Tag Archives: Second Chance Ranch

Rescue Me by Catherine Mann – Review & Giveaway

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Rescue Me by Catherine Mann – Review & Giveaway

 

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Rescue MeAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
Detective AJ Parker left undercover work in Atlanta to join a small-town Tennessee police force, hoping for an easier workload and the solitude of his cabin. But the scars left by AJ’s previous work are more difficult to escape than he thought…

Mary Hannah Gallo works with the Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue to train therapy dogs for traumatized patients. It isn’t easy, but her life is under control—until she meets the broodingly sensual AJ, who rattles her composure all the way to her toes.

After an assignment confiscating dogs from a backyard breeder reveals a dangerous drug operation, AJ must work with sexy perfectionist Mary Hannah to train an abused rescue dog—a dog now named Holly. While Holly proves to these two very different people that opposites can, in fact, attract, she also knows more than a few explosive secrets that could heal—or divide—the entire town.

 

 

Review:

Rescue Me by Catherine Mann is the 2nd book in her Second Chance Ranch series. This is a very sweet and romantic series that centers on the McDaniel family, as they run their Second Chance Ranch, which brings in stray or abused animals. Lacey McDaniel is a widow and she runs the ranch, which is usually overrun with rescue animals, whom they find permanent and foster homes. In the first book and now in the second, the dog opens each chapter, as they talk to us. Cute.  

In Rescue Me, Mary Hannah is our heroine, as she lives at Second Chance Ranch and helps Lacey. Mary Hannah came to the ranch to rebuild her own life, being offered this chance by Lacey’s daughter, Sierra, who has since moved away with her husband Mike. Mary Hannah is trained to help abused and traumatized dogs, as well as being a counselor to help people, who made need her specialized consulting.

AJ, our hero, is a burned out undercover cop who comes to Tennessee to have a slower, less pressured job, that was offered to him by his cousin Wyatt, who also is a cop. The story starts with a rescue mission to save abused dogs in a house that is a drug operation, mostly a meth lab. It was a dangerous mission that Mary Hannah helped the police force gather most of the crazed or scared dogs bringing them to the shelter. When AJ first met Mary Hannah, he did not know who she was and they both enjoyed a one night stand, which neither one of them has forgotten.

Mary Hannah is determined to avoid AJ, since she does not want anyone to know they were together. But the attraction between them is very strong, and it will be a slow build romance. A big part of the story are the dogs that need to be fixed, and trained to be able to live with families. Holly is the main dog in this story, as she was used to breed puppies to sell. AJ is forced to participate in training a rescue dog, as part of his recovery to unstress from his undercover days, and Mary Hannah works with him to train Holly. Needless to say, this will bring them together, each helping the other overcome their own issues, and of course, Holly plans to keep them together, and to keep her. LOL

As I have said, this is a sweet romance, great characters, and the animals are fun. There is two sideline stories around Lacey and Wyatt, as well a crippled young soldier, who has trouble handling his wife and son. All this ties into another wonderful story.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Giveaway

Catherine’s publisher is graciously offering a paper back copy of RESCUE ME to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Follow Catherine Mann on Facebook.

7. Giveaway is open to USA only

8. Giveaway runs from February 6th  to February 9th

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Shelter Me by Catherine Mann – a Review

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Shelter Me by Catherine Mann – a Review

 

Shelter MeAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description:
Nestled in the sunny fields of Tennessee lies the McDaniel family’s Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue. Two new arrivals are on their way, but only one is the four-legged kind.

Staff Sergeant Mike Kowalski wants only one thing after he gets home from Iraq: to sleep in a king-sized bed with clean sheets. But first, he has to hand off his fallen commander’s dog, Trooper, to his family without handing off his heart to Sierra…

Sierra McDaniel needs a break. Her family life is crazy, and when she’s not mucking out kennels, she’s slogging through grad school. Sierra certainly doesn’t want another dog, especially one that reminds her of her father. And she definitely doesn’t want to see Mike with that charming smile of his…

But Trooper has a mission of his own. Before too long Mike is moving to the ranch to lend a hand—and hoping for his own second chance with Sierra.

 

Review:

Shelter Me by Catherine Mann is the first book in her new Second Chance Ranch series. I have been really enjoying these romances that take place in small towns, and if they have animals as part of the story, that makes it even better. Shelter Me hooked me early on as it was a sweet heartwarming story of a family trying to recover from a tragedy in Iraq, of a soldier who comes home to renewed feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and a dog, who is determined to take care of his new family. What is not to love?

Sergeant Mike Kowalski is coming home from Iraq, and he is bringing with him, Trooper, his late commanding officer’s dog. The McDaniel family is waiting for him, as was Sierra, the girl he left behind. Sierra is our heroine, and she knows Mike has had a hard time dealing with her father’s death, as her family has. But she does not want to become involved with him. Sierra still has feelings for Mike, but she doesn’t want to get hurt again, and Mike will not stay too long. He plans on becoming a career Army man, much like her father was, something she wants nothing to be part of.

Trooper is one of the stars of this story, and it was really cute to have some small parts where Trooper talked to us. Trooper gives them all a run for it, but of course they don’t know he is trying to bring them together. Some very funny parts. Nicely done.

This is a wonderful story, with the McDaniel family at the center of it all. Lacey is the mother, who runs Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue, and she has her hands full. She is having a hard time trying to recover from her husband’s death; trying to help her 15 year old son from his withdrawal and rebellion; taking care of her father in-law, who is becoming deeper into dementia. Sierra is the only one able to help her mother, as she is also trying to finish grad school. The ranch is overrun with rescue animals, whom they put with permanent and foster homes, only to continue to rescue more at a pace they can’t keep up with. But the town loves Lacey and what she does to help all rescue animals.

Enter into this mix, Mike, who wants nothing better then to give the McDaniel’s Trooper and go home to sleep. Best laid plans do not always happen, as Trooper has other ideas. Mike eventually will stay at the Ranch to help the McDaniel’s fix up the Ranch, and doing so, he renews his own feelings for Sierra. This was a very hot sexy romance between Mike and Sierra, and believe me when I say their scenes could have melted my kindle. Though the future for them seemed slim, we found ourselves rooting for them.

The romance was part of this fabulous story, which pulled on many of our emotions. You are part of the McDaniel family all the way, and you feel their sadness, frustration, love, sexual tension for both Lacey and Sierra, but you will find yourself laughing out loud a few times, or tears some others. Catherine Mann has written a wonderful story that has a little bit of everything, and some wonderful characters, and animals. I cannot wait for the next book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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