Extreme Honor
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4.4 • 120 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
HONOR, LOYALTY, LOVE
David Cruz is good at two things: war and training dogs. The ex-soldier's toughest case is Atlas, a Belgian Malinois whose handler died in combat. Nobody at Hope's Crossing kennel can break through the animal's grief. That is, until dog whisperer Evelyn Jones walks into the facility . . . and into Atlas's heart. David hates to admit that the curvy blonde's mesmerizing effect isn't limited to canines. But when Lyn's work with Atlas puts her in danger, David will do anything to protect her.
Lyn realizes that David's own battle scars make him uniquely qualified for his job as a trainer. Tough as nails yet gentle when it counts, he's gotten closer to Atlas than anyone else-and he's willing to put his hard-wired suspicion aside to let her do the same. But someone desperate enough to kill doesn't want Lyn working with Atlas. Now only teamwork, trust, and courage can save two troubled hearts and the dog who loves them both...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Drake (Hidden Impact) begins the True Heroes K-9 trainer series with a tepid romance that feels like a lecture on dog training with some military trivia and bland sex scenes tossed in. Training working dogs for military K-9 service takes a combination of skill, intuition, and understanding of canine psychology. Rehabilitating a military K-9 after his handler's death, especially when that death occurred under suspicious circumstances, calls for even greater skill. David Cruz is one of the best military K-9 trainers around, so he has no idea why Evelyn "Lyn" Jones, a consultant specializing in canine PTSD, is poking her nose into the recuperative program he has set for Atlas the Belgian Malinois. Sure, Lyn's easy on the eyes and has good ideas, but what David needs is an answer for why Atlas's handler sent him that puzzling text message just before he was killed. Unfortunately, Atlas is the most emotive and likable character in the book by several miles.
Customer Reviews
Extreme Honor
Great story with an exciting plot.
Drake will become an auto-buy author at this rate!
⚠ MY THOUGHTS ⚠
⭐ ⭐ Provided by Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review ⭐ ⭐
Judging a Book by it's Cover:
Man of action with trusty K9 companion, projects a rugged Alpha vibe. Synopsis seems slightly similar to a recent movie released, but still leaves plenty room to intrigue.
Looking Deeper:
Third-person POV. David is a former active-duty soldier, now working to train military canines. Lyn has a way with dogs that not many share. Together, they must work to help a K9 overcome PTSD while serving overseas and losing his handler / partner. There's mystery surrounding the handler's death and someone does not want the answers to be found and will go to deadly lengths to make sure the truth is never uncovered.
The lead characters are strong and mature. Their relationship progresses slowly and naturally. There's a solid secondary cast of characters that we are made to love or hate. Interaction and dialogue are believable. The plot is dynamic and multidimensional. You might think you have pegged the "big bad", but a plot twist throws you for a total loop. The writing style is incredibly smooth and the plot flows quite nicely. There are layers of conflict that are peeled away one by one, resolved in ways suitable for their situations. The conclusion is solid in that the lead characters receive their HEA, but it seems there may be a few strings untied in the background that may stray into future books of the series.
Overall, a fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining and exciting. This is the first book I've read by Piper J Drake and it most certainly will NOT be the last!
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Rating: 4 [R] ~ Score: 4.4 ~ Stars: 4 (4.5, if I could)
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