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Shelter of Secrets #2
Guardian K-9 on Call
She protects those in need…
with her K-9 by her side!
When a brutal homicide crosses her desk, K-9 cop Maisie Murran is determined to find the culprit. Evidence points toward an unlikely suspect, veterinarian Kyle Kornel. Maisie suspects that someone is framing the compassionate doctor, and she offers to help him find the real killer. Working together to prove his innocence puts them both at risk—and makes the heat between them impossible to ignore…
From Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Danger. Passion. Drama.
Feel the excitement in these uplifting romances, part of the Shelter of Secrets series:
Book 1: Her Undercover Refuge
Book 2: Guardian K-9 on Call
with her K-9 by her side!
When a brutal homicide crosses her desk, K-9 cop Maisie Murran is determined to find the culprit. Evidence points toward an unlikely suspect, veterinarian Kyle Kornel. Maisie suspects that someone is framing the compassionate doctor, and she offers to help him find the real killer. Working together to prove his innocence puts them both at risk—and makes the heat between them impossible to ignore…
From Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Danger. Passion. Drama.
Feel the excitement in these uplifting romances, part of the Shelter of Secrets series:
Book 1: Her Undercover Refuge
Book 2: Guardian K-9 on Call
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2022
31 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Linda O. Johnston
132 books464 followersLinda O. Johnston's first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the Year. Since then, Linda has had more short stories and novellas published, plus, by the end of 2018, she will have had fifty novels published, including mysteries and romance.
Linda currently writes the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries cozy mystery series for Midnight Ink, and also wrote the Superstition Mysteries for them, both featuring dogs. She has also written the Pet Rescue Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime, which was a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series. And yes, they involved dogs, too.
Linda also writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, including a new miniseries about a K-9 ranch where dogs are trained. Linda additionally writes paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne including the Alpha Force miniseries about a covert military unit of shapeshifters--and all the werewolves also have cover dogs.
Linda, a currently inactive transactional attorney, now writes fiction full-time. She is a member of the Los Angeles chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America, including the Los Angeles, Orange County and Santa Clarita chapters.
Linda currently writes the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries cozy mystery series for Midnight Ink, and also wrote the Superstition Mysteries for them, both featuring dogs. She has also written the Pet Rescue Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime, which was a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series. And yes, they involved dogs, too.
Linda also writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, including a new miniseries about a K-9 ranch where dogs are trained. Linda additionally writes paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne including the Alpha Force miniseries about a covert military unit of shapeshifters--and all the werewolves also have cover dogs.
Linda, a currently inactive transactional attorney, now writes fiction full-time. She is a member of the Los Angeles chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America, including the Los Angeles, Orange County and Santa Clarita chapters.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 28, 2022
This is not how regular human beings talk. This is not how grown adults think. This is not how actual police investigations are run (seriously, everyone in the PD is OK with an officer not assigned an investigation not only conducting her own "unofficial investigation"--which includes interviewing suspects--but also keeping a murder suspect up to date on what is going on? I don't think so.) This is not how K-9 units are used.
I truly have nothing positive to say about this one. How has she written so many books and still manage to do so SO poorly?
Rating: 1 (very generous) star / F
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
I truly have nothing positive to say about this one. How has she written so many books and still manage to do so SO poorly?
Rating: 1 (very generous) star / F
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
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April 1, 2022Categories
Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Animal Fiction
Miniseries
Shelter of Secrets (Book #2)
Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Animal Fiction
Miniseries
Shelter of Secrets (Book #2)
August 11, 2022
Good suspense combined with romance. This animal shelter in Chance is a no-kill shelter that takes in abused and unwanted animals. Unknown to the rest of the town, it is also a shelter for abused women. They are taken in, given a chance to heal while working with the animals, then given new lives elsewhere. The shelter's manager, Scott, is an undercover police officer (Her Undercover Refuge).
The newest employee at the shelter is Kyle, a former cop turned veterinarian. He is on-site when K-9 cop Maisie brings her dog, Griffin, in because of an injured paw while she was patrolling near the shelter. The sparks between them were evident from the start, and they made plans to get together.
While at the shelter, there is an altercation between Kyle and a pair of women who bring a dog to the shelter. One woman is a local pet supply store owner who displays dogs for adoption while encouraging adopters to purchase supplies from the store. There is some question about the legality and ethics of her actions, and Kyle is not very happy with the resolution of the argument. He finds her body when he goes to the pet store later to talk to the woman and check the situation. He calls the police but is considered the number one person of interest in the murder because of the earlier argument.
This puts a crimp in the blossoming relationship between Kyle and Maisie. As a police officer, getting involved with a murder suspect is not a good idea. But they can't stay away from each other despite Maisie's initial questioning of Kyle's guilt or innocence. Their attraction grows as they work together to prove Kyle's innocence. I liked that, though their chemistry was strong, they limited their involvement while the case was ongoing. I liked Kyle's protectiveness toward Maisie after he received a threat that included her, even though he respected her abilities as a police officer. I wanted their chances for a future together after the case ended, and they were free to explore their relationship.
The suspense was good. There were questions about the motives and actions of the murdered woman from her first appearance at the shelter. Kyle is a logical suspect even though the reader knows he is not guilty. Reading the book requires some suspense of disbelief as Maisie, a K-9 cop only peripherally involved in the investigation, decides to look into things on her own. She also informs one of the suspects (Kyle) of what she finds. Putting these quibbles aside, the search for the murderer kept my interest. In addition to Kyle, there were other possible suspects in the murder, from the woman's ex-husbands to employees of the store.
The intensity increased when Kyle received a threatening text, indicating that the murderer was not happy with his pursuit of the truth. As information about one of the other suspects came to light, the spotlight moved away from Kyle but didn't decrease his desire to find the truth. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as the murderer made their move on their actual target. The face-off was intense as Kyle and Maisie faced a desperate killer bent on revenge. The resolution was neatly done (I loved Griffin and Spike's involvement), though I found the murderer's motive a bit far-fetched. I'm looking forward to the next book.
The newest employee at the shelter is Kyle, a former cop turned veterinarian. He is on-site when K-9 cop Maisie brings her dog, Griffin, in because of an injured paw while she was patrolling near the shelter. The sparks between them were evident from the start, and they made plans to get together.
While at the shelter, there is an altercation between Kyle and a pair of women who bring a dog to the shelter. One woman is a local pet supply store owner who displays dogs for adoption while encouraging adopters to purchase supplies from the store. There is some question about the legality and ethics of her actions, and Kyle is not very happy with the resolution of the argument. He finds her body when he goes to the pet store later to talk to the woman and check the situation. He calls the police but is considered the number one person of interest in the murder because of the earlier argument.
This puts a crimp in the blossoming relationship between Kyle and Maisie. As a police officer, getting involved with a murder suspect is not a good idea. But they can't stay away from each other despite Maisie's initial questioning of Kyle's guilt or innocence. Their attraction grows as they work together to prove Kyle's innocence. I liked that, though their chemistry was strong, they limited their involvement while the case was ongoing. I liked Kyle's protectiveness toward Maisie after he received a threat that included her, even though he respected her abilities as a police officer. I wanted their chances for a future together after the case ended, and they were free to explore their relationship.
The suspense was good. There were questions about the motives and actions of the murdered woman from her first appearance at the shelter. Kyle is a logical suspect even though the reader knows he is not guilty. Reading the book requires some suspense of disbelief as Maisie, a K-9 cop only peripherally involved in the investigation, decides to look into things on her own. She also informs one of the suspects (Kyle) of what she finds. Putting these quibbles aside, the search for the murderer kept my interest. In addition to Kyle, there were other possible suspects in the murder, from the woman's ex-husbands to employees of the store.
The intensity increased when Kyle received a threatening text, indicating that the murderer was not happy with his pursuit of the truth. As information about one of the other suspects came to light, the spotlight moved away from Kyle but didn't decrease his desire to find the truth. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as the murderer made their move on their actual target. The face-off was intense as Kyle and Maisie faced a desperate killer bent on revenge. The resolution was neatly done (I loved Griffin and Spike's involvement), though I found the murderer's motive a bit far-fetched. I'm looking forward to the next book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews