Tough Justice, the first book in the K-9 Special Ops series by Tee O’Fallon, sets a very high standard for the next books in the series. A heart-stopping…and all to real…story of an exceptionally deadly opioid creates frustration, anger, tension and high anxiety as DEA Agent Adam Decker ”Deck” and his K-9 partner Thor work with ER doctor Tori to prevent a killer using the drug to continue to kill. The story is fast-paced, and the characters are realistic and believable.

This ARC book was complimentary…provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

This was a really good book. I loved the plot and characters!!! This is a well-written, steamy, and entertaining romantic suspense. It has an intelligent, likable fmc, a strong and capable male mc, a heroic K-9, intrigue, action, suspense, sizzling chemistry, twists and turns, and a happily ever after ending.

This book was okay. It would have better if I had not known who the drug dealer was from almost the start.
By chapter four I knew who it was. Because of that it was a letdown for me.

A fabulous series start!

I LOVED Deck and Tori's story--it's a great blend of suspense and romance, with fantastic human and canine characters that will have me counting the days until the next series book comes out. The author's actual experience as a federal agent really shows in her writing, and paired with the edge of your seat suspense and a really solid romance? This book was pretty much unputdownable!

The main problem that Tori and Deck are trying to solve--the new deadly designer drug that is causing a heartbreaking number of overdose deaths--feels all too real in today's world. Though I did suspect the bad guy a bit early on, Ms O'Fallon did her best to try and throw us off their scent with plenty of red herrings along the way (and *almost* had me second guessing my instincts, but not quite!) The initial distrust that Tori and Deck had for each other was believable, and I really liked that their breakup and reconciliation wasn't the fault of one or the other of them, but instead they worked together to find a way to their HEA through compromise and acceptance.

Now...when can we expect book 2? ;)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Tough Justice is a heart pounding thriller that had me riveted to the pages. This was definitely a thrilling romantic suspense and it feels relevant as it explored the opioid crisis that plagues our nation. The book handled the subject well and portrayed the struggles, hardships and painful truths of a terrible addiction suffered by so many.

Our MC Tori is likable and endearing as a driven ER doctor who has worked hard to make a difference in her work.

In walks the wrecking ball who is Deck, who loves his job as an DEA agent, and his partner and beloved drug dog Thor a dynamic team against drug crimes trying to unravel the mystery, and stop a deadly new street drug ravaging the streets.

World building was great I felt as if I could step out of the pages right into Denver. The vivid details brought Denver to life-as a picturesque setting and a heart-stopping read! The fast paced action really keeps you focused on the characters and flipping pages. Tough Justice is a great canine police procedural with a dash of romance and nonstop action. Definitely a great read and I highly recommend it!

In Tee O’Fallon’s Tough Justice, the first installment in the K-9 Special Ops romantic suspense series, this debut is packed with suspense and keeps you hooked on every page. For Dr. Victoria Sampson, she promised to not get involved with the DEA, knowing what they’ve done and had destroyed her family years ago. She had witnessed too many young people die from a dangerous opioid cocktail called gray death in the ER. But when she meets DEA Agent Adam “Deck” Decker, things change after they work together on saving lives to chase down a dangerous drug dealer in Denver and its suburbs. For Deck, he lost his sister Marianne to drugs years ago when he couldn’t save her in time and blamed himself for it. But after Tori saved his life from being exposed to gray death, he wanted her to work with him by gathering information from her patients to help with their investigation. When things get intense for a warrant, it puts them into a precarious situation from being stalked and placing them in danger. And when she had saved his life with an opioid, he didn't want it, knowing what it did to her sister, and caused a rift between them. During their time apart, Tori became suspicious of her fellow coworkers and tried to put the pieces together. When she did, it was almost too late to stop it, putting her life into peril. Will Deck save her in time to rescue her and mend her broken heart by making a compromise.

This thrilling romantic suspense is gripping and is timely with the opioid crisis you hear about in the news. I cared for Tori, who worked hard to get where she wanted to be ‘till this day as an Er doctor, in spite of the financial crisis her family was in. I cared for Deck, who loves his job as an DEA agent, and working with Thor, his beloved dog, to get drugs off the streets. Thor was adorably sweet. They make an incredible team and an awesome couple. The location in Denver and its vicinity was picturesque with mesmerizing scenic settings to take you there.The theme of the story is to defeat the odds to make a relationship work, you have to compromise when it comes to love.

This gripping romantic suspense is awesome and a heart-stopping read. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because for no reason. If you love romances with non-stop romantic action, plenty of romantic drama, and heart-pounding tension Tough Justice should be added to your TBR list. This book is recommended for fans who love romantic suspense novels featuring K-9s like Margaret Mizushima and Sandra Brown.

Tough Justice was meaty enough that it didn't feel like the typical HEA romance. It felt like a romance plot in your favorite weeknight TV cop drama, but way heckin' steamier than what's allowed on TV.

This book taught me that I might have a thing for the suspenseful romance genre and that I'm a sucker for a K9 agent.

Gonna need more in this series, stat.

Fantastic new series about DEA K-9 unit. A deadly new opioid is killing people in Denver. ER Doctor Tori Sampson wants to help stop it, even if it means teaming up with DEA agent Decker. Tori has problems with the DEA, because of the callous way they destroyed her family years ago. Deck has problems with doctors who hand out drugs to patients who then get addicted, as his sister had done. But they need to find the source of the drug and as they work together, both of their lives are threatened. Both characters are well developed, but the real hero of the story is Deck's partner Thor, a Belgian Malinois. The author provides an inside look at the gritty world of illegal drugs. I recommend this fast paced suspense romance.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my voluntary and unbiased review.

This is the first book I've read by this author and, presuming they follow the same patterns, I will continue to do so. as it was directed towards my "happy place". There's a good amount of action and intrigue from beginning to end. The romance was expected, but the characters had me rooting for them. I look forward to the next book in the series and will certainly go back and read others by this author.

Cute cover and cute romance. Tee O’Fallon opens a new door into suspenseful romance with her series focusing on law enforcement officers working alongside K-9 partners.....https://booksuplift.com/tough-justice-k-9-special-ops-book-1/

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


I enjoyed this book a lot more than I anticipated. I’m no stranger to police drama’s, in books and on the screen, but this one added a whole lot more that I didn’t know I was looking for. I think the collaboration between the DEA and the hospital for the case they were trying to solve was so smart and I don’t really seem done a lot. I loved the conflict we got due to our two main charters having past issues with the profession of the other. I also love the real personal life drama of having to worry about someone when they are out in the field. If you’re looking for a cop romance give this one a try.

} v i b e s {
~ DEA Agent and Doctor team up together
~ K-9 Agent
~ Thor as K-9’s name
~ Steamy scenes
~ Past conflict with DEA and doctors
~ Trying to find and take down a drug lord
~ Wanting to do more

TW: violence, drug use, gun violence, kidnapping

This is a new series by Tee O'Fallon and has a lot of the qualities that are great about her other series, Federal K-9.
It has the canines, the sexy handlers and the suspense and romance. I really enjoyed this book and am really looking forward to the next book in this new series. It was definitely a page turner.

A great start!

"Honey, do you want to take this into your bedroom? Or up against the wall again?"

(4.5/5)

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK.

It literally has everything you could ever ask for. Romance, angst, suspense, mystery, IT'S ALL THERE.

All the best tropes: would sacrifice himself to save her, who did this to you, a man willing to grovel, protectiveness, would do anything for her, ALL PRESENT AND BETTER THAN EVER.

AND IT'S SO WELL WRITTEN

AND IT'S REALISTIC BUT ALSO SOMEHOW RAISES MY STANDARDS???

If all men in uniform were like Deck and his friends this world would be a significantly better place.

I love Tori but I definitely love Deck way more than she does.

The fact that the author herself was a federal agent and police investigator makes this book so much better because you already know the info is accurate AND I LOVE THAT.

THOR OWNS MY HEART. I NEED A THOR.

I ALSO NEED ANOTHER BOOK IN THIS SERIES ASAP

Saying canine means dog, so here in this book we have a threesome instead of a couple: the hero, the heroine, and the dog. And as it’s not usual I’ll start with the four-leg character: Thor is a drug-sniffing dog. I liked seeing the complicity between the hero and his dog at job as outside, and I felt the author had done research on the moments with Thor to have it look realistic… except for the part Thor goes up and down the ladder. I know these dogs are highly trained, and I’ve seen absolutely incredible videos, but I don’t know why it seemed a bit much that Thor can go up and down a ladder so well. Except this point I really appreciated what this character brings forward in the human main characters.

As for the humans, I found the hero and the heroine are interesting characters. They are strong, decent, they have principle (perhaps too many at the beginning) and they are really dedicated to their job. I wasn’t sure about their alchemy at first but I’ve finally been won over by their couple once they both let their guard down.

Because what disturbed me the most was the animosity and the instant mistrust between the hero and the heroine. We directly know Deck doesn’t trust doctors, and we know directly Tori hates federal agents, especially DEA. That is said and repeated several times with very few details, and we finally learn the reasons for the mutual distrust quite late, a fact I found frustrating. What’s more, characters who tar with the same brush everyone from the same category because of a unique event is a bit too easy. Because of that I thought Tori was almost aggressive with Deck at the beginning.

As for the plot, I found the suspense well done, and there are several good action scenes quite descriptive. The investigation unravels easily, the author trying to throw us off the track concerning the bad guy behind the new drug. The only negative point: why accept to take along for a drug bust a civilian without any experience, and have her not listen to instructions? Fortunately it doesn’t have any consequence, but still.

To conclude I had a good reading time with this novel where negative and positive points I noted balance each other in a satisfying way. I can already say I’m not done with this author.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

DNF at 22%

I really wanted to like this title, but I just didn't connect with the characters or the story.

I am not able to recommend this title.

This book was filled with action and kept me guessing until the end. I loved the action and romance throughout the book. I highly recommend to anyone who likes these types of reads

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

A quick and enjoyable romantic suspense - Tori and Deck had a number of obstacles in their relationship, both personal and professional. The plot was fast-paced. I hope to read more in this series!

Tough Justice is the first book in a new series by O'Fallon. This romance suspense focuses on Adam "Deck" Decker, DEA K-9 agent and Dr. Victoria "Tori" Sampson. They meet when Dr. Sampson is saving on of Deck's Special Ops teammates from an accidental overdose. They end up teaming up to try and stop a rash of overdose in the area. I really enjoyed the story and fast paced action along with the romance so overall a really great read and a fabulous start to the series.

ARC provided by NetGalley. Add this book by O'Fallon to your must read list. It is a prefect sassy romance with some alpha male vibes. Love it front to back.

Tough Justice begins the K-9 Special Ops series with an intense Romantic Suspense that kept me up way past bedtime in order to finish it in one swoop for I didn’t want to leave this new world without knowing the ending. Before we begin, let’s be clear about one thing – Thor absolutely stole my heart and this story from his first appearance. I have a love for any service dog, and Thor is at the top of that list right now. So if you love stories with a dog as a somewhat main character, then you’re gonna love this one!

There’s a new deadly drug hitting the streets of Denver, Colorado. It’s cheap, easily gotten, and victims are showing up in ERs around the city from its deadly effects. Which will bring two complete opposites in mindset together to solve a crime in progress… and find a lifetime partner as well. But not before lots of mistrust, anger, and conflict gets pushed aside or resolved until Tori and Deck can find their future at the ending of this case (and story).

Deck has no time or liking for doctors, especially since he pretty much blames the medical community for getting his sister hooked on prescription opioids after an accident. An addiction that eventually lead to her death. Tori has no time or patience for DEA agents since she blames them for her father’s arrest, and family trauma when he is arrested and imprisoned for giving out prescription medicines to patients who cannot afford them, even if there is no written prescription to be filled. So when Deck winds up in her ER with a fellow DEA co-worker who was exposed to a minute amount of Gray Death and won’t leave the room so she can work on the patient – their mistrust-filled relationship begins.

As they reluctantly work together to find the source of this new drug their mutual attraction will come into play which adds another level of danger to their story. Without giving away major spoilers Tough Justice is an intense, at times emotional story with red herrings, twists, turns, and surprises that will keep readers on their toes. I loved whenever Thor was in the scenes, this amazing dog plays a strong part in keeping these two humans in line and in love… he’s also a hero, in my eyes. The chemistry between Deck and Tori is obvious but that mistrust of each other’s profession is getting in the way. By the story’s ending, we will discover a lot and have more questions to come for the rest of the series. I found this couple to be believable, yes, even when their actions didn’t make sense because humans are different and no two will react to something the exact same way. I’ll definitely be waiting for Burning Justice, the next story in the K-9 Special Ops series to release.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*