Can one woman's K-9 Convince her to trust a determined detective?
After a betrayal that almost took his life, Detective Joel Standage is deskbound. A new assignment is his chance to find out if he still has what it takes to be a cop. His mission? Get close to Mollie Crane, a woman who’s as guarded—and wounded—as he is. Her service dog, Magnus, trusts Joel before she does. When it becomes clear that his interest in her crime boss ex-husband is putting her in danger, what started as a case becomes personal, and Joel will do whatever it takes to protect her…
USA TODAY Bestselling author Julie Miller writes breathtaking romantic suspense. She's won a National Readers Choice Award and two Daphne du Maurier Awards among other prizes. She was also honored to receive a Career Achievement Award from RT BookReviews and has been a finalist for many national and international awards. Her books have appeared on the USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, Amazon and BookScan Top 100 Romances bestseller lists.
Writing about Kansas City cops, Julie has crafted bestselling, award-winning books for Harlequin Intrigue. In addition, Ms. Miller publishes romantic suspense books with a military twist. Millions of copies of her books have been sold in print and digital formats around the world.
Julie Miller turns in another winner in her latest entry in her Protector's at K-9 Ranch series.
In K-9 Defender, a misfit Belgian Malinois helps two broken people discover that they can help each other heal. Detective Joel Standage was betrayed by a woman he loved and was badly injured. Unable to be an undercover officer now and still on desk duty, he's drawn into lovely and scared Mollie Crane, whose ex-husband is a real bad dude.
Something about Mollie makes Joel insist on helping her and when things get really complicated, they'll need all the help they can get.
Lots of terrific action! Definitely worth the read
Magnus has his own problems to deal with, he’s deaf in one ear and the human he chose to take care isn’t keeping him busy enough. When he meets Joel he knows he’d found what was missing in his pack. Now he just needs to convince him mama that she needs Joel just as much as he does in this suspenseful and completely endearing Harlequin Intrigue.
This story is about a woman named Mollie Crane. She has a service dog named Magnus. She is very guarded and wounded because of her ex-husband who is a very dangerous guy. She is working as a waitress when she meets a guy named Joel Standage. He is a Detective. He went through a betrayal that almost took his life. He was put on desk duty by his boss.
He is given an assignment. He is given a case that will help him find out if he still has what it takes to be a cop. His mission is to get close to Mollie Crane. Her service dog Magnus trusts him before she does. He becomes interested in her ex-husband who is a crime boss. His interest‘a in her ex-husband is putting her life in danger. What started as a case for Joel becomes personal. Joel will do whatever it takes to protect Mollie. Mollie isn’t sure if her service dog Magnus really picked her. She goes to the K-9 Ranch where she met Magnus and they are training together and she learns about Magnus. I liked how Magnus was with Mollie and Joel in this story. I liked this story. It wasn’t spicy.
In this book, a Belgian Malinois plays a crucial role in helping two wounded people realize they can help each other in the healing process. Detective Joel Standage, betrayed by a woman he once loved and left seriously injured, is now assigned to desk duty, unable to continue work as an undercover officer. During this period, he ran into Mollie once more, a woman living in fear of her crime boss ex-husband. Joel's superior tasks him with befriending her to gather evidence that could lead to her ex-husband's arrest.
This novel has constant action. I liked that Joel protected Mollie while simultaneously working to collect the necessary information to apprehend her ex-husband.
Marcus stood out as my favourite character. He is Mollie's support dog, a big, lovable goofball, yet his demeanor shifts instantly when the situation demands it, turning him into a protector.
This was another "new to me" author and unfortunately, I found out after I had already started that this was the second book in this series. For whatever reason, I REALLY have a pet peeve with reading books out of order, but when I went to look for the first book on audio - it was not available for some reason. Because of that, I decided to keep going onward.
I really don't think I missed anything of importance by not reading book 1, at least, it was really easy to fall into the story and I never felt like I was "missing" anything. In this book, we get to meet our FMC Mollie Crane. When we meet her she has escaped from a VERY violent marriage with a man who was the head of what was basically a crime family. He controlled her in every way and was also unbelievably dangerously physical with her and she was trapped in this situation. While we never really learn HOW, we learn that she somehow was able to gather some incriminating evidence against the "family" and was able to blackmail her then husband for a divorce. That information is also what is keeping her alive.
Needless to say, when she finally is on her own, she is very emotionally fragile and ends up getting a service animal - Magnus - to help her deal with her PTSD. She has found a job waiting tables in a small diner and is slowly rebuilding her life.
Then we are introduced to the MMC, Detective Joel Standage. He has his own tragic and violent back story and the two of them are thrown together when Mollie's ex-husband has suddenly decided that Mollie needs to be taken care of.
We do see a lot of Magnus, but more as a calming force for Mollie when she begins to panic. The main focus of this story is the developing relationship between Joel and Mollie. Magnus likes the new addition to his pack.
While this was not my favorite K9 story, it still was able to hold my interest. The case itself was a bit weak and while Mollie starts off as a fairly weak character due to her history, we do get to see some impressive characters growth from her as she is able to conquer her fears. I am not belittling her in any way - she did go through some horrific things - but there were times when certain things took me out of the story. For example, Magnus goes with her everywhere (of course) but there is a scene where a customer at one of her tables in the diner yells at her and she feels herself begin to panic so she gives Magnus a hand signal to come to her. He doesn't respond because he doesn't see the signal, but I could not imagine the response of customers if a large dog just ran into the dining room of a restaurant/diner and stood beside your waitress so she could put her hand on his head. That may be something that happens nowadays, I have no clue. But to me, it was a little unusual.
Will I continue with this series? At this point, I am not sure.
Terrific book. I was hooked from the prologue and read this book in one sitting. As the book opens, we see the heartbreaking abuse Mollie's husband inflicts on her. There is a brief flash of hope that rescue is in sight, but that hope is soon dashed. Her husband's new driver looks like he wants to help, but Mollie won't endanger him by asking for assistance.
Fast forward two years. Mollie has escaped her abuser's clutches. She works as a waitress and tries to put the past behind her, but overcoming the fear she has lived with for so long isn't easy. She is helped along the way by her service dog, Magnus, a goofball dog with his own ideas about his job. Also present is her ex's driver from the prologue, who turned out to be an undercover detective. Joel is trying to get his life back on track after being badly injured in an undercover op that went terribly wrong.
I enjoyed watching Mollie and Joel's relationship develop. The connection is there, but both are wary of getting involved, thanks to the traumas of their past relationships. They settled first on friendship, pushed together by Magnus. However, Joel's protective instincts kick in when Mollie becomes a target, and Mollie finds it unexpectedly easy to trust Joel. I loved their support of each other, especially when Joel helped restore Mollie's confidence in herself. His growing feelings for Mollie show Joel he's ready to start living again.
The suspense kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. Mollie has something her ex wants, and he will stop at nothing to get it. The escalating attacks kept Mollie and Joel on edge while working with Joel's boss to stop him. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I loved how it went down.
Marcus was my favorite secondary character. He is Mollie's support dog and a big, loveable goof most of the time, but that can change if the situation calls for it. He seems to have some issues paying attention to his duties. I laughed out loud when his trainer diagnosed his problem and thoroughly enjoyed Magnus's solution.
It has been my pleasure to review Julie Miller’s latest installment of her Protectors at K-9 Ranch miniseries. A prologue is a literary element that I enjoy, and this one already had me fuming at our heroine’s abusive soon to be ex-husband. Fast forward a couple of years and Mollie Crane is working at a diner, trying to forget her past and move on with the help of her delightful service dog, Magnus. Our hero, Detective Joel Standage is also trying to reboot his life after an undercover op gone wrong. To help them along the way is Mollie’s delightful service dog, Magnus.
K-9 Defender is a fine example of romantic suspense that Julie Miller writes so well. Mollie and Joel are characters that the reader can relate to, feel sorry for and root for. Ms. Miller gives them a well rounded personality highlighting their strengths, weaknesses and problem solving skills. The supporting cast of characters is well fleshed out, my favorite being Herb Valentino, the crusty cook in the diner, who would do anything to protect Mollie. Magnus is the glue that ties this couple together and helps both Mollie and Joel deal with the nasty ex-husband, and their growing attraction to one another. As is typical in romance novels, a HEA is guaranteed; and I felt that this book ended on a believable and satisfying note.
In my opinion, Julie Miller writes a consistently satisfying novel that romantic suspense readers of any age will enjoy. This is the second book in her Protectors at K-9 Ranch miniseries; however, K-9 Defender can be read as a stand alone book. Although you won’t want to miss the first book in the series, Shadow Survivors! If you are reading this review and have never read a category romance novel, you cannot go wrong starting with K-9 Defender.
Mollie has had some tough knocks in life and just trying to survive a day at a time. Trying to leave an abusive relationship in the past when her ex won’t quite leave her be doesn’t help matters. With her newly acquired service dog, Magnus-and his trust teddy bear-at her side, Mollie is hoping to move forward. When she encounters Joel at work, remembering he was the only person who tried to save her from her ex, she finds herself gravitating towards his offer of friendship, but can she bring herself to open up romantically again?
Joel is still physically and mentally recovering from a KCPD undercover job gone wrong when he runs in to Mollie again. His boss asks him to befriend her and see if they can nab her ex on charges. Joel isn’t the same man he was when they originally met, but he can be open and truthful now. What started as friendship…could it become more?
Mollie and Joel both had emotional and physical hurdles to overcome. They were both also dealing with baggage from previously terrible relationships. I wouldn’t call them passionate when together, but they definitely felt comfortable with one another. And Magnus…I loved his adorably furry self! He was a complete goof and comic relief at the best of times, but could turn menacing protector in a heartbeat. He deserved all the treats!
But being smart enough to be afraid is what keeps Mollie alive, she may be battered, she may be cracked and she may be terrified of everything....but she's alive. We met Mollie in book one, it is awesome to now get her backstory and see the progress she has made from the terrified shell of a woman we first met, to the woman actively fighting to find herself again. Joel is also trying to find a new normal after corruption, betrayal and dying on the table, seeing Mollie again reminds him he needs to fight and he needs to begin living rather than hiding behind a desk. I hate the trauma they both suffer, but I love that Magnus knows they belong together and protects and comforts them both as part of "his pack". An empowering journey and beautiful finale as those who deserve it go down and the new "pack" are free to live and love without threat. I love this series and look forward to more.
Joel Standage and Mollie Crane first met under dangerous circumstances. Mollie has her reasons, so trusting Joel is the last thing she planned on doing. Joel notices that Mollie has a service dog named Magnus. This dog is a part of Mollie, as their incredible bond shows.
Mollie’s apprehension towards Joel is compounded by her recent escape from a violent marriage. Despite her reservations, Joel needs her help, and as a Kansas City cop, he’s about to get dangerously close to her. Meanwhile, Joel is a broken man, currently working a desk job due to injuries sustained during a case. However, his supervisor wants him to return to detective work, which means getting even closer to Mollie.
This captivating book will always be memorable for several reasons. First, we have our adorable Magnus, a malinois who embodies faithfulness and strength although though deaf in one ear. Another remarkable aspect of the book is that Magnus has found his pack, and it extends beyond Mollie.
K-9 DEFENDER is the second in Julie Miller's Protectors at K-9 Ranch series. Former trophy wife Mollie Crane has freed herself from her abusive ex August Di Salvo and his controlling family and is simply trying to live her own life with the support of her Malinois, Magnus. Detective Joel Standage is recovering from injuries received in his last mission. He and Mollie seem to connect, though both are understandably cautious with each other.
Julie Miller writes a page-turning story as Joel and Mollie and Magnus build a friendship and more and as their pasts come rushing forward to throw spanners in the works. An enjoyable read.
As a domestic violence survivor, Mollie, with the help of her support dog, Magnus, is relearning how to trust her instincts and other people. Life with her ex taught her that she had to be strong and rely only on herself. Joel was betrayed by a loved one and struggled to find his confidence in his instincts and himself. When their paths collide, they realize that they might need each other to heal the traumas of their pasts. This story was tastefully written about sensitive subjects. I always enjoy reading Julie Miller's work as she gets deep into the characters and makes them relatable to the reader.
Detective Joel is assigned to get close to Mollie, a woman who escaped from the abusive relationship she was in with a rich man and his family who were outside of the law. When her service dog starts helping him as much as he does her, she feels a bit betrayed, but soon realizes, he is one to trust, and her dog knows it. She didn't plan to fall for him, nor he to fall for her. Nice sweet romance with a happy ending. My favorite kind.
I really enjoyed this book. The story line moved along at a good pace. While you knew who the main villain was, there were still pieces to be figured out. this is a strong romance between two people with pasts that made them leery. Magnus is a great service dog who helps them both. Sweet HEA. And lots of cameos by characters in series that go back for years which is always fun.
I have enjoyed other books by this author. This one has too much violence and evil for me!! I did not finish it. I don't like leaving bad reviews, but I have to have a way to track what I like and don't like. Plus someone else may need to know. I will read other books by this author, but I will be more cautious in choosing which ones.
Great read! The mystery was captivating and the main characters, broken as they were, fit together quite nicely. I only wish we could see where they go from here.
This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the second book in the Protectors at K-9 Ranch series. I really enjoyed reading this book. This book is a great mix of romance and suspense/action. I loved the characters in this book, but it took me a little to connect with the two main characters in this book.