Crew is a seasoned K-9 handler and trainer. His current mission has him overseas where he meets Havoc on base. They become fast friends and may or may not be training together on the downlow. There are rules, after all, that "mutts" from unofficial litters can't go through the military program.
On patrol with his military detachment, Crew runs into overly inflated egos that make poor judgment calls and exercise even worse leadership. His life changes immediately as the group finds themselves in the midst of a minefield trap. Eighteen months later, he's home, recovered from losing his leg (later revealed to be named Larry), missing his buddy Havoc, down on his recruiting quota for his boss' working dog ranch.
Mercifully, boss = friend who cares about Crew's spark and wellbeing. Unbeknownst to Crew, he's been scouring the earth for Havoc's whereabouts and surprises Crew with his presence. The catch? There's a job.
Havoc is commissioned to come work onscreen on a popular action show. Crew is loathe to go, but he pulls himself up and promises himself he won't let his boss and friend down in thanks for reuniting him with Havoc.
Vienna Foxcroft is a force of her own as the stunt double on set for the tv show's star lead. Skilled in several forms of martial arts, hand-to-hand weapons, and MMA styles, she turns heads and fends off "sharks" everyday. She's learned to navigate her working relationships with healthy boundaries and a distaste for dating.
Weary of being compared to her gorgeous famous mother and of being used to get to her Senator father, Vienna throws herself into every job. She works hard to make her career her own. We learn that she can't outrun her mother's disapproval, but has her father's support - though he keeps his distance most of the time.
Personalities clash and tempers flare the instant Crew and Havoc step on site. Crew isn't afraid to stay on brand and be himself, but he also makes sure not to advertise his personal battle with being a leg down. But after a well matched spar with Vienna, dubbed "Foxtrot" in his mind, he can't hide it for long.
I love the balance of the romance and the fight sequences. There's so much suspense - think, party ambush, a mistaken identity, kidnapping, and hide and seek to the next level - that the feelings are felt by the reader before they're laid out by the characters. The best show-don't-tell situation, if you ask me.
There's even an amazing conversation where Crew shares how he wants to live for God and then Foxtrot spars with him from her stance of unbelief. He handles it and doesn't get ruffled. Havoc diffuses tension whenever possible with a traitorous hand boop. He brings humor and comfort in his way.
Havoc is never far from Crew's side and thinks of work as play. Ronie writes him into each scene and handles his relationship with Crew with ease. Loyalty and friendship weave themselves into every fiber of this story. It's not hard to imagine her experience with retired and washed out working dogs - her words do these fur-missiles justice and she honors them well.
This action-packed story is a 5/5 for me. Each bit of tension is well-placed and flows with the story. Fitting of a military romance, the conversations and interactions between Crew, Havoc, and Foxtrot are squishy heart inducing rather than feeling like contrived plot points to please readers. Best. Ronie brings in a wide cast of characters that bring more to the story as needed. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Sunrise Publishing was cool enough to provide me a complimentary digital ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
