Ultimate Courage

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ FIVE-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ⚠ MY THOUGHTS ⚠ ⭐ ⭐ ARC Provided by Publisher via Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review ⭐ ⭐ Judging a Book by it's Cover: Fully clothed male holding a gun. His loyal K9 companion at his side. Did not pay too much to the synopsis, to be honest. I really enjoyed the first book and was highly anticipating the second book in the series. Looking Deeper: Third-person POV. Elisa was on the run from a controlling, obsessive and powerful man. She made it clear across the US, but her ex kept toying with her, letting her know that he was still following up on her. She tried to learn from her mistakes, but lacked the know-how and skills to survive for much longer. A chance meeting in an E.R. with Alex and his daughter set into motion a new survival path. Alex is a single dad to a nine/ten year old girl. He was trying to cope with PTSD as a result of his SEAL deployments but afraid to enter into counseling, fearing the ex in-laws would see it as him admitting an inability to properly care for his daughter. He struggled daily but by avoiding as much public interaction as possible he had been able to limit his triggers. She's smart and determined to regain her independence. He's strong and gruff yet generous and kind. Their chemistry was very entertaining to watch grow and develop. It was a gentle, considerate, slow simmer that was reminiscent of a particular Belle and Beast movie. Boom played a wonderful part in the story, as did Souze. The secondary characters were a blend of kennel staff that were introduced in the first book and new cast from the MMA Academy. I'm not sure what became of Souze after Parent's night, he seemed to have been forgotten when Alex went up to see Elisa. Dialogue and cast interaction was rarely otherwise questioned. The plot was full and dynamic with a smooth and well-paced flow. There were not too many conflicts besides her ex, but anytime they arrived at an obstacle, they handled it in believable manners. It felt natural. There was some minor predictability and not much for surprises. The conclusion is settled nicely, with a satisfying implied HEA. Piper J Drake produced another stellar hit with this K9-based Romantic Suspense and I truly look forward to reading ABSOLUTE TRUTH (book 3), due out in December of 2016. Stands alone extremely well despite being the second book in the series. No big Cliffhangers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.5 ~ Stars: 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------