[Kame's Review]: "Irresistible Force"

Irresistible Force by D.D. Ayres
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 26, 2014)
Series: K-9 Rescue, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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.

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 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?

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More Info:

Author's Site
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Reviews of Ayres Previous Books:

Necessary Force (#0.5) -- Kame


Kame's Review:

Shay has a past that few could move forward from. She finally feels safe when she meets her Prince Charming, the dog she adopted one month ago. Until then she did not feel safe from her ex. James is on a mission to find his K9 partner who was abducted. He will push the limits of the law and his personal ethics to bring Bogart back safely.

I am not sure how Shay got up in the morning. Her past is so unspeakable that I am shocked she was a functioning adult. There were small glimpses at the woman Shay was when she felt safe, but for most of this book she did not feel safe so she teetered between strong and mouselike most of the book. She is smart and I liked how she was given a career few women really have.  James was not my favorite character for most of the book. I had a hard time forgiving him for his behavior in the first chapters.  He is loyal and is starting to realize he needs to follow his Dad’s words of wisdom and find the woman who “smells of forever”. He has made bad choices in his past and he is paying for them now, and so is Bogart. Shay and James immediate attraction was not very believable to me, they did have their share of steamy scenes and by the end of the book I did feel they had a true connection.

Regarding the plot, I will say I read the first few chapters before bed and I was not able to sleep after, and not in a good way. Those first few chapters really upset me. Behavior by primary and secondary characters did not leave me feeling like I wanted to continue the book. What kept me going was how much I enjoyed the prequel novella to this series, I had hope and faith that it would turn around.  I woke up with the determination that I would finish the book first off this morning so I could get it out of my head.  This is not an easy book to read and I want to caution people with triggers to domestic violence. The whole book is not one violent scene after another, but the scenes that do have an altercation were hard for me to read.


I also have found myself reviewing scenes in my head to try to get the timeline straight.  The plot seems to take place over a few weeks in November before Thanksgiving, but the timing of the last few chapters seems a little off. Most readers will not catch things like this, but these little details sit in the back of my mind until I get them resolved.

The most wonderful part of this book is the interaction with the dogs/K9 partners. I am not a dog owner but I appreciate a dog’s personality and that was written very well.  And in a way that often brought lightness to a tough scene.

After I finished the book I went back to my review of the novella to reread it. I find even with the issues I had with this book I still really find the series interesting. Once I got past the issues I had with the first few chapters the characters started to grow on me. There is another book in the series coming out in early 2015 and I will definitely give the series another try.

3 1/2 STARS! 

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Kame received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for her honest opinion.

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Thanks for the review, Kame! Sometimes, the book just doesn't QUITE live up to our expectations. But it has a sexy cover -- that must be worth something, right?

Have you read D.D. Ayres before?

Enjoy!


Until Next Time,




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