Series:
Citadel Solutions (Book 4)
Seven years.
That's how long Jolly has been Ben Garrison's partner.
His constant. The only relationship the Citadel Solutions K9 handler has ever
trusted completely.
But Jolly's slowing down. Retirement is coming. And Ben
has no idea who he is without the dog at his side.
He didn't plan on a little boy whispering through the
fence. Or the boy's mother, whose warm, chaotic home feels like everything Ben
never knew he wanted.
Kayla sees past his silence. Her son trusts his dog. And
Ben starts finding reasons to stay.
But his investigation into police corruption has made
dangerous enemies. They've noticed the woman he can't stop watching.
The man who's only ever loved a dog is about to learn
what it means to fight for a family.
Both of them are.
Terrific book. It is a little different from the previous
books in the series, as the suspense is not as intense throughout the book. It
is more of a rollercoaster, with periods of waiting, watching, and
investigating, followed by moments of nail-biting action. There is also a sweet
romance between two people who weren't looking for it, and between a boy and a
dog who need each other.
Kayla and her six-year-old son, William, moved to Summit
Falls after leaving a toxic relationship. Kayla is trying to get back to the
person she used to be before her ex did a number on her self-confidence. William
is quiet and withdrawn from the ex's verbal abuse.
Ben, his K-9 partner, Jolly, and Ben's Citadel partner,
Donovan, have come to Summit Falls ostensibly to help the local police
department set up a K-9 program. Their undercover objective is to identify what
appears to be corruption in the department - someone is leaking information to
drug traffickers. Ben rented the house next door to Kayla because of its fenced
yard for Jolly.
Ben and Jolly have been together for seven years, and Ben
realizes that Jolly is rapidly approaching retirement age. He becomes concerned
when he notices Jolly behaving oddly. Kayla also notices odd behavior in
William, namely, his parking himself next to the fence between her house and
Ben's. I laughed out loud when she realized that William had made friends with
Jolly and they were playing games together. She's nervous about telling Ben what's
happening, but her words lift a huge weight off his mind. This is the beginning
of a beautiful friendship between boy and dog.
It is also the beginning of an unexpected relationship
between Ben and Kayla. I loved watching them explore their feelings. Ben's
longest-ever relationship is with Jolly, and it takes him a little while to
recognize what is happening. Kayla is wary because of how her last relationship
ended. However, both are honest, caring, and mature. Neither pushes the other
past their comfort zone, which makes it easier to be open when they are ready
to talk. Kayla falls even harder for Ben when she sees how he treats William. The
mud scene was especially moving. I adored how Ben stepped up to help out the
school and gave William a chance to shine.
The suspense of Ben and Donovan's undercover mission was
excellent. You could feel their frustration when raids failed, and their investigations
turned up nothing. The training scenes were great and gave extra insight into
the various members of the police force. Several turns in the investigation
throw suspicion on different people. Just when I thought I had it all figured
out, another twist blew everything apart and put Kayla in danger. I was glued
to the pages during the final confrontation, wondering how they would get out
of it. I loved how it went down.
I loved the epilogue and seeing the changes in everyone's
lives. I loved Kayla's comment about Ben, who "cooked dinner in my kitchen
most nights with the intensity of a man who'd discovered a new mission,
methodical, precise, slightly overambitious." William and Jolly together
warmed my heart. And Ben's special moment was so him that I couldn't help but
grin.
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