Book Review: Junkyard Dog (Hellhounds) by Katja Desjarlais

Junkyard Dog is the first Hellhounds novel by Katja Desjarlais.  Joshua Tree National Park Ranger Charlotte arrives on the scene of a car accident caused by a large dog tearing across the road. The third sighting of the animal in as many weeks, Charlotte’s interest is piqued. Armed with a bowl of dog food and a bucket of patience, she sets out to find the beast. With the grille marks of a sedan imprinted on his broken ribs, Alex returns to the scene of the accident, scouring for prints he’d left behind when he encounters Charlotte on the trail. The attraction is undeniable, but Alex is on a mission from Hades and can’t afford the distraction. While Charlotte continues to gain the trust of the wild dog roaming the park, Alex is caught between the woman he’s falling for and the job he was sent to do. With bodies and secrets piling at his feet, Alex is pushed to choose between the hellhound he is and the man he wants to be.

Junkyard Dog is a nice start to an urban fantasy/romance series. I really liked Charlotte- her intelligence and empathy were well done. I liked that she could take care of herself, but wanted to help others, and animals, much more than herself. My only annoyance with her character is that there kept being comments about her having bad taste in men before, and how she just had no interest in relationships because of it. However, there is no mention of what actually happened. If the details are not important then that is fine, but there is no reason to keep bringing it up, just saying that she does not want to date at the moment could have been enough. Max and the other secondary characters were very well written, which I always enjoy. I would like to read more about the ranger crew and the employees at the bar. As for Alex, I liked his character too. I enjoyed that while he had other responsibilities he kept his word and did his best for the people around him. I got a kick out of his interactions with Charlotte as a dog. The combination of humor and danger was good. I will admit that I was rather expecting the hound reveal to happen much sooner- like her seeing the grill marks on a shirtless Alex at some point- but the written reveal was much more dramatic and moved the story forward more and with good effect. All the elements were in place for me to love this story, and I found it enjoyable and a good read. I was hoping for even more, so while I was glad I read the book it just did not wow me.

Junkyard Dog is a good urban fantasy and romance. I liked the premise, the characters, and the balance of humor and danger.