National Forest K-9 Book #2
Book Blurb:
“Hide, Maya. Don’t let the bad people find you.”
Those are the last words Forest Service law enforcement officer and K-9 handler Maya Thompson ever heard her mother say.
Returning to the Colorado mountains, ex-soldier Maya is no longer a scared little girl. She’s here to investigate her mother’s cold case, but fear creeps in when it comes to her personal life—things are getting serious with sheriff deputy Josh Colten.
After new DNA evidence surfaces, both her beloved grandfather and Josh warn her away from the case, suspecting that she could be the next victim. But Maya doesn’t listen.
Instead, Maya and her K-9 partner, Juniper, track a suspect deep into the forest and directly into grave danger…
My Review:
I read and reviewed Chasing Justice recently and greatly enjoyed Book 1 of the series which introduced the Malinois Justice and main character Maya with the projected romance character Josh.
Maya is ex-military and has issues connected with her service. Josh has his own issues given his previous involvement in the Chicago Police Department. He’s the new deputy in town and quickly caught the eye of everyone including Maya, who tries hard not to act on the tension between them.
Maya is a US Forest Service Law Enforcement officer for the Pino Grande National Forest in Colorado. Maya begins to dig deep into the deaths of her mother and grandmother, their cases never solved. As Maya digs deeper into those cases, however, secrets begin to surface that scar.
Pops, her grandfather is prominently featured as well as Juniper, and the atmospheric description of the forested areas of Colorado is a beautiful character as well, lending mystery to searches.
I enjoy the explanation of training techniques, the special qualities attributed to the breed, and the strong bond that is developed between the two. Fortunately, the storyline weaves canine details and twists into the plot and the pacing is fairly even.
The romance angle between the two, Maya and Josh, tends to overshadow the main thrust of the narrative which is brought up short by the intrusion of Juniper. Finally, it just gets a bit heavy on the romance for me. While I’d intended to read the series, I’m now backing off that plan.
Still, for most that enjoy romance in their books, and specifically in this one, police romance, then this novel coupled with an amazing dog should add even more spice to pique your interest.
Many thanks to my favorite fully stocked library that provided the ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars 
Book Details:
Genre: Police Romance eBooks, Animal Fiction
Publisher: Carina Press
ASIN: B0B72FJLHJ
Print Length: 324 pages
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Source: Local Library
Title Links:
Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
The Author: Award-winning author, Kathleen Donnelly is a handler for a private narcotics K-9 detection company. She enjoys using her experience to craft realism into her fictional stories. Kathleen loves the beauty of the mountains, which inspired her choice of setting for her series. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and her four-legged co-workers. Visit Kathleen on her website at http://www.kathleendonnelly.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorKathleenDonnelly/, follow her on Twitter @KatK9writer or find her on Instagram @authorkathleendonnelly.
©2025 V Williams
Rosepoint Publishing 
I love books about K-9 worker dogs. This sounds like a series I would enjoy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Virginia.
so do i, Carla. they really can be amazing animals. you may very well enjoy it more than i did as it includes a romance. at least it not the graphic variety.
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