This was awesome. I think having a big guy broken up about his dog really found a special dynamic for the macho man and the independent woman story that would get old otherwise. The fact that military working dogs make such a big theme does good things for actual dogs, I think. This really roped in all the hot buttons for loss, of pets or otherwise. The relationship between them was more than I expected, and they fell into potholes I wasn't expecting. I definitely appreciated that!

The series plot (that started in book 2) made for big changes in this book, and the characters we've gotten to know over the first few books are really growing as people and making the team into a much more elaborate tapestry of interesting bits and pieces. Totally hooked, and not ashamed to admit I've bought the rest of the Team Alpha books (through book 8), and I already know I'm probably going to keep going after that.