SHELTER ME - Catherine Mann
Second Chance Ranch, Book 1
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-425-26988-6
August 2014
Contemporary Romance

Tennessee - Present Day

Living on a ranch dedicated to animal rescue, Sierra McDaniels is accustomed to new dogs and cats arriving almost daily.  But she has mixed feelings about the dog about to join the family.  Trooper isn't exactly a rescue – he's the feral dog who became something of a mascot to Sierra's father's army unit, thanks to her dad.  Now, four months after the burial of Colonel Allen McDaniels, Trooper is coming to the Second Chance Ranch, and Sierra isn't sure she wants that constant reminder of her dad's death.  Worse, the dog is being delivered by Mike Kowalski, Sierra's former lover.  She hasn't seen him since he broke up with her just before his last deployment.

Sergeant Mike Kowalski might be risking his career, but nothing will stop him from carrying out his former commanding officer's wishes regarding Trooper - even though it means seeing Sierra again.  He broke things off with her a year ago, partly because he doesn't believe he's good enough for her, and partly because after her childhood as an army brat, she deserves a more stable life than that of an army wife.  With the Colonel's death, Mike's even more convinced that he made the right decision when he ended his relationship with Sierra.  But that doesn't mean his feelings for her went away.

Moving from Iraq to the United States isn't just an adventure for Trooper; it's a mission.  He knows that the Colonel was worried about his family, and as soon as he arrives, Trooper realizes he has his work cut out for him.  He may be young, and as a feral dog he didn't know much about family life, but Trooper's not about to fail the man who saved him.

SHELTER ME is the first book in the Second Chance Ranch series and introduces us to the McDaniels family and their zoo.  Sierra's mom, Lacey, always worked as a foster parent for dogs while the family traveled around the world with her husband's army career, but when they moved to Tennessee with the intention of retiring there, Lacey opened her own rescue shelter.  Her husband's long absences were difficult enough, but his death has upended their lives.  Sierra is a grad student, but is living at home in order to help with the rescue, as well as the family.  Her brother, Nathan, is fifteen years old, and to say he's been difficult would be an understatement.  Her grandfather, retired General Joshua McDaniel, is suffering from Alzheimer's, is often confused or angry, and his tendency to take one of the dogs out means extra work for Sierra.  She's struggling to hold everything together, and having Mike back in her life only adds to the stress.  Her feelings for him are still strong, but she's not interested in living her mother's life of constant moves and an absentee husband.  Mike knows this, and can't blame her, but he can't see himself doing anything other than the army.

While much of the focus of the story is on the relationship between Mike and Sierra, the book also is about losing a loved one.  A moving, emotional tale, look for SHELTER ME.

Jennifer Bishop