What He Wants for Christmas - Brenda Jackson (HD #2839 - Dec 2021)

Series: Westmoreland Legacy: The Outlaws (Book 3)

When a holiday blizzard traps him with his ex, things really heat up!
 
It's been ten years since she broke his heart, but Leslie Cassidy's elegance still stuns rugged Alaskan executive Sloan Outlaw. Now, thanks to a ruthless enemy targeting Leslie's company, Sloan can use his wealth and influence for something nice -- and something naughty. He'll save her company -- if she'll spend a week with him at his luxurious winter retreat! But when a snowstorm keeps them cabin-bound, this notorious Outlaw will discover that getting what he wants for Christmas might be more than he bargained for…
 
Good second chance story. Ten years after they broke up, Sloan and Leslie met again at a friend's wedding. The sparks are still there, but Sloan hasn't forgiven the way she left him without explaining why. However, when he hears that her company is in danger of a hostile takeover, he can't resist stepping in to help, though with conditions.
 
Leslie was surprised to run into Sloan at their friends' wedding and shocked when he showed up at her office to offer his help.  She's reluctant to accept when she hears that he wants her to spend a week alone with him at his remote cabin. But when the takeover attempt becomes critical, she gives in to Sloan's demands.
 
I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Sloan and Leslie. There was no doubt about the sparks of attraction that still existed between them, but both have serious trust issues that need to be addressed. Ten years earlier, they were driven apart by lies told to Leslie. Though she found out the truth a few years later, she never contacted Sloan to explain or apologize. I liked that they talked about what happened and admitted that both were at fault for their actions. Once that was dealt with, both had to face the attraction that still burned between them. Sloan is all for giving in, but Leslie fears losing her heart again.
 
I liked seeing Leslie and Sloan spend time together. They are different people than ten years ago, and they discover a mutual admiration. There are some sweet times together, such as their trip to visit the Yule family. There are also some steamy moments as their attraction continues to burn hot. Resistance is no longer an option when a blizzard traps them in the cabin. The intensity of their connection scares Sloan, and he pulls away when Leslie calls him out on what they have together. I ached for both as each had to face their fears. I wanted to shake Leslie for running and Sloan for not talking to her about his feelings. After an unexpected revelation, I loved seeing Sloan go after what he wanted and finally open up about his feelings, past and present. His big moment at the end was sweet and emotional. I loved the bits at the end with the other Outlaws and Westmorelands, and the epilogue was great.
 
The story of the hostile takeover, its reasons, and Sloan's actions to prevent it from happening were fascinating. As more information surfaced, I was amazed at what one man would do for revenge. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sloan go up against him and the results of that battle. 

K-9 Hideout - Elizabeth Heiter (HI #2011 - July 2021)

Series: K-9 Alaska (Book 4)

Dirty cops, hidden identities and a deadly stalker…
 
Police handler Tate Emory is thankful that Sabrina Jones saved his trusty K-9 companion, Sitka, but he didn't sign up for national media exposure. That publicity unveils his true identity to the dirty Boston cops he took down…and brings Sabrina's murderous stalker even closer to his target. With their covers blown, Tate will risk his life -- and his guarded heart -- to save Sabrina from a fatal end.
 
Terrific book. Sabrina came to Desparre six months earlier, the latest home in her two-year-long flight from a stalker. It is the longest she's stayed anywhere, and she began to feel comfortable there, even making some friends. Then Sabrina found a note on her porch - the stalker found her! Should she run again, or is it time to make a stand? I loved that Sabrina decided that it was tie to stop running and went to the police.
 
Tate is a K-9 officer on the Desparre police force. He and his dog Sitka take the lead on Sabrina's case. Tate understands Sabrina's need to run from her stalker and his threat to her family. He did the same thing. No one on the force knows Tate was a cop in Boston before joining them as a rookie. He brought down several dirty cops back in Boston, though two went free due to lack of proof. Those cops threatened revenge, so to protect his family, he changed his name and fled as far as he could.
 
This story grabbed me from the first chapter and kept me hooked to the very end. I could feel Sabrina's fear and her difficulty believing that her nightmare could finally end. With Desparre being such a small town, Tate and the others thought they had a good chance of figuring out who the stalker is. Tate, who understands her fear on a personal level, is determined to set Sabrina free. Neither of them expected the feelings that grew between them.
 
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Tate and Sabrina develop. Though previously aware of each other, neither did anything about it because of their secrets. Now that they're spending so much time together, the attraction grows stronger. Tate tries to resist because a) he doesn't want to be distracted from protecting her, and b) because of his past and what he is hiding. Meanwhile, Sabrina knows that if they catch her stalker, she'll be able to go back to her life in New York, so getting involved wouldn't be wise. As they pretend to be a couple to draw out Sabrina's stalker, Tate and Sabrina find it feels all too real. I liked seeing them get to know each other. Sabrina opens up now that Tate knows the truth about her. Although Tate shares a few things about himself, he keeps the truth to himself, wanting to protect her. When the truth comes out, Sabrina understandably feels betrayed. It takes some deep self-examination for each of them to overcome the obstacles to being together. I loved Tate's heartfelt apology at the end. I would have liked an epilogue at the end because I still had a few questions about their future.
 
The suspense of the story was outstanding. Sabrina's fear of the stalker and his attacks on those she cared about leaped off the page. I could feel Tate's frustration at the difficulty of finding someone they had no information about. I loved seeing his use of social media to attempt to identify the stalker. It was a reminder that nothing is truly private. The case became more complicated when an attack that risked Tate's K-9, Sitka, made the local paper and national news. Tate feared that the men who wanted revenge would be able to find him. But he refused to run while Sabrina was still in danger. When an attempt to draw out the stalker went horribly wrong, Tate's fears became a reality. I was on the edge of my seat during that confrontation, wondering how Tate would pull off Sabrina's rescue. The intensity kept me glued to the pages until it was all over. And lest the stalker is forgotten, that also had a page-turning resolution - though having both Tate and Sitka sleep through his arrival strained my credulity a little.
 
I can't leave without mentioning Tate's K-9 partner Sitka. I loved her backstory on how she came to be with Tate. I loved that she went from shelter-rescue pet to trained police dog. It was also a great deal of fun to see her personality. When off duty, she was a beloved pet and a playful pup; while on duty, she was all business. I also loved how quickly she took to Sabrina and Sabrina to her. I loved seeing Sitka in action taking down the bad guys.

 

K-9 Cold Case - Elizabeth Heiter (HI #1994 - Apr 2021)

Series: K-9 Alaska (Book 3)

Two bombs in six days…
 
And the culprit isn't finished.
 
With the help of his K-9 companion, Patches, FBI victim specialist Jax Diallo vows to help police chief Keara Hernandez solve the attacks rocking their Alaskan community. Evidence suggests the crimes are connected to her husband's long-unsolved murder. And the strikes are becoming more personal. When dodging bullets becomes a daily event, Jax risks everything to keep his beautiful new partner from meeting a violent end…
 
Very good book. From its (literally) explosive beginning to the final confrontation, the story sucked me in and didn't let go until the end. The suspense and action are intense, and I often felt I was in the middle of it.
 
Keara moved to Desparre, Alaska, from Houston six years earlier to distance herself from the memories of her husband's unsolved murder. She's happy there and has grown to love the people of the tiny town. After the bomb went off in Luna, she spent the day reassuring her people that they were safe, then drove to Luna to see what she could find out. The devastation she saw brought back memories of Juan's murder.
 
Jax is a victim specialist with the FBI. He's relatively new to Alaska, transferring there from DC after dealing with too many mass casualty events. Alaska's beauty and more laid-back atmosphere are healing. Jax and his therapy dog, Patches, spent the day talking to survivors and witnesses, offering comfort and support. Patches zeroed in on Keara shortly after her arrival, sensing Keara's turbulent emotions. Jax and Keara had a short conversation before her emotions overwhelmed her, and she left.
 
Keara and Jax saw each other again a few hours later when he came to her rescue during a bar fight caused by overwrought emotions mixed with alcohol. Both Keara and Jax impressed me with their cool heads, though Jax did end up the worse for wear. While two of the agents questioned Keara about things she may have heard or seen, one of them asked Keara's opinion about a symbol found on a bomb fragment.
 
This is where the intensity begins to ramp up. The last time Keara saw that symbol was in relation to her husband's murder. But how could there be a connection between a murder in Houston and a bombing in Alaska? The FBI agents are skeptical but permit Jax to check past case files. Jax is determined to find the link, despite his coworkers' frequent reminders that he isn't an agent. Jax and Keara work together to go through the cases and soon find information that may back up their theory, despite some puzzling differences. When a second bomb explodes, in Desparre this time, Jax and Keara realize the bomber is escalating his attacks. As they come closer to identifying the suspect, the attacks become personal, putting them both in danger. An unexpected twist created a nail-biting confrontation at the end.
 
From the moment they met, sparks flew between Keara and Jax. Keara fights the attraction, not wanting it to interfere with their investigation. She also feels unable to move on while Juan's murder remains unsolved. Jax struggles to ignore his growing attraction to Keara. He mostly succeeds in focusing on the case, with a few forays into protectiveness. I also loved how Patches is equally as smitten with Keara. I loved watching them grow closer and wondered how they would overcome the 400-mile obstacle to being together. I didn't see the solution coming, but I loved how right it was.

Alaska Mountain Rescue - Elizabeth Heiter (HI #1976 - Jan 2021)

Series: K-9 Alaska (Book 2)

Catching a kidnapper takes teamwork
 
...and a St. Bernard.
 
Alanna Morgan was raised in remote Alaska by a couple who called themselves her parents -- not kidnappers. A jailbreak brings her face-to-face with the past she wants to escape and on a collision course with the woman who stole her childhood. Alanna can't let other helpless victims be abducted and sets out with Chance, a therapy St. Bernard, by her side. But Desparre rookie police officer Peter Robak has other plans for the civilian investigator. Together, in the mountain wilderness in frigid temperatures, criminals aren't the only threat they face. A wary alliance and a rescue dog will have to be enough to keep them alive and to catch a desperate fugitive.
 
Good book full of twists and turns. Five years earlier, Alanna and several other children were rescued from the "parents" who kidnapped them and raised them in a small Alaska town (K-9 Defense). Though happy to be reunited with her real family, Alanna continues to have conflicted feelings about the woman who raised her. When she hears that Darcy escaped prison and kidnapped two more children, she believes that Darcy will head to Alaska to hide. Alanna thinks that if she can find her, she can talk Darcy into releasing the children. She heads for Alaska to offer her services to the police there.
 
Alanna has mixed feelings about being back in Desparre, a place of both good and bad memories. Along with her dog, Chance, Alanna visits the small police department to find that they regard her offer of help with deep suspicion. They believe that she's more likely to help Darcy than them. So she decides to investigate on her own.
 
Rookie cop Peter Robak is especially skeptical. A former war correspondent, Peter has first-hand knowledge of the effects captivity can have on a victim. His journalistic career ended when a kidnapping victim blew herself up under the guise of being rescued. Now he plans to keep Alanna under surveillance, hoping she'll lead him to Darcy.
 
The suspense of the story was terrific. Peter and Alanna start out mistrusting each other. But when Alanna uncovers a clue that could reveal Darcy's hiding place, her search lands her in the middle of an avalanche. Peter's tailing of her puts him in a position to rescue her, and they form an uneasy alliance. When Alanna's instincts prove correct, Peter finds himself willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. That doesn't sit well with the police chief, and suddenly Peter has to make some difficult choices. There were multiple twists to the story as they close in on Darcy and have to walk a fine line between the cops and the kidnapper.
 
Just when it looks like they've succeeded in their mission, another kidnapping strikes especially close to Alanna. An unsuspected player is out for revenge, and Alanna is the only one who can end it. Peter, who is already on thin ice with his boss, takes extreme steps to protect Alanna. The final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over. It also left me hurting for Peter, whose life is upended once again. I liked the epilogue and seeing how everything turned out.
 
The romance between Peter and Alanna was a slow one that mostly took a backseat to the suspense. Despite his mistrust, Peter soon discovered that he liked Alanna and wanted to believe her. Attraction blossomed between them. Peter worried about Alanna's safety and risked his job to keep her safe. Alanna worried about Peter and the consequences helping her would have on his career. Neither one expected the feelings that grew between them. I liked the ending and the new direction Peter found for his life. The future for both of them looks good.
 
My favorite secondary character in the story was Alanna's dog, Chance. As a therapy dog, he is very good at helping calm those around him. There were times he almost seemed human in his interactions with both Alanna and Peter. I also loved when his St. Bernard instincts kicked in, sending him into rescue mode during both avalanche incidents.