It should have been a routine investigation. Instead, DEA K-9 agent Adam “Deck” Decker watches in horror as one Denver hospital seems to be Ground Zero for overdoses of a new drug. Now Deck can only hope a certain icy, green-eyed ER doctor will help him and his canine partner track down the deadly source.

Dr. Tori Sampson has her reasons for not trusting federal agents, especially ones working for the DEA. But the rash of overdoses—including a heartbreaking case involving a teen—is alarmingly high. And the new opioid is not only extremely dangerous, it defies all the usual medical treatments. So Tori has a choice: work with the big, brawny, and annoyingly hot DEA agent…or watch more innocent people die.  

Tori’s the only person who can help Deck break the case, and they’ll need to trust each other, no matter how high the tension and attraction sizzling between them runs. But with every question answered, they realize there’s something more behind these typical teen overdoses. There’s a pattern here, and a pattern can only suggest one thing. There’s a killer on the loose.

Titles in the K-9 Special Ops series include — Tough Justice – Burning Justice –

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Possible Triggers: drug addiction

Title:  Tough Justice
Series:  K-9 Special Ops #1
Author:  Tee O’Fallon
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Published:  March 29, 2021
Publisher:  Entangled
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Tough Justice begins the K-9 Special Ops series with an intense Romantic Suspense that kept me up way past bedtime in order to finish it in one swoop for I didn’t want to leave this new world without knowing the ending.  Before we begin, let’s be clear about one thing – Thor absolutely stole my heart and this story from his first appearance.  I have a love for any service dog, and Thor is at the top of that list right now.  So if you love stories with a dog as a somewhat main character, then you’re gonna love this one!

There’s a new deadly drug hitting the streets of Denver, Colorado.  It’s cheap, easily gotten, and victims are showing up in ERs around the city from its deadly effects.  Which will bring two complete opposites in mindset together to solve a crime in progress… and find a lifetime partner as well.  But not before lots of mistrust, anger, and conflict gets pushed aside or resolved until Tori and Deck can find their future at the ending of this case (and story).

Deck has no time or liking for doctors, especially since he pretty much blames the medical community for getting his sister hooked on prescription opioids after an accident.  An addiction that eventually lead to her death.  Tori has no time or patience for DEA agents since she blames them for her father’s arrest, and family trauma when he is arrested and imprisoned for giving out prescription medicines to patients who cannot afford them, even if there is no written prescription to be filled.  So when Deck winds up in her ER with a fellow DEA co-worker who was exposed to a minute amount of Gray Death and won’t leave the room so she can work on the patient – their mistrust-filled relationship begins.

As they reluctantly work together to find the source of this new drug their mutual attraction will come into play which adds another level of danger to their story.  Without giving away major spoilers Tough Justice is an intense, at times emotional story with red herrings, twists, turns, and surprises that will keep readers on their toes.  I loved whenever Thor was in the scenes, this amazing dog plays a strong part in keeping these two humans in line and in love… he’s also a hero, in my eyes.  The chemistry between Deck and Tori is obvious but that mistrust of each other’s profession is getting in the way.  By the story’s ending, we will discover a lot and have more questions to come for the rest of the series.  I found this couple to be believable, yes, even when their actions didn’t make sense because humans are different and no two will react to something the exact same way.  I’ll definitely be waiting for Burning Justice, the next story in the K-9 Special Ops series to release.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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