Fish Out of Water

Katie Ruggle — 2024

Why date a mountain man? Because he knows how to pitch a tent. When Dahlia Weathersby's sister disappears on what should have been a simple day hike, Dahlia immediately heads deep into the Colorado Rockies to find her. Knowing she'll never survive the mountains alone, she convinces the local hermit--adorably grouchy survival expert Winston Dane--to be her guide. All it takes is a good helping of Dahlia's charm...and just the teeniest bit of blackmail...before she's got all six-foot-something of him wrapped around her finger. But even with her very own mountain man in tow, things aren't going to be easy. There are: Long hikes through gorgeous wilderness? Check. Bears? Check. A single shared sleeping bag? Check. Enough sparks to set the Rockies ablaze? Check, check, check. With everything the wilderness has to throw at them, it'll take more than charm and some city girl ingenuity to make this trek anything but a disaster waiting to happen...and an adventure she'll never forget.

Reviews

Jordan@jrstos

Jul 8, 2024

Very cute and fun dynamic with grump hermit and anxiety talker. Had everything I would hope to find in my own romance story.

Nicola Sarah Brooks@nikkisbooknook

Feb 20, 2024

I loved Katie Ruggle's Romantic Suspense books so when I saw this gem I was all over it! Whilst this has less suspense than her other books there is still an element there, although the comedy is the driving force.

Dahlia should be everything I hate. She comes across initially as shallow and a Hollywood darling.

Coming from a rich family she should be your typical horrible rich girl. But Dahlia is fun, stubborn, smart and loyal. When her half-sister Rose disappears and sends a cryptic SOS message Dahlia rushes to her rescue. It doesn't matter she has not one clue about the wilderness or survival. She descends on this small town as a woman on a mission.

Winston was one of the last to see Rose before she disappears and Dahlia sets off to meet the grumpy loner. Their meeting is kind of epic and sets the tone for the comedy in the book. He's grumpy, stand-offish, a survival expert and an author to boot!

Their escapades are fun, entertaining and hilarious. My absolute favourite was #Flactus! Is the romance and steam a tad misplaced? Yup. Did it stop me enjoying the steamy blizzard? Heck no!

Winston is supportive and protective but cracks his shell around Dahlia, admitting to things that go against is hottie grump façade. Dahlia is more than a makeover whizz - she's like a life coach, cheerleader and amateur hiker all rolled into one. But this girl has the tenacity of a honey badger let me tell you!

I would love to revisit this little world!

Devin Donnelly@devinjean

Jun 11, 2024