Honor Mackenzie, a Search and Rescue team leader and dog trainer, is trying to rise above a past tarnished by innuendo and character aspersions at the hands of an unscrupulous journalist. Upon meeting Matt Phillips, a Baltimore reporter, she wants nothing to do with him or any others of his kind. Because she knows his kind, or at least Honor thinks she does. But Matt, a widower with twin ten year-old sons, forces Honor to reconsider her opinion as well as her determination to remain alone. When Honor goes from search expert to missing victim, Matt leads the effort to rescue her. But will he be too late?

HONOR REDEEMED is book two of the First Responder series, a series intended to pay homage, in the wake of 9/11, to those who put their lives on the line day in and day out. It meets that objective, shining a light on a segment of emergency personnel that is often overlooked, the responder dogs and their handlers.

Coming from a family of firefighters, I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I found some of the progression in Honor and Matt's relationship to be dubious relational leaps. Then, and most importantly, because this was a romance, I expected a happy ending. I didn't get one. Rather, the ending sets up book three by leaving open the door for that HEA, but my disappointment leaves me unmotivated to read the next book to see whether the possibility holds up.

Book Summary

"Honor Mackenzie works hard guarding the dark secrets of her past as she does training Search and Rescue (SAR) dogs. As for reporter Matt Phillips, not even his former SAR work is as important as protecting his twins.

Then a jumbo jet crash puts them face-to-face at the grisly scene--and forces Matt and Honor to reconsidertheir long-standing ""single forever"" status. Yet Matt has issues with Honor’s past, and is still struggling with them when he's told Honor has disappeared during a rescue effort.

Matt leads the search team, desparate to find Honor before a blizzard moves in. But even if he does, will they find their way back to each other or go back to living life alone? "

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