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K-9 Ranch Rescue #2

Trained to Protect

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A cop falls for the woman he’s sworn to protect

A K-9 Ranch Rescue romance



From the moment Elissa Yorian arrives at Chance K-9 Ranch, an unknown foe has her in his sights. Fortunately, Officer Doug Murran is on the case. As he tracks Elissa’s mysterious enemy, he does his best to resist the electricity he feels every time he looks at her. Still, their passion might not be enough to protect Elissa from a murderer…

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published October 2, 2018

33 people are currently reading
37 people want to read

About the author

Linda O. Johnston

133 books464 followers
Linda O. Johnston's first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the Year. Since then, Linda has had more short stories and novellas published, plus, by the end of 2018, she will have had fifty novels published, including mysteries and romance.

Linda currently writes the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries cozy mystery series for Midnight Ink, and also wrote the Superstition Mysteries for them, both featuring dogs. She has also written the Pet Rescue Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime, which was a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series. And yes, they involved dogs, too.

Linda also writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, including a new miniseries about a K-9 ranch where dogs are trained. Linda additionally writes paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne including the Alpha Force miniseries about a covert military unit of shapeshifters--and all the werewolves also have cover dogs.

Linda, a currently inactive transactional attorney, now writes fiction full-time. She is a member of the Los Angeles chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America, including the Los Angeles, Orange County and Santa Clarita chapters.

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5 stars
27 (38%)
4 stars
23 (32%)
3 stars
11 (15%)
2 stars
5 (7%)
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5 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Amelia.
794 reviews20 followers
September 24, 2018
The mysteries just keep adding up in the second book of the K-9 Ranch Rescue miniseries, and the peril to one woman becomes more threatening with each new incident. Linda O. Johnston skillfully interweaves suspense into the story, while also creating a believable romance between two people who are caught up in difficult circumstances. There are so many uncertainties from the very start, and I never knew when the life of a dedicated woman would be in peril, nor what the outcome would end up being. TRAINED TO PROTECT has lots of possible scenarios, and not knowing what would ultimately happen kept me riveted.

When Elissa Yorian decided to apply for part-time work at Chance K-9 Ranch, she wanted to teach dog owners how their animals could be used as therapy in certain situations. Although a threatening note is left at the ranch which could pertain to her, her expert qualifications still get her hired. To hopefully keep more trouble from occurring, local police officer Doug Murran will be exploring all possibilities. But unfortunately the warnings escalate and their source remains unknown, so Doug becomes more involved in keeping Elissa safe while trying to stay professional.

I was definitely kept in the dark for much of the story because of the author’s clever writing. Though a few hints were here and there, guesses were all I could do until all is revealed in a shocking way. When a story is able to keep many facts a secret, I enjoy the quest to discover the truth, and Linda O. Johnston had me totally intrigued from beginning to end. It was very interesting to see how the K-9 dogs performed when working a case, especially when it came to how well the animals worked with their partners. I also found all the scenes where training was taking place to be informative, while the moments where Elissa’s dog, Peace, was demonstrating her different abilities were sometimes poignant.

Though Doug really tries to keep his emotions under control, the pull he feels toward Elissa is not easy to ignore. While rules are always followed when he investigates any leads, his free time is often spent checking up on her. I really enjoyed some of his inner comments to himself, as they were spot-on and several made me laugh. Elissa is someone who wants to assist people, as she is a nurse plus uses her dog to make individuals feel better. I really admired how much she wants to aid those who need her special talent, and she is not willing to give up despite the stressful predicaments that she faces. TRAINED TO PROTECT entertains with realistic and often emotional events.

I voluntarily reviewed the book, and all comments are my honest opinion
Profile Image for Rose .
75 reviews6 followers
April 22, 2019
This book was a bit better than the first one. In fact i liked the bare bones of the story. But it could've been much better. There were so many eye rolling moments that i was disappointed. I know that the author needs some twists to further the plot. But the twists made the h be one of those "too stupid to live" heroines, that the entire time i was reading about the h made me want to shake her to use her common sense. Well, when you read, you'll understand what i'm talking about. After reading so many romantic suspense books with strong female leads with grit and common sense, the h's in this book and the previous one ended up letting me down.

One question; which teacher who has had all the problems that h has had, gives private lessons at her home ALONE, no matter how innocent the request? And if the H had such a good institution and felt something's not right that he called the ranch owner to ask about the h's whereabouts, why didn't he insist that she go and check on the h, even if he didn't want to trouble her just in case all's well?
Well, SIGH!
I gave 3 stars for the writing. I had to finished the book just because i'd bought it.
Profile Image for Kate Vale.
Author 24 books85 followers
June 7, 2022
Someone is after Elissa Yorian, even when she hires on at the Chance K-9 Ranch to teach others about how dogs can be trained to serve as therapy animals, something she's been doing in addition to her usual nursing duties at a local hospital.

When she encounters police officer Doug Murran, she can't believe how she's attracted to him, even though she shouldn't be. After all, he's on duty while trying to get to the bottom of who's threatening her and the ranch that also provides K-9s to other police departments.

Will he be successful identifying and catching the bad guy, or will the only person he catches is Elissa and her heart?
Profile Image for rebecca andre.
12 reviews
January 14, 2019
Not can good book to read if your a Christian

I choose not to rate this book but I would say not a star rating book it didn't keep my interest and I dislike the foul language and I also don't care for the sexual part of the book you could written that part without getting into the details of it I couldn't finish the book
Profile Image for Jo-Anne.
1,763 reviews38 followers
January 28, 2023
Someone is after Elissa Yorian, even when she hires on at the Chance K-9 Ranch to teach others how dogs can be trained to serve as therapy animals, something she's been doing in addition to her usual nursing duties at a local hospital.

When she encounters police officer Doug Murran, she can't believe how attracted to him she is, even though she shouldn't be. After all, he's on duty and trying to get to the bottom of who's threatening her and the ranch that provides K-9s to police departments.

Will he successfully identify and catch the bad guy, or will the only person he catches be Elissa and her heart?
Profile Image for Kathy Bryson.
Author 11 books38 followers
October 15, 2018
fun installment in another Harlequin mini-series - this time the K9 Ranch Rescue! I get totally hooked on these!

In this version, the mystery's a puzzle from the start. The heroine's job interview is interrupted by veiled threats. She's a bit of a Pollyanna, and everyone's a little bit too understanding, but the hero has a healthy dose of skepticism to go with his reluctant charm. And of course, the dogs are always adorable. Good entertainment!
388 reviews1 follower
November 16, 2018
this was an easy and enjoyable read. it was a good mystery too. it was almost the end of the book before the solution seemed to come together. the setting was good since it was k-9 ranch from book 1 the characters were well rounded and believable. right now just waiting for book 3.
Profile Image for Rebecca Delio.
1,117 reviews5 followers
June 22, 2024
LOVELY STORY

This story was about training service and police dogs as well as a story about a deranged man who lost his son which had nothing to do with the trainer of service dogs which in this life are very important to sick and injured adults and children…..
23 reviews
January 1, 2024
Sorry, but the book could have been about 100 pages shorter. The last 50 pages are where the story picks up, so you only need to read those. Moreover the word ’sexy‘ is mentioned every second page.
Profile Image for Dorel.
4,374 reviews38 followers
August 5, 2024
This is the 2nd book I read by Linda O. Johnston. I'm sorry I stopped reading this story 📖 at chapter 4 because it didn't grab my interest.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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