June Wine Club Review: Necessary Force by D. D. Ayres (K-9 Rescue 0.5)

Book: 

Necessary Force by D. D. Ayres

Wine: 

2011 SAUVIGNON BLANC 

by The Loyal Companion

         

Lexi: Necessary Force has a great beginning! The heroine, Georgiana, is climbing out of bed. Out from under the sexy man she met at her photo shoot. Ayres describes his naked glory very artistically, exactly how Georgie sees him. What a great scene, and the rest of the novella keeps that same quality! I dare either of you to tell me you didn’t love that opening.

Crystal: That was definitely one of the most sensual openings I have ever read. I loved Georgie's internal dialogue at the time, describing what she saw while taking pictures of the very nekkid and oh-so-sexy man in her bed. How the bedding was "drawn up at a right angle to offer tantalizing shadowy glimpses of his impressive equipment." Oh-la-la! 

Crystal L: I have to admit that my brain stuck on "impressive equipment" and stayed there for a while, lol. But when I came out of my sexy coma I went back, re-read the section again and appreciated the visual treat that Ayers gave us even more. I loved that opening.

Lexi: A man in uniform can hardly get any better, until you add in a loyal dog. Our hero of the story, Brad, is a seasoned FBI agent. He is good at what he does and his partner, Zander, has a nose like no other. Brad and Zander do everything together, making them very close and able to read one another. The way Zander picks up on Brad’s nervousness around Georgie is sweet and makes you want to have a dog that protective of you. Brad or Zander, which would you want protecting you?

Crystal: Oh boy, that is a hard being a Lab lover myself. Of course, my own lab is too lazy to take the time to sniff out anything. LOL I did enjoy the relationship between Zander and Brad, you could feel the bond between them and it reminded me of Jill Shalvis' Animal Magnetism series, which is a favorite. I wish Brad was a little more fleshed out as a character but being a novella the lack of background was understandable. However, I wouldn't mind getting to know him better over a drink! ;-)

Crystal L: Honestly, I'd want the dog. While I really liked this novella, Brad's pretense into being someone else when he first met Georgie really pissed me off when we found out the truth in the second chapter. I would have loved if our heroine could have put Brad through the ringer a bit more for that falsehood. However, as twinsy mentions above, allowances have to be made since this is a novella. I think Ayers did a pretty good job of wrapping up the story plot lines given the length of the story.

Lexi: This yellow lab should have had more page time, well this whole story should have had more page time. Ayres has a great Romantic Suspense story to tell with very few pages. The suspense was plotted out well. A mysterious bomber, Georgiana having an internet stalker, and the torture of waiting for Brad and Georgie to get together. They do get together, this is a romance book but Ayres does it in a real life way instead of leaving them madly in love at the conclusion of the book. Were you satisfied with the ‘taking the next step to dating and being on the verge of love’ ending?

Crystal: Novella's aren't an easy thing to do, especially in romance because you have to move the relationship along faster then you would in a full page novel but still keep it believable. The suspense was very well written but I felt it outweighed the romance here; maybe if there were more tortured glances, near misses and sexual tension between characters woven into the story I would have been happier but there wasn't. I was left wanting. I hope to see more of Georgie and Brad's growing relationship in the continuation of the series.

Crystal L: I agree with twinsy again. The action and suspense was plenty, the romance was a little lacking. I felt like if this had been a novel instead of a novella, Ayers would have had room to flesh out the relationship a bit. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the story quite a bit, but I wish this particular story had been a novel instead of a novella.

Lexi: Necessary Force is the prequel to Ayres release, Irresistible Force, coming in August. *Spoiler, we may just have to read this for our next Wine Club pick.* Ayres writing is descriptive enough to make the location come alive and strong enough to make you feel what Georgie is experiencing. If the next books are as good as this prequel we are in for a great new series!

Crystal: Necessary Force was a good start to the K-9 Rescue series and I am intrigued enough by the premises of it that I am really looking forward to what the author can do with a full novel.

Crystal L: I think Necessary Force was a fair start to this new series. I also think there is loads of potential for the next book to be far better due to more length in the plot line to show all aspects of suspense and romance. I'm really looking forward to starting the next book in the series because I'm a sucker for both a man in uniform and a man who loves animals. YAY!

Title: Necessary Force
Series: K-9 Rescue 0.5
Author: D. D. Ayres
Format: eBook, 100 pages
Published: July 1st, 2014 by St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN13: 9781466865792
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | ARe
Source: NetGalley

It was supposed to be a sexy calendar shoot to raise money for K-9 service dogs. Photographer Georgie Flynn never expected to break all her personal rules and jump into bed with one of the hunky men posing. And after their steamy night together, she certainly never expected to see him again…despite their powerful connection.When she's targeted by a stalker and possible bomber, Georgie finds that her gorgeous one-night stand is the only one who can help.
Brad Lawson, an FBI operative, and his K-9 bomb sniffing partner are assigned to protect the pretty photographer--and this time, he’s determined to keep things professional. He just didn't count on their explosive connection rekindling. But with a deadly threat on the horizon, will he be able to keep his body’s demands in check and complete his mission?