I have never read anything by Katie before and what attracted me to the series is the blurb... ok ok ok it was definitely the gorgeous cover with a pooch on it!!! I am a sucker for a pupper, which is kind of shocking because I haven't picked up that many books that feature animals. I don't even watch Animal Channel because animals getting hurt just sets me off on a sad spiral and ugly crying jags. I digress... what really made me pick up the book is the blurb and the whole suspense 'protect me' angle. As soon as I read the first couple of sentences I was instantaneously sucked into the story. Katie just has a way with words that takes you right into the story becoming a fly on the wall in the lives of a small town where Jules is on a run and hiding out while our broken hero Theo doesn't even attempt to fight the attraction and instinct to protect. Also very helpful since Theo is on a police task force!

Jules is in a new in town with her siblings trying to start life over again and give better life to all. Doing all that while being on constant guard and one foot out of the door ready to run again to secure her siblings' safety. I loves Jules!!! She was an amazing character with perfect balance of feminine and strong heroine. Even in her own position she was a solid rock to her family and perhaps that was the reason why our broken Theo with his K9 pooch, Viggy, gravitated towards her.

This whole story kept me on my toes in total suspense on what would happen and there were quite a few doozy revelations. However, I wish we got more on Jules' siblings in terms of filling more plot dents (can't even call them holes).

I so so so so so loved the characters in this book as well as secondary characters... I mean I know the story is all about Theo/Jules but I need more on Hugh ASAP! So I will definitely be following this series more closely... you know not to miss anything.

PS... the book also reads extremely authentic and after taking a peek into the "About The Author" section it's confirmed that she is a kickass with a police academy background.

This is my first Katie Ruggle book and it will not be my last. Run to Ground is the start of a brand new series, which I believe is off to a good start. I must admit that I was sceptical about accepting this book for review as the author was new to me. I had promised myself I would not accept new review requests from authors I did not work with before, but after reading the synopsis, I could not resist. Yeah, I know I am weak, but it was all worth it in the end.

What the story is about.
Run to Ground tells the story of Juliet Jackson a young woman, who along with her siblings are on the run. Their journey led them to a small mountain town in Colorado where they met a surly K-9 police officer who goes by the name of Theo Basco. His determination to uncover the mysteries of Juliet would place them both on dangerous ground.

My Perspective
The Story
Being a huge fan of this genre, I could not wait to dive into this book. From the moment I began reading, I knew I made the right decision. This story as all the elements I look for in this genre. A fast-paced plot, a slow burning romance, nail-biting moments and draw dropping twists that will have you thinking “What the Hell”. I did not want the story to end and when it did, it left me literally wanting more. There were issues regarding the main characters which, I was expecting to be resolved, unfortunately, this did not happen. Therefore, I was left with many unanswered questions. I guess these will be addressed in the books to come. The story is well written and engaging.

The Main Characters
I admired Juliet for the risks she was willing to take to ensure the safety of her siblings. Her actions aptly demonstrated the true meaning of love. Few people would be willing to give up their cushy life for one which entailed being on the run so that someone else would be safe.
Theo was a complicated character. His mannerisms bordered on being rude and insufferable, which made him seem unlikeable. However, as the story evolved the reasons behind his behaviour became clear. He is having difficulty coping with the loss of his K-9 partner and losing his friend and mentor.
I loved them both together. They complemented each other well. Juliet brought his softer and protective side. She made him feel alive. The cop in him knew she was running from something but the man in him did not care about these secrets, He was more interested in getting closer to her. It was a pleasure watching Theo bond with Juliet and her siblings. There was wariness on both sides, but eventually, they managed to move past it and was able to build a semi-solid relationship.
I appreciated how the romance developed in this instance. No insta-love moments here, which I am sure most readers like myself would appreciate. The romance, which was sweet with a hint of spice moved at a normal pace.

Supporting Characters.
I loved how Theo’s friends looked out for him. It would seem on the surface, that he did not like how they hovered out of concern, but deep down he did care. I enjoyed the camaraderie that they shared. It was fun and entertaining.
As it relates to Juliet’s siblings, their love for each other was clear as day. However, I was hoping for more where their stories were concerned. There is a hint of abuse, but this was not explored. I was left to make assumptions about what had transpired.

Conclusion:
The ending was satisfactory, in spite of the issues I mentioned earlier. The epilogue hinted at exciting things to come, which makes me eager to get my hands on the next book in the series.


Recommendation:
If you love romantic suspense and stories that feature a brooding hero, an adorable dog then you will enjoy Run to Ground.

Wow! What a thriller!
Jules was between a rock and a hard place, having just escaped from having to go to jail for using her CPA license to aid criminals, while her brothers and sister are being held by their stepmother under terrifying and abusive circumstances. She manages to kidnap her own siblings. They land in Monroe, Colorado, trying to stay under the radar to avoid police and the stepmother’s private investigators.
Theo is a police officer in Monroe who has recently lost his K9 partner to cancer and his human partner to suicide. Theo is in a bad way emotionally. He notices the new waitress at the local diner and gradually he and Jules are attracted to each other, even with this terrible secret that Jules has to protect.
Meanwhile a group of conspiracy theorists and mad bombers are also hiding in plain sight in Monroe. There is also someone who shot at the police outside of a high school. It’s a maze of terror all happening pretty much at the same time. Is any of it related? You’ll have to read the story to find out.

Katie Ruggle writes some of the BEST romantic suspense romances EVAH! I love her hero for Run to Ground and the heroine is just as lovable. I like how the plot intensifies just at the perfect moment and how of course, the hero comes to the rescue. OMG nothing beats a story like this I swear! I was on the edge, biting my lip, my heart was pumping, my palms sweaty yet the romance and heat sizzled and is sigh-worthy. A truly fantastic one of a kind romantic suspense that DESERVES recognition!

While I liked this beginning book in a new series, I didn't love it. Theo is dealing with guilt and grief, which makes his judgement a bit off on the new girl in town. Jules has escaped with/kidnapped her younger siblings. All we know is that they are somehow being abused. She needed the help of a powerful man to escape which leads you to believe that she will have to pay up for this favor sometime in the future. While they both fight their attraction for different reasons, they can't maintain the fight. The fact that Jules keeps the real reason why she came to town a secret from Theo is a bit unbelievable and I hope has some resolution in the next book. The threat against Theo and Viggy was easy to figure out. I was invested enough to want to read the next book.

I was really looking forward to this new series by Ms. Ruggle. The premise of it seemed right up my alley with K9 officers and their human partners, a woman and her siblings on the run and hiding out in Colorado and a not so nice group of individuals with bombs and weapons. All the elements of a good series was there and the preview provided in After the End was very intriguing.

However, it took me a while to get through the book and for the most part I was disappointed. So what went wrong? I needed more character development, fewer open threads at the end of the story (and sometimes at the end of a scene) and the dialogue often seemed off and unnatural. I had a lot of highlights in this book followed by some of my snarky commentary - way too many snarky comments. And none of my highlights were positive - that's a telling statement as well.

First off, I wasn't enamored with the flashbacks in this story. Give me a solid prologue and I'm much happier. And this story would have worked really well with a prologue so the interruptive flashbacks weren't needed. And in addition to the flashbacks, the scene changes seemed to end abruptly and the transitions between scenes weren't always smooth. Now I did read an ARC, so some of the jumpiness could be resolved in the final edit.

The character development seemed to come in bits and pieces and some of the key characters didn't feel fully fleshed out. The whys of their back stories were pretty sketchy. I would have definitely liked more development of the bad guys. They had a way of appearing and disappearing but we never see much development of them.

Theo has lost not only his K9 partner, but his fellow "human" partner committed suicide. The why of the suicide is an open thread that you have to wonder if it's going to be picked up later in the series. Theo has been gutted by the suicide and feels guilty for not seeing the signs so he could have prevented his partner's death. Having lost his K9, he inherits his partner's K9, Viggy. He has internalized a lot of emotions and developed a really surly disposition which is really unappealing and it's hard to get vested in him. Maybe he needed to see a shrink? Plus his attitude and dealing with Viggy is downright off putting in parts of the book. Viggy is an excellent part of the story and seems to be every readers' favorite character.

Jules has "rescued/kidnapped" her younger siblings from her father and stepmother. The stepmother is an unknown quantity and the thread of Jules taking her siblings and hiding out in Colorado is one of the open threads that looks to continue through the rest of the series. The family unit is interesting, but I really think we needed more of their back story. What really went on with the kids? We get some glimpses into their past life, but I need more. Jules is supposed to be a professional accountant in her former life, but her thought processes come off more like a teenage version of herself.

Mentally Theo keeps using the term "squirrelly waitress" to describe Jules which I got tired of really quickly. Personally when I think of a squirrelly personality I generally think of a twitchy nerd, or an addict looking for drugs. The term didn't work for me and I cringed whenever it was written. A lot of time is spent on Theo and Jules, but for whatever reason, I never became vested in their relationship.

It felt like there were multiple plot points and subplot points and open threads are left all over the place. I had identified a number of scenes where elements of the scene were either left hanging or I didn't think all the elements were believable. I had major issues with the final suspense scene from doubting Theo's capabilities to asking why the back door of a crime scene was left unchecked. Standard operating procedures would have been to secure the crime scene including the front and back of the building.

I think if you took only the suspense plot scenes from the book and pieced them together without the romance development, you would find there isn't much cohesion or development. It's more like a loose, fractured plot. The suspense is started but then disappears with a relationship scene. I think it may be because you never see the investigation at work - just stand alone scenes. There is a fine balance in romantic suspense to make sure both the romance arc works and the suspense arc works. For me the suspense arc didn't work and left too much open and not enough closure.

The only thread that's tied in this book is the happily for now with Theo and Jules. And as this is a romantic suspense I don't consider my comment a spoiler - it's kind of a given from the very beginning. Everything else in the plot felt like an open thread waiting for the next book or even the next book after that. I get that this is a series. One major open thread is good, too many open threads - maybe not so good.

Although the series has solid potential, for me, it wasn't a stellar start. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC of this book.

This was an interesting start to a new series but I give it a "cliff-hanger" since I not 100 percent satisfied with the end and I hope we finish the story.

Juliet Young had no option left to her but to grab her abused younger siblings and make a run for it. She is now hiding under the name Julie "Jules" Jackson formerly of Arkansas. Jules thought running to a quiet, small town in the Rocky Mountains would be a safe place to lay low but she didn't realize that small towns like to ask questions and take note of new arrivals.

Jules has also caught the attention of the police officers who frequent the diner where she works. Young and single, they notice the pretty new waitress. They also note how jumpy she is and how practiced her answers are. There is no question that she is running and hiding from something, but they would never guess how bad.

Theo is surly by nature, but he has also had a very bad year losing his partners, both human and K9. He is now supposed to partner with his mentor's dog, Viggy, but Viggy is as much shattered by the death of his human as much as Theo is.

Theo tells himself that he is simply checking up on Jules because of her odd behavior, but soon both Theo and Viggy are enchanted with the whole family.

Falling for and opening her house up to a police officer is a pretty stupid move, and Jules knows it but she also can't help how attached she is becoming to Theo.

This was a great story and it greatly held my attention. I had to know what was going to happen when Theo found out about Jules. There was also an element of something stalking Jules and whether it was someone on behalf of the abusive step-mother or Jules's shady ex-boss, was a mystery. This is the first book of a new series and like the prior series, it appears that it will have a common thread through the series so be prepared that you won't get all your answers right away. It is a good story and great new characters so I am definitely in it 'til the end.

So, I loved this book. I'm learning that Katie's books are right up my alley. She writes the best romantics suspense. And they have have the perfect ratio of romance to suspense.

I loved th characters. Theo was what I loved in a male lead in a book. He was standoffish, broody and very capable. I loved how he was with Jules and the kids.

And I admired what Jules did for her siblings. She protected them with her life. I loved seeing that sibling bond between all of them.

And I loved the plot of the book. I suspense. I can read that shit 24/7 as long as it's done right. And in this case it was. I liked that it'd that the suspense wasn't too overwhelming and the same is for the romance.

Bottom is if you like romantic suspense with the perfect amount of each than this is for you. And if you like books with K-9 dogs the same goes.

Now I know I said I loved it, which i did, but there is still a few questions left unanswered. I'm assuming that this is like her other series and is just going to continue on to another book.

Ehh
Great heroine - poorly executed hero, cool dog.

I really wanted to like this one. I love dogs and romance books so this seemed like a good fit for me but I really struggled with it. I ended up flicking through it and in the end put it down completely. This book is proof that openings are everything, it's how you introduce your story line and characters, but this opening was all over the place. The flashbacks were really annoying and didn't work for me at all. It was especially annoying because the events had only happened a few days/weeks before. I felt that this would have better suited a prologue or just added into the timeline of the novel.

I didn't really connect with the characters. I understand that they had all been through a lot but I don't think that makes some of the behaviour appropriate or ok. This especially applies to Theo who is surly, rude and has a habit at glaring at women in a way that would make me ask what his damn problem was.

Despite all this I will give this series another go. The writing wasn't bad and with some different characters I might have enjoyed this a lot more.

Theo Bosco has lost a lot, he lost his K9 partner and his mentor. His mentor was also like a father figure and he is devastated as well is his new K9 partner Viggy. Theo knows that he needs to stay away from Juliet "Jules" Jackson, but he just can't stay away. He knows that she is hiding something but doesn't want to question her, because he can tell that her younger siblings have been traumatized.

Jules is on the run with her siblings after "kidnapping" them from her father and their mother. She is trying to stay below the radar but in the ends drawing the attention of a police officer. Everyone is trying to get to know Jules, while Theo's friends are trying to convince him to do a check on Jules, he refuses. He knows her and knows that she is no criminal.

Run to Ground is the first book of the Rocky Mountain K9 series, it is a good book but I did not enjoy it as much as Katie's Search and Rescue series. There was always something going on in the story and kept me interested but the ending didn't seem realistic and some of the story threads were still open at the end of the story. I hope that some of these threads are closed in the next story, and we can go back to the type of story (exciting and great) seen in the Search and Rescue series.

I really liked this book. I have been wanting to read Katie Ruggle for a while and since this was the beginning of a new series, I thought that this would be a good place to start. The fact that this is a series about a K9 unit also really appealed to me since I am a huge dog lover. I was hooked to the story pretty much right away and was really wondering how everything would work out. This was a really exciting read that kept me guessing until the very end.

Theo was hard to figure out at first. He really seemed to come across as closed off and almost rude. He has been through a lot recently. His K9 partner died of cancer and his fellow officer also died. He has a new K9 partner, Viggy, who had previously worked with the officer that died. Both Viggy and Theo are having a very hard time adjusting to the change and they are both deep in grief.

Jules whisked her 4 siblings off to safety and needs to stay under the radar. She has moved into a local home in need of a lot of repairs and has taken a job at the local diner. She really just wants to keep her younger brothers and sister safe and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. She does live with the constant fear that they will be discovered.

I liked Jules and Theo together a lot. They really seemed to compliment each other perfectly. This is a very slow moving romance and I thought that they relationship built at a realistic pace. The build up between the pair was wonderfully done and I was so happy when they finally came together. Theo just fit in with Jules and her siblings perfectly even with all of his grumpiness.

There were a few issues that I felt like Jules and Theo really needed to work out and I kept waiting for them to get around to it. It never did happen so I feel like there are a few issues that were not completely resolved at the end of the story. I would have also like to learn a bit more about the history of all of the siblings. A little bit more of a backstory would have been very welcome.

I would recommend this book to other fans of contemporary romance. I really enjoyed Katie Ruggle's style of writing and found this to be an exciting and fast paced novel. I can't wait to see what happens next in this great series!

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley.

Running from trouble to a small Colorado mountain town with frightened siblings in tow and encounters an irascible K-9 cop with a few suspicions and a whole lot more interest in the present than the past. Trouble finds them all in this exciting new romantic suspense series.
Review

Run to Ground is the first book in the Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit series and is part of the same world as the author’s earlier Search & Rescue series. I was all set to get comfortable and fall in love with a new series by the author and I did.

I was practically a whole cheerleading squad to see Jules and her younger siblings who escaped a deplorable home life get their chance along with grieving and self-blaming Officer Theo Bosco who lost a canine partner to cancer and then his human partner to depression. Secrets abound and it was a nice level of tension to see how things worked out with Jules hiding big stuff and Theo being a cop. In this instance, the secrets are justified because its one of those sad situations where the law can’t help the victims here at least for now when they are most vulnerable to a crime that can’t be proven.

The secrets of Jules and her relations were only part of the suspense element. I enjoyed the action suspense element of a shooter and a night prowler.

But most of all, I enjoyed this sweet and spicy slow burn romance. It was fun how it awkwardly started. He might have called her ‘squirrelly’ and she might have found his sour face and disposition a bit off-putting, but they got beyond that and it was all for the good.

I also was excited to meet all the players in small town Monroe who I can look forward to seeing more of as the series progresses. It was a great start and I’m rarin’ to go for Rocky Mountain K-9 book two. You don’t need to have read the earlier series to jump into this one so you’re getting in at a good time if you’re interested in a solid new romantic suspense series.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feels so bad for Jules and her siblings. While Ruggle never gives you 100% of what her stepmom did to them, you get enough to know it really wasn’t good. And that she didn’t have a lot of choice but to get them out any way she could. It’s not an easy choice but she tried to go the normal route and get legal custody but was thwarted time and again. When you run out of options and you are desperate …

They end up in a little mountain town in Colorado. And in the sights of a sexy, but super broody, K9 cop. He’s dealing with some issues of his own, which makes him not the best of company right now. Throw in a jumpy waitress who has reason to be afraid of the law and it sends his spidey senses tingling :)

I’m not sure how realistic it is to think that someone who is on the run would have ANYTHING to do with someone who could easily throw them in jail – and there is a lot of back and forth about it – but Theo does give her reason to trust him. The fact that he so easily lets her keep her secret also might not be all that realistic but he’s willing to believe his gut that says she’s a good person and see how it plays out. And since it looks like there is a chance that the rest of this series will be interconnected with Jules, we may get to see how that goes.

So that’s her side, but there is a whole other part of the story about his issues with the death of his partner, trouble with his new K9 partner, plus some baddies that do deadly things around town. It all meshes well into a romantic suspense story that will have you caught up until the final unmasking … and ready to find out what happens when the next cop finds himself falling for a girl with trouble on her tail.

My Review: I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved Katie Ruggle's Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue series so as soon as I found out about this book I jumped at the opportunity. I really enjoyed the characters in this book, Theo has a lot of depth to his character and is mirrored in Viggie. Jules and her family are all so unique and I found it really engrossing watching them develop and the storyline move along. The suspense in this one comes from all angles and you just never know what is going to happen next. You think one thing is going to happen and then Ruggle throws a crazy twist at you, I promise you won't want to put this one down. Now the anxious wait for the next book is on!



My Rating: I am not normally a fan of suspense, thriller, mystery, etc. but Katie Ruggle melds them so perfectly with relatable characters you quickly grow to care about and a good bit of chemistry and romance. I can't help but give this book a rating of Four Paws!

After reading all of the books in Katie Ruggle’s Search and Rescue series, I am a big fan of her writing style. She is very good at creating likeable, courageous, yet vulnerable characters. Above all else, she can spin a good mystery with a good amount of misdirection. With Run to Ground, she continues down that path. You get sucked in from the very beginning and everyone is taken on a wild ride.

In Run to Ground, K9 Officer Theodore “Theo” Bosco is having a hard time adjusting to the loss of his friend/mentor to suicide not too long after losing his canine partner to cancer. The only thing that seems to have given him a reason to live is the new waitress at the diner, Julie “Jules” Jackson. But Jules has her own cross to bear. She has rescued/kidnapped her younger siblings from their evil stepmother and moved them all to this small town in Colorado. Jules is doing everything that she can to stay off the radar but Theo can see right through her. Things become much more interesting when it appears that Jules’ life is in danger and Theo keeps rescuing her. Jules can’t risk Theo learning the secret about her past or her siblings but she can’t seem to stay away from him. In addition, Theo’s new canine partner Viggy, who has his own baggage, appears to only perk up when he is around Jules and her family. They all make for an interesting mix of very damaged people. However, there is something about the way that they all interact that seems right.

I really loved Run to Ground. The mystery was impossible to solve. I didn’t come close to figuring out who the killer really was. There was some suspenseful and explosive moments before the big reveal and I was very shocked although it made perfect sense in the end. Theo and Jules complemented each other very well in and out of the bedroom. Plus, I really liked Jules’ siblings because they added a good dose of innocence to the story. Jules played the role of momma bear very well and that made her very strong and easy to root for.

I hope that the next book in this series is just as fun and intriguing to read.

I am a fan of this author’s SAR series so I was really looking forward to this new series. I am not a fan of flashbacks. At. All. And this book does this a lot.

Juliet (Jules) Young/Jackson is on the run with her 4 half siblings. They’ve all been abused in some way, including Jules. She moves them from Florida to a small town in Colorado. She takes a job as a waitress in the only diner in town, which also happens to be the local K9 cop hang out.

Theo Bosco is a grumpy, angry, emotionally flatlined K9 cop just going through the motions. He lost his K9 partner a year ago to cancer and his human partner 2 months ago to suicide. Because of these two things, he inherits his partner’s dog, Viggy, and it’s not going well.

When Theo spots Jules, the new waitress, interest sparks even though he knows she’s hiding something. The squirrelly waitress connotation was just irritating after awhile. Jules is drawn to Theo because he makes her feel safe and protected. How is that possible? He’s a cop who could arrest her for kidnapping and send her siblings back.

I did enjoy the family interaction between Jules and her siblings. You could feel her dedication to them. I especially wanted to hug Sam.

It took me too much time to finish this book because I just wasn’t invested. I found it difficult to believe a cop, or his cop friends, would allow Jules her secrets. Too many questions left unanswered. I’m hoping the next book fills in some of the gaps left by this book.

My favorite character was Hugh, Theo’s current partner. Hugh is the hero in the next book and I’m hoping it smoothes out some of the rough edges in this one.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.

Run to Ground by Katie Ruggle is the first book in her new series and it was a winner in my book! After having read all of the Search and Rescue series, I knew that I had to read this one.

This book has a new perspective as the heroine, Juliet (Jules) Jackson is actually a felon on the run with her 4 siblings. Theo Bosco is a a cop who has been broken due to losing his canine partner and his human partner all within a short span of time. These characters are complex and are perfect for each other in so many ways. Jules' brothers and sister, Theo's friends, Hugh and Otto, were all great secondary characters that provided background on Jules and Theo. Oh, and Viggy, the K-9 was the icing on the cake. He too started out with issues but slowly came back to life thanks to Jules' family. I can't wait to see if Hugh and Otto will be candidates for an HEA in this series.

A fast paced plot that kept me turning the pages, danger from a mystery shooter, and a romance that built slowly all made this a perfect read for me.

Katie Ruggle is BACK! Just when you thought the Rocky Mountain'\s couldn't get any sexier. Say hello to the K9 Unit.

After suffering the great loss of his partner, Theo has to find a way to move forward with Viggy, his partner's K9 unit. Neither of them have been the same since the unexpected suicide of their closest companion and can't seem to find a common ground.

Enter Jules; Theo is taken back by the new stranger come to town. Who she is and why she chose this town remains a mystery Theo has the strong compulsion to investigate. Not to mention that once he starts to get close to her and her siblings, especially Viggy with her youngest sister, he can't seem to ignore the pull they have towards one another.

Jules hasn't always had the best life but she's done what she can to protect her four siblings from horrible nightmares that no child should have to endure. When the opportunity arises for her to escape with them and go on the run: she goes without a second thought. But a cop in their new "hometown" seems to have an eye for her, and she's not too keen to shy away from Theo.

Though the fear of Theo finding out the truth and her past lurking past every corner seems to be her biggest threat...sometimes running into unknown territory lands you in hot water.

Can't wait for more of this Rocky Mountain team!