Shielding the Baby

by Laura Scott

Officer Danica Hayes and her K9 partner Hutch, a German Shepherd, work with the Pacific Northwest K9 Unit. They are called out to a double murder at a bridge in the Mount Rainier area. While investigating that case, she interviews Luke Stark, the brother of the female victim, Stacey. She was a co-owner with a friend of three resorts in the area. Luke, a recently divorced medic, was released from the Army when his ex-wife died in a car accident. He is adjusting to life as a single parent to his adorable nine month old son Caden. They live at the resort.

After Danica meets with Luke, there are various attacks on both Danica and Luke and attempted kidnappings of little Caden. Danica moves into the resort to try to protect the father and son. Caden loves Hutch who has multiple skills as a K9 officer and is instinctively very protective of Caden.

The story moves rapidly as Danica tries to discover the identity of the murderer and the assailant. She needs to determine if one person is responsible for all of the crimes, and if so what could the motivation possibly be? Meanwhile, a romance develops between Luke and Danica, as they hesitantly open up to each other despite Luke’s marriage failure and Danica’s childhood trauma. Danica’s faith in God inspires Luke to examine his own faith and renews his interest in having a closer relationship with God.

I enjoyed this page turner. It’s always interesting to read about the skills of K9 officers and their bonds with their human partners. I hope to read other books in this series and others by Laura Scott.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Romance, Mystery, Christian

Notes: 1. Harlequin designates this book as “Inspirational Romance/Love Inspired Suspense” which helps readers know if this is a good choice for them.
2. #1 in the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Series. Some threads were neatly tied, but there were other major threads left dangling. This is a series of eight books all written by different authors. I’m not sure how they will be connected. I do know that Colt and his dog, minor characters in this book, will take center stage in the next book, Scent of Truth by Valerie Hansen. I can’t tell if the unresolved issues will be sorted out in the second book of the series.

Publication: March 28, 2023—Harlequin Romance

Memorable Lines:

Shame on her for thinking the worst. Blame it on her tumultuous childhood.

The Pacific Northwest K9 Unit had been founded ten years ago, primarily funded through a generous federal grant bankrolled by Roland Evans, a philanthropist who strongly believed in their core mission of solving the most difficult crimes that transpired throughout several police jurisdictions in Washington State, including the three national parks.

Once he’d held his own on the battlefield, wielding a rifle while caring for injured soldiers, but civilian life, especially being a readymade father, was something completely outside his wheelhouse.

Shielding the Baby is written by Laura Scott. This is part of the Love Inspired Suspense Line. This book starts off with lots of action and suspense and does not let up through the whole book. A double murder and an attempted kidnapping of a baby in a national park have Officer Danica Hayes and her K-9 partner on high alert. She is tasked with protecting Luke Stark and his six-month-old son while tracking the person who murdered his sister. They seem to be next on the murderer's list. The author does a great job keeping you turning pages. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

Officer Danica Hayes and her dog Hutch find themselves working to solve a double murder while protecting the victim's brother and his infant son.

A heartwarming and engaging adventure, with wonderful characters that were easy to cheer for. I loved how Danica's dog Hutch adores baby Caden and is very protective of him.

The first in a new series, this was a fun read, with great relationship building and interaction throughout. A little lighter on suspense than typical in these books, I didn't mind at all as it was still very enjoyable and the dog's love of the baby was so cute!

Overall a great read, I liked how Luke was inspired to be a better man for his son and grew in his faith. This was a very entertaining read, and a great start to a series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ah, this was another delightful read! I loved meeting Danica and Luke, and I'm always excited for a K-9 story from the LIS books! This one was a delight to read!

Shielding the Baby by Laura Scott is the first book in the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Series from Love Inspired Suspense.

If you’ve been following me for long, you know I love K-9 stories. And Love Inspired’s various continuity series surrounding K-9 groups are always amazing. Shielding the Baby kicks off this year’s series and it has me highly anticipating the rest of the books!

I enjoyed following Danica and her K-9 as they investigated the cases in the story. Wondering how the situations were intertwined made for a page-turning read. Luke and his little boy were awesome, too, and I loved how Luke’s career background emerged throughout the story. Then there was the romance, which unfolded so sweetly!

If you enjoy K-9 stories, then definitely grab a copy of this book … and then get ready to pre-order the rest of the series!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book.
I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.

If you like mystery suspense books this one is perfect for you. I enjoyed reading as Officer Danica and her K-9 slowly but surely worked on figuring out how attempted to kidnap a baby and keep Luke and the child safe. Luke is still dealing with the shock of the child's mother but also learning to take care of the child as well and its been a journey for him as he also tries to keep his child safe from who ever keeps making attempts at him and overall I enjoyed seeing how everything played out.

This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the first book in the Pacific Northwest K-9 series. I really loved the K-9 dog in this book, and I think all the dogs in this book brought so much to this book. I loved all the characters in this book, and the setting in this book was great too. I really loved that this book kept me guessing, and I really did not see the twist at the end happening like it did. There were some things in this book I do not think were totally closed out by the ending, so I felt myself wanting just a little bit more for this book. I really loved reading this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Love Inspired Suspense) or author (Laura Scott) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

A double homicide, multiple assaults, kidnapping attempts, many suspects, and few true leads at times make this a good suspenseful book. Not too intense and nothing disturbing, just a good suspense and mystery to keep the reader engaged from beginning to end. K9 books give readers a different view of crime fighting that can be fun to observe through the lens of a story. I recommend this book to anyone needing a nice literary escape and to lovers of suspense with a sprinkle of romance, too.

I requested and received a copy of this book for review. The words and thoughts expressed here are wholly my own.

What a great start for a new series regarding officers and their K9 partners.

Danica and her K9 partner Hutch are called in to the National Park regarding shots fired and two people injured. Upon arriving, she finds that both are dead. In working the case, she meets the brother (Luke) and infant nephew (Caden) of one of the people that was killed. After the initial meeting, the brother is attacked. The next day, someone attempts to kidnap Caden so Danica feels that both her and Hutch must watch over the brother and nephew until the killer is found. Could the kidnapper be the same person who killed the sister and her boyfriend?

Was one of the members of her team responsible for the deaths of the two victims? Mara was seen by two of her coworkers running away from the two victims and now is not answering calls from her boss and is nowhere to be found causing the rest of the team to be split in their decision if she is innocent or not.

So many questions, you need to read this story to get answers.

What a great start to a new series, Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit series. I can not wait for the next one in the series. I enjoyed getting to know many of the characters and their K-9 partners in this series and look forward to reconnecting to them in the next book.. If you like a book that wraps up everything you may want to wait for the next book to come out as this one leave a few things unsolved, I assume they will pick back up in the next book.This one we focus on Officer Danica Hayes and her K-9 partner, Hutch. As Danica and Hutch find themselves protecting Luke and his son Caden, there seams to be a lot happening. This book is full of mystery, suspense, twist and turns, romance and so much more. I was given a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

This is a fun start to a multi-author series called Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit. The focus is one member of the team who ends up protecting a man and his baby son. The murders that occur near the beginning of the book are not resolved, and I suspect that the solution will arc through the entire series.
I enjoyed the relationship that developed between Danica and Luke. The little boy is cute and I like Danica's K-9.
If you like light romantic suspense, give Shielding the Baby a try. I would like to continue the series to find out how it progresses.
Thanks to Netgalley and Love Inspired Suspense for the chance to review this book.

I really enjoyed this clean, fast paced suspenseful romance story.
The story is about Danica Parker and her K-9 partner and a father with a small child that she is sent to protect.
Recommended reading for anyone liking a clean romance, cute baby and police dogs.
A fun series to read. I am looking forward to more books in the Northwest K-9 series.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Shielding the Baby by Laura Scott was a great mystery. You can depend on her to write a book that pulls you into it right from the start and keeps you there until the end. Then you wish it didn’t end yet. I can’t wait for her next book to come out in May.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin-Romance, US & Canada, Love Inspired Suspense will be released March28, 2023.
#shieldingthebaby
#netgalley

Shielding the Baby was written by Laura Scott and is the first book in the multi-author series Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit. This is a romantic suspense story with good, characters, an amazing K-9, and a interesting storyline. Please note the romantic connection is evident throughout the book but no steamy scenes were included.

Officer Danica Hayes and her K-9 partner, Hutch are assigned to notify and investigate the murders of Luke Stark’s sister and her boyfriend. It quickly turns into a protection detail when several attempts on Luke’s life are made as well as a few kidnapping attempts are made on his nine month old son, Caden. Unknown danger surrounds them, as Luke and Danica work together to solve the case and protect those they have grown to love, but will they get their happily ever after? Read it and find out!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced readers copy received from Netgalley.

This book gets off to a great start from the very beginning, shots are fired, there is a double murder and Officer Danica Parker along with her K-9 partner are right in the crosshairs of the situation. There is nonstop action from the time that happens that includes an attempted kidnapping of a baby, his grieving father, numerous suspects and to top it off, a beautiful but dangerous setting.

I admit to being surprised as to who the culprit was and the reason for doing it. Overall, I thought this fast-paced, well-written novel was fantastic. I look forward to future books in this series.
I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley. Opinions are my own

A double murder and an attempted kidnapping of a baby in a national park have Officer Danica Hayes and her K-9 partner on high alert. She’ll have to protect Luke Stark and his nine-month-old son while tracking the person who murdered his sister. Danica and Luke face a battle for their lives to keep from becoming the next victims.

I usually like books by Laura Scott. This book didn't hold my attention like some of her other books have. Danica is task with protecting Luke and his 9 month old son. Luke has been burned in love when his wife cheated on him while he was overseas. He realizes that they married too soon after meeting. So when he says he loves Danica after only knowing her a week, it doesn't make sense to me. The mystery was good. But the rest of the story seemed to drag a little bit.

I was given this book by Love Inspired Suspense via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

Fast moving romantic, Christian mystery!

This was a good book. It captured my attention from the beginning, the plot moved along fast and the mystery was elusive for most of the book. I did get suspicious of the perpetrator about 65% of the way through, but it didn't ruin anything for me.

Danica and Luke's relationship grew from protectee (Danica) to more. Baby Caden was adorable, and the dog Hutch was very well-trained and smart. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This book was adrenaline laced with action and intrigue. The suspense of wondering who the culprit is and what exactly they are trying to accomplish will keep you glued to the pages long into the night.

This is the first book in the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit series, and I look forward to reading future installments in this series. This book literally starts off with a bang when shots are heard near Mt. Rainier National Park. National park officer Danica Hayes and her K-9 partner, as well as another officer and his K-9 partner are dispatched to the scene to investigate. Someone takes a shot at Danica and her partner. This is when Danica sees a co-worker fleeing the scene. The co-worker suddenly drops off the map and will not answer her phone or report for duty. The seed is planted in your mind of her culpability in the double murder that took place, but Danica thinks she looked more scared than guilty. After an attempted kidnapping of the brother of one of the deceased victims, Danica is tasked with investigating and protecting at the same time. Luke is a retired Army medic with a young son to care for. He has also just suffered the devastating loss of his wife a few months earlier. Now he is faced with the loss of his sister.

I loved the character of Luke, as he so gently cared for his son, but he still had the protective instinct for others around him. Danica is a wonderful star character of this book. She is strong and full of guts. She has overcome a devastating loss in her life as well, but it has only made her stronger. I always love these books that showcase the skills of K-9 units, and this one was a hit for me as well. Hutch was a superstar.

This was a clean and wholesome romantic suspense novel with plenty of action and intrigue.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book has started off with a bang... It is a murder mystery. The book overall was good. The plot kept me guessing who was doing what and guessing the wrong "villain." It did keep me interested most of the book. However, this book ended too quick and rush to tie up some on the endings with in the last couple of pages. It left tons of questions of the unsolved murders at beginning of book. The ending of the book left you hanging. It looks like this maybe a series because next in the group is another character but it can be read as a stand alone. I have mixed feeling about this book. While I like most of the book, I am not crazy about a sorta continuation of another book which may answers the questions but will look for it and decide then.

**I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Shielding the Baby
Laura Scott
March 28, 2023

Scott takes us to the Northwest for the first in the Pacific K-9 series of books. The story begins with officer Danica Hayes and her partner Hutch in Mount Rainier National Park. She and another officer are out with Colt Maxwell and Sampson working among the trails and forest when they are contacted by the dispatcher. Shots were fired and reported by locals who are out hiking. Neither she nor Colt heard the barrage as they farther were out than the suspension bridge. The caller reported that a woman was seen firing at two individuals. They drove to the scene, released their K-9 partners to track the sniper. Upon arrival they found a man and a woman both dead from gunshots. The story continues with news and information of the deceased, family and the ordeal of finding the murderer.
Shielding the Baby will be published by Harlequin Digital Sales on March 28, 2023. They allowed me to read and review Laura Scott’s most recent release via NetGalley. This novel was an excellent love inspired suspense thriller. She brought in characters from the Olympia, Washington area where the PNK9 headquarters was located. This cozy mystery is an outstanding choice for a rainy weekend. Enoy.