Valerie Hansen writes SURVIVING CHRISTMAS which has a more serious meaning than usual. Zoe Trent has just graduated with her Belgian breed police dog Freya, and her college buddy Sean Murphy phones to say he's chased off armed prowlers. Sean is an ex-soldier and widowed; he was mainly worried for his six-year old son, who has speech difficulties. Zoe extends the hand of friendship and invites them to stay while she fills in for some officers taking time off at Christmas. Maybe she can even get Sean into a therapy dog program. But when all seems to be going well, a sinister man spots Sean in a store and trails him to fire a shot. What trouble has he dragged along to Zoe's door?

I really love the scenes which show the interaction between people and dogs, including Angel, a rescue Border Collie which Sean hopes to adopt. Zoe is a very capable and sensible lady, and Sean find himself learning to trust her instincts and training. Young Patrick loves the dogs from the start.

Next up is HOLIDAY HIGH ALERT by Lenora Worth. Josie Callaghan works in daycare and Officer Dalton West leaves his ten-year-old daughter with her. Dalton's K-9 partner is a large brown mongrel called Luna. Nervous after the events of the previous tale, Josie thinks she spots a prowler. Dalton takes her seriously and investigates with his dog. Someone is leaving creepy notes addressed to Josie, and Dalton intends to track them.

In the setting of windblown pines and cold air, the suspense does feel chilling. Arizona gets some snow and the open roads give a wide-open impression. Dalton's main suspect is approached in his Utah home and advised to stay away from Josie. But it can't be over that easily, can it?

You don't need to have read the earlier romance books in this setting and if you haven't, you will probably want to run and get them after reading about the ROOKIE K-9 UNIT CHRISTMAS.

Book Summary