Not very suspense-y (that gets ignored for the middle 80% of the book and then gets wrapped up right quick) and maybe too much dog. I mean, Tricks was basically the dog version of a plot moppet. She was definitely cute and stuff but the dog should not get as much page time as the leads.

N.B. for dog lovers: I like dogs, they are great and fun. But I don't like when kids or best friends get as much page time as the romantic leads either. At least, if they are there only for being cute or to provide a foil. ( )

This was a romantic suspense. Morgan is a covert agent who got shot and needed a place to lie low while he recovered and his team uncovered why he was targeted in the first place. He ends up hiding ou in a small town in West Virginia with the chief of police. Morgan was a good guy, but a tough guy. Bo was guarded. She had walls. It wasn't exactly love at first sight with these two. Bo only helped him out because she couldn't morally turn him away. Plus her hated ex step brother was making it worth her while. They spent a lot of time dancing around each other. But they ended up being a good team and I enjoyed watching the love grow. This started off kinda of strange and slow, but I ended up really liking it. I really enjoyed Tricks. She was hilarious. I really liked all the characters. ( )

Just okay. Not up to Linda Howard's gold standard. Seemed like an offering from a midlister instead. There was none of the sparkling humor between the hero and heroine or high tension in the mystery plot that I've come to expect. Okay storyline. I thought there was way too much of the super smart dog. The heroine's reactions concerning the dog were over the top. Seemed like they were the reactions I would have expected a person to have about their child instead. I know some people really love their dogs but it just didn't work for me. ( )

Isabeau (Bo) is a small town police chief who is forced to accept a house guest in Morgan, an operative who has survived a gunshot wound and needs someplace quiet and safe to heal. In the beginning, Morgan is extremely weak, but as he gets stronger, he and Bo become more and more attracted to one another. When Bo's beloved dog, Tricks, is threatened, Morgan saves her and the relationship is consummated. There really isn't much suspense in the story until near then end when the culprit who was responsible for shooting Morgan is finally revealed.
The interaction between the two lead characters made for a light and fun developing romance which is enhanced by the love of a good dog, but the suspense aspect of the story is left shortchanged. The middle of the story drags on a bit as the relationship between the characters is explored for almost too long. A good light read by Linda Howard, but there are so many of her books that I liked more than this one. ( )

Enjoyed this as an almost perfect example of romantic suspense, but too much about the dog! The vanity of the dog - didn't even seem that flattering to dogs! it didn't work for me, except for adding a little humour. ( )