Review: Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle

 

Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle

Publication Date: February 13th 2024 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Books-a-Million | e-Book | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Dahlia’s sister Rose is her best friend, the one person in her family she can count on.  So, when she receives a “911” text from her Dahlia drops everything and flies out to Colorado, her sister’s last known location.

I admired Dahlia’s determination to find her sister, flying in blind after receiving her SOS signal, not knowing what she was up against. Dahlia was perky, silly, and fun, the quintessential “sunshine” to Winston’s “grumpy”. Winston wasn’t all that grumpy, though with a big, mushy, protective heart under a gruff exterior.

Loved all the backpacking/survival bits! The challenging weather and terrain lent a bit of excitement, and the forced proximity made acting on their attraction inevitable! There were some deliciously sexy times!

I enjoyed Katie Ruggle’s romantic suspense, so I was looking forward to Fish Out of Water, described as a "murdery rom-com". Some parts were a little a beyond belief, like how Winston just agreed to help Dahlia in her search right after meeting her, but I was okay to go along and enjoy the ride. It was a lot of fun, and a lot silly, with a little bit of suspense and danger mixed in.

4 Stars

Book Description:

Why date a mountain man? Because he knows how to pitch a tent.

When Dahlia Weathersby's sister disappears on what should have been a simple day hike, Dahlia immediately heads deep into the Colorado Rockies to find her. Knowing she'll never survive the mountains alone, she convinces the local hermit—adorably grouchy survival expert Winston Dane—to be her guide. All it takes is a good helping of Dahlia's charm…and just the teeniest bit of blackmail…before she's got all six-foot-something of him wrapped around her finger. But even with her very own mountain man in tow, things aren't going to be easy. There are:

Long hikes through gorgeous wilderness? Check.
Bears? Check.
A single shared sleeping bag? Check.
Enough sparks to set the Rockies ablaze? Check, check, check.

With everything the wilderness has to throw at them, it'll take more than charm and some city girl ingenuity to make this trek anything but a disaster waiting to happen…and an adventure she'll never forget.

Review: Risk It All by Katie Ruggle

Risk It All (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #2) by Katie Ruggle

Publication Date: December 31st 2019 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple Books | Booktopia

About the book:

Five bounty-hunting sisters
Deep in the heart of the Rockies
Fighting to save each other
...and the men who steal their hearts

Cara Pax never wanted to be a bounty hunter. She's happy to leave chasing criminals and tackling skips to her sisters. But if she wants her dreams of escaping the family business to come true, she's got one last job to finish... Only problem is, she doesn't think her bounty is guilty.

Henry Kavenski is a man with innocence to prove. When he realizes that Cara believes him, he'll do anything to keep her out of harm's way. Escaping criminals and dodging cops might not be the best time to fall in love, but Henry and Cara won't give up, not when there's a chance at a new life ahead--if they can survive the fall.

My Thoughts:

You might think this series is about male bounty hunters, but the Pax sisters are the ones doing the hunting, and I love that! Cara has been more on the research side, looking into “skips” as they call them, and digging up as much info to aid in their capture.  But since their flaky, self-centered mother put them in a bind financially by putting the family home (which the sisters paid for!) up as collateral for bail and then skipped, Cara wants to help as much as she can with the business.

Cara decides to bring in a few high dollar skips and this is where she crosses paths with Henry Kavenski. He’s wanted for murder, but his actions are more that of a protector than “murderer”, so Cara knows there’s more to the story. Add her ever growing crush on the handsome, broody big man, and her efforts to bring in a skip aren’t going too well.

Henry’s role as protector really come into play when Cara shifts her focus onto another skip, who on paper seems like a pretty harmless catch, but turn into a nightmare of danger for Cara.  The story really takes off and becomes an action-packed ride with Cara and Henry fighting for survival at every turn.

I love Katie Ruggle’s brand of romantic suspense/action thrillers, because while there’s lots of danger and thrills the romances are charming and, in this case, delightfully awkward at times. Cara is sweet and a little shy, and Henry isn’t really talkative, but his actions speak volumes. I breezed right through Risk It All in one day, and I can’t wait for the next installment!

As a side note, Risk It All can be read as a standalone, but Molly and John’s story (In Her Sights) was a lot of fun too, so why would you want to?

4 Suns

Review: In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle

In Her Sights (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #1) by Katie Ruggle

Publication Date: March 26th 2019 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 384

Source: ARC Provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

Five bounty-hunting sisters
Deep in the heart of the Rockies
Fighting to save each other
...and the men who steal their hearts

Bounty hunter Molly Pax fought hard for everything she has, turning the bail recovery business she shares with her sisters into an unqualified success. So when their sticky-fingered mother jumps bail and puts the childhood home up as collateral, Molly's horrified. To make matters worse, every two-bit criminal in the Rockies now sees her family's misfortune as their next big break.

She needs help, stat.

Enter rival bounty hunter John Carmondy: six feet of pure trouble, with a cocky grin to match. John's the most cheerfully, annoyingly gorgeous frenemy Molly's ever had the pleasure of defeating...and he may be her only hope of making it out of this mess alive.

My Thoughts:

Molly is the oldest and has been like a mother to her sisters, since their own mother, Jane, is a very selfish, flighty woman.  Jane is something else and she causes a lot of trouble, she ticked me right off! Jane puts the family home up as collateral when she needs to make bail, the home that Molly and her sisters paid off after Jane just about drained it dry with a reverse mortgage. So, yeah, she’s a real winner of a mom.

Now Molly is saddled with locating her mom, and at the mercy of a shady bail bondsman force to catch a dangerous bail skipper or have him start legal proceedings to take their home. 

Fortunately, Molly has John Carmondy, a fellow bounty hunter at her back. 

This was fun start to Katie Ruggle’s new series about bounty hunter sisters!  Molly and John were delightful together! At the beginning Molly views John as a rival bounty hunter, but it’s clear John is very much at her side from the beginning.  Molly’s not sure why he’s stuck to her like glue and she’s at first distrustful and a bit snarky to him, but John has so much fun with her snips and snipes.  He’s all easy going with playful, flirtatious grins, letting whatever barbs Molly sends flying amuse and encourage his pursuit.  

The fun is interspersed with tension, action and danger, as Molly and John pursue their skip, a dangerous criminal fond of explosives.  I appreciated that Molly always had a plan and didn’t have any TSTL moments.  John and Molly made an excellent team, always backing each other up, but Molly’s sisters are a force to be reckoned with, too.  I expect each additional book to feature a different sister.

Molly and John’s romance wrapped up sweetly, but the problems caused by the mom’s criminal activities were not. I think Cara’s story is up next as the efforts to disentangle themselves from Jane continue.

4 Suns

Review & Giveaway: Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas by Katie Ruggle

Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas by Katie Ruggle

Publication Date: September 11th 2018 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 325

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo

About the book:

In the heart of the Rockies
In the arms of a cowboy
One white Christmas can change everything.

When firefighter and single dad Steve Springfield moved his four kids to a Colorado Christmas tree ranch, he intended for it to be a safe haven. But he never expected danger to follow them to his childhood home...

Or that he would come face-to-face with the one girl he could never forget.

Folk artist Camille Brandt lives a quiet life. As the town's resident eccentric, she's used to being lonely--until Steve freaking Springfield changes everything. Brave and kind, he's always had a piece of her heart, and it doesn't take long before she's in danger of falling for him and his rambunctious kids. But as mysterious fires break out across the sleepy Colorado town, Steve and Camille will have to fight if they want their happy family to survive until Christmas...

My Thoughts:

Steve Springfield was a secondary character from Katie Ruggle’s previous series and he now has his own story.  As a firefighter in the past two series, he’s moved back to his home town of Born, Colorado on the family ranch to escape the dangers that went down back in Monroe.  Raising his four children as a single dad offers enough excitement without adding murder and mayhem to the mix.  Back home, he and the family are very busy with their Christmas tree business and gift shop.  The ranch sounded so very picturesque, making buying a Christmas tree a memorable experience, hauling the tree with horses and selling unique Christmas gifts in their shop.  

Steve is still a firefighter, although a volunteer one now, and this is how he runs into the beautiful, but painfully shy Camille.

Camille had a mad crush on Steve while in high school.  He was good-looking and popular, but also very kind. Even if Camille didn’t have anxiety interacting socially, she was three grades behind Steve and so they didn’t cross paths much back then.  Now that he’s back in town and circumstances have thrown them together, Camille is falling hard for Steve and his kids.  Steve is even more irresistible than he was in school, and his kids are unique and intelligent.  Somehow with all her social awkwardness, she just clicks with them. 

I loved Camille and Steve! Camille got so nervous around Steve and would just babble whatever came into her head. Words would just spill out of her mouth before she had time to edit, and I would just laugh! It was hilarious!  She was sweet, awkward and endearing.  Luckily, Steve wasn’t the type of guy to play games so Camille’s forthright admissions worked out well for them.  Steve’s kids were fun, and I enjoyed seeing Camille get to know them and get close.  She fit right in! 

The fires in Borne added an edge of danger to the story, culminating in an action packed, thrilling conclusion. I was surprised to find out the identity of the culprit! Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas was a heartwarming, sweet romance, set in a beautiful Christmas Winter wonderland, but was also a suspenseful story that put me on the edge of my seat more than a few times.  Loved the mix!

4.5 Suns

Connect with Katie Ruggle:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

The people of Sourcebooks Casablanca are giving away 3 copies of Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas! Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.  Good luck!

Quick Update & Giveaway

Hi there readers! I hope all have had wonderful summer trips, lots of fun! Maybe visiting a beach like the one pictured above! 

I haven't been reviewing that much lately, just here and there so I thought I'd catch you up on some books I've enjoyed the last few weeks:

       

    

So you can see, I've been all over the place with romances, from historical to romantic suspense/mystery to PNR.  I finally broke down and read a Nalini Singh! The first of the Psy-Changeling series (I guess there's 15 out now!) and I really enjoyed it!  I listened to the audio version, courtesy of the library and the narration was excellent. Actually, most of the books you see above were audio books for me, except for Cowboy Christmas Miracle and Gone Too Deep.  

Smoke Screen (5 Stars) by Sandra Brown was better than Smash Cut (3.5 Stars) for me.  The couple in Smash Cut (or I should say, heroine) didn't fully trust or confide until the very end so that was a mark against their romance for me. Still, it's hard to beat Sandra Brown's books even when its not her best work. She is the queen of a twists!  

I'm making my way through J.R. Ward's BDB series.  Lover Unbound was good, but I had just a tinge of disappointment over how she managed to make Jane and Vishous' romance a (Highlight for Spoiler) long term, given that Jane is human when they fall in love.  I know it had to be accomplished somehow, but I didn't want that.  Oh well. I've read later books and I would've never known, just thought she was normal if I didn't read this installment, so I need to stop bitching! (End of Spoiler).

I'm continuing on with Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series and the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr and loving both! I can't get enough of the Virgin River series, where I get to visit with all my favorite couples while enjoying a new romance with each installment.  Although, I must say I wanted to smack Mel a time or two in Moonlight Road! I need to be a little more understanding because it's not like I haven't had emotions that make me a bit crazy, too! 

A Cowboy Christmas Miracle is not to be missed by anyone who loves a sexy, sweet cowboy! Carolyn Brown finishes up her Burnt Boot, Texas series with this book, and I just melted over Declan! Betsy was a feisty sweetheart, too!  You can enter the giveaway for Carolyn Brown's One Texas Cowboy Too Many HERE. 

Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle is my favorite in the series so far! I've been on many a backpacking trip, so I could relate to all the hard work, and "enjoy" the beauty of untouched wilderness! It was a thrilling mystery, and I loved the sweet, innocent nature of the romance. My jaw just dropped with that ending! I'm reading the next one very soon.

I have a Paperback Copy of Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh to giveaway to one lucky follower.  US & CA residents only.  Just enter the rafflecopter below:

New Release Info & Giveaway: Hold Your Breath by Katie Ruggle

Sourcebooks is releasing a sexy new Search & Rescue romantic suspense series this spring by debut author Katie Ruggle! To give you a taste, they have just released a free prequel novella titled On His Watch. It's available today on all e-tailers: 

Free!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The first book in the series, Hold Your Breath, comes out on April 5th. If you pre-order it (Kindle currently has a special pre-order price) they will send you a Search & Rescue book light and you will be entered in to win a Winter Reading Gourmet Gift Basket from Le Chocolat! Click here for details on how to enter, or see rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway