Tuesday, March 31, 2015

ARC Review: "Force of Attraction" by D.D. Ayres

Force of Attraction
by D.D. Ayres
Book 2, K-9 Rescue


The only thing more powerful than fear is desire…

A seasoned K-9 officer with the police in Maryland, Cole Jamison has left her old life behind her. With a new home and a new partner—a protective canine named Hugo—Cole is ready for fresh challenges. A crucial position on an important drug task force is exactly what she wants…until she discovers her gorgeous, infuriating ex-husband will be the DEA agent in charge.

FORCE OF ATTRACTION

Agent Scott Lucca may be a pro when it comes to undercover assignments, but this job is daunting even for him. Posing as a happy couple on the dog competition circuit means he and Cole need to get a lot closer than they’ve been in years. Playing a live-in couple should seem like a walk in the park compared to tracking a brutal criminal, but suddenly nothing could be more dangerous than the passionate fire they’ve rekindled…

Force of Attraction is book 2 in the K-9 Rescue series.

A big thumbs up for this book.  Of the three books currently in this series, this is the most cohesive and well-balanced. The suspense plays very well into the romance.

Scott and Cole broke up while Scott was deep undercover in a white supremacist biker gang.  Perhaps he took his role too serious or maybe he was just in too deep, but the stress ruined his marriage.  Cole always believed that he chose his job over her.  Scott is also plagued by a sense of inadequacy, trying to live up to his can-do-no-wrong brother, Gabe, who was killed in battle.

After divorcing Scott, Cole goes to work for another police department in the K-9 unit.  She has a way with dogs and her aptitude is noticed by the DEA.  They invite her to be a part of an undercover operation being lead by her former husband, Scott.

One of things I enjoyed most about this relationship is Scott’s need to discover that the Nikki he divorced is not the same woman Cole is today.  Not only does she have a different nickname (her real name is Nicole), but she has a different attitude, is more assured and confident as a police officer and woman. He is still madly in love with her, but he doesn’t know how to win her back.  In other words, I liked the way he really had to work for it.

I also liked the villain in this story.  I thought he was unbalanced and menacing.  Never quite sure what he is going to do, this part of the story is suspenseful, much more so than previous books.

My one critique of the writing is that we are constantly reminded that Scott feels inadequate when compared to his brother, Gabe. Gabe was recently killed in action as a member of the special forces, but even before then, he had very big shoes to fill.  It is one of the major themes of the story, but I felt it is slightly over done. 


IN A NUTSHELL:
A good read with lots of suspense and a dog.  Dogs are featured in this story and who doesn’t love a dog?

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 

A veteran author of romance and women’s fiction, D.D. Ayres is new to Romantic Suspense. She believes the lure of romance is always the human connection. Put that connection in physical jeopardy, and and we learn a bit moreabout who we really are.

With her K-9 Rescue series, D.D. hopes you will enjoy her sexy, suspenseful portrayals of K-9 teams at their best.

D.D. lives in Texas with her husband and a soft-coated Wheaten terrier named Zoe.


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