Ok, so we have grumpy/sunshine, slow burn, AND a cinnamon roll male main character. LOVE IT. This was so incredibly cute, fluffy, and smoldery. I genuinely enjoyed this and can't wait to read more from this author!

This book was not as good as previous ones I have read by the author. the tone was a bit too frivolous and the heroine came across very ditzy. There was no insight into who the hero was besides a hot guy who growled.

Winston and Dahlia heat this book up really quick. It was a wilderness romance with adventure and a bit of "what's going on?" in a good way.

I just loved it! This was such a fun read and just what I was looking for. The romance is heartwarming, and I loved seeing Winston come out of his shell and respond to Dahlia. I will say that it was Dahlia that really stole the show for me. I so appreciated her as a heroine - she is smart, funny, and not afraid to put herself out there. They are the perfect opposites attract story. In terms of the plot itself, I appreciated the little bit of suspense to keep things interesting, and it was nice to read something a little lighter in tone. My only complaint is that I would have loved an epilogue, but I'm greedy like that. Can't wait for more from this author!

I was really intrigued about this book because I love books set in the mountains/wildnerness/small towns, all Rhodes lead here is my favourite book ever so I had high hopes going
In to this one. I have a lot of thoughts! I did not see the plot twist/why Rose went missing coming. It felt so random?? Like there was no inkling of anything of that sort happening in that area it was the furthest theory from my mind! So I guess being surprised is good in a way but it definitely didn't fit for me. I loved the scenery and the progression of their trip. Dahlia and Winston were super loveable characters and I was rooting them but I did feel like this was a bit too much of a fast burn for me personally. It was really sweet and I loved them together but I do think it was a bit quick! However this was really sweet and super entertaining! Would recommend it! Rated it 3.75 stars

I've never read a book from Katie Ruggle so I did not know what to expect diving into this one. The cover was the first thing that made me want to read it and I didn't know what to expect from the title alone. Overall it was an easy and enjoyable read with some funny elements. I really liked this romance novel,

This was my first book by this author and I had a good time. I am not much for romance books with mystery or suspense elements to them, and while I didn’t mind the mystery portion to this story, I would say that probably isn’t for me. It takes me out of the book. However, I don’t think that should be a critique of this book in anyway, just something to note for anyone else similar to me.

Otherwise this was a fun rom-com/opposites attract book that I would recommend to many people.

Easy, fast-paced, romcom with big city girl, small-town guy trope. The wilderness man was very endearing and the ONE SLEEPING BAG had me hooked.

This was such a fun, cute book. I really enjoyed the banter between Dahlia and Win, plus, loved how happy the story was overall. Definitely a feel good, pick me up HEA read

I don’t even know where to start with this book. It felt like it was written for me. Basically read this in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I was hooked from page one.

Instantly fell in love with Winston. He’s everything I want in a MMC. Dahlia is the strong, confident FMC of my dreams.

It’s has everything I could want in a book. Loveable main characters with incredible chemistry, a forest adventure with some danger and of course, ONE TENT!!

I just loved this and I can’t wait to read more of Katie’s books.

If you love a stoic, grumpy hero who's really a marshmallow sweetheart and a strong, sassy, hilarious heroine, you’re going to absolutely flip for Winston and Dahlia! I’m so appreciative to Alyssa at Sourcebooks for bringing this one to my attention.

When her sister Rose disappears on her vacation in the small mountain town of Howling Falls, CO, Dahlia Weathersby goes to the last person in town who spoke to her sister. Unfortunately, he's a tough, scary, hermit of a guy who lives behind a seemingly impenetrable fortress. Dahlia somehow manages to breach his defenses and convinces Winston Dane to help her find her sister.

Since Rose's last known plans before she sent an SOS to her sister were for a hike up to the falls, Dahlia and Winston have several days of hiking ahead of them with winter closing in. Not all bad, since it means sharing a tiny tent and possibly sharing body heat to stay warm on those cold mountain nights.

This story is so much fun and adorably cute! Winston is full of layers and surprises he grudgingly divvies out, and Dahlia is bubbly, chatty, and a truly kind person. Their banter, one-sided mostly, is sassy and hilarious and kept me grinning from the first page to the last.

I couldn’t get enough of this mountain man whose inarticulate vocalizations do most of the speaking for him and the delightful city girl who helps people express their true selves through her makeovers. Hilarious, heartfelt, steamy, and charmingly entertaining, this will be one of your top romcom reads this year, so make sure you don’t miss it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy!

This one is a solid four stars. The voice was distinct, and very funny!! Just a few things threw me here, all past the 70% mark. At one point Dahlia loses consciousness, and Winston refuses to let them keep hiking for the day. And then they proceed to have a “sexathon.” Seems a little counterproductive if you ask me.

Additionally, the climax felt a little too perfect. It could have used some more fear or another twist or two. I also would have liked to see some more clues sprinkled throughout. Aside from the very beginning and the climax there were none.

Overall I enjoyed this! Giving me major Schitt’s Creek vibes

This book combined a cozy romance and an action adventure with hiking through the mountains, a missing person, romance, and a mysterious meth lab. Although this book was slow to start, the dialogue between the main character Dahlia and other characters as well as her self kept the book entertaining and enjoyable. I loved the kind of fast paced kind of slow burn aspect of the romance and the surliness of Winston and how even though he’s this big tough guy he’s just a marshmallow inside. I loved how you never really knew what would happen next and the spicy tent scenes were next level. This book also had an elaborate rescue mission and booby traps. I loved this book and the world building as well as the authors writing style, I’m definitely going to have to pick up more of her books.

This was an excellent grump sunshine, mystery/romance! I loved the vibes between the main characters. I loved that it actually had a mystery in it, unlike most romcoms! The spice was HOT!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

📖 𝘍𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦

"𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕? 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒋𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒕-𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎!"

Dahlia Weathersby, makeover stylist from California, has come to the small Colorado town of Howling Falls after receiving an SOS message from her sister. Now her sister is missing and she’ll do anything she can to find her, including breaking into the property of the last man to see her, local hermit/mountain man, Winston Dane.

Right away, Dahlia see that Winston may come off as rough around the edges, but he’s a secret softy. She semi-blackmails him into helping her find her sister who went on a several day hike into the mountains.

This was a really cute, quick, fun read! Winston was such a great character, I loved everything about him being a cinnamon roll MMC. The tent makeover scene was freaking adorable. He was very protective of Dahlia and I loved that. Their pairing and chemistry was great! There was quite a bit of suspense during the big climax of this book that I didn’t see coming!

The story is told from Dahlia’s perspective only. I feel like we could have benefited from having a few chapters from Winston’s POV, but it was still a great story! This is a slow burn, low spice story. The one sleeping bag trope is seriously under-appreciated, I was here for all of those scenes!
Spice Level: 1.5🌶️

Tropes:
🍁 Grumpy x Sunshine
🏔️ Mountain Man x City Girl
🧁 Cinnamon Roll MMC
⛺️ One Sleeping Bag
💋 Makeovers
🔥 Slow burn

So this was very cute! I liked the mystery, and the characters were fun. The entire plot is simultaneously preposterous (the booby trapped yard! the agreement to go camping! the actual camping!) and approachable (that no one believed Dahlia's explanation of the SOS text except Winston), which made it more entertaining. I would be friends with all of these people.

I received a free copy of the ARC for this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy of Fish Out of Water through Net Galley . This story is sensational . Entertaining from start to finish . Dahlia is so quirky and amusing . Winston is the perfect man for her with his quiet demeanor . I absolutely loved this story . Dahlia Weathersby arrives in Howling Falls after receiving a text from her sister Rose requesting help . While looking for some answers about Rose's disappearance She gets a lead about Rose talking to Winston Dane the town hermit . With no one thinking there's a problem . Dahlia sets out to talk to Winston and get answers . Dahlia convinces Winston to help her and their adventure begins but what an adventure especially when things turn smokin hot and then dangerous . This story is spectacular . I highly recommend taking the time to read .

Why I read it: There was a “Read Now” promo for this book on NetGalley and because I read a lot of Katie Ruggle previously, I picked it up. (Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance copy; this is my honest review.)

Review #insixwords: Katie Ruggle nails the grumpy-sunshine trope.

More:
*He’s grumpy, she’s sunshine.
*Single POV; you only get his grump through her view. (It’s a very nice grump.)
*Katie Ruggle has a trademark grumpy mountain man who’s secretly a cinnamon roll and that shows up here. Everyone in town is scared or unnerved by MMC except FMC.
*Is it a little ridiculous how the FMC “stealths” her way into the local hermit’s compound? Yes. Is it fun anyway? Absolutely.
*Forget one bed, there’s one sleeping bag.
*Forced proximity: they trek through the mountains in cold, snowy weather in search of her sister. (It’s also kinda like a road trip, but without a vehicle or permanent lodging. Tents only.)
*FMC is a city dweller and unprepared for a trek through the mountain, but she is not helpless.
*This is less cop and military centric than Ruggle’s previous books. MMC is former military turned cop trainer turned mystery author. (Bad things happened during the cop trainer as led to his hermit and writer lifestyle.)
*After the 2020 uprising in Minneapolis (and elsewhere), the mainstream perception of cops/military shifted and I do think Ruggle attempted to write a romantic suspense that took that into account. But this will not appeal to people who believe ACAB and haven’t read a Katie Ruggle or aren’t fans of romantic suspense.
*Despite writing stories set in the Rocky Mountains, Ruggle lives in Minnesota. And Minnesotans love a local connection.

Recommendation: This is a lighthearted grumpy-sunshine romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously (in a good way), with a trek through the mountains and a little bit of danger.

My first read by Katie Ruggle, and i enjoyed this so much. I liked the cover and didn't know what to expect, but this was a well-written, fast-paced rom-com mystery. I liked that there was comedy, romance, and a mystery plot because it complemented the book well. When Dahila's sister goes missing she goes to the mountains to try and find her. She also easily convinces the grumpy local hermit, who had seen her briefly, to go with her and help her find her sister. There's hiking, a wilderness journey with tent setups, only one sleeping bag, chemistry, and clues as they try to find Dahilia's sister. The romance was lovely and though it was an opposite attracts, the main characters complimented each other well. There's a steamy scene in the wilderness and two people trying to stay warm in the cold. The book's ending had a lot of action, and I enjoyed the thrill and how it ended. If you need mystery that's also a fun romance, you should read this! Thanks to the publisher for this arc.

The protagonist felt immature, and I just didn’t want to hang out with her. I stopped after chapter 1 (8%) but I imagine it’s a solid three stars for readers, four for the right ones.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.