ARC Review: Man’s Best Friend (The Dogmothers #5)

 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.