With his K-9’s help,

can he save the son he didn’t know existed?

Rescuing a kidnapped child is part of the job for search-and-rescue K-9 handler Patrick Sanders—but this time it’s his son.

Now Patrick and his furry partner must work with his high school love, Jennie Wilcox, to shield the little boy he just learned about.

But with someone targeting them, will Patrick and Jennie survive to face their painful past and become a family?

Titles in the K-9 Search & Rescue multi-author series include — Desert Rescue by Lisa Phillips – Trailing a Killer by Carol J. Post – Mountain Survival by Christy Barritt – Search and Defend by Heather Woodhaven – Following the Trail by Lynette Eason – Dangerous Mountain Rescue by Christy Barritt –

This is a romance that includes no swearing, little if any violence, and no sexual content (beyond a few light kisses).

Title:  Desert Rescue
Series:  K-9 Search & Rescue #1
Author:  Lisa Phillips
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Published:  January 1, 2021
Publisher:  Harlequin (Love Inspired Suspense)
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Desert Rescue is the first story in the multi-author series, K-9 Search & Rescue.  Patrick and Jennie must face their past (part of which Patrick had no idea about) and the danger that threatens them all in an emotional, tense romance.

We are thrust into the action from the opening page as Jennie and her son Nate silently creep down the backsteps of the house they’ve been held captive in… and that is the only spoiler (hopefully) that I’ll be willing to tell you about.  Now I wanted to know the details, the why, and who are the bad guys which will be revealed in time.  Still, it’s one heck of an opening and a certain way to grab my attention and keep me focused on figuring out what is going on here.

Nate was near their location with his K-9 partner, Tucker, an Airedale Terrier when he heard the cry for help.  Nothing could have ever prepared him to see his former love, Jennie, or the son he never knew existed.  Now begins the mad dash to escape the danger, the determination to have questions from the past answered, and the hope of putting this family back together again beyond the bad guys being taken down.  While not every moment is filled with danger, it would also be fair to say that Desert Rescue is full of action-packed situations.

I’m not always a huge fan of the secret baby trope, but this time the reasoning made sense – even if there were so many misunderstandings between this couple in their past, and maybe even now.  Nate stole my heart, and Tucker certainly made me smile and grin in pride at his antics and his defense of those under his doggy care.

I liked Patrick and Jennie, found them believable, at times stubborn, and often operating on incorrect information which is where those misunderstandings come into play.  If you love putting puzzle pieces together, and a couple that obviously does belong together in spite of themselves then this opening story of the K-9 Search & Rescue series would be a perfect match for you.  I had a blast here, and even though at this time these stories have been on my TBR pile for far too long – Patrick, Jennie, Nate, and Tucker have made sure that this series gets more attention from me, like right now.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in print, audio, or for your Kindle (as this is currently in KU)