Tag Archives: Katie Ruggle

The Scenic Route by Katie Ruggle – a Review

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The Scenic Route by Katie Ruggle – a Review

 

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Description:
Why date a mountain man? Because climbing him will leave you breathless.

Felicity Pax loves her job. She craves excitement, and being a bounty hunter gives her that in spades. So when her estranged mother disappears with a small fortune in tow, Felicity chases her like she would any other skip. Too bad she didn’t barter on having increasingly infuriating (and infuriatingly hot) PI Bennett Green on her tail.

Bennett’s got a job to do, and if that means shadowing Felicity…well…he’s had worse assignments. Even if he’s 99% sure the increasingly intriguing bounty hunter is leading him on a wild goose chase through the Rockies.

If she has to drag her PI tail through endless quirky mountain towns in order to shake him, that’s what she’s determined to do…but it isn’t long before Felicity’s intended distraction turns up a mystery worth solving—and Bennett becomes the unexpected partner she never realized she needed. As things heat up, Felicity will have to decide what’s most important to staying one step ahead of the “enemy” or giving herself freedom to experience the adventure of a lifetime.

The Rocky Mountains get unBEARably hot in Katie Ruggle’s brand-new series packed with adventure, action, tall dark & scruffy heroes, and a sense of quirky humor that will be your next perfect escape.

 

 

Review:

The Scenic Route by Katie Ruggle is the 1st book in her new series, Beneath the Wild Sky. All of the 5 Pax sisters run a bounty hunter bail and recovery business; and their mother has recently stolen an expensive necklace, and has disappeared.  We meet Felicity Pax, our heroine, who loves her job as a bounty hunter, which gives her lots of excitement and fun. With her sister Molly, still searching for their mother, Felicity decides to head to Simpson, Colorado to chase a skip; and knows that her stalker continues to follow her.

Bennett Green, our hero, is a private investigator, who has been hired to find Jane Pax, and the necklace she stole.  He closely follows Felicity, as she knows he is tailing her.  When Felicty arrives in Simpson, Colorado, she stops at local coffee shop, and meets the waitress, Lou; who learns she is a bounty hunter. After a short time, Bennett walks in, and Felicity tells Lou that he is a stalker. But slowly, Bennett moves close to Felicity, helping her find the person she is looking for.  Lou excitingly calls her friends (Simpson Murder Club), to meet Felicity and join them in helping them find where the skip is hiding.  

Unable to get a room, Felicity and Bennett stay overnight in the car, and soon they discover the person they want, and end up in Las Vegas, where they team up together, as Bennett becomes the partner she really needed.    In a short time, the relationship between Felcity and Bennett escalates, as the chemistry between them was sizzling. 

What follows is an exciting, non-stop action-packed adventure with Felicity and Bennett working together, against a dangerous escaped criminal putting themselves in harms way.  I really liked the story line, and all the characters. I loved how Bennett and Felicity became a great team.  I also enjoyed Lou and her Simpson Murder Club friends, with the husbands helping them out.  It was an exciting story line, that was so much fun.

The Scenic Route was a captivating, enjoyable and heartwarming story.  Felicity, Bennett and all the endearing characters at the coffee shop were all entertaining.   The Scenic Route was a fun, exciting, action-packed story, with some very good characters.  The Scenic Route was very well written by Katie Ruggle.  I suggest you read The Scenic Route.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle – a Review

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Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle – a Review

 

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Description:
Why date a mountain man? Because he knows how to pitch a tent. When Dahlia Weathersby’s sister disappears on what should have been a simple day hike, Dahlia immediately heads deep into the Colorado Rockies to find her. Knowing she’ll never survive the mountains alone, she convinces the local hermit―adorably grouchy survival expert Winston Dane―to be her guide. All it takes is a good helping of Dahlia’s charm…and just the teeniest bit of blackmail…before she’s got all six-foot-something of him wrapped around her finger. But even with her very own mountain man in tow, things aren’t going to be easy. There With everything the wilderness has to throw at them, it’ll take more than charm and some city girl ingenuity to make this trek anything but a disaster waiting to happen…and an adventure she’ll never forget.

 

 

Review:

Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle is a fun romantic standalone novel. We meet Dahlia Weathersby, our heroine, at the start, when she receives a danger message from her sister, Rose.  Dahlia immediately leaves her California home to fly to Howling Falls Colorado to rescue Rose. Dahlia knows she needs someone to help rescue her sister, and decides to get Winston Dane, a local hermit, who is an expert survivalist. 

Winston is very private, and has many booby traps to protect his place from any visitors.  Dahlia, who is very outgoing, puts on her charm to Winston, who at first wants nothing to do with her need of help.  Using her bubbly personality, she convinces him to help her, and Winston prepares everything they will need for both of them, including survival food & water, heavy clothes/hats and sleeping bags. The next day, Winston will lead them into the wilderness, hiking through the mountains, as they follow the map to lead them to where Rose may be.

Dahlia finds herself attracted to Winston, especially with his grunts and some smiles; slowly Winston gets used to Dahlia’s constant talking and hilarious fun, becoming very comfortable in her presence.  The long trek is difficult, especially with the bitter cold and blizzard; with Dahlia pushing herself into Winston’s bigger sleeping bag to get warm. The banter and chemistry between them were great, and in no time, Winston, who turned into a sweetheart, fully falls for Dahlia.  The chemistry between them escalates, with a steamy scene in Winston’s large sleeping bag.  I really loved both Dahlia and Winston together, as they made an adorable couple.

As we get closer to the end, there is a lot of action, with them rescuing Rose, and threats on their lives. Fish Out of Water was a lot of fun and humor, with a terrific couple, a trek throughout the wilderness, as well as the dangerous rescue.  Overall, the story was hilarious and so much fun, with some steam.

Fish Out of Water was so very well written by Katie Ruggle. Dahlia was a great character, being bubbly and fun.  Winston, after a slow start, turned out to be adorable.  The banter between them turned out to be fantastic story.  I thought Katie Ruggle outdid herself with this fun and entertaining story line.  I wholly suggest you read Fish Out of the Water.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Risk It All by Katie Ruggle – a Review

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Risk It All by Katie Ruggle – a Review

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Description:
Five bounty-hunting sisters
Deep in the heart of the Rockies
Fighting to save each other
…and the men who steal their hearts

Cara Pax never wanted to be a bounty hunter. She’s happy to leave chasing criminals and tackling skips to her sisters. But if she wants her dreams of escaping the family business to come true, she’s got one last job to finish… Only problem is, she doesn’t think her bounty is guilty.

Henry Kavenski is a man with innocence to prove. When he realizes that Cara believes him, he’ll do anything to keep her out of harm’s way. Escaping criminals and dodging cops might not be the best time to fall in love, but Henry and Cara won’t give up, not when there’s a chance at a new life ahead–if they can survive the fall.

Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters:
In Her Sights (Book 1)
Risk It All (Book 2)

 

 

Review:

Risk it All by Katie Ruggle is the 2nd book in her Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters series.  This series revolves around 5 Pax sisters who run a bail recovery business, with them also being bounty hunters.  The girls are in need of money, as their mother has run away and stolen not only an expensive necklace, their car and put them deep in debt.   Cara Pax, our heroine, prefers to leave the bounty hunter part to her sisters, and instead help with doing the research.   While two sisters are away searching for the mother, Cara takes it upon herself to find one of the skips (bail runaways) at a bar, where she ends up being rescued by the skip.

Henry Kavenski, our hero, is trying to prove his innocence and knows that Cara is one of the bounty hunters looking for him, even if she is totally inexperienced.  Henry takes it upon himself to save Cara, and continue to keep an eye on her, as she foolishly gets herself into trouble looking for another dangerous skip.  In a short time, Cara, begins to feel an attraction to Henry, and begins to realize that he is innocent; Henry also knows he is falling for Cara, especially since she believes his innocence.  But Henry has his hands full protecting her, as Cara gets kidnapped and Henry needs to find a way to rescue her and get them both out of danger.

What follows is an exciting, non-stop action-packed adventure that was intense throughout most the book from start to finish.  Even though the slow burn romance was part of the story line, it did take a back seat to the wild crazy trouble Cara kept finding herself in.  I loved Cara, as she made a fun, sweet, brave heroine, and Henry was pretty good himself; they were equally terrific characters.

I really liked the story line, love the premise of this series, as well as the 5 sisters working together.  Risk it All is a wonderful exciting and intense story that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.  Once again Katie Ruggle gives us another fabulous romance suspense story filled with action, excitement, suspense, with wonderful characters.  I suggest you read this series, and start with the first book, in order to meet all the sisters.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle – a Review

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In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle – a Review

 

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Description:
Five bounty-hunting sisters
Deep in the heart of the Rockies
Fighting to save each other
…and the men who steal their hearts

Bounty hunter Molly Pax fought hard for everything she has, turning the bail recovery business she shares with her sisters into an unqualified success. So when their sticky-fingered mother jumps bail and puts the childhood home up as collateral, Molly’s horrified. To make matters worse, every two-bit criminal in the Rockies now sees her family’s misfortune as their next big break.

She needs help, stat.

Enter rival bounty hunter John Carmondy: six feet of pure trouble, with a cocky grin to match. John’s the most cheerfully, annoyingly gorgeous frenemy Molly’s ever had the pleasure of defeating…and he may be her only hope of making it out of this mess alive

 

 

Review:

In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle is the 1st book in her new Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters series. I have read all of Katie Ruggle’s Rocky Mountain series.  I was looking forward to reading this new one, and I am  happy to say I enjoyed it.

Molly Pax, our heroine, lives at home with her sisters, who all work with her as bounty hunters in their bail recovery business.  Molly is the eldest sister, and the leader of the team, making ends meet, since their mother, who does nothing but make problems for the girls, and stealing their money or car. 

Molly is on a case to find a person who has escaped bail, and runs into John Carmondy, a rival bounty hunter and our hero.  John seems to like Molly, and would like her to join his bail business, but Molly does everything to avoid him.  When she catches the person, and goes home to her sister with much needed money, things change.  When the mother becomes involved in a robbery, puts their home as collateral to get out of jail, and goes into hiding, and steals Molly’s car;  the sisters are desperate to find her before they lose everything.

What follows is an exciting and action packed adventure where Molly is forced to work with John, on a dangerous case to find an escaped murderer on bail.  It is a case no one wants, and the man is evil and extremely impossible to catch, killing anything in his way; but they are desperate for the money they will make if they bring back the culprit.  The sisters have to split themselves, with two sisters trying to find their mother (before they lose the house) and the other two working with Molly and John to find the bad guy.

I really liked the story line, and all the characters.  I felt until half way through the book, that Molly was a bit too rude to John, as he was always pleasant and willing to help the family.  During the last half she did change and began to fall for John, who already cared deeply for Molly, despite her behavior.   The romance between them was slow built, but in the end they made a great team and couple.

In Her Sights was a very good start to the Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunter series, and I look forward to future books that will revolve around the other sisters.  Katie Ruggle once again has captured my attention with an exciting new series.  This was a fun, exciting, action packed story, with some very good characters. I suggest you read In Her Sights.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas by Katie Ruggle – a Review

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Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas by Katie Ruggle – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

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Description:
In the heart of the Rockies
In the arms of a cowboy
One white Christmas can change everything.

When firefighter and single dad Steve Springfield moved his four kids to a Colorado Christmas tree ranch, he intended for it to be a safe haven. But he never expected danger to follow them to his childhood home…

Or that he would come face-to-face with the one girl he could never forget.

Folk artist Camille Brandt lives a quiet life. As the town’s resident eccentric, she’s used to being lonely–until Steve freaking Springfield changes everything. Brave and kind, he’s always had a piece of her heart, and it doesn’t take long before she’s in danger of falling for him and his rambunctious kids. But as mysterious fires break out across the sleepy Colorado town, Steve and Camille will have to fight if they want their happy family to survive until Christmas…

 

Review:

Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas by Katie Ruggle is the first book in her new Rocky Mountain Cowboy series. This is a spinoff from Ruggle’s other two series, Search and Rescue; and Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit.

Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas was a sweet Christmas romance. Camille Brandt, our heroine, is eccentric and a loner.  The townsfolk know Camille doesn’t like to be around people, and only goes into town to shop or sell her artistic creations, which are beautiful masterpieces, and she uses scrap metal for her creations. 

Steve Springfield, our hero and fireman, returns home to the family ranch, with his four children, after his wife died.  When Camille sees him, she is flustered, since she remembers him from high school, and he is even hotter than she remembers.  Camille doesn’t know how to act, especially with her social awkwardness.

She begins to slowly change and become more comfortable when she meets Steve’s kids, who were all interested in Camille and her designs.  She finds herself falling hard for the kids, not to mention Steve.  Steve was the perfect sweet hero, who was able to begin to bring Camille out of her shyness.  There was also a cute cat that was a big part of the story.

Though this is a wonderful romance, there is an added element of mystery, as someone is creating fires; first at Camille’s home, and then at Steve’s house, where Camille was staying until she found a new place to stay.  Who is stalking Camille and why?

I thought Steve and Camille were great together, and loved how slowly Steve won Camille over, and she began to open up more with others, and the kids, whom she loved.

The ending was somewhat exciting, as Camille tries to save herself and the kids.  I will say that I wasn’t crazy about learning the identity of the culprit, but I do look forward to the next book in this series to find out more.   Katie Ruggle once again gives us a wonderful fun story, sweet romance, great characters and a bit of a mystery.  I strongly suggest you read Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

Taking the four porch steps in one leap, she reached for the storm door handle. Just as her gloved fingers were about to close around it, hard arms wrapped across her middle and yanked her back.
Shock stole her voice for a brief second, allowing the person behind her to drag her several steps away from the house before she started struggling. “Lucy!” she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by sirens and truck engines she hadn’t even noticed until that moment. “I need to get Lucy!”
She shoved at the iron bands locked around her waist, twisting her body from side to side in frantic attempts to free herself, but she couldn’t get away, couldn’t stop them from pulling her farther and farther back from her burning house, away from any chance she had to save Lucy.
“Stop!” she cried out, a sob harshly burning her throat, her eyes locked on the black smoke curling out of the eaves, the windows glowing red. “Lucy’s in there!”
“Camille!” It was Steve’s voice. “Listen to me. You can’t go in there. You’ll die, and so will Lucy. I’ll go get her. I have the gear, so I can go in that house.” As he continued to talk in his calm but firm way, his words started making sense and she began to still. This time, her sob was one of overwhelming relief. Steve was there. He’d save Lucy. It’d be okay. They’d both be okay.
Turning, she fumbled with her welding helmet, and he helped her pull it off. The sirens had ceased, but the flashing red and white lights still lit up her yard in pulses. The only sounds were the fire-truck engines, people shouting commands, and Steve’s calm, steady reassurances. She concentrated on his words until even the fire became a muted roar in the background.
“You with me?” he asked gently. A face shield and breathing equipment masked his features, and bunker gear added bulk to his already sturdy frame, but his voice reminded her that he was here. He would make everything okay.
“Yes.” Her voice shook and rasped, raw from the smoke. “Please get Lucy out.”
“I will.” There wasn’t any hesitation, and Camille believed every word. “Who’s Lucy?”
“My cat.”
Another firefighter Camille recognized as Rose Marie Mackenzie ran toward them with a medical bag, but Steve didn’t look away from Camille. “Is there a place she likes to hide when she’s scared?”
“My bedroom. S-second floor.” She tripped over her words, tears welling in her eyes at the thought of how scared Lucy must be. “Top shelf of the bookcase.”
“I’ll get her.” There it was again, that sure, steady assurance that made Camille believe that he could do anything.
“Thank you.” Her heart ached with gratitude. “Be careful.”
“I will.” He turned the simple phrase into a promise. “Stay with Mackenzie here, and don’t try to go back in that house, okay?”
“I won’t.” She tried to put as much resolve into her words as was in his, wanting him to believe her so he wouldn’t have to worry.
She must have succeeded, because he tipped his head in a nod and left her with the other firefighter. Mackenzie wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and tried to lead her away, but Camille didn’t want to move.
“Just a few steps over there,” the firefighter said, her voice soothing, though not as reassuring as Steve’s had been. “That way, you can sit down and still see everything that’s happening.”
By the time she was seated on the back of the fire rescue truck with an oxygen mask on and Mackenzie checking her blood pressure and blood oxygen levels, Steve was entering her front door. Light caught the reflective stripes on his bunker coat, and the sight reminded her of the photo Mrs. Lin had taken on her phone. The dark image seemed even more foreboding now, as if it had been a prediction of this terrible night.
Then Steve stepped inside, and all her anxiety focused on him, on the fact that he’d just gone into her burning house to save her cat. She thought of his kids, of how they’d be orphaned if Steve never made it out. Terror and guilt churned together in her stomach as all the horrible possibilities ran through her head. Why hadn’t Lucy been her first thought once she’d realized the workshop was on fire? She should’ve gone into the house, rather than just thinking about her escape. “It should’ve been me,” she said softly, her eyes locked on the open front door of her house.
Despite the oxygen mask, Mackenzie managed to hear her words. “No, it shouldn’t’ve.” Her tone was upbeat but firm. “He has the training and the equipment, and you barely managed to get yourself out. He’s done this hundreds of times. It’s his favorite thing, saving kittens. He’s great at it, too.”
The matter-of-fact way she spoke made Camille’s tightly wound muscles relax the slightest bit. She remembered the way Steve had said he’d be careful and that he’d get Lucy out. It’d been a firm promise, and she needed to trust him to keep his word. “That’s a dangerous hobby. Aren’t you worried, watching him walk in there like that—or when you walk into a fire?”
“Sure.” Mackenzie unwrapped the blood pressure cuff from Camille’s arm. “It’s always there, at least a little, on every call. It keeps me careful. I can’t let it take over, though. Panic never helps anyone. We just have to trust in our training and our partners to keep us safe.”
As true as that was, Camille couldn’t keep from staring at the house, willing Steve to walk out unharmed. The red glow seemed to be brightening in the lower-level windows, and Camille flinched at the sound of breaking glass. “Did something explode?” Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.
“No.” Mackenzie sounded just as calm as she had before, and Camille took comfort in that. “The glass just got too hot.”
Her gaze raked the windows and doors for any sign of Steve, but there was nothing.

 

 

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Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

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Description:
He’s tall.
He’s dark.
He’s brutally handsome…
And he may be her only hope.

Kit Jernigan despairs of ever fitting in with her new tight-knit K9 unit—they’ve been through too much to welcome a stranger. So when a killer strikes, it’s a fight to convince her fellow officers to trust her long enough to catch the woman she knows is responsible.

She can’t do it on her own. What she needs most is a partner: local fire spotter Wesley March.

Wes knows in his heart that Kit is right, and he’s willing to leave his lonely tower to help her prove it. But the more time they spend together, the hotter the fire smolders…and the more danger they’re in. A member of the K9 unit’s inner circle is determined to have her revenge—no matter who gets burned in the process.

This time, it’s personal.

 

Review:

Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle is the 4th book in her Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series. I have enjoyed the first three books in this series, and I thought this one was even more exciting.  The theme of this series are women who are in hiding to escape their terrible or dangerous life, and sent to a small town in the Colorado Mountains, to live in hiding. Each book brought in one women in hiding, and by this book all three women share a bond, as they keep secret the man who helped them escape and gave them a place to hide in Monroe.  Each of them fell in love with cops from the K-9 unit.   The men know the girls stories, they watch over them and help protect them, but they do not know the man who helped them. 

Through the Fire is a slight change, as we meet our heroine, Kit Jernigan, just arriving in Monroe to join the K-9 force.  Kit looks forward to working in a peaceful small town, as opposed to the big city. She brings her dog, Justice, who is a K-9 Tracker dog.   She meets Hugh, Theo and Otto, but before she can even settle down, she is already on a case with dead body found in a house fire.  Justice tracks the scent to Jules (previous book heroine) house, where a new woman has arrived to hide.  Kit suspects her, but the men tell her to lay off, since she is here for their protection. We learn early on that this new person is not like the others.

Wes, our hero, is the local fire spotter, who meets Kit the day she arrived, when she got stuck in the snow and he helped her.  Wes is a loner, who keeps to himself, and also creates all kinds of gadgets that he eventually can sell.  Wes is a hunk, very tall and is gun shy with woman, until he meets Kit.  A romance will slowly build, with Wes gaining more confidence, as he falls in love with Kit.  Kit is also falling for Wes, as she finds him endearing and sexy.  They are great together. However, Kit is in the middle of a number of things that have been happening, and becomes more and more suspicious of Elena (the newcomer).  She keeps an eye on her, despite the others telling her to lay off. 

What follows is an exciting and tense storyline, but the camaraderie between the cops and their woman, the kids, dogs with Kit, as well as her relationship with Wes, made this also a fun read. I loved Justice, who was such a lovable dog.  The last third of the book became very exciting, as the danger escalates for all of them, including Kit.  There were a number of surprises at the end, which I think puts the finishing touches on the overall storyline of this series.

Through the Fire is another suspenseful, action packed story.  With the resolution of this book, I suspect this could be the end of this series, unless Ruggle changes things to continue.  Katie Ruggle has written a great story, wonderful couple, and exciting action packed throughout.  I suggest you read this series and start with the first book, Run to Ground.

 

 

 

Her hair was just as beautiful down as he’d imagined it would be. Wes shifted his weight and fought the urge to fidget with the salt and pepper shakers. He didn’t know what to do with the excess energy that was coursing through him. He’d asked her on a date, and she’d agreed. Even though hours had passed and the date had begun, he still marveled at it. If it hadn’t been horribly early, he would’ve called Leila to let her know it had worked. His bravery had been rewarded.

Seeing her was worth enduring the heavy weight of the other diners’ stares and the buzz of their whispers. He normally did his best to avoid all the townspeople, but he’d ignore their avid interest for Kit’s sake. It was difficult, though. Even the sleepy waitress gave him a curious, wide-eyed look when she stopped at their table to fill their coffee cups and chat lightly with Kit. After she walked away, Kit said quietly, “That’s Jules. She and Theo are together.”

He nodded. “You’re good with people.” She reminded him of Leila that way. Both women always seemed to say the right thing, even when they didn’t know someone. “That must be useful when you’re working.”

She studied him with a slight smile that was kind, rather than mocking. “Thank you. I’m not always the most tactful, so I sometimes get myself into trouble that way. I do best with kids.”

“I can see why. You’re both very honest.” His interactions with children had been minimal as an adult, but he remembered the sometimes brutal honesty of his peers from when he was a kid.

She laughed a little, and the sound warmed his insides. “‘Honest’ is the nice way of saying that we don’t think before we speak sometimes.”

“That can be good, though.” He couldn’t look away from her. From the sheen of her black satin hair to the way her green sweater followed her slight curves, she was riveting. He felt like he could stare at her for days and not get bored. “My sister, Leila, always tells me the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. That’s so much easier than trying to figure out how people really feel when their words don’t match their thoughts.”

“If everyone were that honest, my job would be a lot easier.”

“That’s true.” He watched as she picked up her coffee mug with both hands and took a sip. Her fingers were small and slender, with unpolished, short nails, and he marveled that she could use them to take down people twice her size. The mention of her job reminded him of something. “One of my neighbors stopped by the tower.”

“Rufus?” she asked, setting down her coffee. He saw a muscle twitch in her cheek and felt a remembered jolt of fear at the thought of how close she’d been to losing her life.

“No. Murphy.” She seemed to relax a little as she watched him, waiting patiently for him to continue talking. He loved how she wasn’t in a rush. Her manner calmed him and made conversation, which was usually a minefield of missed cues and uncertainty, so much easier. “He spends a lot of time in the woods south of town. Trapping, mostly.”

Wes paused, wondering if she would question him about Murphy’s activities. He’d never actually caught his neighbor in the act, but Wes had found a few illegal leg-hold traps that he was pretty sure belonged to Murphy. He was still trying to figure out the best plan to convince Murphy to stop, since the traps were dangerous, as well as cruel. Kit didn’t say anything, just kept her gaze on him, giving him her full attention.

“My neighbors don’t trust law enforcement…or any government agency, really. In the last year, they’ve started to come to me with a few things. They know I work for the forest service, so I believe they consider me an intermediary, someone halfway between them and the government, if that makes sense?”

“It does.” Her coffee forgotten, she stayed completely locked on him, and he felt the rush of that focused interest. “You’re their backwoods ambassador.”

His laugh was a surprise, even to him, more pleased than amused. It was such a pleasure to be understood. “Yes. Exactly. I pass on the information they give me to the right agency, and they can hold on to their anonymity.”

“Win-win.” Pushing her coffee mug aside, she laid her forearms on the table so she could lean even closer to him. “What did Murphy tell you?”

“Are you still working on the case of the house that burned down last Monday?” Even if she wasn’t, he still planned to tell her the information he’d gotten from Murphy. If he was the backwoods ambassador, then she was the Wes ambassador. He was acquainted with the other cops, and he didn’t have any problem with them since the crooked lieutenant had been arrested a few weeks ago, but he already trusted Kit. She might have been new to the area, but he had a gut-deep feeling that she wouldn’t betray him.

“Yes.”

Wes lowered his voice, even though the closest other diners were several tables away. “Murphy was checking his traps and saw someone leave that house minutes before it went up in flames.”

“How close was he?” Kit had softened her voice to match his.

“Approximately fifteen feet from the edge of the house’s backyard.”

“Could he describe the person? Does he know them?” Although the words were quiet, there was an urgency to them that made his blood run faster. It wasn’t a bad feeling. Ever since he’d met Kit, he’d felt so much more alive.

 


 

 

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Survive the Night by Katie Ruggle – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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Survive the Night by Katie Ruggle – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

 

Survive the Night
Rocky Mountain K-0 Unit series – Book #3
by Katie Ruggle
Release Date: February 6, 2018

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Description:
He’s always been a haven:
For the lost. The sick. The injured.
But when a hunted woman takes shelter in his arms, this gentle giant swears he’ll do more than heal her battered spirit―he’ll defend her with his life.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen always had a soft spot for anyone in need. As Monroe’s very own Dr. Doolittle, he dedicates himself to rehabilitating the injured souls that cross his path―but for all his big heart, he’s never been in love.

Until he meets Sarah Clifton’s haunted eyes. Until he realizes he’ll do anything to save her.

All Sarah wants is to escape a life caught between ambitious crime families, but there’s no outrunning her past. Her power-mad brother would hunt her to the ends of the earth…but he’d never expect Sarah to fight back. With Otto and the whole of Monroe, Colorado by her side, Sarah’s finally ready to face whatever comes her way.

It’s time to take a stand.

 

Review:

Survive the Night by Katie Ruggle is the 3rd book in her Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit series. I enjoyed the first two books in this series, and I thought this one was even more exciting.  The theme of this series is a woman is helped to escape her terrible life, and sent to a small town in the Colorado Mountains, to live in hiding.

Sarah Clifton, our heroine, is on the run after a mind-blowing escape from her bad brother, who wants her to marry an evil mobster leader.  She ends up living under a fake name, with the two previous heroines. The story was very suspenseful from the start to finish, with a lot of action all the way through.  The last ¼ of the book had me holding my breath, as Sarah’s life was on the line twice and no one knew where she was.  Sarah was a fantastic heroine, who managed to fight her way out of terrible conditions to help her new friends, and animals, as well as herself for survival.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen, is a sweet gentle giant, who also takes care of animals.  He works with Theo and Huge on the K-9 Unit, and envies that they have found their mates; something he does not see happening to him.  Otto meet Sarah.  The moment he sets eyes on her, at the house that the other girls and their family live in, he is hooked.  He is very shy, and in a short time Sarah takes a liking to him.  Since Otto lives in a bunker style house, with safe rooms, and tunnels, Sarah agrees to move in with him.  The romance doesn’t take long to heat up, as both have not had relationships previously.  They were really so good together, and I loved the addition of the two dogs, cat, horse and goat.  There romance was so sweet, you couldn’t help rooting for them; and Otto was wonderful and protective with her.

As usual, Theo and Huge know that Sarah is running away, like their girls, but to get information on the man who helped them run away was not forthcoming.  However, Sarah will tell them about Aaron (brother) and Logan ( her forced fiancée), and how dangerous they are. The previous books were exciting, but I thought Survive the Night was pulse pounding action right from the start.  In a short time after Sarah arrives, Aaron will find her to try to bring her back.  She manages to escape and the guys arrest him. 

What follows is an intense, wild adventure that will put all of them in danger, as the villains will bring all their resources to the small town to prevent them from getting help.  This was so exciting that held me on the edge of my seat with so much action.  Sarah turned out to be a big lifesaver, especially with the animals. 

Survive the Night is another suspenseful, action packed  story, and I can’t wait for the next book in this series.  Katie Ruggle has written a great story, wonderful couple, and exciting action packed throughout.  I suggest you read this series and start with the first book, Run to Ground.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

A car turned onto the street, and her heart sank even further when she saw the light bar on top of the vehicle. Logan was a police officer. Had Aaron sent him after her? During that horrible dinner, Judd had mentioned that Logan had contacts. Did they include anyone at the Monroe Police Department?
As her brain raced, she’d frozen for a few seconds, long enough for the squad car to pull up to the curb in front of the carport. It was too late to run and pointless to hide. As close as the squad car was, the cop had to have seen her on the carport. A strong gust of wind pushed her off-balance, and Sarah sat abruptly. There might be no escaping him, but at least she wouldn’t be blown off the roof.
As the police officer swung open the driver’s door and got out, unfolding his large frame, Sarah felt her throat tightening. It was the tall, burly cop she’d met after she’d just arrived, the one who was so terrifyingly handsome that it was a struggle to look at him—like a cross between a Viking and a lumberjack. The one who’d watched her steadily and silently with light-blue eyes until he’d quietly left her room. The way he’d looked at her made her illogically worried that he could read all of her secrets and was just waiting for her to confess.
Once Grace had introduced him as a cop, Sarah had sealed her lips together, afraid that something incriminating would tumble out of her mouth. It didn’t matter that she’d done nothing wrong, that she was an adult and legally couldn’t be forced to stay with her brother—much less marry creepy Logan. There was something about him that still made her…not nervous, but jittery. No, she thought, jittery isn’t right, either. He made her feel too aware of him.
He immediately looked up at her, confirming her suspicion that he’d known she was on the roof even before he pulled up. As he walked closer, he held her gaze, silently as he had before. Rather than ordering her off the roof or yelling at her to get down, as she’d expected, he circled around to the side of the carport. Instead of climbing on the car, as she had, he reached up and grasped the edge of the roof and hauled himself up with an ease that Sarah envied. Once he was up, he sat a few feet away from her.
She eyed his profile as he looked out over the street. What was he doing? If he was going to arrest her, to take her into custody and hand her over to Logan, she wished he’d just get it over with. Sitting next to him, waiting for him to do something, was making her muscles painfully tight.
When he hadn’t said anything for several minutes, Sarah knew she had to break the silence. If one of them didn’t talk, her head was going to pop like an overinflated tire.
“Sorry.” The word came out too softly, and it squeaked in the middle. “There were elk.”
He turned his head to look at her.
“They were fighting?” Clearing her throat, she tried to make her words sound more definite. It was hard, though. His continued silence was freaking her out. “I was afraid of getting caught in the middle, so I climbed up here. Did someone call you?”
His chin dipped down in a nod. Even though he hadn’t actually said anything out loud, the gesture was a huge relief.
“I was going to get down, but I was worried they’d come back. Then I heard your car engine, and…well, you arrived.”
It was a weak finish, she knew, but there was no way to explain her terror at hearing a car, not without telling him too much about her former life. After all, she still didn’t know if he was one of Logan’s contacts. Even if he wasn’t, if a fellow cop arrived and said something awful—like that she wasn’t mentally sound or that she’d committed a crime—Otto would believe the police officer over some woman he’d just met. Sarah had been sheltered, but she’d read books and watched TV. She knew that cops were loyal to each other.
“Is it strange?” Now that she’d started talking, she didn’t want to return to that unnerving silence, the one that made her think he was reading her thoughts with some magical, gorgeous-cop superpower. He cocked his head slightly, as if in question. “Strange that the elk are in town, fighting in the middle of the street? I’m new to the mountains, but it seems weird to me. I mean, squirrels can hang out in town, or rabbits, but elk right here next to all these houses? That seems wrong.”
His lips twitched in something that might have been a start of a smile. There was another pause, long enough for Sarah to think he wasn’t going to answer. Was this some strange interrogation technique? He refused to talk until she spilled all of her secrets? If so, it was surprisingly effective. His silence made her want to open her mouth and let everything inside her head spill out. Quickly, she sealed her lips together. Sharing her thoughts with this cop would be dangerous—very, very dangerous.
He cleared his throat and she jumped. “It’s not strange. Not here, at least.” His voice was a bass rumble, not loud but big and full. It fit him.
“Oh.” Relief flowed through her when he finally spoke. For some reason, hearing his voice made her warm and brought that same not-quite-jittery feeling she’d experienced before. Not able to hold his gaze, she glanced down at his car. “I probably should’ve just stayed where I was, then. If it’s normal and all. Those antlers crashing together was just very…loud.”
There was another pause, although it wasn’t quite so long this time. “You were smart to move out of the way.”
“Good. I mean, thank you.” Silence settled over them again. “Why are you here, then?”
“We got a call that you were up here.” He met her gaze, and she couldn’t manage to look away. “I, ah, wanted to make sure you were okay.”
It wasn’t what she’d expected, and it wasn’t what she was used to. No one ever worried that she was okay. His concern sparked a warm glow in her belly. She smiled, and his gaze dropped to her mouth. “Thank you. I’m okay.”
His eyes snapped back to hers. “Good.” There was a short silence. “Do you need help down?”
“Yes, please.” She glanced at the ground below. Now that the scare was over, she wouldn’t feel right climbing onto the car, and it was a long drop for her five-foot-nothing self. “Just a hand down, though. Don’t call the fire department or anything. That could be embarrassing.”
His mouth quirked again. “I won’t.”
Moving over to the edge of the roof, he swung his legs off the side and lowered himself down. Once again, he made it look so effortless that Sarah felt a little silly for asking for help. She followed, turning onto her belly and letting her legs slide over the edge. His hands steadied her, sliding from her calves to her thighs and then gripping her waist. It was a strange sensation, his firm grip both comforting and slightly dizzying, and it made her pause.
“I’ve got you,” he said in his low, steady way, his fingers wrapped almost all the way around her middle.
It was crazy to trust this stranger—this cop—but Sarah couldn’t help herself. Just from their short conversation, her gut told her that he was nothing like Aaron or Logan or any of the petty, vicious people who had populated her previous life. Maybe he was conning her, but Sarah suspected he was honestly good.
Closing her eyes, she let go of the roof. Just as he’d promised, Otto carefully lowered her down. Even after her feet were securely on the ground and he’d released her, Sarah could still feel the warm impression of his hands pressing into her skin.
“Would you like a ride home?” he asked, and she realized that she’d been staring at him.
Ripping her gaze from his face, she glanced around. “I think I’ll finish my walk. It looks like the road is elk-free. They probably went to the diner for breakfast.”
That almost-smile came and went quickly, but it still gave Sarah a charge that she’d caused it. As she started to walk back toward Jules’s driveway, she expected to hear the squad car engine roar to life, but the morning stayed quiet. The wind had dropped to a gentle breeze, and the rising sun warmed her. When she reached the turnoff for her driveway, she couldn’t resist—she glanced behind her.
Otto was still parked by the carport. She wondered if he was watching to make sure that she made it home safely. The thought gave her a warm thrill, but she quickly quashed it. Monroe was just a temporary stop on her road to freedom. She needed to focus on building her new life, not on a Viking-lumberjack cop with steady blue eyes and huge, warm hands.
At the memory of his firm grip, another frisson of excitement whirled through her. This time, she let it stay. She’d enjoy it for a few moments, she promised herself, but then she would do her best to avoid Officer Otto Gunnersen. With a final glance at the surprisingly intriguing man behind her, she strode up the rutted dirt driveway, smiling.

 

 

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On The Chase by Katie Ruggle – Review, Excerpt, Tour & Giveaway

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On The Chase by Katie Ruggle – Review, Excerpt, Tour & Giveaway

 

On The ChaseAmazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

on the chase

 

Description:
After witnessing a horrifying crime, Kaylee is forced to flee to a small Colorado mountain town and take on a new identity. There she becomes Grace, a dog kennel worker trying to avoid the dangerously attractive K-9 Officer Hugh Murdoch.

When an accident leaves Hugh and his K-9 partner, Lexi, on desk duty, both are anxious for Hugh to heal. Until then, the highlight of his day is teasing the beautiful but mysterious new kennel employee. Their simmering attraction fuels a passionate kiss—interrupted by a sniper’s bullet. With targets on both of their backs, Grace and Hugh will do whatever it takes to stay alive…not realizing the most dangerous threat of all is hiding right in front of their noses.

 

Review:

On The Chase by Katie Ruggle is the 2nd book in her Rocky Mountain K9 UnitTrilogy.  I enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, and was pleasantly surprised that On The Chase was even better.  Kaylee, our heroine, is on the run after attending a dinner with her boyfriend.  When she steps away to find the ladies room, she hears calls for help and steps into a situation she was not meant to see.  With her boyfriend’s Uncle trying to kill her, she runs to the Colorado mountains to hide with our previous book heroine. 

Hugh Murdoch, whom we met in book 1, is a cop and friend of Theo (last book hero).  Hugh was suspicious of Theo’s Julie, and now that he meets Grace, he is determined to find out what she is hiding.  Hugh, who was on leave from work due to an injury,  followed Grace everywhere; trying to learn what she is hiding, and to act on his attraction to her.  Hugh also has someone trying to kill him, to stop him from a drug bust.

Grace and Hugh are in the middle of a few attacks, which Grace thinks is meant for her, but Hugh insists it is the drug lord. When Hugh gets hurt,  Grace will quickly tell Hugh and Theo the truth about who is trying to find her.  They both know how powerful this man is, and are determined to help Grace.

As Hugh protects Grace, their romance will become sizzling.  I was actually surprised that I did like Hugh and Grace together, though he was annoying early on.  I also liked how Julie would help Grace, knowing what it is like to be on the run.  Lexi was Hugh’s K-9 dog, and I enjoyed Lexi’s scenes, as well as seeing Viggy again.

The story was very suspenseful from the start, with a lot of action all the way through.  The last ¼ of the book had me holding my breath, as Grace’s life was on the line twice and no one knew where she was.  Grace did turn out to be a fantastic heroine, who managed to fight her way to survival.

On the Chase is another suspenseful story in this trilogy, and I look forward to reading the final book.  Katie Ruggle has written a great story, wonderful couple, and exciting action packed throughout.  I suggest you start with the first book, Run to Ground.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Excerpt

 

The floor in the entry creaked, reminding Grace of her most urgent issue at the moment: someone was in the house. As quietly as possible, she started backing up. This was not a good room to be trapped in. The only door was the one into the hallway—where the intruder was. The large, central window was solid. The two smaller panes of glass beside it would reluctantly crank out a few inches, but definitely not wide enough to fit her entire body through.
Why had she hesitated when she first heard the knock? If she’d immediately headed for the back door, she’d already be far, far away. Now she was stuck.
Her gaze ran over the room, searching for hiding spots, but there weren’t any good ones. The closet was too obvious, but it would have to do. Maybe they wouldn’t bother searching.
As she hurried toward the small closet door, her heart thumped painfully against her ribs. It beat so loudly that it felt as if everyone still left in Monroe could hear the pounding.
“What are you doing?”
She whipped around, grabbing the first thing within reach to use as a weapon.
Hugh looked from her face to her hand with his usual expression of barely contained amusement—a look that aggravated Grace more every time she encountered him. Even the dog standing next to him looked entertained. “The mute button doesn’t work on me. Trust me. Others have tried.”
There was still so much residual fear flooding through her body that Grace had a hard time understanding what he meant. She followed his gaze to the improvised weapon in her hand and realized that she was pointing the television remote at him. As her panic started to abate, anger took its place, along with a healthy dose of embarrassment.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, allowing her arm to drop back to her side.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he said.
“What?” It was almost a screech. Grace blamed residual nerves…and the fact that Hugh was truly aggravating. “I live here!”
“Jules said you were job hunting today.” She opened her mouth, but he spoke again before she could ask how that justified him breaking into her house. “Why didn’t you open the door when I knocked?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You came in because you thought I wasn’t here? What were you going to do? Go through my stuff?”
The guilty look that flashed over his face disappeared quickly, but she still caught it. “You were!” Another thought occurred to her, and she almost growled. “How did you get in?”
His expression of pure innocence just made her suspicions double. “What do you mean? The door was unlocked.”
“No, it wasn’t. I definitely remember locking—”
“Hey!” he interrupted, his attention on the TV screen. “Is this the Tattered Hearts where Tatiana realizes that Natasha and Jorge are scheming against her?”
“What? I don’t know. I’ve never watched this show.”
“You’ve never seen Tattered Hearts?” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the couch. Bemused by the sudden topic shift, she sat. “You are missing out. It’s the best show ever.”
Hugh plopped his oversized self on the couch right next to Grace, jostling her. He was so big, a wall of heat and muscle and sexiness—whoa. She shut down that thought abruptly. His dog stretched out in front of them, her furry head resting on Grace’s foot, which was comforting and kind of nice. She scowled and briefly considered telling Hugh to leave—although the dog could stay—but Grace was curious why he was so obsessed with this soap. Besides, as annoying as Hugh could be, arguing with him kept her mind off Martin Jovanovic. She honestly didn’t want to be in this big, creaky house alone anymore, especially after having the snot scared out of her, so she settled in to watch.
“Wait,” she said after a few minutes. “So the guy with the waxed chest—”
“Jorge.”
“So Jorge is cheating on the woman with the scary eyebrows—”
“Tatiana.”
“Jorge is cheating on Tatiana with the lizard-faced woman?”
“Natasha.”
“Why?” Keeping her gaze locked on the television, Grace made a face. “Tatiana is so much hotter, and Natasha is all about the drama. That gets so tiring.”
“I know.” Hugh sighed. “Jorge’s an idiot.”
“Yeah. He is.” Although she wanted to talk more about Jorge’s poor life choices, Grace went quiet so she could watch the show. As the soap continued, she found herself leaning forward, fascinated despite herself.
“Oh. My. God.” Grace clapped a hand over her mouth in shocked glee as a commercial filled the small screen. “Did Tatiana actually tell Jorge about the secret baby?”
“I know, right? Natasha knew all along, too.” Hugh shook his head and tsked. “Just wait. Javier—”
“Stop! No spoilers!” Lunging toward him and laughing, Grace clapped a hand over his mouth. As soon as she made contact, she froze. His skin was warm—almost hot—and his cheeks as stubbly as his lips were smooth. Grace stared at him. What was she doing? This was Hugh, a cop who was so suspicious of her that he’d broken into her house to dig through her things. Why was she flirting with him?
Realizing that she was still touching him, Grace started to yank her arm back, but he caught her hand before she could pull it away. He gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it.
“What—”
“The show’s on,” Hugh interrupted. “Hush, or you’ll miss it.”
Watching Tattered Hearts was more important than smacking him down for shushing her, so Grace settled against the sofa cushions and tried to ignore the annoying, muscle-bound cop sharing the couch with her. She couldn’t deny how nice it was to have him there, though. It made her feel a little less alone.
Grace felt herself relaxing for the first time in over a week. With a relieved sigh, she let herself enjoy the warmth of Hugh’s shoulder so close to hers and the comfort of his presence. She got caught up in the drama of Tatiana, Jorge, and Natasha, and forgot about anyone with the name Jovanovic for a little while.


 

About the author

Katie Ruggle
When she’s not writing, KATIE RUGGLE rides horses, shoots guns, and trains her three dogs. A police academy graduate, Katie readily admits she’s a forensics nerd. While she still misses her off-grid home in the Rocky Mountains, she now lives in a 150-year-old Minnesota farmhouse near her family.

To learn more about Katie, you can visit her on the following links:
Website:  Facebook:  Twitter:  Goodreads



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