When Love Matters Most by Kate James {Review and Giveaway}

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Now More Readily Available in Print

This is an exciting time for Harlequin Heartwarming. Thanks to the loyalty of our readers, for the first time, our January releases, including When Love Matters Most, are available as mass-market paperbacks through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Harlequin.com. Also, When Love Matters Most will be available in select Walmart stores in the United States in February! Please check the Harlequin website for the location nearest you. Thank you to all our readers who made these advancements possible for us!

— Kate

When Love Matters Most

(K-9 Trilogy #2)
by Kate James
Adult Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 368 pages
January 1st 2016 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Keeping her safe at all costs

Could their backgrounds be any more different? Rick Vasquez, a K-9 unit sergeant with the San Diego Police Department, fled drug-related violence in Mexico as a boy. Madison Long, who recently became primary veterinarian to the SDPD's canines, is the privileged daughter of a judge. Rick has dedicated his life to curtailing cross-border drug trafficking and preventing other young boys from being drawn into the dark world of the cartels.

But everything Rick and Madison value, and the growing love between them, is threatened by the dangers of Rick's job, and the risks he's determined to take…

My Review
4 Stars
*I received a copy from Prism Book Tours in exchange for an honest review*

I missed out on reading the first book of this series, but this book stands alone. I love San Diego and could easily picture the locations of the events of this story. The setting is great and I especially loved the characters and the way they have such strong connections to the setting.

Rick grew up in a drug house in Mexico and fled as a young teen. Due to a wonderful foster-turned-adoptive family, his life is very dedicated to fighting drugs, drug cartels, drug runners, etc. He has an amazing impact on students and others as he strives to rid the world of some of these issues. He's very handsome and likable and I love how he's more of a "spirit of the law" kind of person, not always following things to a T, but to do what's best in each individual situation.

Madison is a new vet in town and is assigned to work with the K-9 division. I love the first meeting between Madison and Rick, as well as the second. She comes from a very different upbringing and struggles with doing what's legally right versus what's ethically right. I love the tender way she has with animals, especially dogs, and her determination to find ways to better help and treat them.

Growing up, dogs scared me a little, but I sure do love them now! I loved all of the interactions both characters had with their dogs and the matter-of-fact way they had in training and handling them.

I especially enjoyed the various elements to this story. There's a mystery/suspense angle that plays well into the romantic angle, which is complicated. I enjoyed the family relationships, the new friendships, and the loyalty to each. This is definitely a series I plan on continuing to read!

Content: mild language; mild violence (drugs, drug runners, dog attacks, fights, but all is non-graphic); mild romance (kissing). I would considered it clean, especially for an adult.

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

Kate James spent much of her childhood abroad before attending university in Canada. She built a successful business career, but her passion has always been literature. As a result, Kate turned her energy to her love of the written word. Her writing has been recognized with a number of awards, including first place honors for Silver Linings in both the First Coast Romance Writers’ Published Beacon Contest and Ancient City Romance Authors’ Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award. Her November 2014 Harlequin Heartwarming release, A Child’s Christmas, received first-place honors from Southern Magic, the Birmingham Chapter of the Romance Writers of America, for the 2015 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, placed second in the Ancient City Romance Authors’ Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award, and was a finalist in RWA’s Desert Rose Chapter’s Golden Quill Award and the Colorado Romance Writers’ Award of Excellence. Finally, her October 2015 release, When the Right One Comes Along, the first book in her K-9 trilogy, has received a Best Book of 2015 award in the contemporary category.

She and her husband, Ken, enjoy traveling and the outdoors with their beloved Labrador Retrievers, Harley and Logan.

Kate would love to hear from you! You can connect with her by e-mail, through her website, her Facebook page, Twitter, or mail at PO Box 446, Schomberg, ON, L0G 1T0, Canada.

Tour Schedule

January 4th: Launch
January 5th: Katie's Clean Book Collection

January 6th: Becky on Books & Sunrise Avenue

January 7th: Reading Is My SuperPower & Singing Librarian Books

January 8th: Getting Your Read On & deal sharing aunt

January 10th: Colorimetry & I Am A Reader

January 11th: Mel's Shelves & Slice of Life

January 12th: Thoughts of a Blonde & Falling Leaves

January 13th: underneath the covers & Teatime and Books

January 14th: Rockin' Book Reviews

January 15th: Enthralling Dimple & Love, Laughter, Friendship

January 17th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

- $40 Amazon eGift Card & signed copies of The Truth About Hope and When the Right One Comes Along
- 3 winners of signed copies of When the Right One Comes Along
Open US/CAN only
Ends January 23rd

a Rafflecopter giveaway