He’s sworn to protect …until it gets complicated. After Deputy Brady Crenshaw rescues a confused woman from a near-fatal mountain accident, he’s shocked at her confession. Even more bewildered when a determined dog urges him to shield her. Ashley admits she’s afraid of powerful forces pursuing her. She may need more than protection. So as the lawman jeopardizes his career to hide her, Ashley … to hide her, Ashley starts to trust him and bond with the sly canine pushing them together. But exactly who is Ashley Jordan, really? And who wants to silence her?
From Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Danger. Passion. Drama.
Cutter’s Code
Book 1: Operation Midnight
Book 2: Operation Reunion
Book 3: Operation Blind Date
Book 4: Operation Unleashed
Book 5: Operation Power Play
Book 6: Operation Homecoming
Book 7: Operation Soldier Next Door
Book 8: Operation Alpha
Book 9: Operation Notorious
Book 10: Operation Hero’s Watch
Book 11: Operation Second Chance
Book 12: Operation Mountain Recovery
more
I love the Cutter series. These books have all I love in a romance. Suspense, romance, great characters–and Cutter, of course. Brady is an amazing hero. I really liked how upstanding he is and I loved how Ashley was able to grow and handle a very bad situation. Cutter was up to his old tricks, which are always fun to see. One of my favorite Cutters…but I think I say that every time!
I was drawn into Operation Mountain Recovery from the start when Brady rescues Ashley from a car that is precariously dangling off a cliff. With the help of an amazing dog named Cutter and Cutter’s human companions, Brady scales the mountain edge to rescue her.
Ashley’s story continues as she reveals that she is slowly losing her mind. She can’t remember long batches of time, she’s had to move back in with and depend on her mother, and she feels like she is slowly losing her grip on reality. But some things just aren’t adding up and Ashley, with the help of Brady, Cutter, and Cutter’s owners, determines to uncover the truth behind her troubling situation.
Ashley and Brady have an instant connection and develop a slow-building semi-forbidden romance. Since Brady is a by-the-book officer of the law and Ashley is in trouble with the law, there is a conflict of interest. Brady is an honorable man who refuses to take advantage of a vulnerable situation despite his growing and strong feelings for Ashley. His past relationships make him hesitant as well. Since Ashley isn’t in the best situation, she also tries to ignore her feelings. She doesn’t want to pull Brady into her problems. They are selfless and caring people who fit together well, and I enjoyed their love story.
In addition to the romance, Cutter is one of the highlights of the book. An intuitive canine, Cutter can sense when people are in trouble and need help. I love Cutter’s protective spirit, his ability to read people and situations, and his calming presence. Plus, he’s a fantastic match-maker!
Operation Mountain Recovery is a great story for people who enjoy romantic suspense, and though it is part of a series, it can totally be read as a standalone. That being said, once you start reading about Cutter and his friends, you’ll probably, like me, want to read the entire series! Thanks so much to NetGalley, Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
I always look forward to a new Cutter book, and this was no exception. Quinn and Haley Foxworth are on an anniversary trip when their dog Cutter lets them know there is trouble ahead. Sure enough, they come upon Brady, a deputy preparing to rescue the victim of a traffic accident. They all work to pull Ashley from the wreck, only to discover something very strange going on.
Ashley believes that she is slowly going insane, just as her father did. She has nightmares of monsters, episodes of forgetfulness, and has been found wandering with no idea how she got there. Her mother, the town mayor, moved Ashley back home to keep her safe and set her up with the local psychiatrist. During the times when she’s clear-headed, Ashley is terrified of what the future holds for her. The latest accident is one more nail in her mental coffin. The only bright side is the handsome deputy who shows concern for her well-being and the dog who exudes comforting vibes.
I loved seeing Cutter do his “fix it” stare at the accident scene. Quinn and Haley are quite used to his intuitive actions now and are ready to help if asked. After reading past reports of Ashley’s problems, Brady is warier, but he can’t deny that something feels off to him. When he finds Ashley at a very low point, he knows he needs to get involved and takes Ashley to Quinn and Haley.
I enjoyed the intertwining of the suspense and the romance. Brady felt protective of Ashley from the beginning, even when he wasn’t sure of her story. As Brady becomes more convinced that there is nothing wrong with Ashley’s mind, his confidence gives her the strength to believe in herself. Sparks of attraction flare between them. Brady tries to resist, careful not to take advantage of Ashley’s turmoil, while Ashley doesn’t want to do anything to drive him away. Neither of them stands a chance against Cutter and his belief that they belong together.
While I suspected the truth early in the book, it was even worse than I knew. I loved seeing Quinn, Haley, and the Foxworth Foundation do what they do best – fight for those that need it. Brady is a “by the book” lawman but quickly appreciates the resources the others bring to the table. There are some interesting moments between Brady and Quinn as Brady reconciles what needs to be done with the rules he works under. I ached for Ashley as they came closer to the truth and an unexpected twist brought the last piece of the puzzle. I loved Brady’s anger on Ashley’s behalf and how having that support gave Ashley added confidence. I loved her anger and determination to see justice done. The final confrontation was fantastic, and seeing Ashley face down her tormentor was incredibly satisfying. I loved the ending and seeing Brady and Ashley look toward the future together.
As always in a Cutter’s Code book, the dog is an integral part of the story. After sixteen months together, Quinn and Haley have accepted Cutter’s unique abilities and have learned not to ignore him. It is always fun to see new people’s responses to his actions, and Brady and Ashley were no exception. It was amusing to see them go from disbelief to amazement after hearing about his successes. And that was before learning about his secondary talent for matchmaking. The descriptions of Cutter’s antics and his uncaninelike facial expressions were such that I could easily picture them. I especially enjoyed the “smug” looks and his depiction at the end as “utterly relaxed” because “obviously the dog considered his work done.”
I liked seeing characters from previous books make appearances. They weren’t tossed in willy-nilly but had specific roles to play. References to previous cases enhanced Foxworth’s standing in Brady’s eyes as he grew to understand precisely what they do. I especially enjoyed seeing Gavin and his reputation play a big part in the end. I can’t wait for the next book – still waiting for a story for Rafe.
Operation Mountain Recovery kicked off with a heart-pounding opening scene and I had such high hopes for this story. I want to say that I tend to not write bad reviews, and I can’t say this one is bad, as much as it is informative, I hope.
Brady Crenshaw, a sheriff deputy in a small town, was ready to win me over until he opened his mouth in chapter two. His (let’s be real-the author’s) incessant use of terms not appropriate for addressing someone with a mental illness was a lot to overcome for me. He might have been a cop, but he came off as an insensitive oaf who clearly couldn’t be bothered to remember words that really aren’t that hard. An exact quote was, “One of those combinations of three different mental disorders, with names I can’t remember or pronounce, from manic this to disassociative that..” I’m sorry, but he had just finished talking about having spent hours tracking down this report about Ashley’s father and what her father had been diagnosed with. I live in a small town but our sheriff’s deputies are still given extensive training in how to work with people with mental illnesses. If that were the only instance of such ignorance, I might have excused it, but every time he opened his mouth he said something equally as stupid. There were plenty of options the author had to avoid situations she was uncomfortable with, but she never took them.
The theory of the plot itself was actually very good, but then the author basically told you who did it and why almost immediately so you were basically just reading to find out if you were right.
The chemistry between the two characters was lacking, but that could have been Brady’s lack of empathy or basic human decency when it comes to something he doesn’t understand. Don’t know. *Yes I do, that’s why* I tried so hard and while I liked Ashley, I couldn’t get past what a terrible character Brady was. The bright spot in the book revolved around Quinn, Hayley, and Cutter. If it hadn’t been for them, I would have DNF’d this book in the second chapter. I did want to see the progression of their relationship and was happy I did.
I give the sensitivity rating of this book one star. It was atrocious. I have no idea how this book got this far without someone pointing out better ways to phrase things. I give the plot points and the rest of the story a four, so I leveled it off at a three-star review, but I will say, if you have zero tolerance for inappropriate labeling, this probably isn’t the romantic suspense for you.
What is there left to say about the 12th Cutter’s Code novel? I’ve been hooked on this wonderful series from the very beginning and have enjoyed each and every novel in the series, and Operation Mountain Recovery is no exception. It gets 5 stars from this reader.
For anyone new to the series, Cutter is a dog with some remarkable qualities–he’s psychic, determined, and one heck of matchmaker, and you’ll get to see all of what he can do in this impossible to put down novel, and as Hayley and Quinn Foxworth set off to enjoy their one year anniversary, Cutter signals there is trouble ahead on the icy mountain road. It’s there they meet deputy police officer Brady Crenshaw who is attempting to rescue a car that’s slid, hit the guardrail, and plummeted part way down the mountainside, and is precariously perched part of the way down. With the help of Quinn’s winch-equipped SUV, they manage to rescue 28-year-old, Ashley Jordan, the driver, who can’t understand why the snow tires her mother, who is the mayor of the town of Hemlock, told her had been installed the day before, didn’t keep her on the road. When Brady and Quinn look at the car she was driving, there are no snow tires in evidence, and Ashley, whose father killed himself 20 years earlier, assumes what she’s been told–that she is slowly going insane, just like her father–and that’s just for starters.
As romantic suspense novels go, few authors write them as consistently well as Justine Davis, and it’s clear from the very beginning that something is slightly off about Ashley, who is clearheaded and lucid some of the time, and forgetful and confused at other times, and Brady, who is attracted to Ashley, as well as Cutter and the Foxworths, think there’s more going on here than meets the eye–and is there ever. That’s as much as I can tell you because I don’t do spoilers.
As with all of the Cutter’s Code novels, this was a well-written, suspenseful, and romanticl read, and I’m happy to recommend it. If you happen to also be a dog lover, this series is one you won’t want to miss.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.