Aaron Jamison doesn't want anyone's help, but he begrudgingly takes part in a trial for a local dog trainer to get a military contract. He is even less convinced when he receives a poodle named Oscar. Can Ruby and Oscar help restore Aaron's hope?

An heartwarming read, from the beginning it drew me in with the plight of Aaron and Ruby. The book does a good job of showing the struggles that Aaron faced returning to civilian life, as well as realizing that it isn't a bad thing to need help sometimes. I liked that they both were Christians with their own challenges, as well as how they bonded working together with Oscar.

Overall, an engaging, compelling story with a great premise and wonderful characters. I loved Ruby and Aaron together. A well written book, well worth picking up!


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A quick read and sweet read. I’m always a sucker for military heroes as the heroes in my romances. But the service dog stole the book as far as I’m concerned. The only problem I have with the book is the back cover blurb and that’s not the author’s fault its whoever wrote the blurb. Aaron Jamison the hero is described as being an “ex-marine” I am hoping that that is a typo because there is no such thing as an “ex-marine.” The title Marine is not given is earned and nothing short of treason against your government can get it take a way.

Aaron Jamison is a wounded former Marine who has been ordered to to get a service dog. Aaron is used to following orders but when he is faced with a poodle - "which he immediately calls a frou frou" dog - he balks right away. The dog's trainer, Ruby Winslow, however, has studied Aaron's file and she knows exactly what dog would be perfect for him. Ruby and her siblings offer a non-profit business in the service dog business and the books are not looking so good. Should the service dog work for Aaron, they will be awarded a conract with the military and this would be the very thing to keep her business afloat.

The family business is really special. The family takes on rescue dogs and train them as service dogs for a multitude of situations - autism, seizures, and in Aaron's case, strong support for the wounded former Marine. Aaron has a brain injury as well as severe leg pain as a result of an IED explosion. His balance is off and his service dog will go a long way when it comes to helping Aaron get around, as well as the emotional support the dog will provide. All the while, Aaron is contemplating his future as he had planned on a very long career in the Marines.

Will the dog Oscar that Ruby strongly recommends work with Aaron? Will Aaron stop resisting and let Ruby's program prove true? What about the instant attraction they both share? What could Aaron have to offer for Ruby's future now that his military career is over? Ruby has baggage of her own and it was a true pleasure to see both Aaron and Ruby find love and joy as this story progressed.

I am so loving this series! This is the third book in the Rocky Mountain Family series and I love how service dogs have helped the characters in each story. There are six Winslow siblings so I cannot wait to read the next three stories in the series.

Many thanks to Love Inspired and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Marine's Mission is an emotional read. Deb Kastner definitely knows how to keep a reader hanging on every word and she tempers the more emotional moments with humor and sweetness. Aaron is a tough nut to crack with the walls he's built around himself, but Ruby has plenty of determination to see this "mission" through to a happy conclusion. I liked both of these characters and it didn't take long to be rooting for them and for Aaron's "froufrou" dog, Oscar. I expected this one to tug at my heartstrings. What I didn't expect was how thoroughly charming it is. It's well written and works perfectly as a standalone even though it is 3rd in the Rocky Mountain Family series. I will say that after "meeting" a few of the secondary characters, I'm gonna have to go back and check out those first two books to find out their stories as well as watching for what comes next for this family.

This is a very sweet and clean romance. Because of my health issues I connected easily with Aaron and the whole idea of service dogs. I did have some issues with Aaron and his old fashioned way of thinking about masculinity which in turn made him not that likable to me. I don’t think adding those things into the story were needed and instead we could have focused more on how losing his marine career affected him. I did really enjoy Ruby’s character and how much she loved all the dogs she trains and her passion for service dogs. The relationship between Ruby and Aaron was really more of a friendship for a large majority of the story since Ruby really had to break down Aaron’s walls. However, this book really skips around for the four weeks that they are working together so it felt like we got more scenes of them in their heads than together. That being said, while I wasn’t a fan of how rushed everything was at the end, I did enjoy when Ruby and Aaron were together. They had an obvious connection and it is always rewarding to see a grumpy hero open himself up. If you love stories involving dogs then this will be one that you will adore.

Terrific book. Ruby and her family own and run A New Leash on Love, a place that takes rescue dogs and trains them as service animals. They don't charge for their service dogs, instead working on a donation basis which often leaves them scrambling for the funds they need. When Ruby gets the chance to win a contract providing service dogs for veterans, she jumps at the opportunity. Her "try-out" is to provide a dog and training for a wounded former Marine.

Aaron doesn't believe he needs a service dog, but his superiors have ordered it, so he'll obey. He was wounded while saving the life of one of his men when an IED exploded. He has a brain injury that sometimes causes temporary confusion and can affect his balance. He has lung damage that makes some activities impossible and pain from shrapnel still in his body. All of this led to early retirement from the Corps, leaving Aaron with no idea what to do with his future.

Aaron and Ruby got off to a rough start. He arrived with a chip on his shoulder, bluntly informing Ruby that he's there under duress. It gets worse when he discovers that, instead of a "manly" dog like a German Shepherd or a lab, he is paired with a poodle! How can he hold his head up with a frou-frou dog named Oscar? Ruby has never dealt with someone who doesn't want a service dog. All of their previous clients came because they wanted the help. Ruby must find a way to break through Aaron's wall of denial.

I loved Ruby's strength of will as she refused to back down on her choice of dog for Aaron. She knows what Oscar can do if Aaron will give him a chance. Aaron isn't very cooperative until he finds out about the contract riding on his success. He then approaches the training as though it were a military mission. I ached for Aaron because, without his career as a Marine, he feels adrift. I liked seeing him begin to bond with Oscar, though the learning curve was a bit steep at first. It took a little time for Aaron to accept that Oscar could and should go everywhere with him, but once he did, their progress improved. I loved Aaron's surprise when he realized that they were now a team and that he was happy with his frou-frou dog.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ruby and Aaron. After witnessing the effects war had on her father and her high school boyfriend, Ruby never intended to get involved with a military man. However, she couldn't deny either her attraction or her growing admiration for Aaron. While he was on active duty, Aaron never planned to marry, believing the Corps was all he needed. Once he got out, he thought he was too broken for a wife and family. But the more time he spent with Ruby, the more he grew to like her. I loved the time they spent together, not just working on the training but also doing other things. Ruby helped Aaron see that there were many options for him if he let go of his fears.

Neither Ruby nor Aaron looked forward to the end of the training cycle. Ruby realized that she'd fallen for Aaron but didn't want to say anything to him. Aaron felt the same, but he wasn't ready to commit without a plan for his future. I loved what he came up with, both for his "side hustle" and a regular job. His desire to help his brothers and sisters in arms was fantastic and was showcased brilliantly in his demonstration for the person from the VA. I loved Aaron's big moment at the end, especially with the "trick" he taught Oscar. The epilogue was great, and I loved the surprise that Aaron had for Ruby.

I've never read this author before but was drawn to this book because of the title. The Marine Corps has played a significant part in my life, with my father, husband, brother, son-in-law, and nephew all "bleeding green." That said, I must point out a major quibble with this work, and that is the lack of proper capitalization of the words "Marine," "Marine Corps," and "Corps." The term "marine" has to do with the water, such as "marine life." When referring to the United States Marine Corps, it is always capitalized. Harlequin books are notorious for ignoring this.

P 151, The Associated Press Stylebook, 2004

Marines: Capitalize when referring to U.S. forces: the U.S. Marines, the Marines, the Marine Corps, Marine regulations. Do not use the abbreviation USMC.
Capitalize Marine when referring to an individual in a Marine Corps unit: He is a Marine.
Do not describe Marines as soldiers, which is generally associated with the Army. Use troops if a generic term is needed.

"The Marine's Mission" is a romance. I thought the service dog aspect would be interesting, but I ended up feeling like I knew more about the training and use of service dogs than the author (and it's not like I've researched the topic). When Aaron comes to get his service dog, he has no idea of what one can do to help him and Ruby demands that he simply trust her judgement. Each listed his injuries several times in their thoughts, but there's no scene where Ruby explained how the dog could help with his various issues. She wanted him to discover how useful the dog could be from experience, which made the first weeks unnecessarily tense. It's several chapters in before we even learn that the dog is trained for mobility issues, and it's not until the end that we get a list of things the dog can help Aaron with. More time was spent on running the dog over the agility course than on the service dog skills.

The author also wasn't consistent about how Aaron was injured. In one place, it was tackling someone off a landmine. In other places, it's from an IED blast. The romance mainly took place in the last two weeks of training as they were frustrated with each other for the first week or two. Ruby was kind even when frustrated, and Aaron tried hard even though he couldn't see any need for a service dog. Working together quickly turned into admiration and attraction, though, and Ruby's family helped Aaron envision a future rather than dwell on what he could no longer do. There was no sex or bad language.

This is my first book by this author and I can see why a lot of people love her stories. With this one it was how the each of the characters was strong in their own way and it showed though out the story. How the author bright to life the use and need of service dogs,as well as how she bright up the fact that there was people out there who wanted to help our soldiers. As for the story its self it was the type of story that you might see as a Hallmark movie where they offer fun, humor, drama, and romance and show the characters learning and growing, and that what The Marine's Mission did.

Aaron is a wounded ex-marine who is less then thrilled that he has to take on a service dog when he feels he clearly doesn't need it. Ruby is a trainer to service animals working on a new program that'll help keep dogs out of the shelter with a bit of training can be used for military members who need support animals. Ruby will do everything she can to help Aaron get used to his service dog and maybe even have something more with eachother.

This was a light read I really enjoyed it. Usually I like a book with a bit of drama but this book was fine without it. I loved seeing Ruby and the dog work its way into Aarons heart. I mean the dude was rejecting everything and they were only trying to help out. I love seeing that romance bloom between Aaron and Ruby. Overall this was just a nice read I enjoyed it.

This was the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. Aaron was a tough character, in more ways than one. He felt lost now that he was a wounded veteran of the Marines. He didn’t really see how a service dog was going to help him and he certainly did not think a standard poodle would be the right choice for him!

I was very impressed with the way Ruby handled everything. It was very clear that she knew what she was doing with handling the training of dogs and the people they needed to help. She had to adjust her training a bit to work with Aaron’s personality and needs, and she did a great job of that.

Aaron grudgingly grew to respect Ruby’s skills, which then grew to friendship, and then to more. It was a sweet progression that made for a heartwarming story. This is book three in the series, yet I had no trouble enjoying this story as a stand alone novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely loved this book and this story. Was so pure but also raw with emotion. I would have liked to see a bit more drama with her ex, but overall I think the pace and heart was perfect. Love a nice clean romance.