Kali's life changes with the purchase of a lottery ticket. But instead of changing for the better, someone turns her life into a nightmare. Paxton, along with his service dog, steps in as a rescuer, but will love be enough to overcome the fear? I didn’t really connect with Kali's character, but Paxton was okay. This book is a wild ride full of mysteries, tension, and plenty of twists. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley.

This book starts out with so much emotion that carries through to the very twisted end! Kali Stevens was young when her parents were killed in a car accident. Her chance at a foster family fell through and years later she is working as a waitress, barely making ends meet. On a whim, she purchases a lottery ticket and is shocked when she is the winner, a millionaire winner. Before she can claim her ticket, she is kidnapped and buried alive in a wooden box. As she begins to accept her fate, she hears someone and screams to get their attention. Officer Paxton Turner is out with his dog, K9 Riggs, when Riggs begins digging in the ground and they rescue her. Who buried her alive and why? As she has help to heal from the trauma through therapy, an attraction develops between her and Pax, but is it too soon for them to get involved? Until the person who kidnapped her is found, she will never feel safe and decides to leave town and Pax. When she fears that her kidnapper has found her, is he responsible for the other women who are missing? As the Texas Rangers and Pax continue to search for her assailant, the case spirals out of control until the very thrilling ending! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Gripping, complex, at times horrifying, clear the calendar because you won't put it down until the end. Rollercoaster of a romance with quite the obstacles as they try to solve the mystery and the killer is on the loose. Tense to the surprising end, and yea some solid twists going on.

I thought that this book was excellent!

The story has a brilliant storyline and it is really well written with a lovely flow to the flow.

I loved getting to know the different characters and learning about their stories as the book progressed.

There were lots of twists and turns and it was a whodunnit kind of story but with a twist.

It was a romantic and sexy read that had me hooked.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - I loved it - very highly recommended!!

OMG, this book kept me in a constant state of angst!!! And the final straw was the wicked twist at the end!!! The one person I didn’t suspect!!!! ARGH!! Well played Ms. Saxon, well played.

First time reading this author, and once I get a few therapy sessions and my Xanax refilled, I’ll be getting another!

⭐ - 3/5 - ⭐

Thank you #netgalley and #tinasaxon for the ARC of this book!

✦ Hero MMC
✦ Damsel in Distress
✦ Police officer/Law enforcement
✦ Kidnapping
✦ Possessive MMC
✦ Dual POV

⚠️ - Loss, grief, abuse, abduction, etc
🌶️ - 3.5/5
💕 - 2.5/5
👥 - 4/5
🌎 - 2/5
🗡️ - 2/5
💀 - 1.5/5

𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠:
Kali is a girl from a small town who hasn't had much luck in her life, when an impulse decision to buy a lottery ticket changes her life forever. Unfortunately, not for the better. She is drugged, kidnapped, and buried alive. Luckily, an adorable pup named Riggs and his ruggedly handsome owner, Paxton, come across her in the woods and rescue her. With everything she's been through, she doesn't know how to live, let alone love, especially when her kidnappers are still at large.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
● I loved the first quarter of the books, getting to know Kali and seeing her life leading up to the incident.
● Riggs is the best boy ever!
● I know a lot of people hated what Kali did halfway(ish) through the book, and the time jumps, but I actually loved them. You get to see her grow become the person she dreamt of being...even if it was for bad reasons and meant hurting the person who loved her.
● The big reveal was something I did not see coming AT ALL. So bravo for that!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅:
● Paxtons character was kind of confusing. Sometimes he was dark and broody, sometimes he was a little puppy. It was hard to keep up and there was no natural evolution one way or the other.
● I hated the moments of 'dum dum duuummmm'. Like paragraphs and chapters were intentionally left hanging to keep the plot progressing when a page or 2 later it was clarified. It felt cheap.
● It read a bit too fast. Yes there were time jumps but there were certain moments that honestly could have been drawn out a bit.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The characters were great, the chemistry was electric, and the plot was thrilling. There were some issues, but the FMC was strong and found herself throughout the story. I know a lot of people hated the way she did certain things, but I understand why she did. I felt for Paxton and loved him throughout, even if his motives and reactions were sometimes odd.

Even though the journey is exhausting and scary, the end, and the HEA is totally worth it.

I was really intrigued by the premise; winning the lottery and then being buried alive?! Crazy but sounded so good. However, it did fall a little flat for me. I really didn't enjoy the time jumps at all. I loved the twists and turns in this, but it just didn't hit like I wanted it to. The characters had chemistry but I didn't really care for Kali. I don't want to spoil it, but I think this book will be really great for a certain subset of people but just not as much for me.

I started this book and was hooked immediately. Unfortunately, about 50% of the way through I really contemplated DNF-ing this. Again, the plot sounded very intriguing and had me excited to start it. I truly felt bad for Kali, until I started losing interest in her. Once I stopped feeling for her and couldn’t relate, I just felt like the story was dragging. Had it not been for Riggs (and Paxton) I really would have stopped reading I fear.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t read this, it might just not have fit my mood reading at the time. But I thank #NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

This story for me, started off well. The initial plot was intriguing. In the beginning I felt for Kali's plight and her deep trauma. But, unfortunately by 50% into the story I disliked her tremendously.
The story lost me at that point and there was no getting me back on Kali's side. This is rare for me.

I can honestly say Paxton and Riggs were the characters that pushed me to finish reading Deadly Ruse. Unfortunately there were times I just wanted to stop reading. I felt the original man and K-9 cop lost too much of himself. I truly felt he needed to cut his losses and I probably would have liked the story better because even his character was weakened and his self esteem was tarnished.