Real heroes aren’t born, they’re made

K9 handler Arin Siri doesn’t like taking orders, and she works best when it’s just her and her dog King out in the field. But when she discovers a wounded soldier of fortune during a Search and Protect mission, she has no choice but to get him to safety. The last time she and the roguish, sexy Jason Landon tangled, they were on opposite sides of the conflict, but this time, he’s claiming to need her help.

When Jason wakes up in a hospital on Hawaii’s Big Island, he’s shocked to discover Arin guarding him. She’s the last person he expected to see, but she’s also the only person who can help him bring down a kidnapping ring. As they draw closer to danger-and to each other-they must race against the clock to discover who the kidnappers are working for, or risk becoming collateral damage themselves.

One of the things I really love about this series is the working dogs. So many people have no idea how very important they are.

In this book we get to know Arin and her dog King, as they and the rest of the team take on the issue of human trafficking. We open with the team looking for people who have been enslaved to work on a plantation that was once used for that purpose. They had taken down one kingpin but another was moving in. Arin finds an unconscious man that she recognizes from when they rescued her sister and her team of scientists from this location.

Jason Landon quit his job after realizing what the company he was working for was protecting. He didn’t want to be part of anything illegal. He had been left for dead on the property when Arin and King find him.

Jason and Arin become a team of sorts, even King likes him. There’s an attraction there as well but trust isn’t easy for Arin. Which makes it a difficult road for them.

An action-packed, suspenseful, emotional read with some heat.  

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Piper!

Piper Drake

Piper J. Drake (or “PJ”) spent her childhood pretending to study for the SATs by reading every interesting novel she could find at the library. After being introduced to the wonderful world of romance by her best friend, she dove into the genre.

PJ began her writing career as PJ Schnyder, writing sci-fi & paranormal romance and steampunk, for which she won the FF&P PRISM award as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.

PJ’s romantic suspense novels incorporate her interests in mixed martial arts and the military. The True Heroes series is inspired by her experience rescuing, owning and training a variety of retired working dogs, including Kaiser, a former guard dog, and Mozart, who was trained to detect explosives.

As the newest recruit at Search and Protect, Raul has a lot to prove. Luckily, he’s got the best friend and partner a man could ask for: a highly trained, fiercely loyal German Shepherd Dog named Taz. Together, Raul and Taz make an unbeatable team. But their first mission in Hawaii really puts them to the test when an international kidnapping ring sets its sights on the bravest woman Raul’s ever met . . .

Mali knows her latest job has put one hell of a target on her back. And on this small island paradise, there’s nowhere to hide. With a service dog like Taz, Mali feels safe. Sharing close quarters with a smoldering muscle-for-hire like Raul, she feels something else – an unexpected wave of desire. Raul feels it too. But when the kidnappers make their move, he’s got to turn that slow-burning passion into hard-hitting action – and save the life of the woman he loves.

Right off the bat if you are a dog lover you need to read this book. Taz the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) is the hero of this book. All dogs have personalities, but some are so much more.

Raul and Taz are starting their new job with the Search and Protection Organization. Eager to make a good impression, he’s about to start his duties, cleaning the kennels but gets interrupted by a phone call.

Mali is in Waikiki doing post-doc research of a nefarious sort. When men in black suits start pursing her and her team, she works her way toward the Search and Protection Organization where her sister works. Unfortunately everywhere she turns she sees them. Getting desperate she calls her sister Arin, but instead gets Raul.

Raul only knew of Mali from talks with Arin while they were deployed. Once he and Taz find her he knew he was in trouble. This was a gorgeous woman, not the child from Arin’s memories.

Plenty of suspense and action, family drama, new friendships and team bonding. I laughed, cried and sighed as this relationship develops under extreme circumstances.

Taz is awesome and his interactions with Mali while doing his job make me want another dog. He is smart, expressive and a joy to read about.

Only one thing bothered me in this book and that is they didn’t get information on those who were missing from the start. I would think they would have gotten descriptions and done background checks on them just to see if any had previous connections to the bad guys.

I love anything to do with service dogs, rescue dogs, military dogs and this series covers them all. I can’t wait to see who Piper writes into this series next!

4 Contented Purrs for Piper!

Piper Drake

Piper J. Drake (or “PJ”) spent her childhood pretending to study for the SATs by reading every interesting novel she could find at the library. After being introduced to the wonderful world of romance by her best friend, she dove into the genre.

PJ began her writing career as PJ Schnyder, writing sci-fi & paranormal romance and steampunk, for which she won the FF&P PRISM award as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.

PJ’s romantic suspense novels incorporate her interests in mixed martial arts and the military. The True Heroes series is inspired by her experience rescuing, owning and training a variety of retired working dogs, including Kaiser, a former guard dog, and Mozart, who was trained to detect explosives.