The story centers around two people and one very special dog. The people — Genevieve Austin and former state police partner, Scott Simpson. The dog — Benjie, a German shepherd.
Gen has been sent to the Pennsylvania K9 Training Center to get an attitude adjustment. But she knows *exactly* what her problem is. If a certain someone would just let her be and stop trying to wrap her in cotton, she could be the Pennsylvania State Tropper who handles the tough jobs.
Little does she know that her former partner, now a sergeant is in charge of the K9 Training Center. They were not just partners. They were good friends if not best friends. And then to protect his job, he stopped. Today it’s called ghosting which means he ceased all communication with her. Gen understands the job part. But it hurt, hurt a lot. And now she has to REPORT to him who will REPORT to the Commissioner and if she strikes out here — she no longer has a job.
Benjie is a smart, strong dog and Scott trained him when he was a pup. One problem — Benjie handles all the commands, takedowns, etc. great with Scott. But not with other trainers. And the second but — Scott is on track to move up and a K9 partner won’t be part of that new job. If Benjie won’t work with another trainer, he will be cut from the program.
From the beginning, I liked the story but I have to admit, I was captured when Benjie looked with adoring eyes at Scott. You see I have this dog — or rather, maybe I should say, he has me — who looks at me with adoring eyes. When you are THE human for a dog, their love for you just shines through. And that’s Benjie with Scott. My Thor, all 6.5 pounds of him, loves me as if I am the most perfect person in his world.
Some authors can write gems of sentences. Some are funny. Some are bits of wisdom perfectly said. Some make you stop and think. I found several in this book. My favorite was “Some choices cut off other roads.”
An Amish Country Reunion is part of the Harlequin Heartwarming books, tagline — “Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging”. And that is exactly what you get in this book plus a mystery and that’s where the Amish part plays into the book. You’ve had the same experience. A writer knows an Amish story is beloved by many of us so they push it into their book but it doesn’t work. I LOVED how Patricia Johns weaved a believable scenario plus a mystery to be solved.
For me, this was a five-star read from the beginning. Oh, there is another puppy in the final part of K9 training, His name is Konig and if Konig were human, he would speak German. You’ll love it.
I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of An Amish Country Reunion via NetGalley from the publisher, Harlequin – Romance | Harlequin Heartwarming. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Rating: 5 stars
Series: No and will not be. The author states this is a standalone book and the only K9 she will write.
Cover: Just okay. The couple is too close to the buggy and it should depict the state police in some way. When I first saw the cover, I thought the wrong cover had been loaded for the book.
Pages: 272
Publish Date: 25 June 2024
#AnAmishCountryReunion #NetGalley #PatriciaJohns
