This was the first time I've read this author and I think the book was pretty good. It'll go on my list of authors to check out occasionally so that's kind of a bonus. I was most drawn in by the premise, the tropes, and the fact that there's a k-9 aspect and each of those things delivered on their potential. That being said, I wasn't blown away by any one thing. It was a very, very decent read and I liked things overall, I just wasn't ever not aware of my own surroundings while reading quietly on my couch. Where it could have drawn me in it missed the mark a bit. But I would still recommend the story because the plot moved along well, the romance was believable, the storyline felt complete, and it was entertaining.

I love a good dog story. Havoc sounded like a fab pup.

This was touted as search and rescue but no searching and rescuing happened for almost 300 pages. It was supposed to be romantic suspense and it wasn’t suspenseful at all in my opinion.

I don't think Paris will ever do me wrong.
I've been with her from the 'start', when she released her first book, and fell in love with her writing right away.
I've been loving everything she's written after that as well.
Called into Action is no exception.

The characters are fun to read about, their chemistry is off the charts hot and I really liked the added mystery elements into this story. That was a huge bonus for me. I had to get accostumed a bit to the romance being a bit slow burn at first, but at the other hand; it really fit these characters all the better.

This was a hooked to my couch kind of read; you'll settle down with the book, start reading and don't want to put it away anymore and stay on that couch till you're finished haha.

I'm thankful and excited that I was yet again able to read and review a new book by Paris.
I really hope by putting my reviews out there, more people are going to pick up her books and fall in love with her writing as well. If you're looking for addictive romance stories that have some beautiful depth present, great characters, a bit of suspense and addictive writing, Called into Action (but really any Paris book you're interested in) is one to pick up!!

As a dog lover when I spot a dog on a cover, I feel like I must read it. Called Into Action is labeled a romantic suspense that follows Penelope who is determined to get her K9 search and rescue handler certification with her German Shepherd Havoc. However, when she meets Jay the Park Ranger assigned to evaluate her, he’s so grumpy and unreadable she isn’t so sure. Jay is unimpressed by both Penelope and Havoc but when a local boy goes missing they’re forced to work together to find him.

This book had a good plot according to the synopsis but I was looking forward to more of the search and rescue mission aspect and it was a small part of the book so the romance between Penelope and Jay is the majority of the story.

I enjoyed the setting of Maple Falls and the residents that looked out for one another.

Although this wasn’t my perfect read, I’m more suspense/thriller reader than romance, I think any romance lover would enjoy this one.

Thank you to Let’s Talk Books Promo, Paris Wynters and Netgalley for my digital copy of the book to review.

Book Title: Called into Action was my first read by author Paris Wynters
Book Reviewer: Donna Feyen
Called into Action was my first read by author Paris Wynters. It is a K9 Romantic suspense leaning more on the romance side. I feel the book description might be a little misleading on the suspense and missing child scenario.

Penelope was an interesting character. She and her K9 travel to Vermont for a break from her personal life and to get certified in Search and Rescue. Due to a few mishaps she ends up meeting Park Ranger Jay. They start off on the wrong foot.

Jay was grumpy and might take some getting used to. The secondary characters in the book are very interesting and I would read a sequel with the in it. I enjoyed the small town feel of the book.

Are you a dog-lover?

I've loved dogs since childhood, but unfortunately, my allergies have not. When I see a dog on the cover of a book, however, I can't resist!

In Called Into Action, Penelope Ramos and her German Shepherd, Havoc, travel to Maple Falls, Vermont, in preparation for their upcoming canine search and rescue certification. They get more than they bargained for, however, when Penelope inadvertently starts a fire in a state park and has to help rebuild a park ranger station alongside surly park ranger Jay Gosling. Things become even more complicated when a little boy goes missing in the park, forcing Penelope and Jay to band together despite their animosity.

This was definitely a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers story, and although it's categorized as romantic suspense, I think it's more romance than anything. The canine rescue aspect took a backseat to Penelope and Jay's relationship, and though the missing boy is part of the book's synopsis, that scenario didn't occur until nearly 80 percent into the story and was resolved pretty quickly.

While I loved Wynters' writing style, the small-town feel of the story, and especially Havoc, I wished the canine search and rescue certification had played more of a pivotal part. I was eager to learn more about it, and as a Search & Rescue K-9 handler herself, I would have loved to see more of Wynters' experience tied into her book. Regardless, her love of dogs shone through in both Penelope's relationship with Havoc, and Jay's former K-9 search and rescue experience, and I really appreciated that. Havoc is the sweetest and absolutely stole my heart, and I would definitely read more about him!

A huge thank-you goes out to @pariswynters @tlcbooktours and @harlequinbooks for my tour spot and my gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I believe this was the first book I have read by this author, and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I found it to be well written, and I really enjoyed the storyline. It kept me turning the pages, and I loved the interaction between Penelope and Jay. The chemistry between the two was off the charts in my opinion. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Carina Press, the opinions expressed here are my own.

An entertaining and gripping story!
Good character development, a lovely and heroic dog, plot that flows and lovely setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a lovely contemporary romance with the K-9 search and rescue dog, Havoc, as a heroic character.

Havoc has been trained by Penelope Ramos and they are going to Maple Falls, Vermont, to be assessed to see if they can be certified as a search and rescue partnership, something Penelope has dreamed of doing for years. She’s recently split with boyfriend after he gave her the ultimatum that she choose either him or her dog – and she chose Havoc. An accident on her way to this small township brings her in contact with the Park rangers and, in particular, with Jay Gosling as well as the fire service, law enforcement and the judge! This all leads to a joint project and new friendships for Penelope who is soon involved with many of the locals -maybe New York doesn’t have all that much going for it, after all?

This delightful story has a great setting, a heroic dog, a feisty, determined heroine and a flawed hero. It is a lovely story of breaking down barriers, facing your fears and learning to let love grow. It deals with many issues, including grief and the impact of debilitating illnesses on their victims and their carers. It does involve a rescue mission, but to me that was a minor culminating point in the story, rather than the key to it. It is a lovely story to escape into, with a great sense of community, brilliant characters and a fantastic K-9, too.

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Animal lovers will enjoy this book. As will readers who like a good story with engaging characters. There is a romantic connection between Penelope and Jay but it is not so steamy that readers who don't typically like hot, steamy romances would like this book. In fact, I would say the romance takes a little bit of the back seat in this book. It is more of a slow burn.

Again, I need to make a mention of Havoc for the dog lovers. Havoc was one of the stars of this book. It is a given that Penelope and Jay were the main characters but I do have another favorite and that is Charlie. She works with Jay. She had sass about her and was a good friend to Penelope. Also, she was not afraid to tell it like it was. This book is a fairly quick read.

When it came to Penelope and Jay. I was Team Penelope. I felt like Jay was being too harsh towards Penelope in the beginning but the more I got to know him, the more I warmed up to him. He and Penelope and Havoc make a good team.

Penelope has had her heart broken and was burning the memento of that relationship but an accident ensues and now is in a bit of trouble for starting a fire even if it was by accident. Park Ranger Jay is livid that all his hard work has gone to flames and Penelope isn't receiving the sentence he feels she deserves and now he's gonna be stuck being around her while they rebuild what she destroyed.

Now that I'm reading the description of this book I'm surprised that that was what the whole story based on meanwhile it only happened like nearing the end of the book. This book was so much more when it came to Penelope trying to do what she can because she really did feel remorseful of what she done but then she got to see who it directly impacted especially when it came to Jay. There was a reason he worked so hard to get the supplied that ended up being destroyed and he's already dealing with the stress of his fathers mental health and dealing with the loss of his dog which Penelope's dog reminds him of. I thought that this book was gonna lean more toward the suspense knowing that the boy was going to go missing and Penelope wants to prove her worth there was little of that but it was still good for what was there. Overall this was a pretty good book I liked it.

#Booktour
#CalledintoAction
#ParisWynters
🐕
Penelope and her dog Havoc travel to Vermont for a certification test to become part of a Search and Rescue Team ( SAR). An accidental incident means Penelope has to spend a month in Maple Falls ; and who is the person she has to report to? The oh-so-chiselled Jay Gosling, the Park Ranger. They go about their professional work with sparks flying all around; and in the process deal with personal emotional baggage.

The disappearance of a child and his subsequent rescue give Penelope and Havoc the opportune chance to test their skills and prove themselves ready for certification.

All’s well that ends well :-)

📕Review:
I enjoyed the read for its comforting small town feel, the kind where everyone knows everyone, there’s just one shop in town, one diner; and basically there’s no pretence amongst people. You can be yourself and you’ll be loved for it. Side characters round up the book effectively especially Gramps and Charlie. They are adorable.

I had hoped this book to be more of suspense and rescue given that the protagonists are both SAR trained. The action did happen but almost at 80% into the story and hence needed to be resolved quickly. The author’s love for dogs, however, does come through and Havoc, the adorable furry friend provided a break in these difficult lockdown times.

The descriptions made me yearn to travel! Interestingly, the cover features a man. Since the story revolves to a large extent around Penelope and her dog it would have been nice to have her up there.

The read is light and will appeal to dog lovers and those who enjoy slow burn romance and the enemies to lovers trope.

Thank you @pariswynters, @netgalley, @harlequinpress for the #gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

🇺🇸 Happy Memorial Day 🇺🇸

🚃: Book Tour with Let’s Talk Books

📖: Called Into Action

🖊: Paris Wynters

📆: May 25, 2021

🎉 Happy Pub Week 🎉

🖨: Carina Press

I was so excited to check my mail this weekend to find a SIGNED finished copy of “Called Into Action” after I was already more than content reading the Advanced Reader Copy widget I received. Thank you so much to those mentioned above ^^ because I DEVOURED this book!

📖: Penelope is having a rough go at life, having just broken things off with her boyfriend Trevor. ( He gave her the ultimatum that it’s him or the dog! BYE!)

She decides to further her and her partner’s, German Shepherd Havoc, career by taking some much needed time away & heads to Maple Falls, Vermont. While they are there she plans to take her Search and Rescue K-9 Air Scent Handler Evaluation.

But, nothing goes how she planned. Who would’ve thought that lighting her past on fire, quite literally, would end up taking over the next month of her life. In order to avoid jail time and an arson stamp on her permanent record, she’s forced to stay and deal with Park Ranger Jay Gosling who is as equally frustrating as he is hot.

Jay isn’t impressed with the girl standing before him either, often calling her a princess, convinced she’s a diva driving an Audi, whether it’s leased or not. But he cannot suppress the fire he feels throughout his entire body every time that she’s around, nor his need to protect her.

“His pulse rate jacked up to the point he could feel each thump in his neck.” She was infuriating at times, but also addictive.

Forced to work together to rebuild what Penelope destroyed they start to learn more and more about each other’s past, including why Jay refuses to become attached to a dog again.

This book is a delight for animal lovers, and steamy as hell for the readers who love a little bit of banter in their hate to love romance novels!

“Michelangelo didn’t just create Jay’s gorgeous chiseled jaw, but his nice, round ass as well.”

This story has laugh out loud characters including Gramps & Sheriff Charlie. I also love the little bit of Espanol mixed in with English!

#ltbreaderteam #gifted #netgalley

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/05/27/called-into-action-by-paris-wynters/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from Publicity team. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

3.5 hearts

I love reading about K-9 dogs and their handlers, so I was thrilled to be able to read <strong>Called Into Action.</strong>  Penelope works for her uncle's construction firm, and is working to getting her rescue, Havoc, certified.  She has just come out of a relationship with an unsupportive guy. She goes on vacation in Vermont to get away, practice for the test and take the test.

Jay is a park ranger in Vermont.  He lost a K-9 dog so he is sensitive about proper training.  He is divorced and has a grandfather who is starting to fail and needs more care.  He planned a safety program to help with finding people who get lost.

Of course, Penelope and Jay are attracted to each other and have issues to get to know each other and figure out to be able to have any relationship. But I didn't like the drama; they seemed like silly adolescents.  I wanted to see them be the smart professionals they are, working to make things better.

I expected and wanted more K-9 time, or at least as much time as the romance.  I did appreciate the other characters like Gramps, Charlie the Sheriff, Nick the boss, and Mrs. Clover.   It was wonderful to get a peek at Penelope's father and uncle too.

The book had more plot and improved pacing in the last half when they did really work on the things which were important, and showed how competent they could be.  There was also a search for a missing person, and more K-9 time so that was a win for me too.

<img class="wp-image-44204 size-medium aligncenter" src="https://booksofmyheart.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/305/2021/05/Called-Into-Action-Teaser-2-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />

<b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guest Post from Paris </span></b>
<blockquote><span style="font-weight: 400;">Search-and-Rescue dogs locate the origin of a human scent and alert their human partner to where it is. Human scent can take various forms—it can be alive, dead, or it can be on clothing. SAR dogs can find people lost in avalanches or other natural disasters, they can detect human scent at crime scenes and they can find lost children or even lost older people with dementia. SAR dogs are strongly motivated to search, in part because the reinforcement for a find is play.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Havoc's specialty is Air-scent. Dogs in this specialty will</span><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">work with their nose in the air. They pick up human scent anywhere in the vicinity -- they don't need a "last seen" starting point, an article to work from or a scent trail, and time is not an issue. Whereas tracking dogs follow a particular scent trail, air-scent dogs pick up a scent carried in air currents and seek out its origin -- the point of greatest concentration.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most search and rescue personnel and their dogs are volunteers. Some ways you can support them are to donate to your local search and rescue team and to volunteer as a hider for the dogs. Handlers are always looking for new people to hide for their dogs. Plus, there is nothing more fun than to spend the day outside playing hide and seek with a dog, knowing that it will one day help save a life.</span></blockquote>
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Can you resist a book with a dog on the cover? A dog named Havoc? Penelope, his partner (okay, owner, but they really are partners) is training him to be her partner as a search and rescue team. As a dog person, I couldn’t resist this story!

Penelope and Havoc travel to Vermont after months of training together. They are ready for their certification test to become an official Search and Rescue (SAR) team. Unfortunately, an accident means that she has to spend more time in Maple Falls than anticipated. And she has to spend it on close proximity with park ranger , Jay Gosling. While there’s a spark between the two, they both have some baggage they need to work through if that spark's going to flame! For me this was a traditional romance with the added elements of dogs, SAR, small town community and characters, and a bit of suspense towards the end.

This is book one of a series and I anticipate more dogs in the next books. I will definitely revisit Maple Falls.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the story line in this one. Penelope is from the city comes to a small town and causes a big mess and then has to spend more time then she planned making things right. I also loved the Search and rescue aspect, I thought that was very unique.

Jay and Penelope make a good team but sometimes they felt a little immature for how old they were supposed to be.

However, dont let this cover fool you- THIS BOOK IS STEAMY. If very detailed scenes are your cup of tea you will get plenty of that here.

I love K-9 search and rescue books. This one was more about relationships with a side of search and rescue. I still thoroughly enjoyed it and liked getting to know Jay and Penelope. Even though their back and forth just about drove me crazy! Gramps was hands down my favorite character and I loved how the author worked him into the story. If you love mans best friend, small towns, surly park rangers, enemy to lover relationships then you will enjoy this book 💞

Thank you for gifted copy in exchange for an honest review

The premise from the beginning of the book was fun and funny and I really liked where it was going. I felt like after a while it kind of stalled and wasn't as much fun. The book was more angsty romance than exciting suspense story, though toward the end it was suspenseful. I loved the relationships Penelope and Jay had with their dogs. I would have loved even more of the search and rescue aspect of the story, but felt it was a neat storyline and something I hadn't read much about before. Overall I enjoyed this book but it left me wanting a little more.

This book had an engaging start that got me interested in the story immediately.

I found Penelope to be a likable heroine. Through a series of clumsy mistakes (relatable) she lands herself in hot water with the town of Maple Falls. I also liked her friendship with Sheriff Hart.

Jay was a little tougher to understand. The major conflict to their relationships is that her dog brings up old memories and that the fire ruined his safety program. I think Jay clings on to this anger too long and the book gets repetitious on this point. I like a grumpy hero, but it didn’t seem plausible that he would hold on to his anger that long even after seemingly forgiving Penelope.

I liked that there were sparks between the couple, but the intimate/bedroom scenes were awkwardly worded and could be difficult to read in parts.

All in all, I loved the idea of this story and the beginning scenes. Havoc, Charlie, Maple Falls, and Gramps were the standouts in this book.

3.5 rounded up

Vermont K-9 Search and Rescue Romance
This romance novel is based around a young woman and the German Shepherd she has trained for Search and Rescue work. She goes to Vermont from her New York home for further training and testing and meets a handsome Park Ranger under adverse circumstances. The plot is good, but a little predictable. I would have liked more about the dog and his training and work with less about the Ranger and his angst. There is some bad language, but not much. There are some bedroom scenes that are easily skipped over, but the physical attraction does not dominate the book. The ending was nicely done and totally expected. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.