Through the Fire, the fourth and last book in the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series. It picks up from the explosive ending in book three.

This installment differs from the previous books. In this story the heroine is not looking to hiding her identity. She is a police officer. The one thing she shares with the other heroines is that of running from her past. During her relocation to Monroe she meets an awkwardly social, Wesley Marshall.

Wes is a math/computer genius and local fire spotter. Hermit by choice be lives in the middle of now where. He has no friends and finds comfort in his gadgets. As a result, he has difficulty interacting on a social level.

Oh my, I loved their first encounter, which was awkward but sweet. It had me smiling from ear to ear.

Kit’s meeting with her coworkers did not go so well. They kept her at a distance and refused to listen when she disclosed her suspicions regarding their women’ newest roommate. I understood why they reacted the way they did, but Kit being the newcomer was clueless.

I enjoyed the romance. Wes is so adorable. His interaction with Kit was so full of sweetness and it made me smile throughout it all. I loved how Wes slowly came out of his shell. One highlight for me was when he called his sister to get romantic advise. Awww.

The villain had everyone fooled, well except for Kit and Sam. Kit knew she was up to no good if only she could convince the others. The twist at the end shocked me to the core. That turn of events never once entered my mind, but it fit the story. My heart went out to those who were affected by the event.

I enjoyed this installment; it was fun, sweet and suspenseful. The tying up of the story surrounding Jules was a long time coming, and I thought it was well done.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Another hit from Ruggle. Fans of romantic suspense would enjoy this series. I recommend that you read the previous books before venturing to this one.

Melanie

Written on Sep 5, 2018

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

We are the the last book in the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series by Katie Ruggle. This story is a bit different from all the other books in the series, in that the heroine is a cop. All the previous books had a heroine that was hiding her identity and running from their pasts. Though, Kit is running from a past, she had to leave her former department because the other cops didn’t trust her after she turned in her partner, who was dirty.

Wesley March, local fire spotter, hermit and all around geek, is the hero of this story. He lives out in the middle of nowhere and has a tower to keep an eye out for fires in the area. He likes to build electronics, like his robot cat and voice activated household items. He runs into Kit when she’s trying to back her trailer with all of her belongs into her driveway. He helped her back it in with directions that were along the lines of, “turn the wheel 18 degrees left”.

I really enjoyed this story. Kit and Wes were so cute together. Wes was very adorable as he called his sister to ask for girl advice. Kit did have some insecurities. She as convinced that her partners didn’t trust her. She brought a lot of baggage with her from her old department (I completely understand why, but it did a little frustrating at times). She also wasn’t completely aware of the history her partners had with the women in Jules’ house and that they were more than girlfriends. She didn’t know that they were running from pasts and that they were in hiding.

This story did wrap up the storyline of the entire series. While you could probably figure out everything that is going on in this book without having read the previous books, I would recommend starting with the first book. There are issues that wrap up in this book that start in book one, Run to Ground.

This is a fun romantic suspense series. The characters are all fun and very likable. The dogs are as much characters in this story as the humans, which is a huge plus for me. I love when pets are characters (more than they had a dog, etc). I love the small town feel of this series too. I would love to live in a town like this.

If you read this series and loved it, but haven’t tried Katie Ruggle’s other series, Search and Rescue, you really should. Again, it is another small town not far from Monroe, Colorado. The characters are tons of fun and the mystery is exciting. I can’t wait to see what Ruggle has up her sleeve for the next series.

Narration
Callie Beaulieu continues to do a great job with the narration of this series. I love all the voices she chose for each character. She did a good job with the shy Alex/Elena and the geeky Wes. I still have to really give her kudos for dealing with Sam’s stutter. She does a great job with all of the kids. Male and female voices are great. Pacing and tone are perfect for this sweet story with some humor. I would listen to her read other stories.

**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

kimbacaffeinate

Written on Aug 18, 2018

Coffee Dates with Through the Fire

First Date: After the explosive ending of Survive the Night, I wasn't sure what we would find. This tale picks up shortly after as Ruggle mixes things up. In the previous novels the females were all on the run and this time, we have a new female K9 police officer and her love interest is a nerdy, somewhat awkward, but handsome fire watcher. Kit Jernigan and her K9 tracker, were forced out of last unit and is eager to fit in in Monroe. As she is moving in, she bumps into Wesley March. I loved their first encounter. There was MATH involved, and it was awkward and cute. Her meeting with fellow officers Theo, Hugh, and Otto was a tad awkward, and she immediately knows something is off.

Second Date: Hounds, action and geeky moments! Jules has a new housemate Elena, and this worries the men. The suspenseful plot surround them as Ruggle wraps up the dangerous suspense thread that began in Run to Ground with Jules and her siblings. Sammy stole my heart a long time ago, and we got to spend time with him as he and Kit train dogs together! Don't worry about this installment being tame compared to the action in Survive the Night, you'll see fire, kidnappings and more.

Third Date: I loved the romance. Conversations about Kit, between Wes and his sister made me giggle. Wes, was such a sweet man. When Kit and Wes interacted, they made me grin like the cheshire cat. Ruggle surprised me with a twist at the end as she wrapped up the suspenseful thread for the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series. It left me with my jaw on the floor. I honestly never saw it coming, but it made sense in the long run. I ended this final date with a smile and have a good feeling about the folks in Monroe.

Callie Beaulieu has narrated the series and has done a stellar job with voices, capturing emotions and building up the suspenseful tones. I would try a new author/story if they listed her as the narrator. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

thebookdisciple

Written on Jul 28, 2018

Through the Fire is book 4 in the series but takes a slightly different trop than the previous books. Kit isn't one of the girls Mr. Espina saved. She is a K9 officer who takes a job in Monroe. The first person she meets is Wes, the fire service lookout. These two are adorable! Wes is certainly a beta hero and I found his awkwardness so endearing. Kit and Wes are both outsiders. Kit's suspicion of what is going on in the tiny town only further her status as outsider. But, she is a good person and a great cop. The action centers more around the other town newcomer, Elena, and Jules (from book 1) and her siblings.

I enjoyed getting back into this world and getting some resolution to Jules' story. I felt that at times, Kit and Wes were more a vehicle for a conclusion to Jules story which was disappointing. They are such wonderful characters it would have been good to have more focus on them. However, for anyone who is invested in the series like I am, this book is delightful. I am assuming its the final book in the series, so I would have liked an epilogue, but overall, an enjoyable. read.

POV: 3rd

Tears: no

Trope: police, secret identity

Triggers: none

Series/Standalone: series

Cliffhanger: no

HEA: yes

The Red Stone Security series from Katie Reus, True Heroes series from Piper Drake, Badge of Honor series by Susan Stoker...then you will probably like Through the Fire!

Through the Fire

See full review on The Book Disciple

EBookObsessed

Written on Jul 3, 2018

Through the Fire is the conclusion of another great series by Katie Ruggle.

I love those shy, sweet mountain men that Katie Ruggle keeps putting in her stories. In this last novel of the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit, we meet Wesley March who spends most of his time alone up in his tower, like a big, bearded Rapunzel, where he watches over the town to alert the fire department about forest fires.

Wesley is smart, and when he isn't watching for fires or taking amazing nature photos, he invests gadgets and whatzits. The only things that Wes isn't very good with is people. But Wes is smart enough to know this about himself and usually discusses any issues with his sister to determine where he might have gone wrong.

Lately he had to make a special trip to the bat cave. No, not that kind of bat cave, but the one with real bats. That is the only place on the mountain to get reception and he needs his sister's help. He has met a new resident to their quaint little town of Monroe, Colorado, Officer Kit Jernigan. The newest addition to the K9 unit is, in a word, mezmerizing, and overwhelming. Okay, two words. So a trip to the bat cave was necessary so that Wes could check in with his sister since he thinks...well, he thinks she was flirting with him. But he isn't really certain of it.

And if she is, then Wes is going to have to work up the nerve to actually ask her out because he has never met anyone like Kit before. She seems to understand him and she doesn't seem to mind when he can't think up something to talk about.

Wes doesn't mind being alone in his mountain tower but if he could maybe spend that time alone, with Kit, that would be amazing.

There is absolutely nothing more adorable than a big, mountain of a man who is geeky, shy and who blushes. Kit and Wes sparkle from the get-go and the only thing frustrating is that there was so much story plot and excitement, that we didn't get enough of the quiet and sweet Kit/Wes moments.

In this final installment, we get to tie up all the loose ends and a new arrival is trying to tie them up permanently. There is so much going on it will be hard to find a place to stop for the night so this might be one you save for a weekend book binge.

I have really enjoyed both of the Katie Ruggle's series and her very interesting characters, although I think it is time to write a story somewhere there isn't so much snow. Ugh, who can live like that? I have a copy of the next book which will be out this fall and which is the beginning of a new series which will involve more...mountains and snow. What's wrong with a beach rescue?

I am looking forward to seeing what the next series brings.

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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