ARC Review: Primal Force by D. D. Ayres

Primal Force
Author: D. D. Ayres
Series: A K-9 Rescue Novel (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (September 1, 2015)

Description: Passion is always worth fighting for…

Jori Garrison trains dogs for Warrior Wolf Pack, which provides service animals for disabled veterans. Four years ago, she was wrongly convicted of a crime--thanks to her no-good ex- fiancé. Now she just wants to live her life in peace with her beloved dogs. No men, no complications. But it's hard to play it cool when a lethally hot male is on her tail--and the attraction is fierce, mutual, and dangerous….

PRIMAL FORCE

Lauray "Law" Batisse is a Military Police veteran who was wounded in Afghanistan. Haunted by the loss of his K-9 partner in combat, he's reluctant to accept a service dog named Samantha into his life. But once he meets her trainer--the gorgeous Jori Garrison--he can't fight his primal instincts. And neither can Jori. This sexy alpha male might be the only man strong enough to unleash her desires. And when unseen enemies start hunting them down, he and his new K-9 partner might be her only hope…to survive.

My Thoughts: Jori Garrison trains dogs for wounded Veterans. She learned how when she was in prison. She was convicted of drug pushing via circumstantial evidence. Her cheating ex-fiance had set her up before dying in a car accident. Now, she is training dogs and trying to rebuild her life.

Lauray Batisse was a military policeman whose K-9 companion died at the same time Law was hurt by an IED. Law lost his left leg and had other injuries. He's trying to get back to his job as an Arkansas State Trooper but PTSD has made him a candidate for a service dog.

Samantha is the dog. She is a mix of golden retriever and poodle, has a rusted-red coat, coal-black nose, floppy ears, and an enormous curling tail. Law notes that it looks like a cheese doodle. He is very reluctant to take her as his service dog partly out of loyalty to his K-9 Scud and partly out of his feeling that he ought to be able to deal with his PTSD without her.

When Law and Jori meet they are attracted to each other but Law makes it clear that it can only be a one-night stand. He was raised to believe that he couldn't do relationships. But it seems like Law and Jori kept getting pushed together. Jori has to go to him to give him and Samantha some more training. Also an investigation that Law is during intersects with Jori's court case. Law agrees to help Jori find out the truth about how she came to be convicted.

The story has a lot of action and some sizzling romantic scenes as Jori and Law learn to take a chance on each other. This was an excellent romantic suspense novel. I really enjoyed the chapters that Samantha narrated about her alpha too.

Favorite Quote:

The urge to reach out and soothe, even to apologize, was so strong he felt the pain of restraining himself. His fists clenched and his chest ached. He'd never felt regret whether he was taking or rejecting a woman. And never, even when he knew he was wrong, had he considered apologizing. What the hell was going on?

I got this eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.