Review: Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle

Through the Fire (Rocky MountainK9 Unit #4) by Katie Ruggle
Publication date: August 28th 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My rating:  3.5 Stars
Pages: 416
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He's tall.
He's dark.
He's brutally handsome...
And he may be her only hope.

Kit Jernigan despairs of ever fitting in with her new tight-knit K9 unit—they've been through too much to welcome a stranger. So when a killer strikes, it's a fight to convince her fellow officers to trust her long enough to catch the woman she knows is responsible.

She can't do it on her own. What she needs most is a partner: local fire spotter Wesley March.

Wes knows in his heart that Kit is right, and he's willing to leave his lonely tower to help her prove it. But the more time they spend together, the hotter the fire smolders...and the more danger they're in. A member of the K9 unit's inner circle is determined to have her revenge—no matter who gets burned in the process.

This time, it's personal.

My Thoughts:

Kit has moved up to Monroe, Colorado to get away from a bad situation in her previous job as an officer with K9 companion.  But Kit doesn’t realize the drama that’s gone on in Monroe since she’s applied for and accepted her position.  It’s obvious when she first starts that it’ll be a while before her fellow officers accept and trust her, and this is a bit discouraging to Kit. They all seem to love her bloodhound Justice, though.  Then there’s Elena, also a new arrival who sets off all kinds of alarms.  Her damsel-in-distress act doesn’t fool Kit one bit, but just about everyone else including her fellow officers seems to buy her act. Despite some of these obstacles Kit is determined to work hard and gain trust. Plus, there’s Wes a gorgeous, but awkward forest ranger, as she’s arrived in to town doesn’t hurt. 

Really liked Kit and Wes.  The way she just got Wes and found him to be so utterly attractive even with his awkward social interactions.  Wes was immediately attracted to Kit and was over the moon that she didn’t seem repelled by his lack of social skills.  She seemed to understand and accommodate the fact he got overwhelmed in a group.  AND (!) he didn’t fall prey to Elena’s helpless girl act was a huge positive in my book!

Loved the relationship Kit had with her adorable bloodhound K9 tracker partner, Justice, and that she was willing to help Sam with his training of Fifi, another bloodhound.

I’ve really enjoyed Katie Ruggle’s romantic suspense stories, and her Rocky Mountain K9 Unit has been filled with thrills and danger! I had fun with Through the Fire, but I wasn’t pleased that Kit’s concerns over Elena were ignored or brushed aside. It seemed unbelievable in a few instances. Didn’t like that it took so long for the guys to believe Kit after enough red flags pointed Elena’s direction. Just the fact that Sam didn’t like her should’ve registered with Jules and the gang!  Still, the fact that I loved the awkward and sweet romance between Kit and Wes made up for the disappointment.

 

Review: Desperate Girls by Laura Griffin

Desperate Girls (Wolfe Security #1) by Laura Griffin
Publication date: August 7th 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
My rating:  4.5 Stars
Pages: 368
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Desperate Girls is a tightly wound, fast-paced romantic thriller that follows a desperate woman on the run as she hides from a killer’s symbolic revenge spree.

Defense attorney Brynn Holloran is right at home among cops, criminals, and tough-as-nails prosecutors. With her sharp wit and pointed words, she has a tendency to intimidate, and she likes it that way. She’s a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom, but in her personal life, she’s a mess.

When a vicious murderer she once helped prosecute resurfaces and starts a killing spree to wipeout those who put him behind bars, one thing becomes clear: Brynn needs to run for her life.

When the police come up empty-handed, Brynn turns to a private security firm for protection. But when she defies advice and gets involved in the investigation, even the former Secret Service agent assigned to protect her may not be able to keep her safe. With every new clue she discovers, Brynn is pulled back into the vortex of a disturbing case from her past.

As the clock ticks down on a manhunt, Brynn’s desperate search for the truth unearths long-buried secrets and reignites a killer’s fury.

My Thoughts:

Brynn Holloran is a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom, but her life is turned upside down when she finds out a defendant she helped put away has escaped and is wanted for the brutal killing of her co-counselor.  This guy tortured, raped and strangled women, and chilled her with his cold, deadly staring during the trial.  Brynn’s current boss is taking no chances with this dangerous threat and hires the Wolfe Security to protect Brynn. She balks at this level of action at first, but it soon becomes apparent the threat is very real!

Erik Morgan is serious when it comes to protecting his asset; lust and attraction have no place in his job, but Brynn ticks all his boxes.   She’s gorgeous, feisty and confident, and Erik can’t help but admire her conviction and determination, even if she is a pain in the ass to guard.  

Laura Griffin kicks off her new series with a bang! I didn’t want to put the story down when the danger kept coming!  Brynn and Erik’s chemistry popped, the tension building between them as they got to know each other in close quarters.  All the while trying to figure out the killer’s next move.

Desperate Girls was an exciting blend of danger, action, and romance! A definite recommend!

Review: The Girl in the Moss by Loreth Anne White

The Girl in the Moss (Angie Pallorino #3)  
by Loreth Anne White
Publication date: June 12th 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance
My rating:  4.5 Stars
Pages: 398
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A shallow grave exposes deadly secrets as bestselling author Loreth Anne White brings her thrilling series of romantic suspense to its shocking conclusion…
Disgraced ex-cop Angie Pallorino is determined to make a new start for herself as a private investigator. But first, she and her lover, newly promoted homicide detective James Maddocks, attempt a quiet getaway to rekindle a romance struggling in the shadows of their careers. The peace doesn’t last long when human skeletal remains are found in a nearby mossy grove.
This decades-old mystery is just what Angie needs to establish her new career—even as it thrusts her and Maddocks back into the media spotlight, once again endangering their tenuous relationship.
Then, when Angie’s inquiry into the old crime intersects with a cold case from her own policing past—one that a detective on Maddocks’s new team is working—the investigation takes a startling twist. It puts more than Angie’s last shot at redemption and a future with Maddocks at risk. The mystery of the girl in the moss could kill her.

My Thoughts:

The Girl in the Moss has Angie a little out of sorts as the story first starts being as she was fired from the police force, and her identity and worth so tied up with the job.  Now, she must complete a certain number of hours in the field to get her private investigator license. The only way to do that is by logging time with a PI, such as Coastal Investigations where she’s already on thin ice due to her notoriety.

Angie’s insecurities lead her to bungle things up with Maddocks, so Angie’s on thin ice with him, too, but she has a plan to fix it. Thank goodness she realizes she’s being an idiot early on and realizes how much Maddocks means to her, because otherwise I’d really have to slap that girl!  (Yes, I do realize she’s a fictional character…) Loved Maddocks being patient and at the same time not taking shit.  Maddocks’ daughter was a delight here as well!

Things start looking up when a case basically falls in her lap.  A woman was swept over the falls in group fly-fishing trip several women took as part of a documentary twenty-four years back.  Her body finally washes up and things may not have been as they appeared.  Angie digs into the case and finds a hotbed of lies and deceptions, and stirring up the past does not make her popular in this little town!  It’s a close-knit town and the locals are far from friendly!

As usual, Loreth Anne White’s writing is beautiful and makes you feel as if you’re right there with Angie.  Eerie and atmospheric, as are the other books, crackling with tension, and a sense of impending danger.  I was really worried for Angie’s safety with the men in this small town.  Some of the mystery I guessed, but some of it was an absolute surprise.  I like that the clues and story lead you to conclusions that make sense, and I also enjoy a few twists I didn’t see coming.  I like that there was a little of both here.

I’m really sad to say goodbye to this series!  I can’t believe this is the last book because I think there are several threads left unexplored, such as Leo and his shiftiness (hate him!) and then Holgerson!  A whole book could revolve around Holgerson!  Maybe a spinoff?  At any rate, I’ve loved every one of the Angie Pallorino books and recommend them to anyone who loves a gripping mystery with interesting characters and a romance to root for!

 

 

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