Serve N Protect by Tee O'Fallen is the fifth book in her Federal K-9 series. It can be read as a standalone though because that's how I read it and I didn't feel like I was missing anything. This is my first time reading the author and I enjoyed it enough that I would read the other books in the series or future ones.

While I liked the characters, the whole book was kind of lackluster. Cassidy was a sweetheart, kind and feisty. Markus was the kind of hero I love in my romances. The ones who grew up without love, so they didn't know if they will ever be able to give their woman the love they deserve. This was a lot less steamy than I expected to be for a romantic suspense. Up until the 65% mark, all we're given is one kiss and some angst. At least, it eventually resulted in two open door sex scenes. Can't forget to mention that our canine hero , Ghost was my favorite part.

Overall Serve N Protect was a decent romance, just not as exciting as I expected it to be for a romantic suspense.

In the middle of the night, Cassidy is following a dog she found barking at her door. The dog (Ghost) leads her to a man that has been severely injured. She picks him up the best way she can and takes him to the hospital.
Markus is a secret service agent and since Cassidy helped him, he is willing to help her as a thank you.
I liked the relationship between Markus, Cassidy, and Ghost - I felt that the dog brought a lot of character development and made the story run steady. There were some predictable things going on, and the surprise, that some things that happened in the story were not predictable at all.
It was a nice story and since it's the 5th book in the series, it can be read as a standalone.

*I received an ARC from Entangled Publisher and NetGalley for an honest opinion.

All romantic suspense should have puppies…

This series has been a wonderful mix of romance, suspense and dogs (of course!) and Markus, Ghost and Cassidy have provided another great story. This was a slow-burn courtship where dodging bullets – and feelings – were par for the course…

Both Markus and Cassidy were recovering. Whether the wounds were physical, or even recent, they affected their relationships – or lack of them. There were emotional bombs and deadly enemies, making for a tension-filled, dramatic courtship. I really liked these characters. Ghost was the protective, character-filled four-legged companion that I want for my own! Markus and Cassidy were the best of leads, no unnecessary fake drama, instead they were likable, thoughtful and perfect for each other… I can’t get enough of this author’s words so am back to (gentle, respectful) stalking mode.

I had a feeling I had stumbled on a good book. I mean: romance + dogs. That's it.
But on top of that I was very intrigued by the fact that both our characters were going through a lot of physical and mental pain, how they dealt with that and how they treated each other. I have absolutely no complaints.
Also, it manages to talk about serious topics and we get to see how they overcome their own dramas, in a very plausible way. Especially, regarding Markus's issues.
For me, it played like a really good action movie. In the sense, that you can see some things coming but the way they are executed is absolutely fantastic. That sums up the book for me. I've already added the first book of this series to my TBR. Can't wait to get to know the rest of the gang and our furry friends!

PS. The sex scenes were WONDERFUL. Sorry, but I just had to point that out.

This is a story that grabs the reader from the beginning and never stops. Another great story by this author..

Fans of breath-taking romantic suspense will not want to miss Tee O’Fallon compulsively readable new novel, Serve ‘N’ Protect.

US Secret Service K-9 Officer Markus York is not a man who likes to sit still for long. However, having been left for dead after a vicious attack, Markus had no choice but to convalesce in a safe house while his team tracks down his attacker. Markus is far from the ideal patient – even with his K-9 Ghost for company. Twiddling his thumbs and having scores of free time quickly begins to drive him up the wall, so he decides to make good use of the weeks stretching emptily ahead of him and starts doing some repairs around the house. Only, Markus is a tad too ambitious and ends up tearing open his wounds!

Freelance accountant Cassidy Morgan hasn’t had the easiest couple of months. A car accident left her with limited mobility and she is fresh out of a relationship which ended acrimoniously. Cassidy had swore that she would never put her heart on the line ever again. She is off men and nothing and nobody will compel her to break her resolve – until the frantic barking of her neighbor’s dog propels her straight into the path of Markus York who insists that she must not call for an ambulance – despite the fact that he’s bleeding all over the floor and barely able to move!

In his line of work, Markus is fully aware that getting attached to anyone only leads to disaster. He isn’t prepared to risk putting anyone he cares about in danger, but keeping Cassidy Morgan at arm’s length proves easier said than done. His dog is crazy about her and the chemistry between them is off the charts. Markus must give Cassidy a wide berth and not let his attraction towards her get in the way of his latest mission. But when she inadvertently becomes a target as well, Markus vows to do whatever it takes to protect her – even if it means ending up with a broken heart.

Tee O’Fallon blends action, passion, humor and intrigue in a a gripping page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Serve ‘N’ Protect is a terrific romantic suspense novel with plenty of drama and twists and turns to keep readers guessing as they find themselves falling in love with sexy Markus, feisty Cassidy and gorgeous Ghost.

An action-packed tale packed with thrills, danger and desire, romantic suspense fans will thoroughly enjoy Tee O’Fallon’s latest novel, Serve ‘N’ Protect.

What can I say: hot detectives and cute dogs. Just a great combination.

Serve ‘N Protect is the fifth in the Federal K-9 series, but can be perfectly read as a standalone. Having read the previous four parts, it is nice to see the characters starring in this latest story.

Markus is forced to keep a low profile in a safe house, while recuperating from a brutal attack, which killed a co- worker. Not his best forte: to sit around and do nothing, while others try to find his attacker. When he ends up in the hospital, after falling off a ladder while changing a light bulb (yeah, his friends will never let him live this one down), his boss assigns him a nurse: his neighbor Cassidy, who brought him to the hospital in the first place.

Cassidy is a freelance accountant, not a nurse. But when offered $ 1000 per week to basically baby sit her surly neighbor, she is not going to turn down that offer. Her house is in desperate need of repair and this money will help her along greatly.

Resigned, Markus reluctantly accepts Cassidy’s help. When he learns that she has difficulty walking due to a car accident, he offers to help her rehab in return.

While training together, they learn more about each other and they start to feel the attraction. But Markus is afraid that his line of work will put any girlfriend in danger, so he doesn’t want to get into a relationship. But then Cassidy gets targeted. so although there officially not together, she is already at risk. That is not acceptable for Markus and especially not to Ghost, who seems to be even more attached to Cassidy than him. So, together they try to stop the attacker before someone dies. will they succeed? Find out for yourself in Serve ‘N Protect. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Serve 'N' Protect is the fifth book in the Federal K-9 series. This is a standout series with five amazing stories. I would have a hard time picking a favorite because they are all top-notch stories. I started reading this riveting thriller and I couldn't put it down. It drew me in from the first page and kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. Wow, truly another amazing read.

Serve 'N' Protect is a wonderful double suspense romantic read by Tee O'Fallon. I really like this series, loving this new addition. There is a slow burn romance between two wounded characters physically and emotionally along with a K-9 bring-‘em-down hero, Ghost.

The pacing is smooth with the suspense building right along with the romance. This story caught my attention from the beginning event with K-9 Ghost coming over to Cassidy’s home for help. I will say that I knew who was guilty in one of the mysteries early on. However, I do think that the author wanted the reader to guess this one to alert them that more than one criminal was close.

I highly recommend Serve 'N' Protect to all who enjoy a well told romantic suspense story.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is book 5 in the Federal K9 series but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone and understand everything that happens in it. I do recommend the other books, but just because they are good reads-not so much because you need them to understand anything in this one. With that being said, in this one we get Markus York and Cassidy Morgan's story. Markus is a US Secret Service K9 officer who has been sent to a safe house to recover after almost being killed. His team is trying to track down his attacker but they have no leads. And even though he has his dog Ghost as company, he can't stand being idle and decides he is healed enough to make some repairs to the property that he is staying in. And reopens his wounds in the process. Cassidy just went through not only a bad breakup but also a horrific car accident. She has sworn off men and is just trying to get her independence back. But when a frantic dog barking at her house leads her to an injured man in her neighbor's house. And while he mumbles about someone finding him and killing him, she still takes him to the hospital to be checked out. And even with the danger surrounding him, there is something about him that draws her.

I really enjoyed this story!! Markus has so many issues due to his childhood. But even with those issues, he still made an effort to know his own faults and the reason for his faults. Even if he never actually worked on getting past them. But beyond that, he is a man that is willing to help those he knows he can help. He is protective and loving all while not realizing that he has a heart and emotions. Cassidy went through something that no one wants to think about going through, nor wanting to deal with the fallout afterwards. But she is such a strong woman and knows that she will not give up or back down from the things that she wants and needs. These two together have chemistry, but beyond that they also have a friendship that I really enjoyed. My only drawback, I wish there had been more of a resolution with his father or him seeing his sister. Although I get why there wasn't. All in all, definitely a good read!

Thanks to Entangled and NetGalley, too,
For my copy of this brilliant book, here's my honest review:

I have to say, right from the start,
That books with K-9 heroes usually win my heart.
This one is no exception, a superb read too
That I hope will also appeal to you.

Cassidy Morgan was seriously injured when she crashed
Leaving her with both her legs severely smashed.
She was told she'd never walk again
But she's proved them wrong, despite her pain.

When a neighbour's dog comes barking like mad
She knows that something has happened that's bad.
She wants to know what's happened and why he's there
As well as ensure he has great care.

The neighbour is Markus and his dog is Ghost, a K-9
But there's danger around stopping them being fine.
With his life under threat he's undercover
But not only he's in danger they're about to discover!

Get ready for an action packed, enthralling read,
One I highly recommend, yes indeed!
Filled with suspense, secrets and danger
Can Cassidy help protect this injured stranger?

With her close knit family there to support
There's more than one killer to be caught.
Another page turner featuring this Federal K-9 team
I can't wait for more, they're the absolute cream!

I'm really trying to give more romantic suspense novels a try, and I lucked out getting this option from Tee O'Fallen to try! Tee was a federal agent, so she's writing these Federal Agent heros from a place of real experience and it definitely shows. This is not the first book in the Federal K-9 series, but it wasn't a problem for me to jump right in and get acquainted with Markus and Cassidy. I would love to read some of the other love stories about the other characters we meet, but I didn't feel like I was missing things, which isn't always the case in interconnected stories like these.

Markus was that type of alpha hero you would expect a Secret Service agent to be- macho and stubborn and strong and OH SO PROTECTIVE of his lady love when she's in danger. This is one of those behaviors that absolutely makes me swoon in a romance novel (though I'm not sure I'd tolerate completely in real life). Markus had some demons, but I thought he was fairly self-aware of them and how they limited him, which was refreshing to see. You wanted him to open up to Cassidy and for Cassidy to let him in after closing offer her heart after he accident and brutal break-up; you could tell that this relationship was one that would benefit them as individuals and they would also be great together. The suspense elements were on point and Ghost, Markus's K-9 was an amazing almost-human-but-still-canine addition to this story, and made my heart melt a few times.

I give this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a moderate steam rating.

A great addition to this series! I loved it!!! I especially loved that the character wasn’t perfect and had some physical struggles. You don’t see that often in books and I liked that!

An excellent romantic suspense story!

Cassidy is drawn into Markus' life when his barking dog leads her to his house and she finds him unconscious. He is a Secret Service K-9 officer who is recovering after someone tried to kill him and he doesn't want Cassidy to get hurt.

I thought the suspense and romance were nicely balanced and the story had me hooked from the beginning. Cassidy and Markus had great chemistry and I also really liked his dog Ghost.

This was my first book from Tee O'Fallon and I can't wait to read more!

Oh, what an intriguing, suspenseful, story ! How can you go wrong with a wounded Secret Service Agent, his best friend and service dog, Ghost hiding out from whoever is trying to kill him.
Add in the next-door neighbor who just happens to be recovering from a horrible accident where she almost lost a leg. When Ghost shows up on Cassidy's porch barking and demanding she follows him, little did she know who whole world was about to change. She is shocked to find a very large man with stab wounds not moving on the floor of her friend's house. While trying to help him she decides he is not only Grumpy but drugged too. Both Cassidy and Markus have many secrets, and problems in their past to overcome. Not the least that people want them dead.
This story will grab you in from page one. Ghost is the perfect dog character; everything is does is spot on for a trained service dog and K9... oh, how I love this dog.
As Markus and Cassidy help each other there is a lot of drama that plays out to keep the suspense and mystery going. All the while our H and h are learning about each other and the attraction and feelings are off the charts. This story is different from most cop story as Markus has had a rough life and still carries scars. Cassidy has been hurt so bad, and doesn't trust her own feeling but tries to regain the happiness she uses to know . It's wonderful to read about characters that are not perfect but have real life problems and past. Friends and family add a lot to this story and were wonderful to see the love and loyalty they had to each other.
I hope you get a copy and get ready for a fast-paced story you can't put down. This is book five in the series but all the books can be read as stand alone. Reading the rest of the series will give you history into some of the other characters in this book. Hoping the next one will be about Markus's friend Jamie ??
I received and ARC from the author and wish to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it.

Serve 'N' Protect is part of the Federal K9 series following the story of Cassidy and Markus. Markus is in the Secret Service with his trusted partner Ghost. After a failed attempt on his life, he's recuperating with Ghost and unable to sit still, he pushes his healing body beyond its limits. Cassidy finds her new neighbour out cold on his floor after being alerted by his dog and helps him out like the good neighbour she is.

As much as he tries, Markus can't keep Cassidy at a distance and they start a tentative friendship, which soon blossoms into so much more. I thought the two main characters had great chemistry and I really loved the dynamic between them and Ghost. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat and I read the last 40% in one go because I couldn't put it down.

This is the first book I've read by Tee O'Fallon and I absolutely loved it; I will definitely be making my way through the other books in the series. This had a good dose of suspense, mystery, sweet and steamy moments and a super cute romance.

So enjoyable! I thought the plot here was really interesting, and I enjoyed the slow build of the romance. Markus and Cassidy are really great together, and I appreciated their strengths and vulnerabilities. The plot was intense and moved quickly. Yes, I guessed part of what was going on, but part of it was still a surprise. I was expecting a little more immediately following the confrontation, but the ending was super cute and really made up for it. The epilogue was perfection! Can't wait for more in this series!

*I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This is another great book in the Federal K-9 series - stories full of suspense, hot men and their protective K-9 companions. This one is definitely an enjoyable story with an interesting storyline, with a little bit of humor mixed in.

Markus York has ended up at Cassidy's neighbor's house to recover and lay low after being attacked and a fellow Federal agent was killed the day before Markus's attack. He is a Federal officer that patrol's the White House grounds with his K-9, Ghost. Markus falls off of a ladder as he tries to change a light bulb and Ghost jumps through the front window and goes to Cassidy's house to summon help. Cassidy is recovering from a severe auto wreck and is using crutches to get around herself. She convinces Markus that he needs to get to the ER to have his injury re-stitched and takes him there herself and waits until he's ready to be released instead of heading back home to her own work. She contacts her neighbor, John, who is oversees on a mission, to check on the validity of Markus's claim and to be sure that she's safe with him.

After getting his stitches redone at the hospital Cassidy sneaks him out a back door by the employee parking - they are shot at several times after Cassidy brings the car around for him. He ends up reporting the shooting to 911 as they leave the premises and head back to John's house. His boss and 2 federal co-workers and friends are waiting for them when the get home. After much coercion, Cassidy agrees to help Markus get by so he can stay at John's house in exchange for $1000 per week stipend. Cassidy had to quit her job as a CPA after her severe auto accident and the many months of recovery so she's struggling to make ends meet after paying off her medical bills, especially since her fiance' took off and left her with her run-down house when he found out that Cassidy would never walk by herself again.

Cassidy's sunny outlook, even in the midst of all her pain with her leg injury and recovery, is a balm for Marcus' soul that is weighed down with his childhood demons, and Markus offers to help Cassidy with her physical therapy while they are unable to leave the house. Markus gets camera video from the Saudi party that he and Jack, the agent that was killed were working at together to see if he can find anything suspicious that would point to his attacker. Cassidy goes home to change into workout clothes so they can get started and finds some of her family showing up.

After they leave she falls down her outdoor steps when her handrail breaks. Markus notices a car going past and slowing down before turning into a driveway down the road. He helps her into her house to get an icepack for her aches and notices her overboard Christmas decorating. He wants to reschedule the start of PT until the next day but she nixes that since she is missing some information from the audit that she's doing for a private client and wants to follow up on and then she has to go shopping for ingredients for the Christmas Cookie Week that's coming up. Before he leaves, Hugh, the ex-fiance', shows up to try to get Cassidy to take him back. He mentions that one of his crew drove past her house that morning and saw her out walking across the lawn. Markus and Ghost come out of the kitchen and he introduces himself as Alex (his alias), Cassidy's boyfriend. She kicks Hugh out with his engagement ring that she hadn't returned to him yet.

Cassidy comes over to Markus' house the next afternoon and they decide to start working out that afternoon. She heads home to change her clothes into workout clothes and pick up her medical file. Before she goes back next door she tries to call Walt Teedle, the gentleman that she's doing the private audit for, to see how soon she can get the remaining audit receipts and invoices. He tries to offer her a 20% bonus if she can get the audit to her by Christmas but she tells him that she still needs the documents to get the numbers to work out right.. We get to see a little heat between Cassidy and Markus as he starts to get Cassidy going on her Physical Therapy deep tissue massage and workout. They work together and share meals for the next couple of weeks while Markus continues to heal. At this point it's almost Christmas and Cassidy still hasn't received the paperwork that she needs to finish the audit. She notices a bunch of inconsistencies around the house as she gets ready for bed but doesn't think much about it until she wakes up later with an intruder in her house.

Things start moving pretty fast at this point with several seemingly unrelated things happening. The suspense builds pretty quickly and really makes the reader wonder if everything is related to Markus's attack or the weird audit that Cassidy is supposed to be doing or something totally unrelated.

I had a hard time putting down the book until I got to the end. I've read other stories in this series and I enjoyed this one just as much as the other ones. Markus and Cassidy are both facing life with plenty of issues that cause all sorts of problems - Markus' are more internal and go back to his childhood after losing his mom and being left with a difficult home life and a dad who had no parenting skills whereas Cassidy's stem from her automobile wreck the previous Christmas and the long recovery that she still hasn't successfully completed.

Tee O'Fallon does a great job with this story and the entire series. I kind of hope it never comes to an end!

I did receive a free ARC copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.

Happy Saturday y’all! I spent all evening yesterday reading Serve ‘N’ Protect (thrilling Friday night, I know haha) and man y’all, what a fun book! Thank you so much to Entangled Amara and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of this book! This book comes out on September 20th, so make sure you go grab it then!

Serve ‘N’ Protect 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

Ambushed and left for dead, U.S. Secret Service K-9 Officer Markus York is on the mend and laying low in a safe house while his team tracks down his attacker. But Markus isn’t good at sitting still. Even with his K-9, Ghost, for company, he gets restless and decides now is the perfect time to do some repairs around the house…and inadvertently tears open his wounds.

Fresh out of a bad relationship that ended after a car accident left her with limited mobility, freelance accountant Cassidy Morgan has sworn off men. At least, that’s the plan. Until a frantically barking dog leads her to a neighbor’s house where she finds a mysterious man out cold and bleeding on the floor…and mumbling things like “no, they’ll find me” when she tries to call an ambulance.

Yeah, that’s not at all concerning.

Despite Markus’s surly attitude, Cassidy senses there’s something else at work beneath his rugged, keep-your-distance exterior. Whatever it is, it’s sexy as hell.

With someone still trying to kill him, Markus doesn’t want an innocent to get hurt, let alone take care of him.

If only his dog wasn’t crazy in love with her.

If only the chemistry between Markus and Cassidy didn’t explode whenever they were in the same room.

If only Cassidy wasn’t a target now, too.

This book was so fun and cute! There was the perfect amount of action and to top it all off, a dog! A well trained secret service dog! I’m all for it! I liked Cassidy and Markus together. Both of them have tragic backstories, but they were able to play off of them in such a ways that didn’t make them seem too tragic (just enough baggage to make them interesting). The plot moved at a really great pace and I was never bored. There were two separate plots going on at once, but they were done in such a great way that there was no confusion or anything. I also really loved Cassidy’s family and Markus’s friends- such great side characters. Overall, Serve ‘N’ Protect was a quick read that was super cute and I definitely recommend it for some light action filled romance!

Grouchy but sexy Markus meets snarky but adorable and hurting Cassidy…fireworks commence
Cassidy Morgan, CPA, 33yo and walks with a cane since her near fatal accident a year ago. Her fiancé walks out on her when he thinks she’ll never walk again. She’s better off but that nearly broke her. One day a beautiful pure white German Shepherd runs up on her porch barking incessantly and does a “Lassie” maneuver (pacing up to her and back to the edge of the porch, over-and-over again). She recognizes the dog’s need for her to follow so she does. That’s what Morgans do! When he takes her next door, she finds a man lying on the floor, bleeding. She’s about to “meet” Markus York, aka Alex Adessio, 35yo Secret Service K-9 officer in hiding.
BAM this book caught my attention on page one and wouldn’t let go. Well-written, fast-paced and deliciously slow-burn romance with mystery and intrigue. It has humor that made me laugh out loud. I do not do that unless I’m caught off-guard and this book did that a lot. Cassidy is snarky with tongue-in-cheek come backs that will have you in stitches too. Markus is such a growly teddy bear, but why? All will be revealed. The love scenes are sizzling but there will be painful scenes too, for example at the end of chapter 25. If you don’t cry, check your pulse.
I’ve never read any books by Tee O’Fallon before so this was a real delight and highly recommended. I would suggest a burlier model for cover however. Other than that, I loved this book. If you enjoy mystery, intrigue and lust-to-love romance, read this book. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Entangled and NetGalley.