Katie Ruggle’s Survive the Night is an action-packed romantic suspense. This was surprising since the characters did not exhibit confidence nor aggressiveness. Somehow that is okay with me because it is lovely that someone who is gentle can also be tough when needed.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen and Sarah Clifton were so self-conscious socially that I wondered how they were going to ever get together. Still, it worked out for them which is probably very realistic. The crime families putting Otto and Sarah in the middle, read like a thriller at the movies. This story had me rooting for Otto, Sarah and the rescue animals. It was great they had the entire gang along to help.

All in all, it is a heart racing book as far as the action goes, heartwarming with the romance and wonderful seeing the rescue animals being rehabilitated.

Although I haven’t read the first two books in this series, I didn’t feel lost while reading book 3. I loved Otto with his shy but dominant persona. He was a contradiction with his huge size and gruff voice balanced out by his gentle touch and sensitive insight. There is just something about a gentle giant that gets me every time and Otto hooked me right from the start. Like Grace, I fell for his big heart, especially when it came to the kids and his animals. Xena the rescue pit bull and Bean, the traumatized horse, especially showed us just how much Otto invests in his animals. He was devoted to them and gave them the love and understanding they needed to heal.

Grace was a strong resilient character. Dealing with her crazy brother and his equally psycho business associate all while trying to step out of her bubble and have a normal life was inspiring and sad. I thought she was a perfect fit for Otto and vise versa. I liked that they both were shy and awkward around each other. They charmed me with their back and forth banter. Normally a beta type hero isn’t my favorite but Otto changed my mind. He wasn’t an aggressive overconfident macho man. He was physically all alpha but he was more of the soft spoken, overly observant type.
I just wish the story hadn’t been so fast paced. I felt like the threat of Aaron and the Jovanovics and the destruction of the town kind of took precedence over the romance between Otto and Grace. It pretty much takes center stage and we only get snippets of Grace and Otto together before things get crazy and out of control. In this instance I think an epilogue would have gone a long way in showing us the MCs as a couple, outside the emotionally high events that got them from point A to point B.

Favorite Line(s):
* * * * * * * * * *
He was a Viking lumberjack cop who bottle fed orphaned puppies? If he’d spent years trying to think of the most effective punch to the ovaries, he couldn’t have come up with a better plan.

* * * * * * * * * *
She liked the image of her squeezed into Otto’s heart, surrounded by Xeno and Mort and Bob and Bean and Hortense. What a wonderful place to be.

* * * * * * * * * *
“I love you,” he said without thinking or planning or even knowing the words were going to fall out of his mouth. He didn’t care about the possible rejection or embarrassment. She needed to hear it, because she could’ve died, and then she would’ve never known how he felt about her. “I love you so much.”

* * * * * * * * * *
Would I recommend? Yes, romantic suspense readers will love this and from the bits and pieces we get of the other couples, I’m gonna have to check out the rest of the series. Especially Hugh’s story!

Well ok then! Just throw me into the deep end in a good way! I wasn't expecting Survive the Night to be as explosive - in more ways than one - as it was. Silly me! Because seriously, this book takes it all up exponential notches. Hugh's and Theo's books were pussy cat tame compared to Otto's. While both had plenty to worry about, Otto ends up in the middle of a fight he can't hope to win, and certainly not alone.

The sweetness that is Otto is reminiscent of George from Ruggle's previous series, including his stammering and silences. While he's definitely not as green as George, he has a lot of the same vibes: strong, tender, protective. Otto's gentleness reaches out and touches Sarah, giving her a sense of peace and security she has been without her whole life. Sarah is part of a horrendous family and let's just say that they are almost caricatures. But now that she is free of them - and with the help of a recurring character - she is slowly learning how to live. And she is learning with the help and support of Otto.

There were more than a couple of surprises in Survive the Night and most of them were not good. There's a reason for this title and it's shocking and explosive and just oh so crazy. But underneath the crazy is a story of people coming together for a bigger and better purpose, even when all their instincts scream at them to do the opposite.

I really, really liked this book. It's definitely my favorite so far of this series. I can't wait to see how Ruggle wraps it all up.

Survive the Night by Katie Ruggle
Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit #3

Captive of her family since childhood Alice Blanchett can hardly believe there is someone willing to help her escape her prison. When it finally happens there is a mad dash to freedom that sees her settled into Monroe, Colorado with two other women Mr. Espina has rescued in the past. Living with Jules and her siblings is a breath of fresh air and having friends in Jules and Grace a delight and blessing. The women have beaus and those beaus have a friend named Otto and of course Otto and Alice – renamed Sarah – will be attracted to one another. And, the beaus are police officers with K-9 partners – that only adds to the story.

The first time Otto sees Sarah he is speechless and so is she. Feeling awkward but interested they hope that their next encounter will go better. Well, their next meeting is over dueling elk and a wee bit easier. The third…awkward again…but…the attraction persists and when Sarah is found by her despicable brother and the man he wants her to marry things begin to heat up in more ways than one.

This is an action-packed suspense-filled romance with main characters that charmed me. Huge Otto and tiny Sarah are perfect for one another and oh so sweet together. Otto’s rescued animals are a delight and the finale stupendous…if perhaps a bit unbelievable. Two deserving but shy people find love unexpectedly and grab it with both hands in a book I could not put down.

There is a lead into book four that makes me think the evil stepmother from Jules and her siblings lives may make another appearance – hope she gets her comeuppance. I did not read book two, somehow missed it, and didn’t need it to thoroughly enjoy this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Otto's turn! I do love Katie Ruggle's books, she delivers stories with fantastic plots and characters that are truly memorable. This newest series with the dogs are just catnip for me! Otto and Sarah's story don't disappoint at all. The suspense factor is still excellent, the characterization has always been great, multidimensional wrapped often times in humor but always with a side dose of emotional depth. Survive the Night like all the books in this series will definitely keep you up reading till the last page.

In SURVIVE THE NIGHT, the third installment of Katie Ruggle’s Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series, we follow the big, quiet Otto and gutsy heroine, Sarah Clifton.

Tying into the previous books (though you don’t need to read them to understand this one,) the ties to crime that have haunted the intrepid canine officers of Monroe County–and their respective ladies–are back. But the bad guys aren’t always obvious, and the mystery deepens when Sarah’s past collides with her present identity.

Ruggle continues to impress with her finely-tuned suspense mixed with the perfect amount of romance. This is not a steamy read, but rather a well-plotted and paced story that ties up loose threads in previous books while bringing older characters in for a closer look. The author is a master at creating likable protagonists, and Otto will surely pull at your heartstrings.

Sarah is no slouch either, and fighting to be an independent woman away from an abusive family life makes her that much more courageous and relatable as she works to overcome obstacles.

Kudos to Ruggle for continuing to write fun, suspenseful, engaging romantic suspense.

Don’t miss out! The Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series just keeps getting better.

4.5 Hearts, SJ, Romance Junkies

The recurring theme in this series keeps going back to Jules in book one. While you can probably read this as a standalone, you are going to be jumping into the middle of the overall plot and it could cause some confusion.

In book one, Jules needed to save her siblings from her evil stepmom. She kidnaps them and has a contact, Mr. Espina create a whole new identity for them all and moves them to a new location where she falls in love with Theo, a cop. Theo and his partner, Hugh know Jules is hiding something, but Theo is so in love with her, he decides to not look into her past.

At the end of each book, Jules gets a call from Mr. Espina to let her know he's sending someone to her that needs to start over just like she did. In book 2, it was Grace. During Grace and Hugh's book, they do learn Grace's true identity and that she is running from a family named the Jovanovics after witnessing something horrible. Jules and her siblings still remain quiet about why they left because Jules does not want Theo to be an accomplice if they are found out.

In this book, Mr. Espina sends Sarah to Jules. Sarah is the sister to a criminal family. Her brother Aaron is abusive and is about to sell her off to a Jovanovic. Theo, Hugh and now Otto are leary of anyone coming to Jules because they know they are hiding from a past. Theo and Hugh designate Otto to interrogate Sarah to find out who she is hiding from, except he takes one look at her and goes tongue tied.

A lot of progress was made in this book. We learn that Grace and Sarah are both hiding from the Jovanovics. Sarah's truth comes out very early in this book but what surprised me was Jules finally confessed to Theo, Hugh and Otto that she kidnapped the kids and why.

With everyone's true story out, I thought that would mean this was the last book and everything was going to come together. Instead, this book ended with a hint that the next book is circling back to Jules and the kids. There was no call from Mr. Espina about another woman needing to visit. I'm extremely curious how this is going to play out and if there will be new characters. This has been a very entertaining series so I'll be anxiously waiting for the next book. ARC provided by NetGalley.

Survive the Night is book 3 in the Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit series and you do not have to read the previous books you I do recommend that you do read them because this series is fantastic.



I loved every minute of this book. I love the main characters together and I just couldn't stop reading.



This book was such a quick read.



I give this 5 out of 5.



You can now purchase Survive the Night by Katie Ruggle in stores near you and online.

If you like over the top danger Survive the Night is the book for you. It seems the bad guys have enough weapons and people to take on an entire town. Why? Because there are two women there that are a big danger to them. This time it is Sarah Clifton who arrives trying to escape her brother who wants to marry her off to a member of another crime family. K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen takes one look at Sarah and knows he has to defend her from all comers. This has a very sweet romance between the two, danger that causes a very large amount of damage, tension from first to last page, and a continuation of the plot started in the first book. This can be read as a standalone but is much better if you have read the previous books. Ever way pick it up to read.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Survive the Night suffered from a case of insta-love and a few other plot flaws but can be forgiven since Otto and Sarah are adorable and the last third of the story is full of tension that you can easily forget about the nit-picking.

Monroe’s favorite K9 Officers Theo, Hugh and Otto are now very aware that there is something wrong whenever Theo’s girlfriend Jules has a “old friend” suddenly show up in town. And suddenly Sarah Clifton has shown up for a visit, just as the rest of Monroe has bugged out for the winter, acting quite jumpy. Neither Jules nor Grace are willing to give up the name of the name sending these women to Monroe, nor any information about the newest arrival in town.

Sarah (formerly Alice) is on the run from her brother, the head of a crime family who has kept Sarah all but locked in a tower like a princess in a fairy tale, until he has decided to sell her off to a dragon. A dragon in the from of the current head of the Javanovich crime family, a man known for brutalizing women.

Sarah is just so happy to be away from her brother and free of his grasp, she is even happy stocking shelves at Grady’s store. Sarah is also fascinated by Officer Otto Gunnerson, a ninja-viking-lumberjack of a man, who size should have her running the other way, but his love and care for wounded animals keeps drawing Sarah to him.

Sarah knows her brother doesn’t like to lose, and her time with Otto might not last if she has to run once again.
When her brother tracks her down to Monroe, he starts a war which might just take out what’s left of the citizens of Monroe, CO.

With so much going on in this story, the romance between Otto and Sarah needed to be sped up. There is also the issue of how her brother was able to locate her so quickly. When he first appeared, I thought this would turn out to be a nightmare that Sarah would wake up from and I was more than surprised that it was actually a plot point in the story. I don’t remember any explanation of how he managed to locate her so quickly. The action does pick up from this point so it was hard to focus on being annoyed with the plot fault.

I thought this would be the end of this series, but there is another story coming out this summer although I don’t remember meeting either of the main characters which is unusual after the other books by Katie Ruggle that I have read so far. There is also something which happens at the end of Survive the Night which revamps an nagging issue left over from Run to Ground and that is the fact that Jules “kidnapped” her siblings from her abusive stepmother and while the Sarah and Grace are both on the run from crime bosses, Jules’s action are actual considered criminal. I am guessing that Book 4 will come back and give us some closure on this issue.

I have enjoyed the Katie Ruggle stories that I have read so far, both in the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit and Search and Rescue series and have made her one of my automatic request authors.

I have enjoyed every book Ms. Ruggle has written, so I was looking forward to reading this book. Survive the Night felt off to me. I loved the first two books in the series, this one just did not work for me. The lead characters were not interesting, and they should have been. I tried to find them interesting, but honestly, Otto's animals seemed to have a stronger personality then their human owners.

The plot - it was all over the place. It was very chaotic and a bit confusing. There did not seem to be a smooth flow to the narrative. I really wanted to like this book, but....... Even though this was not my favorite I will continue to read this series.

Received as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars - 2 Flames

Another suspenseful read in this series. To say that there wasn't enough drama or action would be a lie. But I can say that it definitely lacked the "romance" element. At least compared to the first two in this series.

We've grown to know Theo and Hugh from the first two books in the series. But this is Otto's story, rounding out the cop trio. We learn a little more about this sweet and caring man who obviously has an extra heart, taking care of rescue animals of all species. But we also get to see the gentle, shy guy beneath the exterior. It was almost too cute watching him fumble over himself when dealing with Sarah.

Sarah comes from a bad family. A really bad family. In fact, her family is directly tied in to the same bad family from the other two books. So when the time comes for her to escape and seek refuge, she ends up in Jules house, hiding from her brother and his goons. But unlike the other books, it doesn't take long for her brother to find her. Causing many things to happen quicker than they normally would have.

I'll be completely honest. This one wasn't my favorite. Although I liked Otto and Sarah, I wish there was more intimacy between the two. They both clearly liked each other. And with her living with him, we could have experienced more of the romance between the two. Which is why when the words "I love you" are thrown out there, I cringed. But that's just me. All in all, good story that was well executed.

Reviewed by Chris

Otto Gunnersen is a K-9 officer in the small town of Monroe. He is quiet, doesn’t talk or smile much, has a big heart, is known as the animal whisperer and is a gentle giant. He takes in stray, injured, neglected animals. He currently has a horse, goat, retired K-9 partner, cat, 4 puppies and chickens. We aren’t told very much about his background.

Sarah (Alice) is running from her mobster family and their connections. She’s been very sheltered, locked in her room and paraded out at society functions. Her family has used her as a means to advance their standings in business her entire 23 years. Recently she was presented to another mobster family member for marriage. She is rescued and sent to live (hide) with Jules.

This was an awkward romance story to read. Otto and Grace have huge communication issues. Both are shy, introverted, self-conscious, nervous and insecure around the opposite sex. Lots of talking in their heads and not to each other. It became frustrating to read. I wanted one of them to take the lead. These two needed more time together, developing their relationship.

The suspense part of the story was slow moving at first, then picked up the last third. It was a bit excessive, over the top and not very believable. Nonetheless, it was entertaining.

Previous couples are an intricate part of this story. Jules tells more of her and her siblings’ history to the people closest to them. Hugh and Grace continue their bickering/flirty relationship. Their easy banter made me smile a few times. We also learn a little more about Mr. Espina.

This is the third book in the series and can be read as a standalone, but it will make more sense and flow better if you read them in order. Not my favorite book from this author. I was really looking forward to Otto’s story but this book fell short of my expectations. With the hint given for the next book, I look forward to reading it.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Survive the Night is the third book in the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit Book Series by Katie Ruggle and will not disappoint. This fast-paced action-packed suspense read is full of heated drama and steamy romance. Ruggle gives you a glimpse into the backstory of the man who has helped the women disappear from the horrific lives they are in and escape to a small town in the breathtaking Colorado Mountains. Page after page will have you on pins and needles as we follow along this intriguingly interesting read that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Survive the Night is the perfect addition to this amazing series and the fans of Katie Ruggle is sure to love.

No review. I'm not reading or reviewing this book. This author just doesn't work for me, unfortunately.

Book Info
Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: February 6th 2018 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN 1492643106 (ISBN13: 9781492643104)
Edition Language English
Series Rocky Mountain K9 Unit #3
Other Editions (1)
Source:Netgalley EARC

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BOOK BLURB


He's always been a haven:
For the lost. The sick. The injured.
But when a hunted woman takes shelter in his arms, this gentle giant swears he'll do more than heal her battered spirit―he'll defend her with his life.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen always had a soft spot for anyone in need. As Monroe's very own Dr. Doolittle, he dedicates himself to rehabilitating the injured souls that cross his path―but for all his big heart, he's never been in love.

Until he meets Sarah Clifton's haunted eyes. Until he realizes he'll do anything to save her.

All Sarah wants is to escape a life caught between ambitious crime families, but there's no outrunning her past. Her power-mad brother would hunt her to the ends of the earth...but he'd never expect Sarah to fight back. With Otto and the whole of Monroe, Colorado by her side, Sarah's finally ready to face whatever comes her way.

It's time to take a stand.

My Thoughts


Talk about your pulse pounding read. This story was so full of fire that it almost ignited my reader!

Finally we get K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen to star in his own tale, the man has always fascinated me ever since this Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series started. It was not only well worth the wait but totally in keeping with his characters laid back personality. Of course we find that Otto may be a gentle giant but he is no pushover when it comes to protecting someone he cares about.

Sarah Clifton came to Monroe Colorado for the same reason Jules and Grace did before her, looking for a safe place to catch her breath and escape her past life before it is too late to get out of it. She had no intention on staying longer than a few months in the small town, she just needed time to stand on her own to feet and learn how to survive on her own. Funny how plans go by the wayside when one least expects it isn't it.

If had to pick a favorite amongst the heroes of this wonderful series it would be Otto Gunnersen, he just stands out as a wonderful friend to both animals and humans. A man who would go that extra mile for those he considers in his care, including the entire town of fictional Monroe Colorado.

Sarah starts out as someone who is almost afraid of her shadow, it is a nice change as the story unfolds to see the strong woman emerge from her shell and take charge of her own life in every respect that counts.

Together these two work, even though they are both soft spoken that big stick comes out when needed and it at times is even comical to see just how much of a force each one can be to everyone else but each other.

By the end of this read it has become my favorite so far of all the books that I have read by this author.

For a while I was struggling to reacquaint myself with the others who had come before in first two books but from the get go never felt totally confused as this story unfolded because it immediately captured me and drew me into the action.

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Survive the Night by Katie Ruggle is the 3rd book in her Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit series. I enjoyed the first two books in this series, and I thought this one was even more exciting. The theme of this series is a woman is helped to escape her terrible life, and sent to a small town in the Colorado Mountains, to live in hiding. Sarah Clifton, our heroine, is on the run after a mind-blowing escape from her bad brother, who wants her to marry an evil mobster leader. She ends up living under a fake name, with the two previous heroines. The story was very suspenseful from the start to finish, with a lot of action all the way through. The last ¼ of the book had me holding my breath, as Sarah’s life was on the line twice and no one knew where she was. Sarah was a fantastic heroine, who managed to fight her way out of terrible conditions to help her new friends, and animals, as well as herself for survival.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen, is a sweet gentle giant, who also takes care of animals. He works with Theo and Huge on the K-9 Unit, and envies that they have found their mates; something he does not see happening to him. Otto meet Sarah. The moment he sets eyes on her, at the house that the other girls and their family live in, he is hooked. He is very shy, and in a short time Sarah takes a liking to him. Since Otto lives in a bunker style house, with safe rooms, and tunnels, Sarah agrees to move in with him. The romance doesn’t take long to heat up, as both have not had relationships previously. They were really so good together, and I loved the addition of the two dogs, cat, horse and goat. There romance was so sweet, you couldn’t help rooting for them; and Otto was wonderful and protective with her.

As usual, Theo and Huge know that Sarah is running away, like their girls, but to get information on the man who helped them run away was not forthcoming. However, Sarah will tell them about Aaron (brother) and Logan ( her forced fiancée), and how dangerous they are. The previous books were exciting, but I thought Survive the Night was pulse pounding action right from the start. In a short time after Sarah arrives, Aaron will find her to try to bring her back. She manages to escape and the guys arrest him.

What follows is an intense, wild adventure that will put all of them in danger, as the villains will bring all their resources to the small town to prevent them from getting help. This was so exciting that held me on the edge of my seat with so much action. Sarah turned out to be a big lifesaver, especially with the animals.
Survive the Night is another suspenseful, action packed story, and I can’t wait for the next book in this series. Katie Ruggle has written a great story, wonderful couple, and exciting action packed throughout. I suggest you read this series and start with the first book, Run to Ground.

This was a fast-paced book filled with action, adventure and romance, and it definitely delivered from start to finish! I have heard a lot about this author but haven't read any of her books previously. I loved the idea of a woman on the run and a man coming to her rescue, so it was an obvious book to pick up when I was browsing for new books to review. While I did feel it was a bit predictable, I still enjoyed every moment of it.

In hiding from her mobster brother and her equally-criminal fiance, Alice Blanchette is living in a remove town under a different name. Nervous that her brother may find her, she stays inside most of the time, only interacting with her host family and their friends. One such friend is Officer Otto Gunnerson, an officer in the K-9 unit of the local police force and a softie at heart. While Otto isn't usually a big talker anyway, he gets completely tongue-tied every time he sees Alice, smitten at first sight. Alice almost instantly recognizes Otto as someone she can trust and someone who can protect her. But her brother isn't going to let her be in peace for long, and soon their relationship is tested in more ways than one.

Alice and Otto were a really cute couple, making it easy to bond with them as a reader. Alice was kind and giving, and her ability to cope with all of the things thrown at her in life was amazing. Otto was a giant teddy bear, or, as Alice liked to say, a "Viking lumberjack cop", so that instantly endeared him to me. I did feel the author laid it on a bit thick at times with how sweet he was, making him seem without flaws - other than his inability to communicate with Alice initially, I saw nothing wrong with him at all. A bit too perfect, if there is such a thing, so my one critique is that he needed something wrong to make him more believable. However, this character development was not a huge issue, and I still greatly enjoyed the character interactions and the story line. It had a lot of fun quotes and things I highlighted for reflection later on.

I look forward to reading more books by this author! She writes a great story and funny characters, making it a go-to book if you want an enjoyable read.

Great suspense/romance. Well crafted plot and characters. A edge of your seat read. I highly recommend to fans of suspense.