K-9 Defender - Julie Miller (HI #2245 - Sept 2024)

Series: Protectors at K-9 Ranch (Book 2)
 
Can one woman's K-9
Convince her to trust a determined detective?
 
After a betrayal that almost took his life, Detective Joel Standage is deskbound. A new assignment is his chance to find out if he still has what it takes to be a cop. His mission? Get close to Mollie Crane, a woman who's as guarded -- and wounded -- as he is. Her service dog, Magnus, trusts Joel before she does. When it becomes clear that his interest in her crime boss ex-husband is putting her in danger, what started as a case becomes personal, and Joel will do whatever it takes to protect her…
 
Terrific book. I was hooked from the prologue and read this book in one sitting. As the book opens, we see the heartbreaking abuse Mollie's husband inflicts on her. There is a brief flash of hope that rescue is in sight, but that hope is soon dashed. Her husband's new driver looks like he wants to help, but Mollie won't endanger him by asking for assistance.
 
Fast forward two years. Mollie has escaped her abuser's clutches. She works as a waitress and tries to put the past behind her, but overcoming the fear she has lived with for so long isn't easy. She is helped along the way by her service dog, Magnus, a goofball dog with his own ideas about his job. Also present is her ex's driver from the prologue, who turned out to be an undercover detective. Joel is trying to get his life back on track after being badly injured in an undercover op that went terribly wrong.
 
I enjoyed watching Mollie and Joel's relationship develop. The connection is there, but both are wary of getting involved, thanks to the traumas of their past relationships. They settled first on friendship, pushed together by Magnus. However, Joel's protective instincts kick in when Mollie becomes a target, and Mollie finds it unexpectedly easy to trust Joel. I loved their support of each other, especially when Joel helped restore Mollie's confidence in herself. His growing feelings for Mollie show Joel he's ready to start living again.
 
The suspense kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. Mollie has something her ex wants, and he will stop at nothing to get it. The escalating attacks kept Mollie and Joel on edge while working with Joel's boss to stop him. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I loved how it went down.
 
Marcus was my favorite secondary character. He is Mollie's support dog and a big, loveable goof most of the time, but that can change if the situation calls for it. He seems to have some issues paying attention to his duties. I laughed out loud when his trainer diagnosed his problem and thoroughly enjoyed Magnus's solution.