Lock 'N' Load (Federal K-9, #1)

by Tee O'Fallon

[kimbacaffeinate]

I have a weakness for books featuring working dogs and their partners, and I was excited to being Lock 'N' Load. Our hero is sexy, confident in his job as an officer guarding the CIA offices.  He is also working at home to build a K-9 training faculty that also helps troubled youth. Are you drooling yet?

Now, CIA K-9 officer Sgt. Matt Connors may be eye candy, but he does have some issues that stem from an incident in his youth. Guilt, commitment issues and more swirl around in his head. Our heroine, crack CIA analyst Trista Gold is all work and no play. She loves her job diving into the dark web and catching spies but away from the screen she lacks serious social skills. I adored Trista and laughed as she ogled Matt.  She has zero dating experience but does have work friends whom she socializes with. She just hasn't met the right guy. Trista is acutely aware of Matt, in fact, she cannot stop gawking. But when she tries to speak her mind cannot function. Brain fog and stuttering make it nearly impossible to think let alone talk. That is until he pisses her off...

When Trista overhears something on the dark web, and suddenly she finds herself in danger. This forcesMatt and Trista to spend time together. This should be interesting because Trista is afraid of dogs. The story that unfolds was addictive and deliciously balanced between character interaction, secondary characters, suspense and heartfelt threads that lead to character growth.

The romance crackled with chemistry, and I loved everything from the banter to the tender moments and trust. We see the relationship develop on deeper levels as they open up, but fears throw some ice on things. I was happy with the way things were addressed. Nothing like adults acting like adults. I was crossing my fingers and rooting for an HEA. You'll have to grab this one and experience all the feels, swoons and suspense for yourself.

Matt's law enforcement friends and their K-9's added interest, humor and I am hoping are the men we will see in upcoming novels.

O'Fallon balanced and developed both the suspense angle and the romance allowing Matt and Trista to work together investigating. Suspense, twists, and conspiracies made for some intense moments but the author kept in grounded and realistic. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer