dedicate a significant amount of my time volunteering for our local sheriff’s office, where I contribute to realistic role-playing scenarios for recruits and participate in numerous ride-alongs. Our sheriff’s department is deeply committed to its community, and I aimed to reflect that strong bond in my writing. Also, with several realtor friends, I’ve learned how careful they are when they show a house. I put a lot of my experiences into my writing.
Josie and Lucian clash almost immediately. How did you balance Lucian’s protective instincts without letting him overshadow Josie’s independence?
My goal was for Josie to come off as a capable, independent woman who wasn’t afraid to ask for help, but could also go it alone. Josie needed to have a hard and soft side to her personality. It was crucial to demonstrate Lucian’s unwavering support for her, without infringing on her independence.
The novel leans into emotion without hesitation. Do you think romantic suspense works best when feelings are close to the surface?
I do. By allowing their emotions to surface, the characters create a stronger connection with the reader. Then, not only does the character’s adrenaline begin to surge, but the reader’s does too, creating a shared sense of excitement.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
The focus of this series is the Haven Island Police Department, detailing their work on diverse cases as they strive to ‘protect and serve’ their community. Book 1 acted as my transition from my initial series, “Path Series,” to the setting of Haven Island. It introduced Deputy Sean, who relocates to a new town and finds himself falling for the diner’s waitress, who is unfortunately being stalked. Book 2 delved into Chief Alejandro’s past, revealing his heroic rescue of Sammie’s daughter from an unhinged ex-husband. The fourth book, releasing soon, focuses on Hudson, a Patrol Officer tasked with locating a missing child.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Amazon
Josie
I’ve worked two jobs for as long as I can remember—realtor in the afternoon, hotel host before sunrise. Exhausting? Absolutely. But after years of grinding, my nest egg is almost full, and my dream is finally within reach.
Then one client crosses a line.
And everything spirals.
Someone is watching me. Waiting. And the infuriatingly intense Detective Lucian Warrick—the man who drives me crazy on a good day—is suddenly the only shield between me and the darkness closing in.
He swears he’ll protect me.
He swears he won’t let anything happen to me.
I pray he gets to me in time.
Lucian
Josie Hale crashed into my life with a smart mouth, a stubborn streak, and a smile I can’t shake. She gets under my skin in all the wrong ways… and all the right ones.
But when a predator sets his sights on her, the lines blur fast. And keeping her safe means ignoring the heat between us, the one that could burn down every rule I’ve lived by.
I’ll tear apart this island to stop him.
I’ll put my life on the line without hesitation.
Because somewhere between the chaos, the danger, and her damn irresistible sass… I realized Josie Hale isn’t just another case.
She’s mine.
And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her with me… forever.
Detective Lucian is a first-person, dual POV, slow burn, police protection, suspenseful romance. HEA guaranteed.
Preorder your copy today!
Detective Lucian
Detective Lucian is a romantic suspense novel that drops a love story into the middle of stalking, assault, kidnapping, and a police investigation on Haven Island. At its center are Josie Hale, a realtor whose life is shaken when a showing turns into an attack, and Detective Lucian Warrick, the gruff, intensely competent officer who takes the case personally almost from the first page. The book moves between danger and desire, building a small-town world where everyone seems connected, and every new clue pushes the romance and the threat forward at the same time.
Author Neri Lopez does not circle around the book’s emotional stakes. She gets right into fear, attraction, jealousy, protectiveness, and lets those feelings sit close to the surface. That gives the story real momentum. I could feel how the book wants to be read fast, almost in one long breath. I also liked the alternating points of view because they keep the romance active instead of distant. We are not just told Lucian cares. We watch him fight it, deny it, and then fail in a relatable way. At the same time, Josie never feels like she is only there to be rescued. Even when she is terrified, she still has personality, pride, and bite.
I was especially interested in the author’s choice to lean hard into contrast. Lucian is controlled until he is not. Josie is rattled but stubborn. The island setting feels sunny on the outside, but underneath it there is real menace, which fits the “protecting paradise” idea nicely. That blend is where the book works best for me. It understands that romantic suspense is not just about chemistry or just about plot. It’s about pressure. It’s about watching two people try to reach for each other while the ground keeps shifting under them. Some scenes are sharp and funny, others are genuinely unsettling, and that swing gave the book a live-wire energy I kept responding to.
I felt like this book knew exactly what kind of ride it wanted to deliver: high-stakes romantic suspense with a protective detective, a strong-willed heroine, real danger, and a strong emotional payoff. I would recommend it most to readers who like their romance hot, their suspense close at hand, and their characters emotionally open rather than polished. If someone enjoys small-town romantic suspense, protective hero stories, and series fiction where side characters make the world feel bigger, I think Detective Lucian will be a very easy book to fall into.
Pages: 274 | ASIN : B0GF3C26DB
