Review: Force of Attraction - D.D. Ayres

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 . . .

K-9 Rescue Series:
Necessary Force (Novella)
Irresistible Force
Force of Attraction
Primal Force
Rival Forces (2016)

Visit D.D. Ayres' website for more information.

Review:
After getting her heart broken by her undercover ex-husband Nicole left her old life behind her and she hasn't looked back. Now she puts all her focus into her own career and she loves working as a K9 officer with her dog Hugo. Unfortunately for Cole her latest assignment puts her in close contact with Scott and no matter how much she hates him for what he did to her she can't deny the attraction they still feel. Scott always regretted the way things ended between him and Nicole, he was so deep into his undercover assignment that he let their relationship break down and he wishes he could go back and do things differently. Now that he has a second chance to show Nicole how much he has changed he is determined to prove to her just how good they'll be together.

I always enjoy second chance romances and Force of Attraction was a great one. Nicole has changed a lot from the woman Scott was married to, she is much more independant and in control and the last thing she wants is to let Scott back and end up with her heart broken all over again. Scott is also different though, it took losing the woman he loved to make him understand just how much he had let her down and all he really wants is to win back her trust. The sparks start flying immediately but it takes a long time for Scott to break down Nicole's barriers and he really had to work hard to prove himself to her. I was really pleased that Nicole didn't give into him too easily, he had hurt her badly and it wouldn't have felt realistic if she'd just let him straight back into her life without pushing him.

One of the things I love most about this series is the dogs and they add plenty of humour in this book too. To investigate their case for the DEA Nicole goes undercover at dog shows with her K9 partner Hugo and Scott is posing as her supportive husband along with his dog Izzy. The two dogs cause plenty of mischief along the way but D.D. Ayres does a fantastic job of showing the working relationship between K9 handlers and their partners. These police teams do such amazing jobs and each book in the series so far has shown them in very different circumstances. The mystery and danger from the case they are working was well drawn out and kept me guessing until right near the end, the romance was hot and spicy and the characters were great. Force of Attraction is another winner and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Irresistible Force - D.D. Ayres

When adrenaline runs high, so does the force of desire . . .

For Shay Appleton, it’s love at first sight when a gorgeous stray dog is brought into the animal shelter where she works. She just knows he’ll make a terrific watch dog—and with an abusive ex who won’t let go, she needs all the protection she can get. But Shay never suspected that her new pet is actually a trained police K-9 named Bogart—until Bogart’s even more gorgeous, human partner shows up on her doorstep.

Officer James Cannon is one tall, strong alpha male who’s convinced that Shay stole his dog. But once he gets closer to the suspect, he realizes that this stubborn, independent woman not only needs a guard dog, she needs James as well. It seems that someone from her past is stalking her, and threatening her life. When danger meets desire, will James risk his career and his best friend…to protect the woman who’s stolen his heart?

K-9 Rescue Series:
Necessary Force (Novella)
Irresistible Force
Force of Attraction
Primal Force
Rival Forces (2016)

Visit D.D. Ayres' website for more information.

Review:
Irresistible Force is the first full length novel in D.D. Ayres' K-9 Rescue series, there is a prequel novella, Necessary Force, but there is no crossover of characters between the two stories so it isn't essential to have read the prequel before you pick up this book.

Shay fell in love with Prince at first sight - the moment he was brought into the animal shelter where she works she knew he was the perfect dog for her and she had to take him home with her. They couldn't be happier together and Prince is a brilliant watch dog, something she desperately needs when she is living in fear her ex boyfriend will catch up with her. Unfortunately Prince wasn't just a normal abandoned dog, he was a stolen police dog and after weeks spend searching his handler James has tracked him down. James is convinced that Shay stole Bogart and he's here to get his partner back but it doesn't take long before James realises that Shay isn't a thief and she's in desperate need of their protection from the stalker who is determined to make her life a misery.

I'm a sucker for stories that feature animals as one of the main characters and in this case Bogart/Prince absolutely stole the show. I had a lot of fun watching his interactions with both Shay and James but I also really enjoyed learning more about how K-9 dogs are trained and how strong the relationship is between the dogs and their human handlers. James and Bogart are a perfect team, they read each other's body language and both have complete trust in each other which was portrayed really well in the story. James was a great guy, definitely an alpha male and very protective with it he likes to look after the people who are close to him. He quickly realises how close Shay and Bogart are and he understands that she needs protection even if she does struggle to come out and ask for help. Shay has been through a lot and her past experiences have made her wary of men and the police so she isn't sure what to make of James. She has a habit of pushing him away but luckily he's even more stubborn than she is and he is determined to get through her defences.

Irresistible Force is a story that is full of action, there isn't much mystery when it comes to the identity of the bad guys but they did surprise me with some of their actions. The romance was enjoyable and I loved the K-9 aspect to the story. I'll definitely be checking out the next instalment to the series when it releases next year.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Necessary Force - D.D. Ayres

It was supposed to be a sexy calendar shoot to raise money for K-9 service dogs. Photographer Georgie Flynn never expected to break all her personal rules and jump into bed with one of the hunky men posing. And after their steamy night together, she certainly never expected to see him again…despite their powerful connection.

When she's targeted by a stalker and possible bomber, Georgie finds that her gorgeous one-night stand is the only one who can help.

Brad Lawson, an FBI operative, and his K-9 bomb sniffing partner are assigned to protect the pretty photographer--and this time, he’s determined to keep things professional. He just didn't count on their explosive connection rekindling. But with a deadly threat on the horizon, will he be able to keep his body’s demands in check and complete his mission?

K-9 Rescue Series:
Necessary Force (Novella)
Irresistible Force
Force of Attraction
Primal Force
Rival Forces (2016)

Visit D.D. Ayres' website for more information.

Review:
Necessary Force is a prequel novella that introduces readers to D.D. Ayres' new K-9 Rescue series. As a fan of romantic suspense and an animal lover of course this series immediately caught my attention & I couldn't resist requesting a review copy on Netgalley.

Photographer Georgie first meets Brad when he is one of the models posing for the photos she is taking for a charity calender. After an incredibly hot one night stand she never expected to see him again and it isn't until several months later when their paths cross. Unfortunately they only meet again because Georgie is being targeted by a stalker and when they do meet she realises that everything he told her before was a lie. Now he's supposed to be protecting her but Georgie isn't sure whether she can trust him.

I think the main reason I didn't love this novella as much as I expected to was because of the lies that Brad had told when he first met Georgie. I didn't really think he had a plausible excuse for those lies and that made it hard for me to forgive him. Obviously in a novella the romance has to move fairly quickly but because I wasn't impressed with the way Brad had behaved I found it harder to accept that Georgie forgave him so quickly and was willing to jump into bed with him. I just think that if they'd had a simple one night stand with no awkward drama then I would have found it easier to believe that they could fall in love later down the line when they met again. That would have meant the story could have had a stronger focus on the suspense side of the story rather than the awkwardness between the two of them. The suspense side was a little on the lacking side because it was pretty obvious for a long time who the stalker was.

It isn't all bad though and there are a lot of things I liked about the story. The writing is good, the sex scenes were hot and I did like both of the characters (if I ignored Brad's lies!). I think the problems with the lack of suspense and the rushed feeling romance will probably be significantly reduced in the next book which is a full length novel so will allow the author to expand on the elements that were missing slightly here. In spite of the problems Necessary Force is a quick and enjoyable read and it has definitely caught my interest enough to make me want to pick up Irresistible Force.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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