Rating: 
Summary: But read Jean Stewart's review
Review: Lake is first-rate, and if Jean Stewart and Marianne K. Martin say she's the best, they know whereof they speak. Gun Shy deserves a second edition with a bit more editorial polish. The plot is fine, the relationship between the two heroines sweet and complicated, the world they inhabit richly and believably textured. The use of not-quite-Homeric epithets (the dark-haired woman, the smaller blonde, the smaller woman, etc.) every few sentences (sometimes every other sentence) in place of proper names (Dez, Jaylynn) is unwarranted, and creates a bit of drag in what is otherwise a very fluent and engrossing narrative. Mind you, I love it that our heroines are present throughout in all their physical specificity, but we don't need to be reminded every 2 minutes that they have blue/hazel eyes, black/blond hair etc.
Rating:
Summary: But read Jean Stewart's review
Review: Lake is first-rate, and if Jean Stewart and Marianne K. Martin say she's the best, they know whereof they speak. Gun Shy deserves a second edition with a bit more editorial polish. The plot is fine, the relationship between the two heroines sweet and complicated, the world they inhabit richly and believably textured. The use of not-quite-Homeric epithets (the dark-haired woman, the smaller blonde, the smaller woman, etc.) every few sentences (sometimes every other sentence) in place of proper names (Dez, Jaylynn) is unwarranted, and creates a bit of drag in what is otherwise a very fluent and engrossing narrative. Mind you, I love it that our heroines are present throughout in all their physical specificity, but we don't need to be reminded every 2 minutes that they have blue/hazel eyes, black/blond hair etc.
Rating:
Summary: More than "Uber"
Review: Lake's Gun Shy is the story of two somewhat reluctant women who finally learn to believe in themselves and each other enough to commit to love. Covering just over a year in the lives of these women, the novel reads like a season's worth of episodes from a television show that you wish was on TV. The story opens with Desiree Reilly, a formidable cop over six feet tall with raven dark hair and startling blue eyes, capturing a pair of serial rapists and in the process saving two young women, Sara and JayLynn. It is a meeting that electrifies both JayLynn and Desiree. JayLynn Savage, a lesbian in her mid-20s, decides to become a police officer in order to get to know Desiree, the hero of her dreams, literally. We follow Savage through the academy and most of her rookie year on the St. Paul Police Department. Gun Shy is also the story of Desiree who is struggling with the death of her partner and good friend, Ryan. Early in her career Dez was a conquest for a rather superficial older female cop who apparently made a hobby of bedding young dyke officers. Hurt and embarrassed, Dez has made a rule not to date cops. Presumed by many of the other cops to be lesbian, Dez has rarely dated at all, let alone been seriously involved with a woman for almost eight years. Already known as the "Ice Queen" the tall and intimidating Dez has withdrawn even more since Ryan's death. Reilly becomes Field Training Officer for Savage and the two women begin a long complicated dance toward friendship and love. Along the way, the bright and innovative, if diminutive Jay becomes a good police officer. She learns to develop her own attributes in her work, deals with the trauma of her first shooting and pries the elusive Dez out of her shell. Meanwhile Dez comes to grips with Ryan's death. Over the course of the year the partners learn a great deal about each other and themselves. And the reader learns about life as a patrol officer in St. Paul as well as being treated to an inside view of the world of amateur bodybuilding. Gun Shy originated as an "Uber Xena" fanfiction story. [Certainly a number of entertaining and talented writers have found their voice writing fanfiction or stories set in another writer's universe.] There are a number of "dream" scenes in Gun Shy that refer to the show. However, presented here as a stand alone novel, these scenes are distracting and may even become more distracting now that the show has ended. Furthermore it does a disservice to the characters that Lake has created to bind them to the "uber Xena genre." Dez and Jay are new characters and while one might wish to imagine them as being portrayed by Lawless and O'Connor, they are not Xena and Gab. Lake might have done better to remove these elements of the dreams. Such editing need not remove the concept of Dez and Jay as soulmates or Dez as Jay's dream hero. Gun Shy is an engaging, readable book. The characters are interesting and the action drew this reader into the story. Amusingly, Lake seems to have created two lesbians that are the antithesis of the standard "u-haul" joke. I confess by the end of the book, I was relieved when Jay and Dez finally got together! Overcoming the barriers to that consummation is the theme of Gun Shy. Apparently, Lake has plans for a sequel. It will be interesting to see how she depicts Jay and Dez as a couple. In the meanwhile, treat yourself to a copy of Gun Shy.
Rating: 
Summary: Top-notch storytelling
Review: Lori L. Lake brings together two characters that you immediately fall in love with. Dez Reilly is a veteran police officer who answers a routine call one evening that changes her life forever - and introduces her to Jaylynn Savage, an idealistic young woman with a gentle soul. This book has everything - action, drama, comedy, and of course, a wonderful romance that touches your heart. Very highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: About Gun Shy and Under the Gun
Review: Lori Lake is a wonderful ,talented Author. Just when I thought I read the"Best Book ever" She tops it with "Under the Gun".Jaylynne and Dez have exciting adventures,on and off the job,that keep you rivoted. I hated to put this one down. Can't wait until Lori comes up with another "Best Seller'
Rating:
Summary: satisfying to the last page!
Review: Lori Lake makes full use of her 400+ pages, painting a vivid portrait. The characters seem real. I know that sounds basic, but so many times that is NOT the case. They ring true.
I came away with a sense that I was able to peek in on two interesting, compelling women that I wouldn't mind knowing in real life. There is also a strong sense of setting that struck a cord with this Minnesotan. I could almost feel the cold. This story gets a very enthusiastic recommendation from me!
Rating:
Summary: Engaging and thrilling... what more could you want?
Review: Lori Lake's earned her place on my bookshelf with this wonderful book. After the first few pages I knew I was in for a thrilling ride, with a smart plot and even smarter-drawn characters. She knows how to craft a suspenseful novel. I look forward to reading her other work.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Gun Shy by Cheri
Review: Officer Desiree "Dez" Reilly is a veteran cop extraordinaire with the St. Paul Police Department in Lori L. Lake's police action/drama Gun Shy. This reticent Amazon beauty with long black hair, smooth ivory skin, electric blue eyes, and a muscular build is an adept daredevil at police work, but she is extremely cautious (gun shy) when it comes to matters of the heart. While Dez is on the job, she rescues and meets a "whirling bundle of energy," Jaylynn "Jay" Savage, a sharp pre-law student. Jaylynn could not be more different from Dez in stature, appearance, and personality. Jay is a talkative, vivacious, shorthaired, curvaceous blonde, who wears her heart on her sleeve. Dez is in complete control of her emotions...most of the time. Jaylynn falls in love with the tall, mysterious cop, her "hero," at first sight.
Carefully guarding her emotions, Dez is very careful whom she trusts. Estranged from her mother, her father gone, her mentor avoiding her since he found out she was gay, and feeling like a loser at love, she keeps her distance from others to protect herself from any further pain and sorrow. She has also been living with a thick black cloud over her head because of a shooting that left her partner and close friend, Ryan Michaelson, a married father of two young children, dead. Dez deals with his death the only way she knows how-by shutting down her emotions and refusing psychological treatment. The department can make her see a shrink, but they can't make her accept help.
After assisting an officer apprehend the men who broke into her house, witnessing police work first hand, and meeting the woman of her dreams, Jaylynn decides to apply for the Police Academy rather than apply to law school as planned. She feels she can always go back to it after she sees what police work is all about. The rookie excels at the academy and lands a rotation with the veteran cop, who actually requests to be Jaylynn's Field Training Officer. The two women ride together as teacher/student and work extremely well together. They form a friendship in the process, but much to Dez's chagrin, Jaylynn wants more than a working relationship. Jay feels that she has finally found her soul mate even though Dez can be a moody, tough nut to crack. Meanwhile, Dez, scared to death of commitment, pushes the rookie away. Everyone who knows the two, from Luella Williams, Dez's landlady, cook, uniform washer, and surrogate mother, to Jaylynn's best friend and housemate, Sara, can tell there is electricity in the air between the two cops.
Gun Shy is an exciting look at police work through the eyes of police officers who also happen to be lesbians. Lori L. Lake has set a fine precedent with her endearing, witty, action packed story that has plenty of police activity, longing, and romance. It brings to mind one of my favorite TV shows, Cagney and Lacey, a classic 1980's hit about two straight female cops. Gun Shy would be a great model for a contemporary version-two female officers, Reilly and Savage, who not only fight crime, but also have the hots for each other. It would be a big hit too.
Before reading Gun Shy, Ricochet in Time was my favorite book by Lori L. Lake. Her heroines are real, believable, and interesting. What I like most about Lake's writing is that I identify with the characters, even though I lead a different lifestyle. She uses phrases and expressions that I use in daily life. Curling up in bed with a Lake novel is like pulling an all-nighter...laughing, sharing, and gabbing with an old friend. Lake has a way of making the reader fall in love with her characters and really care about them. The reader longs for Dez and Jay to become lovers. I also like how Lake uses the contrary features of her characters to emphasize a point. For example, the dichotomy of Dez: she has white skin and black hair; she is a lion on the outside, and a lamb on the inside; she often comes across as cold hearted on the outside, but she's a warm toasty marshmallow on the inside. Dez is the epitome of the tough cop when she informs Jaylynn that cops don't cry. Jaylynn teaches her that sometimes cops need to cry in order to heal, and that it's ok.
Luella is another great character who is funny, sassy, and provides Dez with more than an affordable place to live-she looks out for her, and treats her like a daughter. She can also whip up a complete hot meal in twenty minutes. Luella is Lake's idea of a "fantasy woman-my own personal chef." If I had a landlady, I'd want her to be just like Luella. Dez reciprocates by doing yard work and repairs around the house, but more ironically, by allowing the older woman to boss her around, when it seems that Dez only takes orders from senior officers. Dez keeps her heart under lock and key, but not with Luella. You can't help but love the reserved cop, especially when you're privy to her vulnerable side. I'm straight and I fell in love with Dez, so I can certainly understand why Jaylynn feels the way she does. Will Dez unlock her heart for Jay? You'll have to read this book to find out.
To say that I enjoyed Gun Shy is an understatement; I loved it. Lori Lake has repeatedly proven herself a noteworthy writer, who I feel will soon find herself in the mainstream market. Currently, she is working on a third book in the Gun series, Have Gun We'll Travel, plus a series of non-gay themed mystery novels. Under the Gun is the sequel to Gun Shy, and I recommend not missing either selection. With an unlimited supply of ideas for novels floating around in her head, Lake's fans will have plenty to read for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Mosaic
Review: Police officer Dez Reilly responds to a call where she saves two women from violent burglars. One of the women, Jaylynn Savage, is so smitten with Dez that she herself begins training to become a police officer. Dez, still recovering from her police officer partner's death as well as a series of relationships that ended badly, is jarred by Jaylynn's infectious spirit and uninhibited emotions. Dez is equally drawn to and skittish around the younger woman. And as Dez helps train Jaylynn, the two become more and more entangled, but can Dez overcome her emotional hang-ups and learn to love again? This magnificently written novel draws the reader into the private lives of both the women as it explores their will-it-or-won't-it relationship. While on the surface it seems like just another lesbian romance novel, "Gun Shy" turns out to be much more. With adept grace, the story leads the reader through the grieving process of the taciturn Dez, who ultimately must face her own inner demons if she wants to fully embrace a relationship with Jay. Even the minor characters are fully realized, and the book as a whole is a colorful tapestry that will entrance readers and leave them begging for more.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best ubers you will ever read
Review: She doesn't defy categorization at all--the word is: UBER Inspired by XWP, the characters even meet in a modernized replay of the Xena/Gabrielle destiny. They are partners who ride together (in a cop car) and fall in love. The depth of the characters if one is a competent (and Lori is more than that) writer are already established, in this author's case it's the great depth of the supporting cast of characters that surround these two women that lifts this book into a category that transcends "uber" and makes it a very significant contribution to lesbian lit. The sequel is just as fine and we eagerly await the third installment.
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