This was my first book by the author but it definitely won’t be my last! This was the perfect combination of romance and suspense! I enjoyed both of the MC and I really adored the K9 :)
It was a fast paced book with just a little steam!

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience

The reader finally finds out what special assignment Jamie has been doing. for the past 6 months. He has gone deep undercover to infiltrate the local mob family - in hopes of getting his father released from jail so that he can received much needed medical card for cancer. Jamie saves the life of a fellow inmate at Sing Sing (Tony - the son of the head of the Mancuso crime family).

Tony once he is out of prison sets up a meeting with his mom - the head of the crime family and Jamie to bring him on as one of their workers in the crime family mob. What none of them knows is that he is gathering information to take the whole operation down.

Jaime meets Bella at the restaurant her aunt and she own, Bella wants no part of the mob business -but her aunt will not share her the 51 % due to she has been using the restaurant to pass money through the bank accounts. The FBI believed Bella was part of the crime family's business.

Jamie and Jax (his K9 officer dot) learn through living below Bella that she is clean - she knows her aunt is p[art of the MOB - but wants no connection to it.

Above ‘N’ Beyond by Tee O’Fallon

Love this author’s books. I have not found all of them yet but hope to read all of them one day. Big smiles after reading the last page and thinking about this story!

What I liked:
* Jamie Pataglio: K-9 Sergeant for NY Port Authority, undercover to bring down a mob family, loving son and brother, loves his K-9 partner Jax, willing to put his life on the line for what he believes in, had a difficult time in his teens, good friend, really liked him
* Bella Bianco: chef, co-owner of Bianco’s Bistro, orphaned young, raised by her Aunt Paola-mafia godmother, treats her staff as family and counts them as friends, is having difficulty with her aunt and cousin, takes in a stray dog and names him Gnocchi, has been emotionally abused
* Jax and Gnocchi: two special canine companions, partners, and friends to their humans
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* That I cared about both main characters and hope they would find a way to a happy ending
* That this is a standalone story
* Getting to see all of the characters from previous books at the end of this book
* That Jamie’s K-9 handler friends have his back – no matter what
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how ruthless mob crime families can be and the pain and damage they create
* The way the government manipulated, used, and treated some people as almost expendable

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled-Amara for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Great story, and I love how the story developed. The suspense of the story had me at the edge of my seat. I loved how the romance developed between Jamie and Bella. Can't wait till the next one!

Loved this book! The story immediately sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down! Fantastic read. I was almost sad when it was done. The characters are well written, fun and so good. The story is great and the pace is perfect. It started a little slow for me but it didn’t take long to pick up the pace. Which is easy to look past with how’s good the plot is. Highly recommend!

This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the 7th book in the Federal K-9 series. This book pulled me into it right away, and I did not want to put this book down. I really enjoyed every minute I spend reading this book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Undercover sergeant investigating a crime family and falls for the niece. The storyline was so good, I was interested the whole time. I liked the resolution and the banter is so fun. This is #7 in the series but the first that I've read. These can definitely be read as standalones.

I love romantic suspenses, but too often, the plot is weak at best. With this author, it’s never the case, and once again, she nailed it. It may have been even better than the romance itself.

At the center of the story was family love. Jamie has a strained relationship with his dad, but he’s willing to do anything to help him. On the other hand, Bella is family to her aunt and her cousin mostly in name, as they treat her more like a servant. But even then, she has some feelings for them. It was an interesting theme as a background noise. I enjoyed the subtelty of it, as it didn’t distract from the suspense and the love story.

I wasn’t a fan of how the romance started. Jamie is a serial lover, and Bella swore to herself she would never have a relationship with a mobster. Yet, they quickly fall for each other because they are so special. Except, they aren’t really? I had a hard time believing that Jamie never met a woman with a strong personality before Bella. And Bella had a handsome mobster doing nice things for her before but never fell for him. They were both interesting characters, don’t get me wrong. But their justification for ending up together didn’t really compute.

As for how their relationship developped, it was nice. They helped each other, supported each other, had great interactions. And despite Jamie hiding who he really was–he felt guilty for that too–they showed sides of themselves they didn’t usually showed, and their connection was heartfelt.

The plot was well thought out. Jamie is undercover with the mob because he made a deal with the FBI to help his father out of prison. He’s here to bring down Bella’s family. But between jealous and/or suspicious mobsters, less than helpful FBI agents, and his own feelings toward Bella, his job is cut out for him. Though a couple of timely coincidences made some aspects of his missions real easy, the weight of what he had to do was palpable.

It was romantic suspense as Jamie was in the middle of an investigation, and we often read about the clues he’s picking up, the things he remembers, etc. But there wasn’t a lot of action, which makes the last few scenes stand out. There are some tensions though, and it’s a gripping story.

It was my first book in this series but also the last in the series, but it was okay. There’s a nice conclusion to the series that didn’t mean too much for me, and some references to the other main characters in the series, but it was a great book as a standalone too.

Quickie

- Series: Federal K-9 #7 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #romantic suspense #mafia romance #hidden identity #dogs
- Triggers: psychological abuse, violence, deaths, illness
- Main couple: Bella Bianco & Jamie Pataglio
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 5/5
- + well crafted suspense
- – the ‘(s)he’s so special and I don’t know why’ trope bothers me

K-9 Sergeant Jamie is in Sing Sing Correctional Facility but he’s working under cover and he’s on a mission. He needs intel on certain members of the mob in order to get his dad out of prison. He saves a mob boss Tony from being stabbed while they are both serving time in Sing Sing. Tony thanks him and offers him a job when they are released from prison a few weeks later. Mission complete, this is his way in.
Bella’s aunt owns 51 percent of her restaurant. Her Aunt Paola is known as “The Godmother.” What she says goes. Bella wants to buy her aunt out of the restaurant but that’s where her aunt is laundering money through so she won’t give up her share. Tony offers Jamie an apartment in Bella’s house to stay rent free. Jamie decides to work at Bella’s restaurant as a thank you for the apartment. Even though Jamie is working under cover and should stay focused on the task ahead, he finds himself helping out Bella as much as possible.
Can Jamie get as much information as he needs to get his dad out of prison with out blowing his cover? Will he fall for Bella the more time they spend together?

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. A big bonus with having two dogs in the story as well, Jax and Gnocchi. I enjoyed hearing about places that were mentioned on Long Island since that’s where I live. Anything that has to do with the mob pulls me right in. I knew right when the story started I was going to enjoy this book. I loved the suspense, romance and little bit of spice this book had. Overall I really enjoyed this book!

Jamie is an undercover cop infiltrating the mob in this engrossing tale of deception, crime and love.
Bella owns a restaurant with her only living relative, Paola, who runs a crime syndicate. Bella and Paola don't agree on all of the illegal activities going through her bistro but she is powerless to stop it.

Enter Jamie and his K9 Jax. Jax is a German Shepherd who steals the show from the moment you meet him. He can take down criminals one moment and be as gentle as a lamb with children the next moment. Not to far from his partner Jamie who is a recovered bad boy turned cop trying to get his dad out of prison with this undercover mission.

In between the expertly crafted suspense of this story is a little stray named Gnocchi. He and Jax become fast friends when they meet and, like Bella, he gains his confidence and becomes his true self during the story.

This was my first read by this author but I have heard of her often. This book can stand alone but it is part of a series that you will want to go pick up. All of the ones in the series have dogs so all of you dog lovers out there will be delighted with any of the books in the series that you pick up!

What a superior writer! I enjoyed the last series and I am loving this new one. Told in dual points of view, this book will keep you reading; then when Brett and Gemma get close to solving the mystery, I promise, you will be on the edge of your seat Together these two are invincible with a multifaceted mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat! You won't want to put this down, so get ready for an all-night read! 5+ stars from me

What a good book that held interest and who doesn't like dogs! I didn't know this was a series but didn't feel like that I needed to read the previous books to understand the plot. Agent Jamie goes under cover in order to get his dad out on parole for health reasons. During his time undercover he falls for someone who might or might not be directly involved in the mafia and crimes. His dog even gets a little buddy along the way. It was a good book that ended how I could see it would I did like the reference of the female "godmother" throughout the book.

Thank you to Entangled for the ARC copy

I am a sucker for anything with dogs!!!
This was a fun and formulaic romance novel, and such a great addition to the series.
I loved the relationship development between Jamie and Bella, and both their backgrounds and circumstances make the dynamic *chefs kiss*

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled for a copy of this Arc.

Another excellent read by Tee O'Fallon! She wrote well with an interesting storyline and complicated characters. I loved the dogs, Jax and Gnocchi. They provided laughter that warmed my heart. The push/pull that Jamie and Bella had for one another was perfection. I was holding my breath waiting to see how this would work out! The suspense throughout the book was perfect.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book. This is my voluntary and honest review.

This is the final book in the series. I have to admit that I only read one other book so far, but I really liked it. The last book is a mobster book which may thrill some readers. For me- well, mob stories aren’t my favorite. Still, I stuck with the book because of the author.

Bella is a mob-related bistro owner, owning 49%. As one can imagine, 49% means nothing when 51% is held by The Godmother. We get a sort of sympathetic look at mobsters as family (yuck) before Bella comes to her senses.

Jimmy (actually Jamie) is undercover to get the goods on the mob family. He seemed to have a lot of free time to spend with Bella instead of doing nefarious mob tasks.

I don’t watch mob movies, I don’t really read mob books, so this was a stretch for me. I didn’t feel much sympathy for Bella (wake up!). The romance between Jimmy and Bella happened fast. I think I’m the kind of person who would rather read on the “good side.”

Jamie is a K9 Sergeant whose undercover assignment includes him being imprisoned so that he can penetrate the Mancusco family. Not that he has shown he is trustworthy to the family upon his release he has been accepted into the business and the only complication that arises are his feelings for Bella who is part of the family, but he is uncertain how big of a role she plays.

Bella may be part of the family, but it is not the life she wants. When she realizes the restaurant she is a partner in is being used for illegal purposes she has no where to turn. When she meets Jamie and his dog Jax there is no denying the connection between them, but she is hesitant as she wonders if he is just another person, she can’t trust in a lifestyle she wants no part of.

With the situation that Jamie and Bella find themselves there is uncertainty about each other which causes a little turmoil. When you combine that with the intrigue part of the story and feelings that both are unable to deny you are in for quite the adventure.

Above 'N' Beyond is an excellent police romance book filled with suspense and underlying danger. Jamie Pataglio is a Port Authority K-9 Sergeant who agrees to a deal to infiltrate a sector of the Italian mafia to get his sick father released from prison. Jamie agrees to help the FBI take down a mafia boss dubbed The Godmother, who is the head of the Mancuso crime family. Jamie's undercover status throughout the book makes for nail-biting tension and frighteningly high life-and-death stakes.
As Jamie's plan on infiltrating the Mancuso's mafia operation progresses, a wrench is thrown in his plans when he starts to develop feelings for a Mancuso. For the first time, Jamie feels the desire to go against his instincts and training on being undercover to protect and finally be honest with the one person innocently stuck in the middle of it all. Will he be able to protect her and fulfill his undercover operation without ruining them both?
I enjoyed this book immensely, and the inclusion of the K-9 officers and their dogs only adds to the intrigue. I loved reading about all the different kinds of things K-9s are trained to do and how they are valued the same as another human officer would be. The team dynamic between all the K-9 officers, that they would do anything for each other, and that loyalty and dedication is displayed wonderfully in this book.


“Above and Beyond” is the 7th in the Federal K-9 series by Tee O’Fallon, but can be read as a stand-alone book. Jamie Pataglio has gone undercover to bring down the Mancuso Crime Family, but gets more than he bargained for with Bella, the niece of the Godmother of the family.

O’Fallon ratchets up the suspense quickly setting the story in the heart of organized crime. It is a relatively quick paced book with adorable canine companions. At times, however, I needed to suspend belief that events would unfold as neatly as they did in the book. This spicy open door, forced proximity romance was an enjoyable easy read.

Tee O'Fallon brings her Federal K-9 series to a lovely conclusion with Above 'N' Beyond.

While the story follows many of the formulaic and predictable elements of a romance novel, Jamie and Bella's story still brought a lot of smiles to my face as I was reading. Their relationship with each other and with the people around them was beautifully written by O'Fallon keeping almost of them from appearing flat or just there to progress the plot.

Over the course of 7 books, I have fallen for her characters and their K9 partners and in this book she gave her readers a lovely insight into their lives as well. It's great to be able to see characters growing and changing but still being the characters you know and love.