Rescue Me (Second Chance Ranch #2)
by Catherine Mann
Blurb:
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.
Themes: contemporary
Rating: 4.25 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
For any great animal lover the ultimate
romance is the story of love that includes the love of an animal or the love that
can develop between two people through the connection of an animal and
Catherine Mann captures that theme beautifully with her Second Chance Ranch
series. I was a bit skeptical when first
I read this series, mainly because I didn’t think it would really be focused on
the relationship of the people and their relationships with the animals without
anyone being under-represented, but I was glad to be proved wrong. The solid love story, the twists and turns in
the plot and the emotional turbulence that Mann manages to work through is
enough to make any romance and animal lover believe every word and emotion of
the characters. From the lighthearted
snippets from the POV of the animals to the heavy emotional baggage of two
people that have lost all faith in humanity, Mann takes us on a true journey of healing and teaches that love can overcome anything and there truly are all
kinds of love in this world. If you’ve
ever looked into the eyes of a rescue animal and seen the hope and love that
they can share you will love this series guaranteed. I cannot wait to see whose story is next
though I am certainly counting the pages until Lacey gets her HEA.
Rescue
Me begins with a Christmas Eve rescue of a group of abused animals and the
conflicts between one time (pun intended) lovers who are doing the
rescuing. AJ and Mary Hannah have been
dancing around their previous single “date” where Mary Hannah hid her identity
for one night of wild passion that AJ was more than happy to give her. When she finds out that he is her new
neighbor and now partner in recuse operations, she is appalled and has no idea
how to handle her feelings except to push him away whenever they are near each
other. But their family and friends keep
throwing them together and they ultimately decide that being friends is easier
than resisting being near each other; too bad “just friends” doesn’t seem to be
something they can accomplish. When
their time together becomes more and more intimate and heated, there might be
no resisting the passion that draws them.
But the truth of one of their most trusted friends is revealed and could
drive a wedge between them once and for all, if they let it.
Mary
Hannah and AJ were perfectly matched through the majority of this tale and even
during their previous interactions. AJ
is obviously a bit broken and dealing with the career that has brought darkness
into his soul, but his attraction to Mary Hannah is a bright spot in his daily
life and he is determined to find a way to keep it. Seeing him work through his emotional drama,
while making friends with the traumatized dog he has taken into his home—and
his heart—showed just how sweet he is under the macho exterior he presents to
the world. His gentleness and stubbornness
in dealing with both Mary Hannah and Holly showed that while he is a man who
likes to have his way, he can be soft when needed and to me that makes the best
hero. I was thrilled when he found a way
to convince Mary Hannah to give them a chance and I knew that he would find a
way to heal all three of them, but when his world began to crumble with a
betrayal of his most trusted ally, I knew that as long as he trusted and turned
to Mary Hannah to get through it everything would turn out well.
Mary
Hannah on the other hand was frustrating at times, her determination to go it
alone in all things and punish herself for a past mistake was sad. Her
backstory was definitely sad and worth every minute of her drama, but she kept
denying that she still needed healing, which for a counselor was surprising. She accepted her responsibility for past
mistakes, but I don’t feel like she ever really forgave herself until she
hooked up with AJ and he forced her to expose that raw nerve and really allow
herself to heal. I loved seeing her
interactions with her patients and it was obvious that she was invested in
every one and she would help them heal come hell or high water, even though at
times it hurt her to do so. When she finally allows herself to deal with the
trauma of her past her truly passionate nature and the loving side she has
hidden from men, including AJ, for so long is able to push forward and it is
not surprising she falls in love with AJ quickly and easily.
Rescue Me
was truly the perfect name for this novel, with all three of the main
characters, Mary Hannah, AJ, and Holly, healing one another and finding love
and trust again together. The entire
premise of this series tugs at my heart, mainly because my family and I have
always been the rescue house in our area, getting the broken and hurt animals
to heal and rehabilitate, so I appreciate the trouble and heart it takes to do
this. AJ is determined not to get
attached to Holly, to just put in his required time to train her and move on,
but truly, who could resist the sweetness in those dark and sweet eyes? And
Holly is just as determined to help her new master find love with his perfect
mate, Mary Hannah, even if she has to keep pushing them together. Once AJ wizens up and finds a way to convince
Mary Hannah to give him a shot, the love blooms quickly and brighter than they
ever thought. Mary Hannah has been broken for so long she never imagined all it
would take to put her back together and heal her is the love of one sexy cop
and the sweet dog he has taken on. The
passion that brought them together so many months ago for that one night stand,
simmers through the whole story and when they finally give in explodes to a
fast boil. Seeing the side stories with Mary
Hannah’s friends Lacey and Sierra was heart wrenching more often than not, but
they all came out well on the other side and I am dying to see what next come
for this little family. The unique
inclusion of passages from the POV of Holly (and Trooper in the first book)
make this author’s point in ways that just human POV never could and often
heightens the suspense as dogs can so often see things coming long before we
humans. I loved every second of this
story and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a story full of laughs,
healing, and love with just a touch of danger and passion to keep things
exciting. Catherine Mann remains a
favorite author and Rescue Me will be one of my favorites for a while to come.
As my own personal
blog is a good place to jump on the soapbox, I want to encourage everyone who
reads this review and the story above to make a small donation, be it time or
money, to your local animal shelter or rescue organization. If you need help finding a local shelter try
any of the below links to donate.
Thanks!
*ebook provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No
compensation was provided.
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