On the Chase
By Katie Ruggle
Rocky Mountain K9 Unit - Book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: September 5, 2017
Reviewed by PJ
Injured in the line of duty,
His orders are simple:
Stay alive.
But when a frightened woman bursts into his life, Hugh and his K9 companion have no choice but to risk everything to keep her safe.
His orders are simple:
Stay alive.
But when a frightened woman bursts into his life, Hugh and his K9 companion have no choice but to risk everything to keep her safe.
The sole witness to a horrific crime, Kaylee Ramay flees to the Colorado Rockies to start a new life. There she becomes Grace, a dog kennel employee desperately trying to avoid attention-especially from dangerously attractive K9 Officer Hugh Murdoch.
Because Hugh is tall, dark...and nothing but trouble.
Hugh is anxious to get back in the field after an act of heroism left him warming the bench. Until then, he and his K9 partner Lexi spend their hours teasing the town's mysterious newcomer. But when their simmering attraction is nearly cut short by a sniper's bullet, Hugh's mystery woman must come clean about the secrets she keeps...
Or both of them will pay the price.
Kaylee Ramay is living her dream life in California: great job, good friends, beautiful condo, gorgeous clothes...until the evening she accompanies her new boyfriend to his uncle's home for dinner, takes a wrong turn on her way to the bathroom, and finds herself running for her life...with the mob on her heels. Now she's in a remote Colorado mountain town, with an assumed name (Grace), wearing decidedly non-designer clothing from the local thrift shop, sharing a rundown house with people she's just met, and shoveling dog poop at the local animal shelter. If she can keep a low profile, make sure nobody looks too closely into her fictitious background, and steer clear of the annoying - and way too sexy - nosy police officer who has her in his sights, she just may get out of this predicament alive.
Hugh Murdoch is not a man prone to relaxation. On medical leave after being shot, he's driving everyone around him crazy with his attempts to convince them to let him come back to work before he's fully healed. With all that restless energy threatening to explode it's no wonder he latches onto the mystery of the new woman in town. Hugh knows when someone is lying and when someone has trouble on their tail. He's sure Grace (or whatever her real name is) hasn't given him a straight answer to a single question. She's living with his friends and Hugh is determined to make sure she isn't bringing trouble to their door. He's going to stick to her like glue. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she's intelligent, beautiful, and full of sass...and doesn't that get his engine revving! Gradually, as they spend together, they begin to become friends...then more...but then trouble finally arrives. Is it someone from Grace's past or Hugh's that has them in the crosshairs? Their only hope of a happy ending is to figure out who it is and stop them...before they both pay with their lives.
As with her previous books, On the Chase grabbed my attention from the first pages, gradually increasing the suspense throughout and keeping me riveted to the story until the very end. It's well-paced and packed with action but also has plenty of humor and heart to balance it.
Ruggle has a talent for creating a sense of place - her small mountain town is one I'd recognize on sight - and filling it with characters that are well-formed and relatable. Her villains are ordinary enough to be chilling in their evil and the good guys, while flawed, are people in whom I'm invested and for whom I cheer. Grace and Hugh are two of those people. I appreciated Grace's strength, her refusal to give up or give in, and enjoyed watching her grow into the person she is meant to be. There are facets of Hugh's personality that would drive me crazy in real life but he's a good guy, loyal friend, and determined to protect those about whom he cares. One of those being his K9 partner, Lexi. She, Grace, and Hugh all cemented their places in my affections during one pivotal, heart-in-my-throat, scene that about sent me over the edge.
While the main romance in this book is between Hugh and Grace/Kaylee, key characters from the first book in the series, Run to Ground, play substantial roles. We see growth in the relationship between Jules and Theo (heroine and hero of the first book), and learn more about Otto (hero of the third book, Survive the Night, due out in February 2018). We also see more of Jules' siblings with additional hints dropped about the events that brought them to Colorado. I'm hopeful that we'll have full disclosure of their story before the end of the series.
While On the Chase can stand on its own, for maximum enjoyment, I strongly encourage readers to read Run to Ground first. I've already marked my 2018 calendar for the February release of Survive the Night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you enjoy animals in your romances?
Are you a dog or cat person? Or something else?
If you had to go on the run, which of your possessions would be most difficult to give up? What new name/job would you choose?
PJ's Birthday Month Giveaway!
One randomly chosen person leaving a comment before 11:00 PM, September 7, 2017 will receive a print set of the four books in Katie Ruggle's Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue series. (U.S. only)
Love animals in a book :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd if I was on the run, they would find me because I would mess up the name..lol
LOL! I probably would too, Patricia.
DeleteI've been hearing great things about this series lately. I do like animals in my books. I'm a full on dog person. Cats remind me too much of myself lol. On the run? I would hate to give up my books. Oh and I guess my family. :) I would become a librarian with the name Felicia. Nobody suspects librarians. I can't wait to give you a big hug for your birthday, PJ!
ReplyDeleteI can totally see you as Felicia the Librarian!
DeleteHugs are always welcome. *grin*
I love dogs and I have a devoted dog. Animals in books add so much to the enjoyment of the story. On the run would be difficult and my name would be Nadine and I would be a housesitter.
ReplyDeleteOoh...a housesitter. That could be fun!
DeleteAnimals in books are wonderful. I am a dog person. Love them. That would be an experience being on the run since I am a homebody.
ReplyDeleteI love dogs too!
DeleteI love animals in books, especially dogs. It would be tough for me to go on the run. I would have a lot of trouble leaving my stacks of photo albums behind. I would be Lisa, and I guess I would be a substitute teacher because teaching is the only skill I have!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a happy birthday month!
DeleteI really enjoy stories that have animals/pets in them. Am I a cat or dog person? Must I choose? I love them both for different reasons. It would be most difficult for me to give up my print book collection if I were to have to be on the run. Yes, I know I could get books on a kindle but the sheer replacement cost would make me cry, not to mention that I still love holding a print book in my hands. I would probably try to find work housecleaning in a pinch, at least until I could figure out what to do with my life. The physical aspect would make me feel like I was accomplishing something and it would give me time to think. And I would go by rose because "A rose by any other name...."
ReplyDeleteAnd I would go by rose because "A rose by any other name...."
DeleteLove this! :)
Happy Birthday month, this is a great giveaway. I love her books, thanks for the chance. I love it when authors put animals in stories, especially when they are helpful in some way; like the search and rescue. I love all animals, I would have a zoo in my backyard if I could, lol. If I was on the run I would have the hardest time leaving all my books, I am a serious addict. It would be very depressing to leave my collection behind. Hopefully my family would store them for me. I would want a job where I could blend in yet be aware of my surroundings and have quick ease for escape if I was found, like a park ranger or something else outside and I have always loved the name Keia, since I read it in a book of course.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Denise! I love her books too. She's one of my favorite new authors.
DeleteI love animals in my books! I'm a dog lover, cats not so much.
ReplyDeleteI'm a dog person too, Lisa though I do like cats in books. Since I'm allergic to them, not so much in real life. ;-)
DeleteI'm a dog person. I have started more than one series because there are dogs (and romance) I enjoyed the first book of this series and am looking forward to reading the next!
ReplyDeleteI discovered Kristan Higgins (one of my favorite authors) because of the dog on the cover of one of her books. :)
DeleteI love animals, specially dogs. Cats no so much. I don't think I have a single one thing I wouldnt part with in case I needed to run. Cash, perhaps? Haha
ReplyDeleteIt would be hard to have to choose, wouldn't it?
DeleteI enjoy animals in the stories I read. I have been only a dog person for some time now, but I have lived with some cats who were some of my best buds. To be honest, giving up my kindle would be tough....it can be traced. But, I reckon I would have to go on the run with a huge trailer coming behind me....it would be full of all the actual books I own...and then some more would be added along the way....I probably would not be able to run far unless I found an 18 wheeler somewhere along the way.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about being able to trace a Kindle! Drat! There goes that plan!
DeleteLove her books! Action, adventure and romance...what's not to love?! 😊 Please don't enter me in giveaway, as I already have her Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue series....it's a great set!
ReplyDeleteAnother fan! I love her writing too, Robin.
DeleteHappy Bday, PJ.
ReplyDeleteWould hate to lv my computer and my books.
And yes I love dogs in books.
Thanks, Patoct! There would be many tears involved with leaving my books behind. :(
DeleteI like animals in books. I like dogs but hubby is allergic to them. I would take my kindle with a charger. My name would be Marissa and I would like to be a researcher.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have given this some consideration, Pamela. ;-)
DeleteI do enjoy animals in books - that can tell us a lot about the characters.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday month PJ!
September is my birthday month too (if fact it is today - had a lovely dinner with family).
Happy Birthday, Di! I hope your entire day has been lovely.
DeleteI do enjoy animals in stories. They help define and reveal the personalities of the characters. We have had many pets, dogs, cats, snakes, birds, rabbits, and a variety of other reptiles and mammals.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to go on the run, other than my family, it would be hardest to leave my house and family antiques.
I have read all 4 of Katie Ruggle's Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue books. She is a wonderful new author. Even in a linked series, she gives very different lead characters and situations that fit together nicely. I look forward to reading this new series.
No need to enter my name in the giveaway since I already have all 4 books.
I love her characters!
DeleteHappy birthday month! My birthday is the 28th. I have read a few of her books and really enjoyed them. I love books that have animals in them. I personally think people that don't like animals have no heart.
ReplyDeleteAnother September baby! Happy Birthday!
DeleteHappy birthday month! My birthday is the 28th. I have read a few of her books and really enjoyed them. I love books that have animals in them. I personally think people that don't like animals have no heart.
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY, PJ!! I like the idea of celebrating all month long. 🍾🎂
ReplyDeleteI love animals in my books and my life. I can't imagine life without them! I'm both a cat and dog person but if I had to chose I'd probably go with cats.
I'm currently without a pet for the first time in 33 years. It feels strange.
DeleteHappy Birthday!!!!! I love all animals and love them in stories. I have cats and care for ferals/strays but I've had two wonderful dogs too. I wouldn't be able to give up my animals or my paperback books lol.
ReplyDeleteLike Annette, I'd probably have to hire a truck to take my books with me. ;-)
DeleteI've never read Katie Ruggle, but it sounds like I'd really enjoy her books. I expect animals to appear in books as I expect them to appear in real life - I never really "get" people who don't have animals in their lives. What in the world to they do with all that extra time, and what a hassle to have to use a non-breathing/panting/howling/whining alarm clock. And I could never go on the run - I'd be too weighed down by all the books I'd try to take with me :)
ReplyDeleteand what a hassle to have to use a non-breathing/panting/howling/whining alarm clock.
DeleteLOL! How true! Rachel, my most recent dog (she passed away almost a year ago) would stare me awake. No whining, barking, or heavy breathing. Just a face-to-face staredown until I finally opened my eyes. She was so funny. I really miss her. <3
Happy Birthday Month! I always like a dog in the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim!
DeleteHappy birthday month. I would love to celebrate all month, mine is next month and can't wait.
ReplyDeleteI love this series and would love to be able to have and read all 4 books. thanks for the chance. christinebails at yahoo dot com