Title:  Men Under Fire
Series:  Grayce Walters #3
Author:  Jacki Delecki
Genre:  Romance, Mystery
Published:  May 25, 2015
Publisher:  
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

Hollie Thomas, the feisty, tattooed office assistant to Grayce Walters, has come a long way from living on the streets. Along with finding a job she loves, she’s found friends and safety. When her new life unravels, she faces dangers that dwarf her troubled past. Fighting to survive, she discovers that sometimes what you need the most might be found in the one person you failed to see coming.

Returning home from the war and struggling to find his way, Sergeant Nick Welby, and his bomb-sniffing golden lab, use their skill set in the last place he’d ever imagined—Seattle’s Waterfront. To protect the one woman who matters, Nick and his trusty canine partner will risk everything to rescue her and Seattle from disaster.

Embroiled in Grayce Walters’ most perilous case—a terrorist plot with the threat of deadly explosives—can Nick and Hollie work together to save themselves and each other before it’s too late?

Read on for my thoughts on Men Under Fire.  No true spoilers, promise.

Men under Fire is a story that draws you in and does not let go.  Hollie is an amazing character.  I loved her toughness, and her tenderness as well.  Yes, she covers it well, but it’s there, willing to grow into something she never expected.

The entire time I was reading I had the perfect picture of Hollie in my head.  If you’ve ever watched NCIS – then you know who I mean.  I don’t know if that is how I should have been picturing this young lady but it is the image that came to mind the very first time I read her thoughts… and no matter what happened, it never left.

Hollie had a crap shoot of a younger life.  I didn’t want to see her have to relive any of that again, but memories aren’t something we have much control over.  When the time for decisive actions came, Hollie put herself on the front lines.  Never think that researching and following leads is not important – without knowledge no action would ever be taken or end successfully.

Nick and his partner, Talley had returned from Afghanistan where they had the difficult and heroic job of finding bombs and explosives.  Talley has saved many lives with her sensitive nose, and as her handler Nick has come to depend on signals from his friend and dog partner to save not only his life but others as well.  As the only survivors of their last mission, Nick and Talley were both suffering from posttraumatic stress.  Which is why they were at Dr. Grayce Walters office.  Her ability to sense Talley’s needs, and her way of calming them both made her an important woman in their lives forever.

But the main reason for returning to Dr. Walters’ office far more than necessary was another woman… Hollie.  Nick had felt an instant attraction to the seemingly bold yet shy young woman who ran the office.  She was a combination of contrasting personalities, still Nick was able to see through Hollie’s defenses to the woman beneath – a woman who he was determined to claim as his own.

Men Under Fire was an intense story with strong and sweet characteristics of every single person in the story coming out to shine.  The threat to Grayce and the danger the community was in held me in a reading frenzy until the sweet loving ending.  I’m not going to give it away, but Nick is a pretty amazing guy with an equally charming partner in Talley — and Nick plus Hollie was simply a perfect pairing.

If you enjoy a love story with a dash of danger, a bit of a mystery and a really, tight circle of friends and family in every adventure then Men Under Fire is a novel you should be reading.

*I received an e-ARC of Men Under Fire from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Available in paperback and for the Kindle