Irresistible Force

Irresistible Force
4.5 Stars

After his K-9 partner disappears, Officer James Cannon tracks him down to a cabin in the woods and is none too happy to discover that the culprit is a beautiful and terrified young woman. Determined to get away from an abusive ex, Shay Appleton is thrilled when an incredible stray is brought into the animal shelter where she volunteers. Unfortunately, her new watch dog belongs to a gorgeous yet obnoxious police officer who has no intention of giving him, or Shay, up ….

An intense and fast-paced action plot, a steamy romance and a dog to die for - what’s not to love?

Much has been made in the reviews of the unlikable heroine. However, the reasons for the reviewers dislike, while probably accurate and valid, show more are also the reasons that her character appealed to me. I have a tremendous soft spot for prickly heroines (Lily Bard, Harper Connolly) who are more realistic. Not everyone can be the sweet, loving, open and honest woman that men fawn over … in fact, these are rather tedious and boring.

Shay is damaged not doubt about it, and her traumatic experiences have shaped her personality and her decision making processes. It is not uncommon for an abused and traumatized woman to avoid figures of authority and as such her reactions to her ex and to James are believable. That said, the fact that she grows throughout the book, comes into her own and ultimately stands up for herself validates my faith in her as a strong and fiercely determined heroine.

While my preference is usually for a more Alpha hero, James is the perfect man to help bring Shay out of her shell. He is not domineering or overbearing, but gentle, sweet and understanding. It is also a good thing that he stands firm in the face of Shay’s stubbornness and refuses to give in when she rejects him.

The stalker plot is the weakest element as it doesn’t appear to have any real direction. The author seems to have changed her mind about the focus halfway through, which leads to a disorganized and contrived resolution. Nevertheless, the action scenes are exciting and the climax intense and gripping.

All in all, a solid romantic suspense and dog lovers will be swooning over Bogart. I know I was. show less

Have you ever requested a book to review from Netgalley and come to find out it’s not the first book in a series? I have done this many times. (Is it really that difficult to put the book order number on the page??) This time I requested to review Force of Attraction, book 2 in the K-9 series so I went ahead and purchased the first book. While Irresistible Force wasn’t my favorite read this week, it was cute in some places, and incredibly heated in others. I wound up enjoying this book so much I can’t wait to dig in to Force of Attraction.

The most adorable reason: Bogart. This K-9 pup stole my heart from chapter one, from his heroic qualities that make him super protective of both Shay and James to his mischievous side that made show more me giggle – such as when he ate half the fried oysters when Shay wasn’t looking. I kept wanting to simultaneously hug the overgrown pup and feed him lots of delicious treats.

Shay was a fun heroine that could be hard to understand at times (like how she kept referring to her ex-bf-turned-rapist-turned-stalker as “harmless”) but ultimately turned out to be a kick-ass, if a bit – okay, a lot, but she’s got her reasons! – damaged heroine. She’s also a character I would like to give lots of cuddles.

James was no less sexy than the cover will have you believe and he was pretty smart to use Bogart’s love for Shay (and vice versa) in wooing the lady. After all, Shay gives 100% in her devotion to pets, but it’s a lot harder for her to trust humans when all they have done her whole life was let her down. I found it cute and completely irresistible to watch James and Bogart woo her into falling in love with them both!

This book may have been slow at places and predictable in others, but the steamy sex scenes completely make up for it … and so did the character cuteness. Both James and Shay turned out to be so much more kick-ass than they thought in the end. I felt like I should have given them a standing ovation, but since it was 1 AM, I just laid in bed and soaked in such a satisfying happily ever after. It may not have been completely realistic, but what the hell I had a blast and will be reading Force of Attraction very soon! show less

When police officer James Cannon goes in search of his stolen K-9 partner Bogart, he finds the dog with Shay Appleton. When it becomes obvious that Shay had nothing to do with Bogart's theft James plans to simply take his dog and get back to work. However, his experience as a police officer tells him that Shay is in some kind of trouble and he can't resist trying to help. He quickly finds that when Shay isn't furious at him for taking “her” dog she's very attractive and very attracted to him. The two share what's supposed to be a one night stand, but James can't get Shay, or the mystery of why she's so obviously afraid of something, off his mind. When he tries to get close to Shay to explore the possibility that they could have show more something more than a fling he finds that she isn't who she says she is and that both her past and her present are more complicated and filled with danger than he would ever have imagined.

There was a lot that I enjoyed about this book. James, Shay, and Bogart are all interesting characters and the information about the way a K-9 unit works was interesting without overwhelming the story. Unfortunately there was also a significant aspect of the story that didn't work for me. There were simply too many people out to get Shay. Her troubles should have had at least one less layer, possibly two. As it was her situation involved more than one would-be rapist, multiple unhelpful police officers, corporate malfeasance, and unethical private eyes and all that was on top of a tragic backstory. It was just too much.

I enjoyed this enough to be willing to read the next book in the series, but I hope the conflict in it isn't quite so over the top. show less

James is part of a K-9 unit and when his partner, Bogart, ends up missing, it's his job to find him. In the midst of surveillance, he ends up confronting the woman he thinks nabbed his dog, Bogart. As the evidence starts to present itself, so do all the other problems this woman, Shay, seems to have. James can't help wanting to protect her, but also knows there's a whole lot more to this story. At least now he has Bogart back, and it appears that he'll be seeing Shay again. James can't decide if that's good or bad, but he's about to find out. Shay has always had obstacles to overcome in her life and now is no different. She thought she'd adopted the perfect dog from the shelter and now he's gone too. How much more will she have to deal show more with in the midst of keeping her ex out of her life? Could James somehow help her with that or would he just think she's crazy?

I really had a good time reading Irresistible Force. I was doting on James with all his protective instincts, above and beyond that of a cop helping a citizen. He treated Shay with kid gloves, but on the other hand, he couldn't seem to keep his desire for her out of the picture for long. It gave me the warm-and-fuzzies and I was almost purring for this particular hero! The storyline kept me intrigued, and even kept the heroine herself trying to keep up with things as they progressed. I was tickled pink with Bogart, Jame's K-9 partner, and he was always at the top of his game and completely adorable, yet strong and in charge (just like the hero of this story). I was happy to see Shay's ex finally get himself in trouble and that was a lovely bonus to make the story more complete. Without question, I will be on the lookout for more from D. D. Ayres. Irresistible Force was an easy read, with action, intrigue and romance to the hilt. Don't miss it! show less

Irresistible Force swept me into danger and romance.

James is looking for his missing partner, a K-9 named Bogart, and he runs cross Shay. These two have a little exchange and soon he’s drawn into her life and danger.

I LOVED Bogart. He stole my heart and James was perfect. Dogs have a way of pulling at your emotions and making you love them. I loved the relationship James has with his pup and seeing how he helps Shay, sweet. James was easy to like. Shay was ok, but she had a few to many hang-ups for me to fully like her. The story was fast-paced and I had fun with the story and leads. Theirs no shortage of action, suspense, and yummy bedroom scenes.

My only issues is that Shay and James sleep together on the first day they meet. I show more prefer reading about a couple that has spent sometime together before hopping into bed. Other then that, I had a delightful time and look forward to the next installment.

Rated: 3.5 Stars

show less

Four Stars!
Romantic Suspense
Released: 08/26/14

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When adrenaline runs high, so does the force of desire…For Shay Appleton, it’s love at first sight when a gorgeous stray dog is brought into the animal shelter where she works. She just knows he’ll make a terrific watch dog—and with an abusive ex who won’t let go, she needs all the protection she can get. But Shay never suspected that her new pet is actually a trained police K-9 named Bogart—until Bogart’s even more gorgeous, human partner shows up on her doorstep. IRRESISTIBLE FORCE Officer James Cannon is one tall, strong alpha male who’s convinced that Shay stole his dog. But once he gets closer to the suspect, he realizes that this stubborn, independent show more woman not only needs a guard dog, she needs James as well. It seems that someone from her past is stalking her, and threatening her life. When danger meets desire, will James risk his career and his best friend…to protect the woman who’s stolen his heart?　

MY REVIEW:

This boom was an intriguing mix of romance and suspense with a dash if K9 worship included. The opening chapter is definitely one that captured my attention and we're introduced not only to the problem(s) in the mix, but also to a very passed, yet yummy hero.

I was interested to see how the author was going to play this one out, especially with the heroine being introduced as a dognapper, and I gotta say, some of the scenes were quite impressive in watching the hero go to work with his partner.

I found the conflict a bit confusing as so much was going on with the heroine, but in the end, the author pulled it all together very nicely.

The romance and love scenes weren't too overdone and showed the readers exactly what they wanted to see...two people pulled together under extreme circumstances and brought together by the basic rule...attraction.

This book will leave you anxiously awaiting another K9 hero and will have you wanting to meet your own snuggly partner. show less

So, this book was just okay, nothing too exciting. I almost didn't read it after I read (at the 2% mark) that even at the very beginning of Shay's relationship with Eric is felt uneasy around him. Why would you stay in a relationship with someone for a year if you're not comfortable around them? And to put up with his crap without getting a protective order...ugh. Thankfully, in storms James to reclaim his partner/dog. I liked the James character and of course his dog, Bogart, but not so much Shay. She seemed a little too meek, but was coming off as trying to be strong and independent. She wants to do everything by herself, but in actuality all she did was run and hide. Since everybody in Raleigh knew what happened in her youth, why show more didn't she just move out of the area? Start over fresh where people don't know or care about what happened. I guess if she did we wouldn't have a big part of the plot. Oh well, I'll probably still read the next book just in case it was just a character I didn't like and not the whole story, since I really liked the prequel to this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. show less