I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

As a K9 handler on the Search and Protect team, Arin Siri needs to be where the action is--and right now that's investigating a trafficking operation in Hawaii.
Jason Landon's team had always been about taking the contract, getting paid, and not asking questions. But after his last mission went south, he started to get curious.
This book can be read as a standalone but it also takes place months later from the last book into more of the Human Trafficking ring.
I always love the romance and the dogs in these books.

#trueheroes #piperjdrake #forever

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

This book starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. I love how Drake incorporates the dogs into the storyline; it makes the characterization so much deeper. This one kept me engrossed from page one to page the end.

*3.5 stars*

Action-packed romance…

Since Arin was introduced in this series I wondered what was in store for her in the romance department. She was cool under pressure, smart and able to handle herself. When it came to her love life, she simply added even more heart to the table… Finding Jason in the circumstances of their meeting truly set the stage for their complicated relationship. As Arin, I wasn’t sure what to make of him at first but having access to his innermost thoughts certainly helped me to quickly jump on #teamJasArin…

The action was stellar, the characters complex and I enjoyed another foray into the K-9 world of keeping us all safe. If I wanted the romance to ping my heart deeper, it is just a reflection of my greediness for more…

Overall, this was good. I didn't connect to Jason and Arin much. They felt a little static. The end is more of an HFN than an HEA. I felt so much more connected with the earlier books in the series. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but something felt missing.

I thought the trafficking plot was interesting and the team's involvement in stopping it was cool. The setting is amazing! I also enjoyed the diversity of the characters: Jason is South African and Arin is Thai. I think the story was a little slow in the beginning and that might be what really tripped me up. Once it picked up, I thought everything got more interesting!

Fierce Justice completes the True Heroes series. It was a slow starter for me, and the suspense/action factor really didnt kick in until the last quarter of the novel. I think my lack of connection stemmed from the primary characters' almost being too complex at the start. That made connecting to their journey a little tough. I do appreciate that Piper Drake is able to show character growth through the story, and as the layers unraveled, the happily ever after became more desirable. Ms. Drake's incorporation of canine characters is what keeps me coming back to her novels. I will definitely keep reading her work.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

FIERCE JUSTICE is intense, gripping and held my attention captive from beginning to end. While this title could be read as a stand on its own story I believe your reading experience will be enhanced by following this series from the start. Anything you need to know in the backstory is explained within this story so you aren’t missing anything beyond great stories and some nuances.

Arin and Jason have run into each other before on seemingly opposites sides so there is a definite lack of trust between them at first. And since Arin had to abandon her mission in order to get Jason to safety, well, that just added another layer of tensions between them. Still, she stood guard over him and listened to his explanations… or as much as he was willing to give. As a former mercenary, Jason was used to being the hired gun power but not in an illegal sense. He was to protect property and people, yes for money, but he’s not the bad guy… although that’s a very thin line to Arin, and even Jason as he made discoveries that had him leaving that mercenary group to strike out on his own. In many ways, Arin and Jason need each other to accomplish their individual missions. They might not like it, but the facts don’t change just because you don’t trust someone.

Jason and Arin’s romance is a slow burn but with sizzle along the way. I enjoyed how they bantered and danced around each other while the trust was building between them. The main concentration was the mission to take down traffickers and that held my attention above everything else. If you love a good Romantic Suspense that is believable with likable characters and a strong storyline then you’ll want to pick up FIERCE JUSTICE.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

DNF

I found this book to be incredibly wordy, to the point where I couldn't get into it or really figure out what the story was about

** ARC received from Netgalley **

I loved this book. The author reals you in and keeps you reading. I could not put the book down. Piper Drake knows what she's doing.

Great book. It was great to catch up with old friends (characters) and Jason, wow! This was a great story with the perfect pace and plenty of action. I would have loved an happily every after vs happily ever after-for now.. Hopefully we will see them in a future story!

This is book 5 in the True Heroes series and it features Arin and Jason. Arin was a unique character because she knew her faults and embraced them freely. She even adjusted her life to better deal with her aggressive personality traits. She’s not a touchy-feely, “let’s share our secrets” kind of woman. I think that’s why Jason worked so well with her. He could read her from the start. The action and suspense unfolded at the perfect rate. With everything going on, I felt well-informed every point. The dogs were awesome and the action wouldn’t have been the same without them.

The end was not what I expected but it was perfection. I felt I knew her by that point and to see her behavior at that moment brought a tear to my eye. This book is fifth in the series but can be read as a standalone. FANTASTIC READ! I can’t wait to read more from this very talented author.

Arin Siri (pronounced Ah-rin, the author works this explanation into her book several times to reinforce this) is a k9 handler for a private security company called Search and Protect that has contracted out to local authorities in Hawaii to aid with taking down a human trafficking ring. As a military trained sniper, she’s plenty comfortable being in tight situations, so when she stumbles over the unconscious body of Jason Landon when preforming a sweep as her team moves in to another trafficking hot spot, she’s less than pleased when her boss orders his extraction as her new priority. But she does what she is told and when Jason wakes up in hospital, she’s one of the first things he sees.

Jason Landon worked with a security/mercenary team that apparently didn’t ask too many questions when it comes to a well paying job. The first time he met Arin, was going nose to nose with her when she came to breach the security of the buildings he and his team were charged with protecting. But when she tells him what he is protecting, his morals kick in and he steps aside to allow her team to perform their rescue. Failing his employer earns him a demotion and a firm reprimand. But he can’t forget about what it was they were charged with protecting (human slaves). So he decides to take matters into his own hands (read get some info to gain some good faith when he whistle blows) to get some intel on the operations to take to the cops…then he gets hit over the head from behind and wakes up in hospital with Arin and her k9 partner guarding him/detaining him.

Arin and Jason have to learn to work together. Without Arin killing him…

My Thoughts
Let me just start by saying, I liked Arin’s character a lot. She’s a no nonsense, professional, not-willing-to-put-up-with-your-sexist-crap woman, who knows her job and does it very well. She doesn’t have time to play games, and she has no intentions of being nice if you stand in her way. And don’t even think about trying to talk to her before she’s had her morning coffee, she’s liable to rip your arm off. Or your head to stop your unnecessary jabbering.

Jason….wasn’t my favorite. He views everything as something of a game. Every move he makes in the beginning is a calculated, in order to get Arin to trust him and give him more free rein. He goads her on purpose, then realizes he hit a sore spot then moves to soothe the incident over immediately. It annoyed me how calculating he was. The only good thing that I kinda liked about him is that he recognizes that Arin is a well-trained professional who deserves his respect…and that maybe he should listen when she gives him commands. This should just be a given, but it’s made out (a bit) to be such a wonderful thing. But really, he’s just using her as a means to his own end. It’s convenient for him to stay with her so long as they are both moving in the same direction, which they do most of the book. Convenient.

What I did like was that this book does deal with a very serious issue. Human trafficking. The romance was more of a slow burn (not a true slow burn, but a lot slower than everything else I have been reading lately) and lets the human trafficking situation take more of a front seat, which I like because it totally should.

In Conclusion
This was an alright romance that doesn’t immediately jump into the steamy bits. It deals with a more serious problem that these two professional soldiers are well equipped to deal with. It’s refreshing to see a woman take the lead instead of the man always leading. This should become more of a thing. Love interests should work together. Heck, I think there should be more stories where the man is the ‘damsel in distress’ and the woman is the savior.

So while it wasn’t the best romance I ever read, I did quite enjoy it and it deserves the 3 stars it has earn without question.

4 star

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, secrets, pain, and heartbreak.

If you have not read the below I would recommend reading those books(s) first
Extreme Honor (True Heroes #1)
Ultimate Courage (True Heroes #2)
Absolute Trust (True Heroes #3)
Total Bravery (True Heroes #4)

This is Arin and Jason’s story. When Arin stumbles across Jason she remembers him from a previous case. She helps him and heals him, but can she trust him? As her team moves forward on a case, she senses danger coming but is it from Jason or just his team? Is she still on the side working with his team or is he just working with her team? She needs to protect her family and trusting Jason might be the only way. Can she trust him? Can he help with the case or will he be in the way and be more of a hinderance? Or in the end will she have to push him away and let him go?

I loved these characters and the side characters. I felt I was able to connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I recommend this book.

Fierce Justice
By Piper Drake

I came in late. You know…the last one to the party. I didn’t know anyone but that was okay. I mean sometimes it’s great to get to know new people without any pre-conceived notions. Being a newbie to Piper Drake, I wasn’t aware that Fierce Justice was book 5 in the True Heroes series. I wish I would have known. Not because I needed to read the other 4 to understand this book but because it was SOOO good, I felt like I missed out on everyone else’s story. But no matter, I will rectify my mistake later. Let’s get to the meat of this book.

Fierce Justice is the romance between Arin Siri and Jason Landon. To say their story was unique is putting it mildly. With a tumultuous past, it’s no surprise that these two have a rocky beginning. Jason is trying to make amends for a judgment error on his last mission. He trusted the wrong person and now his conscience is eating at him to make it right. Arin remembers Jason and from their last encounter, she knows there is no way she can trust him. That doesn’t mean she can’t use him to get information on the human trafficking ring she is trying to break up. What they both didn’t expect was the attraction and chemistry between them to be so strong. Can these two work through their differences and find love?

Fierce Justice was just my type of read. Action, suspense, and a slow-burning romance. With great characters and a fast-paced story Piper Drake takes the reader on an exploration into this fabulous world and holds on tight. Surprisingly the ending of Fierce Justice was not what I was expecting. Ms. Drake wraps up the story nicely but definitely leaves the reader questioning what happens next. Maybe that is what makes this book such a fabulous read.

I really wanted to love this book because I loved the premise and romantic suspense is my fave genre. However, I felt like the story got off to a painfully slow start. The first 1/3 of the book I was craving to see some chemistry between the Hero and Heroine but the most we got was him checking out her ass, or him noticing how appealing his five o’clock shadow was. Then in the second or third chapter there was a surprise kiss thrown in and even then there was little chemistry.

The bits of information thrown in about Arin’s Thai heritage seemed dry and not full of life or color as they could and should have been. They could have been copied from a dictionary for all the flavor they added to the story.

I also hoped the dog would be more prominently featured, but he seemed to be more of a prop for the most part.

Full disclosure, I haven’t read the rest of this series and that may have impacted my enjoyment. I’m going to download the first book in the series and see if getting to know the characters better would help me enjoy the series more.

I was about 6% into the book and I was already thinking, "dang, I like this woman". " I hope she keeps going on as strong as she starts out". She does. She is ultra skilled and kick-butt and I really liked that a lot. She might not be good with words but she really did have heart. She is a complex woman. I also liked that there were glimpses into her Thai culture. Her name and its pronunciation I found interesting too. (pronounced ah-Rin)

Of course Jason doesn't appear to be a slouch either. He has his areas of expertise but also comes to the conclusion that he needs to take a deeper look at his past choices. Especially after meeting Arin. He was unprepared for how much she intrigues him. Add to that the physical attraction and everything is ripe for an explosion. I liked his patience with Arin. He was respectful and didn't push when he shouldn't. But don't get the idea that he is weak, he's not.

Another main character is King and he definitely carries his weight too. I really enjoyed his part in the story.

This story was fast paced and at times had "hold your breath" moments. Definitely kept my interest. Of course, I was so into the M.C.'s that my interest was held by them and the team. I have to also say that the "Fierce" part of the title was right on. It was..Fierce.
I'm keeping my eye out for more books in this Series. I wonder if "Zu" gets his own story too? Hope so.

4.5 stars

Arin has spent most of her life feeling like an outcast in her own family, so when the opportunity presented itself to join the military she jumped on it. Now as part of Search and Protect, she has a group of people she can relate to but she still feels like she has to work hard to connect with anyone. She is determined to find a way to reconnect with her sister Mali and keep her safe though, so she puts in the effort to keep every promise she makes to demonstrate that she is worthy of Mali's trust.

When Arin first meets Jason, she sees a merc who most definitely does not meet the definition of trustworthy- but she can't get him out of her head. When King finds him unconscious smack in the middle of their search grid on a mission, she is surprised and more than a little suspicious but she agrees to stick close to find out what he is up to.

Jason most definitely has not forgotten Arin since their first meeting which inspired him to make some changes in his line of work. His conscience doesn't like anything about the last job his employers took on, so he quits and goes out on his own in the hopes he can do something to change the balance in karma's eyes going forward. Arin is as prickly as anyone he has ever met, but somehow he manages to convince her that he isn't lying about his motives.

Not many people see Arin clearly but Jason is one of the few who can read her and understand how to respond to what she isn't saying. His interest in her is more than skin deep and she made quite the impression on him despite the brevity of their first encounter. He loves her intensity and the depth of her determination, but the future beyond the mission is one big unknown. Both are hesitant to voice their feelings for different reasons, so they just go with the flow and enjoy their undeniably combustible chemistry... but the time for decisions is on the horizon!

As always, Arin's canine partner King makes a wonderful secondary character in the story. Fierce Justice is one of my favorite books in this series so far and I am looking forward to team leader Zu's turn in the spotlight!

Fierce Justice by Piper Drake is a fast paced, action-packed romance. There is enough action and conflict to keep even the most easily distracted reader interested.
Arin is a Search and Rescue dog handler who ends up "stuck" with a man she saved. Jason is a former gun for hire with a private security company. His former employer had goals opposite his so they parted ways. Those goals end up conflicting with Arin's as well. Arin and Jason end up working together to end the problem.
This my first book by Ms Drake, but enjoyed it so much that I plan to read her others

✦Review: FIERCE JUSTICE (True Heroes) by Piper J. Drake https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-b2O
Publication Date: February 26, 2018
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 5 Stars

This is one of my favorite series, and Fierce Justice kept my love burning. It could be a standalone story, but it does help to know the background of the other players to fill it out. I liked Jason immediately, even though he took a backseat to Arin, he was strong and capable. In fact, his deferring to her judgement only made him more desirable to me. Arin could have come across as some hard bitch, but the author deftly wove her heart into the character so that his desire was believable. Their romance was slow and steady, giving them each time to understand their feelings with plenty of sizzle to round it out. The ending was a little different, but it was perfect for two strong people with long-term goals. This book had it all. Fast paced danger, intrigue, romance and friendship all tied up in a book I couldn’t put down.

*Review copy provided Forever Romance in exchange for an honest review.

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Kindle $5.99 https://amzn.to/2BBUayy

✿TRUE HEROES SERIES BY PIPER J. DRAKE✿
1. EXTREME HONOR ➢ Amazon http://amzn.to/1Jtfcds | Review http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-3JY
2. ULTIMATE COURAGE ➢ Amazon http://amzn.to/2aFTeKJ | Review http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-5TA
3. ABSOLUTE TRUST ➢ Amazon http://amzn.to/2cZwDNB | Review http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-7q7
4. TOTAL BRAVERY ➢ Amazon https://amzn.to/2HG9wGw | Review https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-aHC
5. FIERCE JUSTICE ➢ Amazon https://amzn.to/2BBUayy