Review: Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle

Through the Fire
(Rocky Mountain K9 Unit #4)
by Katie Ruggle
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: Aug. 28, 2018
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Kit Jernigan despairs of ever fitting in with her new tight-knit K9 unit. They’ve been through too much to open their arms to a stranger―and as mysterious fires begin raging across Monroe, she can’t convince them to trust her long enough to catch the woman she knows is responsible.
Wesley March, local fire spotter, knows Kit is right, and he’s willing to help her prove it. But the more time they spend together, the closer they get…and the more danger they’re in. A member of the K9 unit’s inner circle is determined to get revenge―no matter who gets burned in the process.
This time, it’s personal.

 

 

 

 

Kit has just been transferred to a K9 unit in a small, remote mountain town. She knows that given everything this small town has been through in the last few months that it will probably take a bit to gain the trust of her partners and residents of Monroe. However, with a killer on the loose and no one listening to Kit’s instincts, she finds herself in a peculiar situation. Unable to get any of her fellow officers to take her seriously, she decides to do some digging of her own.

Even though this is the fourth book in the series, all the previous characters play a rather large role in this book. I loved getting to see the kids from the first book and the fact that they play a pretty big part in the story. Not to mention some demons from Jules’ past (first book) make an appearance as well as a common factor for all the books in the series. So, you really need to read these books in order otherwise you will more than likely feel left out.

I will admit that when I read the synopsis for this story, I interpreted it wrong. I thought this was going to be a romance between a female cop and a fire fighter. I was honestly a little disappointed at the prospect for some reason. Maybe because the common theme was that one of the characters was on the run from something and neither of these characters were. However, that was until I met Wes. Wes is this recluse mountain man who spends his days up in a tower looking for fires. He’s not a firefighter, but instead a forest service fire lookout. The town people kind of treat him like Sasquatch since he rarely comes into town and when he does, it’s so early in the morning that hardly anyone is awake. So, when he starts popping up in town to hang out with Kit, the townsfolk take notice and it becomes a big deal. Wes was so unlike anything I’d ever imagined. He’s not this cocky alpha. He’s this awkward, quiet, shy, genius who builds robots for fun and likes the solitude of his tower up in the mountains. Watching his interactions with Kit and then the rest of the gang by association was extremely adorable.

With that being said, the cover is a massive let down. I was already miffed when the cover showed a male and not a female. I get that there’s a part in the book when Wes and Justice go tracking together without Kit, however, Justice is Kit’s K9. Not to mention that Wes is supposed to be this huge, hairy, mountain man. Not only does the cover not have the correct character, but the description doesn’t even come close to fitting Wes. I just feel like this would have been the perfect opportunity to have a kick-ass female on the cover. It’s not too often that you read a story with a female as the police officer/fire fighter/military member, so it would have been really nice if the cover reflected that this story is actually Kit’s.

With my cover issues aside, I thought this was a great story. We know who the killer is right from the start since we get chapters in their POV. So, it was no surprise to the readers as to what’s going on and it makes it all the more nerve-wracking when you are a bystander to it all and can’t do anything, kinda like Kit was. No matter how many times she tried to talk to her partners and those around her about her suspicions, no one listened to her. Between the suspense, action, romance, and just getting to hang out with all the previous characters again, I really enjoyed my time reading this story.

 

Favorite part…

There’s a part in the story where Kit shows up with Jules’ children to Wes’ lookout tower. Like I said before, he is a legit recluse and doesn’t interact with anyone. So just imagine someone like that with a group of chatty and inquisitive kids. It was fun watching him go from panic of trying to figure out how to be a host, to nerding out over all his robots and various gadgets.

 

 

 

6 Thoughts on “Review: Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle

  1. Sounds like such a good storyline and yeah that part where he gets to meet the kids sound fun!

  2. bookwormbrandee on 10 August, 2018 at 12:36 pm said:

    I get irritated when the cover doesn’t represent the story too, Kristin. But I’m happy that besides that the story was one you enjoyed. 🙂 This is a series I have in audio…need to get to it. 🙂

  3. ratmom on 11 August, 2018 at 12:45 pm said:

    I hate when the cover doesn’t fit with the story. Still sounds like a good book. Everyone seems to be loving this book.

  4. I really want to read this author so badly, but yeah it sucks when the cover doesn’t show what is in the story.

  5. Oh damn! I keep meaning to read her books but I forget lol

    I can see why the cover thing is annoying and you’re right there are very few (any?) women officers with K-9’s on the cover now that I think of it.

    Karen @ For What It’s Worth

  6. Oh I’ve read a fire watcher before but can’t remember who. And gah hate when the covers don’t match. That’s obnoxious.

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