Man’s Best Friend (The Dogmothers #5)
by Roxanne St. Claire
Blurb:
Declan Mahoney and Evie Hewitt are childhood best friends who become young lovers on one summer night in the Carolina mountains. But the next morning, they learn Declan’s firefighter father has been killed while saving Evie’s family and home. Consumed by grief, and determined to take up his responsibility as the oldest Mahoney sibling, Declan turns from Evie. That heartbreak sends her running halfway across the state, rarely seeing Declan over the next twenty years. But when Evie comes back to Bitter Bark, a couple of meddling grannies who call themselves the Dogmothers hatch their plan to rekindle this romance. They arrange a "chance" meeting and plant some surprises along the way.
When she sees Declan, Evie is knocked
over by emotions for the firefighter who might just be the reason she’s forty,
childless, and dedicated to her career. She’s also nearly knocked over by the
Husky-Malamute mix at his side. With an unexpected assist from a dog who’d been
surrendered at the fire station, Declan decides he can’t miss this chance to
reconnect with the woman he’s never forgotten. It doesn’t take long for old
feelings to burn hot…and it doesn’t take long for Evie, a veterinary
neurologist, to notice something's not quite right with the gorgeous dog
Declan’s about to put up for adoption.
As they work together to help Judah,
more than one creature is healed. Evie starts to demolish the walls grief had
raised around Declan’s heart, and he reawakens her dreams of marriage and
motherhood. But as they fall back into each other’s arms, Declan discovers the truth
about his father’s death, and that revelation threatens more than their love…it
could threaten their lives. Will Evie and Declan’s dreams be destroyed by
tragedy? Or can they finally let go of the past so they can take hold of the
future…together?
Themes: Contemporary,
second-chance love
Rating: 4.75 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Who doesn’t love a second chance at the most
important thing in life—the love that you lost to tragic circumstances? Man’s
Best Friend takes us on a journey of two people that were once best friends and
–briefly—lovers that were so obviously meant to be together forever, but their
lives were torn apart by a tragedy that forever changed the dynamic of their
love. Roxanne St. Claire has such a
flare with the dramatic and sometimes awful backstories that she gives her
characters, but the skill she shows in bringing them to their HEA is undeniable. This newest addition to the Dogmothers series
is more heart-wrenching, heartwarming, and suspenseful that many of the
previous stories, but with everything going on in the plot there is no way you
can put it down even for long enough to process everything until its all over
with. I am dying to know what happens
next with this amazing family and who the ladies set their sights on next, but
at the same time I know there aren’t many matches left and the series will have
to end soon. So with a bit of melancholy
I keep reading as the series moves forward and the Dogmothers create more and
more magic for their grandchildren.
Declan is
pushing middle-age and his single status is something he has accepted for the
rest of his life. He knows he has closed
himself off to love for almost 20 years but now that he is seeing the woman he
gave up more and more, he is seeing the true error he made. Evie is back in Bitter Bark to care for her
grandfather and try to decide what she wants to do with the rest of her life,
but every time she sees the man she lost all those years ago, her heart breaks all over again. When Evie gets pulled
into the care of the new dog that Declan has taken ownership of, finding a rare
and debilitating neurological disorder in him, Evie can’t turn her back on an
animal in need, despite the pain being in Declan’s near constant company causes
her. The more time they spend together,
the more Evie and Declan’s connection is rebuilt and Declan begins to wonder if
there is a chance for them to find a way back to happiness and have a
future. But he will have to prove to
Evie that he truly has let go of the past that once tore them apart and he
better do it quickly, before the enemy stalking their shadows comes for them
and they lose any chance.
Oh man I
have been dying for this story, to truly get to know all about the Declan/Evie
romance that has been on ice for 20 years and to see them find a way back into
one another’s arms. Evie is an amazing
woman, one that has a drive to succeed like no other and a desire to care for
any animals she sees in pain. I loved
seeing her caring not just for the four-legged animals she encountered, but
offering Declan the love and forgiveness he needed to heal and find love
again. It was obvious she missed out on
so much when she lost Declan the first time, but she refuses to settle for half-shots
and will not ever give up on the man she loves.
Declan was a real tragic hero, a man that was flying high and then threw
his entire future away on fear and the denial of a need he was afraid of. He had so much of a hole in his life when he
lost his father, but instead of leaning on the woman he loved, he pushed her
away and took on a burden that was way too much for his young shoulders. Despite being a sexy and brave fireman, loving family guy, and the most dependable man in his family, there is so much missing from his life and he knows it. Once he finally begins to understand that he
can step back and devote some time to his own happiness and future he becomes
the man that Evie needs and deserves. I
loved the mature and evolved Declan we see at the end of the story and I cannot
wait to see him in future stories as he shows how much he has changed to his
family, friends, and community.
This story
is truly one that will have you in tears so often that I recommend you forgo
the tissues and go right for a hankie.
The love between Declan and Evie is so strong and true that you can feel
it palpably in every moment even as they are fighting the pull they feel to one
another. Declan has so much trauma to
deal with and so many questions he needs answered, but once he lets go of the
past, the light and greatness inside him just shines bright enough to signal a
five-alarm fire. (sorry couldn't help as least one firefighter pun) Evie has lived through a lot of heartache at the hand of the
man she loved, but she has never stopped loving him. She aches any time she sees him, but when she
finally gets a chance to spend time with him and help him to heal she jumps at
the chance. Once these two lovers
finally accept that they have a chance at a future, the passion and want is no
longer resistible, making them both burn too hot to be kept apart. I loved
every second of this story and would have loved it to be even longer as I just
didn’t want it to end. There was just
enough fun suspense to remind me why I first started reading Rocki’s work, a lot
of time with my new favorite Irish/Greek family and a cute and endearing dog in
need of the tender care of his new parents.
Another hit from St. Claire, not that there was ever a bit of doubt it
would be!
*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an
honest and unbiased review. No
compensation was provided.
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