Alaskan Rescue

Alaska K-9 Unit #1

by Terri Reed

A mountain search-and-rescue mission

turns into a fight for their lives.

Sent to find a wedding party that disappeared during a hike, Alaskan state trooper Hunter McCord and his K-9 partner, Juneau, discover bridesmaid Ariel Potter hanging from a cliff. But this was no accident—she was pushed—and her hiking companions are missing. Now it’s up to Hunter and Juneau to find them…and make sure whoever wants Ariel dead doesn’t finish the job.

From Harlequin Love Inspired Courage. Danger. Faith.

Alaska K-9 Unit

Book 1: Alaskan Rescue

Genres: Romance, Suspense, Christian, Mystery, Christian Fiction, Animals, Love Inspired

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2021

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Terri Reed’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publishers Weekly top 10 Romance Mass Market Paperback and Publishers Weekly top 10 Religion Fiction, Nielsen’s Bookscan top 50, Amazon #1 Bestseller, featured in USA Today and a Fresh Pick at FreshFiction.com. Her 2016 novel, A Family Under the Christmas Tree, was adapted into the Hallmark movie and retitled Picture a Perfect Christmas.
She resides in the Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband and when not writing, she enjoys agility with her Australian shepherd.
For updates about Terri and her books sign up for her newsletter https://bit.ly/3Ihz48q
Be sure to follow Terri on BookBub for updates on her new releases
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/terri...

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alaskan Rescue by Teri Reed is a 2021 Harlequin-Love Inspired Suspense publication.

I had been curious about this line of Harlequin romance novels for a long time- so on impulse I grabbed one from the library.

This is a first in a series romance- not to be confused with a continuing series by the same author. (It’s a Harlequin thing- just leave it at that.)

The cover is irresistible- I love service dogs- and have begun to enjoy more books that are ‘clean’, and especially want to find more romantic suspense novels with plot lines like the ones I used to read before the genre changed. This book looked like it might be just what I was looking for.

The story starts off strong with our heroine, Ariel Potter, getting shoved off a cliff and a wedding party that goes missing. State Trooper Hunter McCord comes to Ariel’s rescue and from there they work to solve a murder mystery as their relationship turns into a romantic one…

While I did like some parts of the story, I don’t like unanswered questions and there were some whoppers that were never explained. There were also some plausibility issues at play, and the dialogue was unintentionally funny at times, but I did like the characters, and the dogs, of course.

Unfortunately, the plot had big holes, and the execution left a lot to be desired.

Overall, I liked this style of RS, but the story was not cohesive, and the romance- though sweet, was as unrealistic as the mystery elements. I will, however, give this Harlequin line another look someday. I’m sure I’ll find one that is a good fit for me.

2 stars

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Suspense Romance, and this is the first book in the Alaska K-9 Unit series. I really enjoy getting to know these characters and the dogs, and the romance part of this book was cute. I think the suspense part of this book could be a little bit better. I just found parts of the suspense unbelievable. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Love Inspired Suspense) or author (Terri Reed) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alaskan Rescue is the first in the Alaska K-9 series. The series is about the Alaska state troopers and their K-9 partners, who are called to investigate different crimes in Alaska. In this book, we have the story of Ariel Potter, a breeder of sled pulling dogs, who was pushed off a mountain path over the edge of the mountain, was injured but not seriously. Someone else in her hiking party was killed and three others missing. The state troopers and their K-9 partners are sent on a search and rescue mission when the dead guide was found. State Trooper Hunter McCord and his partner Juneau are part of the group that find her and are assigned to protect her when it appears that someone is continuing to try to get to her. This has a great mystery to unravel and find out who is after her and why. With likable characters, including the K-9 ones, this is a nice read with a fun setting, bit of romance, and thread of faith. I did feel that there are some unanswered questions.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was in the 3.5 star range until the last 10%. And then it went to melodrama and idiocy. The villains made no sense and the main characters were ridiculous.

This is definitely one of those couples that I expect to not work out. Or have an EXTREMELY unhealthy relationship.

Plus, we don't get to find out who the murderer is or what happened to her best friend. I'm guessing the author wants to keep me engaged so I'll read the next book. But jokes on her! This book was so idiotic I cannot read anything else by this author.

[Amanda (BookLoverAmanda) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alaskan Rescue by Terri Reed - Book 1 in the Alaska K-9 Unit Series - 3 Stars

This is a Christian Romantic Suspense story about a bridesmaid, Ariel Potter, who is found hanging down off a cliff by Alaskan State Trooper, Hunter McCord and his K-9 partner, Juneau. The story starts with someone pushing her over the cliff and gunshots ringing out. With Ariel's hiking companions missing, Hunter and Juneau have to find them, all while protecting Ariel throughout the process.

Deciding where I land on this was a bit tough, on one hand, I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this one. It had a great narrator, characters were easy to connect to, the plot was interesting to me etc. The romance was a bit "block of cheese" for me, but I think that's how these type of books go sometimes so I was just enjoying the ride. Also, I honestly don't know how well Ariel and Hunter go together because they are both pretty controlling and quick to assumptions in the short time they knew each other.

The ending leaves you with more questions than answers and from what it looks like, the answers may come in book 7 of the series. Personally, I wish we had more answers but I guess we have to read the other books in the series by other authors to really follow what's going on throughout to figure it all out.

Overall, not a bad book by any means, I may continue on in the series sometime if I feel like picking up a love inspired book in the future. :)

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woohoo -- a new K-9 Continuity series is starting up and I just discovered that when I opened this book (which I bought because of the warm fuzzy cover. Didn't even read the synopsis, just zoomed in on all that puppy love. So I'm super stoked -- dogs, dogs and more dogs in my reading future. Yeehaw!) I'm super excited about the Alaskan setting and the great not-so-common-in-fiction dogs being featured. Readers get a great introduction to the team and their K-9 partners in this first book.

As is the case with this kind of series, there's an over-arching suspense that develops slowly over the course of the series with a final resolution in the last book. BUT each novel has it's own suspense thread as well a unique romance and we get full closure on both of those, so no real cliff hang-y endings to worry about.

And this suspense is fabulous. Reed kept me guessing -- and second guessing -- right to the end. With a steady pace of canine bliss on the side. And enough nail-biting danger to keep me riveted. Plus there's our hero Juneau to swoon over. Oh, and his two-legged partner, Hunter is pretty awesome too. :-)

An exciting start to a brand new series!

[Bree Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy the “body guard” romance trope but make the hero a K-9 Handler, make the characters people of faith and set the romance in Alaska, you’ll enjoy this. It definitely gave me book 1 of a series vibes- has the vibe of “I’m setting up for more to come.” The strongest part of the book for me was the set up. I’d say around the 48% mark the pacing slowed down a bit and I began to lose a bit of interest but I think for anyone wanting to write romantic suspense this could be a book to add to your stack of text to read and analyze the bones of the sub genre. It truly was the danger our heroine is in that serves as the vehicle that drives the romance, that pushes our two characters together and keeps them together. I’m interested in reading more from this author and maybe reading another few books from the continuity.

[Valri Western · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this is a good book! I love books set in Alaska and this is a great one! It has a lot of twists and turns because there are actually two story lines going and both Hunter and Ariel are not sure what is going on. Ariel goes on a day hike with her best friend, the friend's fiance and another man. Soon, she is being pushed over a cliff and left for dead! The guide turns up dead and troopers are sent in to find the wedding party. Fortunately, Hunter, one of the troopers, discovers Ariel before she dies! However, after that, someone continually tries to kill her! I love Ariel's stubbornness and independence, although she should have asked for help on occasion! Hunter was a great character and I liked him immensely! There are a lot of moving parts, especially when part of the wedding party is found and they start claiming that Ariel's best friend is the one who pushed Ariel over the cliff, which Ariel refuses to believe. Lots of action and fun romance too! I especially liked all the K-9 dogs and Ariel's musher dogs. You get a great dose of puppy power in this book!!!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the remote mountain setting in this Alaskan mystery. It’s the first in a new continuity series for Love Inspired Suspense, so as usual there are two mysteries to solve: a shorter one in the story and a longer one to carry on through the series. Honestly, I enjoyed both mysteries equally and am sorry to have to wait for the solution of the second one.

At the beginning, the writing was a bit rough and it took me until about 30% to really bond with the characters. But I honestly had a hard time putting it down after that! If I could have grabbed book 2 that same night, I definitely would have.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

[Trixi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already anticipated a great suspense story coming from Terri Reed, so this one set in freezing cold Alaska where four friends went on an “off the path” hiking expedition set my heart to racing! I could just feel the tingling, hair-raising sense of doom well before anything happened. Ariel was right to question whether it was a good idea or not, but she'd do anything to celebrate her best friends upcoming wedding. After her edge of the cliff rescue, it's up to Alaskan State Trooper Hunter McCord and his K-9 unit team to find out what happened and why. Three missing friends, one dead hiking guide and who's behind the attacks are all answers they need to find before it's too late!

The K-9 unit continuity stories Love Inspired puts out are some of my favorite because you not only have the main mystery that gets solved in each book, but also an over-arching mystery throughout the series that's solved with the last book. These will lead the reader closer to learning what exactly happened on the mountain the day Ariel was pushed. I already love this first book that starts the series off with a bang! You have an immediate feel of dread as the author dragged you in with her opening scene and keeps you hooked until the end. I loved both Ariel & Hunter; they have strong, independent type personalities and butted heads more than once. Ariel rankled when Hunter got into his “take charge” attitude, but he quickly learned to back off and give her more room. I also loved the dogs—Juneau, Hunters K-9 partner and Shasha, Ariels husky puppy who added their own personalities. There's lots of interaction with the canine characters, which was definitely one thing I very much enjoyed! I was also kept guessing as to who was behind the attacks on Ariel until the reveal at the end. That's a good suspense writer when they keep you in the dark like that; it adds an extra depth to an already tense story.

You will find faith, danger, mystery, puppy love & two people taking a chance on love in Alaskan Rescue ! I recommend this to anyone who reads inspirational suspense and looks forward to a happily-ever-after at the end!

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and was not obligated to leave a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone. *

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stelle e mezza
Alaska e un'unità cinofila, come potevo resistere a questa nuova serie che unisce due degli argomenti che mi piacciono di più? Devo dire che queso primo libro non mi ha deluso. Ora non mi resta che aspettare i prossimi mesi per leggere gli altri, che ho quasi tutti prenotati.

[Pegi Frostholm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just meh. The “main mystery” never gets solved, and the characters felt flat. The religious aspects were simplistic (God will keep them from physical harm? Some magical thinking there…). I was disappointed.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story with the beautiful dogs on the cover! Aren't they the prettiest and the little one is soooooo cute! I want him
The setting of Alaska is gorgeous! Makes me so jealous!. I think that's about the only state that I haven't seen besides a few others.
The plot of this book was jus awesome! Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!
The author has done an excellent job with this one in my opinion.
This book I will buy and put on my keeper shelf. I love her writing style. I especially love how she makes the story realistic and the characters' feeling come across the pages to me. This book was no exception. I love loved it!
Thank you Harlequin!
When you add the K9's into the mix well.... It makes the story that much more special! Especially these two that's on the cover.
It's a wonderful read!
My thanks to Harlequin for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.
5 stars!

[Dawn Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun pre-wedding hike turns into so much more for sled dog breeder/trainer and maid of honor Ariel Potter. Search and Rescue specialists Alaska State Trooper Hunter McCord and his K-9 partner Juneau are assigned to find the missing wedding party and then to protect Ariel. The book is action packed as they try to figure out who wants to kill her and why. Author Terri Reed does a great job of describing the characters and scenes that it made the book hard to put down - I wanted to find out what would happen next! I recommend this book and any other books by TerrI Reed.
This book is the first in the Alaska K-9 Unit continuity, I'm looking forward to reading every book. I received a free copy of this book from the author without a promise of a review. All opinions are my own.

[Brittany Williamson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite unbelievable with flat boring characters

[Elaine. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read that will keep you guessing I started reading this story on February 15 in the evening and didn't want to put it down but needed to go to bed Picked it up the next day and finished it I enjoy all stories with dogs and highly recommend this book

[Glenda Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review today is on the Love Inspired Suspense, Alaskan Rescue. This is the first book in the continuity series Alaska K-9 Unit. I'm always thrilled to get a book from Terri. I'm one of her biggest fans. This is an awesome story. Its well written, action packed and full of drama. I can't wait to read the next book.

Ariel Potter is to be her best friend's bridesmaid. The future groom has had all kinds of outing for them to do. Now here she is climbing a mountain. Ariel is lagging behind and can't see the rest of the wedding party when she hears running footsteps just before someone send her over the side of a cliff. She falls into a bush where she is snagged saving her life. A state trooper rescues her.

Alaskan State Trooper Hunter McCord and his partner are out on a search and rescue for a bridal party. He and his partner find the bridesmaid but find no sign of the bride, groom or bestman. He rescues Ariel and is drawn to protect the lovely lady. The body of the guide is found shot. What is going on? Hunter is determined to protect the beautiful Ariel.

A death defying journey in the mountains of Alaska with death waiting around each corner. God has a plan for these two. A plan for a hope and a future. God has a plan for you too. A plan for peace and not for destruction even in our time of chaos. Give Him your heart and watch Him move in your life.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

I thought this was going to be a cozy, but it turned out to be a romance. Oh well. Twenty nine year old Ariel is on a hike with her best friend, as part of a wedding adventure. Her friend is the bride. They're on a wilderness hike, when someone pushes her off the cliff. She's rescued by K-9 cop Hunter McCord. The rest of the party vanishes.

The two reluctantly begin falling for one another as someone keeps trying to kill Ariel and steal her dogs.

The book doesn't solve the mystery as to who pushed Ariel off the cliff, which bothers me. Apparently, it will continue in another book in the series.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tone: 0 stars
Diction: 0 stars
Character development: 0 stars
Structure: 0 stars
Comic relief: 5 stars

This is the worst book I have ever read. It's a predictable love story set in a poorly researched Anchorage fraught with cringy, unbelievable dialogue in which the characters "send up prayers" about 3x per chapter. Kept reading for the laughable quotes and, frankly, needed it for my reading challenge quota.

[Taylor (BiblioTay) · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I forgot Love Inspired was Christian but that's fine. I picked this book because I need an Alaska setting for a reading challenge and I liked the idea of the K9 unit.

Overall it wasn't bad. I was not a fan of the ending. I expected it to wrap up more. I know this is a really short book but I kind of felt like the ending was very abrupt.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alaska Rescue is the first book in the Alaska K-9 Unit series. The series is about the Alaska state troopers and their K-9 partners, who are called to investigate different crimes in Alaska. It is a relatively short book, but it packs a punch. The K-9 Unit is called in when a wedding party is reported missing during a hike. The guide is found dead, shot, and one of the bridesmaids, Ariel Potter is found hanging from a cliff. The bride, groom and best man are still missing. When Hunter McCord and his K-9 partner, Juneau rescue Ariel, she tells them that she was pushed. The race is on to find the rest of the wedding party, as well as who killed the guide and tried to kill Ariel. Hunter volunteers to stay with Ariel to protect her until the case is solved, but there is someone out there with secrets, as well as wanting to blame it all on the bride.

This was a fast paced story with suspense, a bit of romance, faith and twists. I enjoy books with K-9 characters and Juneau was a great officer. Ariel is a likable character, one who breeds sled dogs. Her character shines through in her concern for her friends that are missing as well as her dogs. Hunter is a dedicated officer and is also very good at his job. Their attraction to one another is sweet and is a slow building romance. There is a mystery to unravel and find out who is after Ariel and why. With likable characters, including the K-9 ones, this is a nice read with a fun setting, a bit of romance, and thread of faith. My one complaint is that there are some unresolved issues, which I am hoping will be solved in further books in the series.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Inspirational Suspense, Wholesome Romance, Animal Fiction, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
Alaska K-9 Unit (Book #1)

[NAOMI · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Alaskan Rescue by Terri Reed. This story is a sweet inspirational suspenseful romance and a quick read. I gave it 4 stars, I felt the author had captured the special bond between a dog and his K-9 unit handler beautifully. The premise appealed to me because I wanted to escape to the frozen Alaskan wilderness since I'm in sunny humid Florida in July LOL

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced, lots of action and intrigue.

Ariel Potter has a good life raising Alaskan Huskies and training and working her own sled team. This is her life and she loves it. For the most part she is on her own. Her parents are always off traveling the world working sled competitions. They didn't pay all that much attention to Ariel as she was growing up as they were absorbed with sled races and raising sled dogs. Ariel is always happy to spend time with her good friend Violet James and is going to be her maid of honor at Violet's upcoming wedding to Lance Wells. Violet talked Ariel into going on a special pre-wedding off-trail hiking excursion in Chugach State Park along with Lance and his best man Jared Dennis. Things go horribly wrong and Ariel ends up being rescued by Alaska State Trooper Hunter McCord and his K-9 partner Juneau. That's just the beginning of the danger Ariel and Hunter will face.

Hunter McCord is a dedicated Alaska State Police K-9 officer. His K-9 partner Juneau is a great tracker. It was Juneau who first found Ariel Potter in Chugach State Park after the tour company reported that the group did not check in. Hunter's protective instincts are quickly aroused when he first rescues Ariel. He fights his attraction to Ariel because he doesn't trust women. His widower father was fleeced by a con artist woman pretending to love his dad and running off after draining his dad's bank account. Maybe Ariel is more trustworthy. Time will tell.

Alaskan Rescue by Terri Reed is the first book in Harlequin's new continuity. I really liked the two main characters. It's always fun to read about a guy and a gal fighting their attraction to one another and then having real life events prove that they want to act on their attraction and have a Happily Ever After. Both Ariel and Hunter have issues to sort out as they work on a relationship. All the danger and intrigue adds to the swift relationship development. I loved all the action in this story and I look forward to the next book to see how the overall arc continues as what really happened on the mountain has to be discovered.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ariel one of the bridesmaids that was recovered by state trooper Hunter and his k-9 partner after a wedding party goes missing while hiking. When a person winds up dead and other people from the wedding party was recovered the stories told just don't add up. After a couple attempts at Ariel and those around her its clear something is going on and Hunter will do everything in his power to figure out what's going on.

I love a good mystery suspense novel. I love when things are starting to seem okay that's when something pops up and they gotta figure out what's going on because clearly nothing was all right. Some one was out there after her or something or another. I love that this book kept me on my toes and there was never a dull moment. I even enjoyed the romance that was simmering though the book but remained clean. Overall this was a pretty great book highly reocmmend!

[Hazel Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow Start

Not sure if it was me or the book. I have read other books by this author that had me on the edge of my seat. But not this one. Someone is trying to take out the heroine/ Ariel. Hunter and his K-9 partner Juneau has been assigned to protect her. There are several twist and turns. Some of the mystery puzzle has been solved some has not. I will continue with the series because I do enjoy the K9 series each year.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rugged Alaskan wilderness, search and rescue dogs, and romantic suspense. Sign me up. Terri Reed - yes please, a great author who provides strong and well detailed characters.
I love this story and recommend it for any lovers of romance and dogs. The crime story is just baffling as this is the initial book in a linked series, but we get a partial resolution.

I read an e-ARC from Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.

[Charline Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how this series is starting. It's also a good stand-alone but I don't want to miss any of them.
This is one of Terri's best yet. The Alaska descriptions and the information on sled dogs just added to the story. It was almost the end of the story before I had any idea who was trying to kill Ariel.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author did a great job in starting a continuity series focused on K9 dogs in Alaska. Readers will get hooked from the first chapter because they need to know what happened on the cliff...

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start to the series.