Katie Ruggle has gives us some really interesting characters and she knows how to write suspense which keeps us guessing.
Kaylee thought she met a real live Disney Prince until a dinner party at his uncle's mansion turned out to be less of a palace and more of a house of horrors. Now Kaylee is on the run and hiding in the small town of Monroe, Colorado under the name of Grace Robinson.
She worked hard to earn her degrees and buy her pretty little condo. Now she is living in a rundown house with five other people, and one bathroom, and she should count herself lucky to have found a job at the local kennel. But at least she is still alive to be cranky about how her life has turned out. Now her biggest problem is the local cop who is certain that Grace is not her real name and he is determined to figure out the puzzle calling herself Grace Robinson. After the last cop she turned to, planned to kill her to shut her up, Grace isn't rushing to confide in this local police officer, no matter how hot or funny he is.
Hugh is still on medical leave after being shot in the leg and his Captain won't even let him come into the Station. So when beautiful Grace Robinson shows up in town looking a bit jumping and leaving no question that she is hiding from someone or something, Hugh has nothing but free time to spend with her...delve into his own investigation into the matter.
When they both are shot at, neither is certain who was the target but leaving Grace unprotected isn't something Hugh is going to do. But is he putting her in danger?
I have enjoyed all the stories so far by Katie Ruggle. I am still waiting to see what happens with Theo and Jules once he finds out why she is in hiding, but hopefully we will get that answer by the end of the series. Unless Jules, Grace folds like a cheap Ikea table once she and Hugh are shot at. She tells him everything, her real name, who she is hiding from, etc.
This one has a few far fetched aspects but was still so enjoyable, we will give her a pass on them and just enjoy the story and series as a whole.
These books, as well as her Search & Rescue series, are definitely worth reading.
Ever since I read Run to the Ground, I was eager to learn more about the secondary characters. Therefore, when I learned the sequel, On the Chase, would be Hugh’s story I was excited. My excitement further increased when the publisher offered me an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
What The Story is About. Kaylee Palmer is happy and contented with how her life has unfolded. She had a great job, a perfect boyfriend and a comfortable life. Then the unthinkable happened. All it took for her life to come crumbling down was the witnessing of a gruesome scene. Trusting law enforcement was not an option, therefore forcing her to move to Colorado and assuming a new identity. Keeping a low profile would be easy if it were not for the attractive K9 officer Hugh Murdoch. Hugh Murdoch is on medical leave, after suffering a serious on the job injury. He is itching to get back in the field, but his constant interference in ongoing cases, when he should be resting, is driving his colleagues crazy. When he met Grace, he believed she was hiding something, and he is determined to uncover her mysteries.
My Views.
The Characters. Hugh is funny, caring, hardworking, determined and charming. Although sometimes he crossed the line with his lock picking skills. It was hard not to like him even though he was annoying at times, to which his friends and Grace could attest. He kept me laughing for most of the story. It would seem he does not take things seriously, but that was far from the truth. He if all round fun-loving person.
Kaylee/Grace is brave, funny, caring. I took a while to warm up to her, but as the story unfolded, she grew on me. I understood her reaction (not that I was in agreement) to the new life she had to assume. After working so hard for her achievements, only to go back to living the life she thought she had escaped.
The Romance I enjoyed the interaction between Hugh and Grace, which was filled with humour, banter and passion. Their chemistry was undeniable, and I enjoyed watching them trying to work out their feelings for each other.
The Suspense The story packed full of action and suspense that made for a page turning read. The danger they faced had me holding my breath at page turn.
The Supporting Cast We received updates on the lives of the characters from the previous installment. Jules siblings are so adorable and the romance between her and Theo is as strong as ever. I enjoyed the bond of friendship, which existed between Hugh, Theo and Otto. They were a great team, and it is evident they cared deeply for each other.
The Story I had questions regarding the scene Grace/Kaylee witnessed. I was hoping for more information especially as it relates to the victims and their identity. Were they innocent parties or were they criminal elements?
Conclusion/Recommendation I thought this was a great addition to the series and I am eager to have Otto’s story. If you are a fan of small town romances filled with suspense and non-stop action, then you should try this series.
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
This is the second book in the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series. This story covers the only drug sniffing K9 team in the area, Hugh Murdoch and Lexi. Hugh is supposed to be on leave from an injury, but sitting on the sidelines aren’t really in his repertoire. He keeps showing up at crime scenes, much to the dismay of his captain.
The story starts off with Kaylee learning that her “Prince Charming” of a boyfriend might not be everything she thought he was. After wandering in the wrong direction of his uncle’s mansion, she finds herself in a basement with three men who are tied to chairs and are very bloody. She quickly helps them get loose and runs. She calls a friend who works with domestic abuse victims and gets a new location and identity in Monroe, Colorado.
Kaylee was a bit hard to like at first. She talks a lot about her designer clothes and her large walk-in closets. She’s worked really hard to get where is was in life and it seemed that the material things were the only thing she cared about. Then she moves to this small town and is living in a dumpy house with a family of siblings (the heroine of the first book along with her younger brothers and sister). She is also having to work a minimum wage job, which she gets at a dog kennel.
So Hugh and Kaylee (Grace is the name she goes by in Monroe) start to spend time together and weird things keep happening to them. Kaylee things her ex’s uncle found out where she was and that she is danger to the people around her. This only makes Hugh more protective. Oh, and Hugh has a really problem with picking lock in places that he shouldn’t. LOL
So this was a fun story. I was glad to see Kaylee taking to being in Monroe. I completely understand that she was upset that her live was shaken up and that her dream is no longer possible. Eventually, she figures out what she really lost when she left LA, her best friend, Penny. She really takes a liking to Jules and her family. I really liked Hugh. He is the jokester, but he is also not trusting. He has a lock picking problem, but really, he’s a great guy. I love how much he cares for his partner/K9, Lexi.
I highly recommend this series if you like romantic suspense with some humor mixed in. You will get the small town life with fun characters. The police dogs are large parts of the story, which is a huge plus for me. You could read this book without having read book one, but I think you should read book one, because it is a really fun story.
Narration Again, Callie Beaulieu does a great job with the narration of this series. I love her voices for all the characters, both men and women. I still think her best work is with Sam, the oldest brother of Jules (from book one). Sam has a really bad stutter and I think Callie does a great job with it.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Kaylee Ramay, now Grace escaped from a horrific scene, but the perpetrator has power and connection forcing her to assume a new identity in Colorado Rockies. She finds herself sharing the house with Jules and her siblings. We meet them in Run to Ground, and like Grace, they are hiding from their past. This is why I feel you will want to read Run to Ground first and meet Jules and K9 Officer Theo Bosco. Theo's quirky partner, K9 Officer Hugh Murdoch can spot a lie a mile away, and he is obsessively curious about Jules' new roommate. He begins to investigate but soon feels as if he is being watched.
Ruggle delivered a suspenseful, action-packed tale that kept me listening. I teetered between laughing at the chemistry developing between these two and holding my breath at the danger they found themselves in. Theo's K9 Lexi stole scenes. I love the animals in this series and feel they add depth and broke up some of the tension. I adored the comradery between Hugh, Theo, and their dogs, especially in action.
The romance was solid and delivered passion, banter and moments of humor. Hugh cracked me up on more than one occasion and the man makes for s sexy hero in uniform. Grace is smart, sassy and determined. However, I must warn you, despite all the happened to her, don't expect to get all warm and fuzzy over her. She will grow on you and those feelings will strengthen throughout the story, but in the beginning, some of her complaints left a sour taste in my mouth. This could be just me, as I have zero tolerance for whiners.
We get updates on previous threads and couples. I am quite smitten with Jules' siblings and some action scenes involving them were brilliant and humorous. Overall, ON THE CHASE was another fantastic novel in the K9 Rocky Mountain Unit series.
Callie Beaulieu continues to narrate, and I enjoy her narration. Her pacing is right, and I can quickly identify characters by the voices she creates. She and Ruggle are well matched.
On the Chase combines 2 things I love: dogs and damsels in distress! Grace witnessed something she shouldn't have and is now on the run with a new identity. She gets a job working at the kennel where she meets Hugh, a local cop and his K9 Lexi. She is obviously skittish, but Hugh is pretty determined. And then they get shot at...
Hugh is immediately suspicious of Grace because he knows she is lying. Once bullets start flying though, Grace comes clean about why she is in Monroe, Colorado for fear that she has been discovered. But, there is a LOT more than bullets trying to take her out. Hugh, Theo, and Otto quickly realize that its not Grace being targeted at all, but Hugh. I liked Hugh as a hero. He has a bit of that boyish charm mixed with the badass cop vibe. It totally worked. Grace mourned her old life, and while she was a bit vapid before, I understand her struggle to adapt to her new reality. To go from having a great job, a Masters degree, and a beautiful condo to having a GED, a job mucking kennel stalls, and living with 6 other people allows a person a bit of despair about their situation. So, I didn't find Grace annoying because frankly I would have felt the same sense of overwhelming frustration.
I loved seeing the brotherhood between Theo, Otto, and Hugh and their K9 companions. They are a great team and have an odd twist of a bromance. They kind of mother hen each other and its a little adorable. While I enjoyed book 1, I liked On the Chase much more! There was a lot of action and danger which kept me flipping pages, and Grace and Hugh were adorable!
POV: 3rd
Tears: no
Trope: damsel in distress, police, secret identity
Triggers: spoiler
Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series
On the Chase provides a stellar follow-up to Run to Ground, making Ruggle's Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series one that's not to be missed.
After Kaylee witnesses a crime, she goes on the run and becomes Grace. She finds sanctuary with Jules, heroine of book 1. And while Jules's storyline isn't advanced with this book, that doesn't matter because it allows the focus to stay on Grace and Hugh.
Recovering from an injury, Hugh is antsy and itching for something (anything) to do. When mysterious Grace rolls into town, he can't help himself from investigating. (Or talking. Or pushing someone's buttons.)
Nonstop action and lots of fun tension make On the Chase unputdownable.