Tee O'Fallon is an author whose K-9 themed romantic suspense novels I started reading 4 or 5 novels ago, and for the most part, I've really enjoyed them for their gritty feel (since the author is also a federal agent and knows what she's writing about), their suspense and the sometimes a bit tenuous romantic touch. The same is true of what appears to be the start of a new series in this novel, this one focusing on DEA heroes, and it was a very good one and gets 4 stars from this reader.

First off, this novel contains triggers, as one would expect in a novel where the hero, Adam "Deck" Decker, and his service dog, Thor, work for the DEA, and he joined the agency after he lost his 16-year-old sister to a drug overdose, so drug addiction and its consequences play a major role in this novel. Since his sister got hooked after being given in-hospital opioids after being injured in a drunk driving car accident, Deck won't even take an aspirin. So, if substance abuse is an issue for you, you may not enjoy having it be a central theme in this novel.

The female lead in this novel is Dr. Tori Sampson, and ER doctor, and one who's recently been dealing with a huge rise in opioid overdoses showing up in her ER, and it's not just her ER. She's basically the polar opposite of Deck, since she's blamed the DEA for what she sees as the destruction of her family, their loss of funds including her college and med school savings, her father ending up in prison, and her mother's untimely death. Her father, a pharmacist, being humane to those who couldn't afford to pay for expensive meds, was providing them free to those who needed them, sometimes without written prescriptions, and when the DEA found out what he was doing, his motives didn't matter--he lost his license, his business, and his wife.

When Deck shows up in the ER with a young man, overdosing on a newish street drug called Grey Death, Tori can't get him to leave her ER so that she can work on trying to save the young man, and although she's no fan of the DEA, eventually these two characters, at odds with one another based on their personal histories, agree to work together to find whoever is putting this deadly street drug into circulation and take him and his dealers down, and, in the process, enter the dangerous and often deadly world of drug trafficking.

The suspense really amps up when both Deck and Tori find themselves targeted, and, on more than one occasion, are attacked and nearly killed in the process of their investigation. At the same time, these two characters become attracted to one another, despite the issues between them, and things get pretty steamy, and the fact that Tori has played it safe since her father's arrest, and could the fact that Deck has a really dangerous, sometimes deadly occupation be what tears them apart?

The one issue in this book that caused me to give this book a 4-star, rather than a 5-star review was the fact that Tori's distrust of the DEA made no sense to this reader. Her father knowingly and willfully broke the law, so blaming the DEA for his arrest and what followed after it seemed an illogical reason for her to hate the DEA for catching and punishing him. While there is the expected HEA ending, I wish the author has spent a little more time on it.

Despite the aforementioned issues, this was a well-written, exciting, slow-building romantic and action-packed read, and I'll continue to follow this author and recommend her novels.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Tough Justice, a romantic suspense, is the 1st book in the K-9 Special Ops Series by Tee O’Fallon.
The main characters are ER doctor, Dr. Victoria (Tori) Sampson ad DEA k-9 officer, Adam Decker (Deck). Both don’t trust each other due to their personal past experience in the other’s profession. Now they need to try and work together to stop the drug crisis of a new drug.

The beginning of the book was heart breaking and pulled me into the story. I felt sadness, hope, fear, and happiness throughout the book. This book had action, suspense and steamy romance. There was a mystery in who could be behind the new drug that kept me guessing. I really liked the main characters and their stories. Other characters were introduced, such as Dan (also DEA agent) and hope to read his story. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Honestly, I loved this! It absolutely scratched my mood-reading itch and I think successfully put me back on a romantic suspense kick! Also, Tee O'Fallon is the only author I trust with dogs on the cover of their books! I know it's such a weird thing, but she's never steered me wrong and so I'll keep reading! Seriously, I think it's time to start slowly making my way through the backlist some more!

This starts off as enemies-to-lovers, or more so, begrudging work partners (yay forced proximity!). But the disdain feels so real and genuine and both Deck and Tori have reasons to be cautious of the other. The writing and the story are so engaging, it hooks you right from the start. I loved watching their relationship go through the ups and downs and grow into friendship and then of course more. It also has one of my favorite tropes, where the hero thinks that the best way to protect the heroine is to stay far away from her. It never works and the hero is just a miserable dummy until he gets his head on straight! This had so many twists (I'm pretty proud of myself for calling the bad guy early on, but it was still full to see it all play out and come together) and by the end, you're willing everyone to connect the dots and save the day! I loved all of the side characters too and I can't wait to see where this series goes. Wherever it does, count me in!

If you love romantic suspense, loving/smart/BA dogs (I would do anything for Thor), raw and real emotions, sizzling chemistry, and realistic portrayals of emergency medicine and the opioid crisis, this book is for you! These would also be a good place to start if you're not sure about romantic suspense and want to ease into the subgenre. I love these, I think this author is quickly becoming an auto-buy for me and a reliable author for whenever this particular mood hits me!

Tee O’Fallon is one of my favorite authors. Tough Justice did not disappoint! Tori is an ER doctor with a deep-seated resentment towards DEA agents who, years ago, ruined her father and her family. Deck is a DEA agent who distrusts all doctors due to his past when he lost his sister from an addiction to prescribed opioids. Reluctantly working together with Deck’s K-9 partner, Thor, they have a mutual goal to bring down the drug lords who have killed so many teens and young adults with a new deadly opioid called gray death. This is a very good, suspenseful romance with well-developed characters, some family drama, mystery, and extra twists. I loved the book and am looking forward to the continuation of some of the other characters in the book. I highly recommend this book!

ough Justice by Tee O’Fallon is an adult romantic suspense novel & it is the first book in the K-9 Special Ops series. It’s a fast-paced emotional roller coaster ride with some spice, a little bit of enemies to lovers mixed with an off-limits love & an alpha male meets a sassy,& strong heroine. It deals with some very heavy topics, like the opioid crisis & both main characters have complex, grief-stricken histories.
My absolute favorite part of the book was the K-9 agent, Thor. He made my heart grow three sizes & burst with adoration & pride in any scene that included him. My dog lover heart smiled & giggled as I read his actions. I would totally read more books with K-9 agents.
I loved how specific the medical moments were. It immediately added credibility & gave it a realistic edge to my reading experience.
The wording in the romantic moments & scenes in the beginning was cheesy at times, but so long as you know this going in, it is still an enjoyable read. Plus, think it gets better as the romance develops. There were a few moments of toxic masculinity that I didn’t love.
I also feel that the opioid crisis is a very complex & serious issue & cannot be painted or discussed in just black & white terms. I was happy that this point was acknowledged & I think such a heavy topic to base a suspenseful romance book on was handled with grace.
I think the genre of romance suspense is underrated & I adored reading a book about a K-9! There’s action, mystery, love AND a brilliant dog…what more could you ask for?! Tough Justice is set to come out March 29, 2022!

Trigger warnings: This book mentions and/or contains mental health, drugs, overdoses, opioid crisis, organ donation, medical trauma, assisted suicide, car accident, violence & death.

Thank you to NetGalley & Entangled Amara for giving me an arc of this book! I voluntarily read and reviewed said advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Delightful! Delightful! Delightful! Enemies to lovers and a cute dog combined in a gripping thriller! Tori is an ER doctor and Deck is a DEA agent. The cute dog is Thor who works with Deck. Tori has no time for the DEA because of how they treated her father who lost his pharmaceutical license. Deck is suspicious of doctors because of how easily they prescribe opioids. They first meet in Tori’s ER and there is immediate chemistry . The story just gets better from there.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So enjoyable! As usual, there is a great mix of romance and suspense. I really enjoyed the characters and their relationship. The tension and emotions in this book are what set it apart for me, and it was a fun read! I just love Deck and Tori! Looking forward to more in this fun series.

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

I received an e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read romance novels that involve characters working in the DEA or FBI so I didn't know what to expect. The closest action-romance I read involved a group of private investigators.

I enjoyed the action and the mystery behind the drug and its supplier. It was quite predictable, though there were a lot of scenes and characters that have the ability to throw you off. Every time I second-guessed myself, I got even more invested in the story.

Sadly, I was expecting more from the mystery. I wanted the book and the story to expound on it--even to the point of discussing the other characters' involvement in the drug dealings. Towards the end, the drug case ended abruptly. There were a few more things, such as accusations made, that I wanted to be clarified or discussed. It was as if these characters were just used to distract and throw you off, and had no particular significance in the story or the plot -- unless their connections will be revealed or expanded within the 2nd book.

The romance was okay, it wasn't swoon-worthy, but it was acceptable. It was realistic in some way, though the timings can be construed as insta-love, even if they didn't like each other (almost like a hate-to-love) in the beginning.

I loved reading about Thor!

If you want a fast-paced and action-packed romance, with talented dogs and a good mystery, then this is something you'll enjoy.

Tough Justice by Tee O'Fallon is the first book in the new K-9 Special Ops series.
And believe me it did not disappoint!
Who doesn't love a romantic suspense novel with a strong, independent female lead and a growly, protective DEA agent and his amazing K-9 partner
This was a fast paced book full of suspense, crime, romance and a HEA.

Tori and Deck meet in the ER, and don't exactly get along at first.
But they have an instant attraction to each other that cannot be ignored as they work together to look into the recent epidemic of drug overdoses.

It was such an amazing read, and I definitely recommend it
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.
All thoughts and opinions are my own

I grabbed a copy of this story as this author was compared to Katie Ruggle and I enjoyed her stories. While there were similarities in story type, that being K-9 unit and crime drama, the writing here just didn’t excite me. I will give it three stars because it had moments but finishing it was more an assignment than an enjoyment.

The main characters of this story were Dr Tori Sampson, an ER doctor dealing with several overdose deaths and a K-9 DEA agent Adam “Deck” Decker. Deck wants Tori to give him a heads up whenever a surviving OD comes into the ER so we can talk them into giving up their dealers.

To start with it makes me crazy when writers repeat things ad nauseum. We learn from the get go that Deck doesn’t trust doctors at all but eventually gives Tori a chance since she seems to care and seems to want to help. Doesn’t hurt that she’s pretty too. We also learn that Tori, doesn’t trust DEA agents as something happened with her father many years ago involving enthusiastic DEA agents. But Deck, while pushy, seems to care about protecting people from this dangerous drug which hit the street. Again, Deck being a Double “H” (hottie hot) doesn’t hurt his case. I know how Deck hates doctors and Tori hates DEA agents because we are told this over and over and over again for the first five chapters. Every time they think of the other, they remind themselves, and us, that they hate blah, blah, blah. I am a romance fan. I get that my doctor/DEA haters will eventually be sleeping with the enemy, I don’t need to be constantly reminded of it. It was a bit over emphasized.

This just dragged down the character development and I had a hard time getting started. If I am focusing on laundry or TicTok videos, then the story is failing for me. I had to decide whether to dump it and move on or keep going, so I gave it a little longer. It started to pick up, but even the scene where Deck meets Tori’s father, and we eventually get the story of why Tori hates DEA agents, was awkward in that Dad was annoyed that she brought a DEA agent home but tried being courteous but then suddenly stormed off for no reason. They weren’t arguing. Deck wasn’t rude. He just stormed out. When Deck went to confront him and the Dad tells his story, he admits that he was doing bad things…so why is he so hostile that the DEA finally caught up up with him and punished him?

At this point after Dad’s reluctant blessing, the romance and the action start to pick up but of course, their original hates and distrusts come back breaking up Deck and Tori and slowed down any momentum we had gained.

We do meet other agents who I presume will be part of this new series and their K-9 companions who show up to help Deck with his investigation, although they aren’t DEA agents. Yes, I like them but honestly instead of being intrigued, I was more confused. Do all K-9 law enforcement officers hang together more than just similar agents? Deck’s dog is trained for drug sniffing. Deck’s friends has canines trained for search and rescue and for sniffing out explosives. They kept showing up to help out Deck on his case. Was this simply a plot point to have dogs with proper training available when necessary for the story? Shouldn’t Deck be hanging out with other DEA agents?

Tough Justice by Tee O'Fallon is a fantastic read! I loved the book and hope it comes out in audiobook. The author wrote some endearing characters (I loved Thor) and had authenticity of the Denver area. I enjoyed how the she melded action with romance and drama. This is a standalone story with a great outcome. There were some surprising twists in the book too! I hope some of the supporting characters get their stories told. Thank you #NetGalley and #Macmillan for allowing me to read this early.

TOUGH JUSTICE was so well written that I couldn’t stop reading until the last page. The story was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat.
Deck, a DEA Agent, Tori, a ER Doctor and Thor, a K-9 Officer are wonderful and unforgettable characters.
There was lots of excitement and suspense with extra twists and turns.

I received an ARC on Netgalley for my honest review, I loved ❤️ TOUGH JUSTICE and highly recommend!

Deck meets Tori during a bad situation. There is no love lost between them due to things that have happened in their past. As they work together to take down a deadly drug they get to know each other. Can they let the past go and explore their feelings for each other. This was a romantic suspense that had plenty of action, suspense and steamy romance. All of the characters in this book were awesome and who can't love a book with some awesome dogs. I started to suspect who was there person they were after but there were plenty of surprises.

Great action, characters, romance, supense and agent. Each chapter will keep you guessing and turning the pages.

For lovers of a good law enforcement suspense romance

The ARC of Tough Justice, book 1 of a new K-9 Special Ops series by Tee O’Fallon, was also my intro to Tee as an author and she delivered on all the ingredients you come to know and love in a law enforcement suspense romance + the added bonus of Thor the amazing K-9

What do you get when you throw a Dr with a hate for the DEA and a DEA K-9 agent with a mistrust of Dr??? Sparks flying! While they may not see eye to eye on certain things, they do unite on a common cause, joining forces to save lives and putting themselves in the firing line but they get the bad guys and their HEA.

I look forward to book 2.

#ToughJustice #NetGalley

What a book! WOW.
This book has everything that I need to satisfy my reading passion romance, crime, suspense and HEA.

A story is about Tori, a doctor in ER and Deck, a DEA agent. They met in the Hospital where Tori works and it was hate at first sight. He hates doctors, she hates DEA. There are always drug dealers on the streets but this time one particular dealer sells the most deadly drug called "gray death" and no one knows him. Day after day Deck and his colleagues are a step closer to that man, but it seems he is always a step ahead.

The story is interesting and adventurous. It felt like I was watching a movie or like I was in the story itself.
The characters are so alive and real that was easy to relate with them.
Tori is strong and independent woman, who lives for her job. She doesn't have time for dating or entertainment. The only thing that she want and can care of are her terrariums.
Deck is alfa male type character with muscular body, he is quite tough but a very nice person when you get to know him.

The only thing that was sort of offshooting for me was that at the start the similarity of the names made me feel confused as to who was who, but later I remember the names of the characters and it's comprihendable.

3.5 stars for this action packed story of Deck, a DEA agent, trying to track down the source of a deadly new drug causing huge ODs in the area. Tori is the ER doc he runs into and then recruits to help him in his quest. They each have hang ups about the other, but find themselves attracted to each other anyway during the investigation.

Lots of characters and suspects in the mystery that lead to a satisfying conclusion. I think my favorite character is actually Deck's Dog, Thor. He makes a great character in this book!

Good read and I will keep reading others in this series hoping Deck's friends get their HEAs as well.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

A flying start to a new series from Tee O'Fallon. You can really feel the difference in the story when the author has actual law enforcement experience. As a reader who also works in law enforcement, albeit in the UK, it always just feels that wee bit more realistic.

Deck and Tori are on a collision course. There's an epidemic of overdoses due to a new drug and Deck and his DEA team are on their tails. Tori is the doctor in charge of the local ER and has the most experience treating this drug. When one of Deck's teammates gets accidentally dosed, Tori is the one to save him. Deck needs her experience and medical know-how, pity he has a bit of a ropy past with the medical community and their willingness to cure everything with a pill.

OMW Deck and Tori have great chemistry. Deck's reason for his aversion to pretty much all pain meds is heartbreaking. Tori also had sound reasoning for her hatred of the DEA (don't worry she's not a drug dealer!). I loved them learning to work together and Tori became a bit of bada%%!

Of course, Thor pretty much stole the show for me! I love reading about service dogs.

As usual, I had the "BigBad" narrowed down to two and it was one of my two options - go me!

Engaging, great main characters, intriguing storyline. The sign of a good book? You come away having learned something, this book has that in spades.

Tough Justice is a spectacular romantic suspense by Tee O'Fallon. Ms. O'Fallon has provided readers with a well-written book populated with a fabulous cast of characters. Tori is an ER doctor and meets DEA agent Decker. Deck and Tori didn't hit it off but they agreed to work together to get officers up to date on treating overdoses. Their story is packed with drama, humor, sizzle, action and suspense. This is my third book by Tee O'Fallon and now I'm hooked, I'll be busy reading her backlist now. Tough Justice is book 1 of the K-9 Special Ops Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliffhanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do like Tee O'Fallon's K-9 books. I loved both Deck and Tori. They start out so different. I loved how they get past their differences and fall for each other. The book was full of action, suspense and some mystery. I liked the main characters and the dogs. The book was a quick read and I'm anxious for more in the series. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This new series starts with a bang grabbing your attention from the first page to the last and taking you on a rollercoaster ride.
Decker is a K-9 DEA agent. He and his dog Thor are a team and their latest mission is trying to find out the main dealer of the very deadly Gray Death. A high potency cocktail drug that can kill with a single dose . Dangerous for those in law enforcement since the exposure to it is just as deadly.
Tori Sampson is an ER physician at a hospital where the admissions of this drug and the death rate of it, is very high.
Their first meeting was less than friendly when one of Decker’s co-worker and friend, is exposed to the drug and has gone on cardiac arrest.
Both of these individuals have a past that has created an aversion to each other’s profession. But both want this drug off the streets and agree to work together.
As time goes on feelings develop but Tori’s past and Decker’s job makes it almost impossible for the relationship to flourish.
Add to that the fact that someone wants Decker off this mission and dead and you have an action packed story.
From the beginning, the plot will keep you on the edge of your seats. The main characters are complex and likable.
Ia can’t wait to see what else this author has in store for this series.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Entangled.. The opinions expressed are solely my own.