A review by roksyreads
Searching for Rescue by Tonya Burrows

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

After Zak Hendricks’ final mission goes sideways, the black-ops soldier known for taking on the hardest, dirtiest missions is discharged to his hometown. Struggling with both physical and mental scars, he finds himself court-ordered to enrol in dog trainer Anna Rawling’s Paws for Vets program. Anna’s done everything to avoid the man who crushed her teenage heart all those years ago, but the fear that she’ll lose everything she’s worked so hard to build at Redwood Coast Rescue if she can’t rehabilitate the town’s notorious bad boy compels her to give the brooding, wounded vet another chance. And for Ranger—the ex-military working dog marked for death—becoming a service dog may be his last hope. Neither man nor dog want to work together, but when a missing persons case puts Anna in the sights of an obsessive killer, the broken soldier and the unruly K9 must learn to trust each other–and the entire Redwood Coast Rescue team–to rescue the woman they love.

Having read and enjoyed a few romantic suspense stories this year, I’ve been keen to delve a little deeper into the genre. Searching for Rescue, the first in the Redwood Rescue series, is my first encounter with Tonya Burrows, and the novel proved to be a good fit for my interests. And, as a bonus, the story features one of my favourite elements: an animal companion. Centred on broody black-ops veteran MMC Zak and his old high school flame (and former best friend's sister), the strong-willed dog trainer and rehabilitator FMC Anna, the novel combines an action-packed plot with an emotional second chance romance, elements of found family, and a strong narrative focus on the challenges of trauma and recovery. I was fully invested in Zak’s and Anna’s journeys and their romance from start to finish, despite encountering themes that I generally avoid, and enjoyed getting to know a broad cast of characters. I’m looking forward to continuing the series with Searching for Risk.