A Nose for Mischief

Finished March 6

A Nose for Mischief by K.T. Lee

This is the first book in the Riverbend K-9s series. Zoey Butler was a materials engineer working on a renewable energy project for Future State Energy in Denver when the FBI came in, charging the company with fraud. Zoey spent a lot of time helping investigators find answers, and then decided to leave the company. But with the company reputation what it is, she finds herself unable to even get an interview. She reaches out to the main FBI investigator, Alexis, and asks if there is any opening with them. She is offered an unpaid intern position at Alexis's division of K-9 training in Riverbend, Indiana, which is located at an old airport. It includes accommodation at an apartment in the small town. Zoey is paired with Liam, one of the trainers, with his dog, Tank. She is assigned a rescue dog, Tasha, that didn't meld well with its original trainer, and she finds the job interesting and is drawn to both the small town camaraderie and Liam. 

When her apartment back in Denver that she shares with her sister Elise is broken into and tossed, she is worried for her sister, and asks whether there is still something the FBI didn't learn about Future State Energy's activities. After some discussion with Alexis, she offers to take the job she's repeatedly been offered back at her old company and look for answers. Liam will be accompanying her as an undercover agent, posing as an entry level project manager. The two rent a house and pose as a couple for the purposes of this. 

As the two and their dogs become a real team, she and Liam become close, but the investigation at the company heats up as well as corporate espionage and possible sabotage.

I enjoyed the characters, particularly Zoey with her quick intelligence, and the engaging dog Tasha. 

Delicate Ink

Finished November 16

Delicate Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan

This is the first book in a series around the Montgomery family. Set in Denver, Colorado, the central family has several adult children, and their parents. There are also additional cousins that make a family get-together quite large. For this novel Austin Montgomery is the central male character. He runs a tattoo studio with his younger sister and a close friend. 

New to town is Sierra Elder. She has opened a women's clothing store across the street from the studio. Sierra has some trauma in her past that hasn't been entirely put to rest. She's tried to move on, but hasn't been able to escape certain aspects of it. We gradually learn about this past through the story. She's made friends with the woman that runs the café next door to Montgomery Ink, and has been thinking about getting a tattoo, but she carries herself with elegance and usually opts for higher end clothing like that sold in her shop.

Austin has full tattoo sleeves, as well as other body art and a beard, and his looks leans rougher than the average. He also loves to ride his motorcycle, which adds to that image. When the two meet, there is both attraction and some less positive energy, but they do gradually become more friendly. 

Austin has an ex that is a little possessive, and he is dealing with a family health issue that has him worried. He also has other worries about siblings and cousins that are touched on, and may lead to plots in the other books in the series. There are other plot surprises that add new issues to the story.

There is a subplot of an interest in BDSM sexual practices that is discussed and seen. 

The relationship seems to move quite quickly, and the story seems to jump forward by weeks at times, so I found myself missing the nuances of the relationship development, wondering how they got to this new dynamic. Interesting characters, and the plot kept me interested. 

Charged

Finished July 20
Charged by Jay Crownover

This is the second book in the Saints of Denver series, but the only one I've read. It focuses on a young woman, Avett Walker, who has made a series of bad choices in her life, seeming to fall a bit lower each time. She has reached a point where she is in jail, charged as an accessory in an armed robbery. And the victims were people she had been friends with, and who were close to her family. She feels too disgusted with herself to ask for help, or to call her father, who has always been there for her no matter what she has done. She is ashamed and scared.
Enter hot-shot criminal lawyer Quaid Jackson, ex-military and with a big reputation. He says that he is her lawyer, and she is to do what he says, but she has no way to pay him. When she finds out who called him on her behalf, she is even more determined to find a way to pay him herself.
Quaid has taken the job without knowing anything about her, but he soon finds out that she's cute and feisty, and up for almost anything. He also finds himself digging deeper to discover what has taken her down the road that she's gone down, and intervening with her family to help her find a new start to her life.
This is a novel of two very determined people, each with their own issues, who begin to change each other's lives significantly. With lots of hot scenes, and some tense situations, this book is a quick read.