I DNFd this. I found the storyline to be boring. It’s just not the book for me. It really wasn’t what I expected either. Don’t not read it because of me, most likely that I’m just not the right reader for the book.

I’ve been anticipating this author’s next book for quite some time so when I saw this I immediately wanted to read it. This mixes mystery and romcom to perfection. It’s an odd combination but Ruggle pulls it off with ease.
The characters were fun and likeable. I thought they had good chemistry too. The spice was good as well.
The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing.
A great read that I’d definitely recommend!

Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle is a captivating romance novel. The book's ending is filled with exhilarating action, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The thrilling conclusion left me satisfied and wanting more. If you are in search of a romance novel that also incorporates elements of mystery, then I highly recommend giving this book a read.

It's a fun and fast-paced grumpy x sunshine read! It's a romantic suspense and feels very much like a romcom with elements of a mystery, but also adventure!
It was just a bit too inta-love for me. I'm not a fan of this trope.

Dahlia’s sister Rose sent their emergency coded text then stopped responding. Searching for her, Dahlia finds herself in the Colorado mountains, breaking into the compound of the man last seen speaking to Rose. The “Weird Hermit” man, whose driveway is boobytrapped like something out of an action movie. The giant man who is NOT pleased to see her at his home.

Suspend belief and enjoy this open door romance for what it is: light, humorous, over the top and full of your favorite tropes. Grumpy cinnamon roll, city girl vs country boy, one tent forced proximity, and plenty of banter. Having read several of Ruggle’s K-9 romantic suspense novels, this was different than I expected but fun. Wrap up when reading - the cold hike is very well depicted. I hope Ruggle had as much fun writing as I did reading.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was filled with hilarious banter that I couldn’t help giggling at multiple parts of the book.

This book had the grumpy x sunshine trope down perfectly. I wish I had a Winston in my life because I fear that I’m in love with him a bit.

My criticism would be that this felt slightly instant lovey and that might be other people’s cup of tea but it isn’t mine. I love when relationships between the characters have proper time to develop.

Overall, this was a fun time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

TROPES
💙 Opposites Attract
💙 One Tent
💙 Grumpy/Sunshine

After receiving a text with their agreed on emergency code, Dahlia heads into the mountains of Colorado to find her sister Rose. With the help of the local hermit Winston, she ventures into the wilderness to try and save her sister, but also falls in love along the way.

Fish Out of Water combines the best of mysteries and rom-coms for me. A mystery is driving the plot, but we still have all my favorite elements of rom-coms, especially the one tent trope. Winston is definitely a cinnamon roll under his tough exterior, and it’s nice to watch Dahlia bring that out in him with her optimism and joy for life. He is very much an acts of service person, insisting on cooking for her and otherwise helping in ways he doesn’t need to.

The story is told through Dahlia’s POV, which is pretty eventful. Her brain runs a mile a minute, which made for a refreshing pace and felt a lot like myself in a way. All the clues (sorry, glut, nasal) about what happened to Rose are hidden in the plot if you are paying attention, which I definitely wasn’t because the romance had my full attention.

I read this book in two sittings. It would’ve been one, but it was late at night and I needed to sleep. But, honestly, I need more books like this in my personal library. And, I now need to go through the author’s back catalogue.

The only way I am going camping is in a Katie Ruggle novel. I swear I couldn't feel my toes during the blizzard scene.

Dahlia Weathersby (yes, one of THE Weathersby's) has come to the Town of Howling Falls to find her sister. She called the local police to let them know she received an emergency text from her sister but they don't seem to understand how dire things are when a text says "Say Hi to Mom." Dahlia and Rose are the only normal ones in the family and each would happily forego any inheritance to just be left alone. Losing the only member of her family that means anything to her is what drives Dahlia to break into the impenetrable fortress of the local grumpy hermit, Winston Dane, to beg his help finding her lost sister.

Hiking in November in the Colorado Mountains involves a lot more cold and snow than L.A. resident Dahlia could have imagined and could have dealt with on her own. She doesn't know why Winston agreed to accompany her--even she knows her attempt at blackmail was pretty flimsy-- but she is ever so grateful to have Winston at her back during this trek into the mountain.

Winston might not have anyone in his life that he would risk his life to find but Dahlia's plight gets through his "weird hermit" shell and he agrees to help her trek to Howling Falls Falls where her sister is last known to be headed.

Once they make it to the Howling Falls Falls, Winston and Dahlia find something they never expected or could have ever guessed and now the question isn't will they find Rose but will any of them make it out of there alive.

THOUGHTS:
Sometimes you are looking for a fantasy with dragons, wizards and intense world building, and sometimes you just want a fun, sweet no-stress romance to help pass the afternoon. There is no question if you are looking for a light-hearted, summer beach read, Fish Out of Water fits that definition perfectly.  Yes, I said Beach Read!  I am done with winter and am already making my beach book list. It's never too early to plan  that out.

My two favorite Katie Ruggle stories are Gone Too Far (Search & Rescue #3) and Risk It All (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #2). I have read them both more than once. Both of these stories involve grumpy/sunshine couples and hiking in the mountains, which I personally would never do, but I do enjoy reading someone else's story of hiking and camping in harsh conditions. I was even reading it on a chilly day which put me in a perfect mindset to drag me right into this story.

Dahlia calls Winston a weird hermit to his face and he doesn't even flinch since he realizes that he would appear to be a weird hermit to someone as sunny as Dahlia. I liked that she would grab Winston‘s hand like this was something they did all the time while everyone else in town was kind of scared of the big, grumpy-faced Winston.

What I love most about my eReaders is highlighting sections that I enjoyed or which make me laugh, something I couldn't do with an actual book. In Fish Out of Water, most of the Winston/Dahlia interactions were simply adorable and there is a lot of highlighting going on in my book.

Grab a copy of Fish Out of Water and save it for your next trip to the beach or the next time you just need a story that is going to keep you laughing and lift your spirits.

When Dahlia receives a coded emergency text from her sister Rose, she rushes to Howling Falls, set in the Colorado Rockies, to find out what’s going on. With her sister missing, Dahlia plans on hiking through the Rockies to the place where Rose intended to visit. Aware of her own lack of wilderness survival abilities she convinces local hermit, survival expert, and hot grump Winston Dane to accompany her. As they hike and camp their way through the mountains searching for Rose, sparks fly between the two rescuers and Dahlia wonders if she’ll find more than her sister on this journey. Maybe she’ll find love.

3.5⭐️ rounded up 3🌶️

A less suspense-filled and more romance packed version of some of her other series. There was lot of times where I just had to suspend belief and enjoy the story, despite the unrealistic nature of it. I liked that Dahlia was a city girl who wasn’t entirely an idiot and seemed to know better than to rush into dangerous situations on her own. Told only from Dahlia’s POV, Winston came across as a little bland. It was a quick but entertaining read. If you are already a fan of Katie Ruggle, you may find this to be a watered down story compared to her other works, BUT if you’re new to her I can see how this would really draw you into her work. I did have to chuckle at the idea that Dahlia and Winston were focused on getting busy while her poor sister could have been out in the woods dying somewhere…😂

I need you all to understand how utterly bonkers this book is before we go any further. I am rating it three stars, yes. But that’s mainly because I laughed so hard while reading. Not for the right reasons, because I don’t think it was intended to be so hilarious. I’m honestly not sure though…feel like we’re being pranked by the author. Maybe this is a test…

This will not be entirely spoiler-free, because I don’t have the spoons to explain how I feel while also shielding you from the truth that is this book.

So we have a young woman who is missing, and her sister goes to a small town in the mountains to look for her. Of course, she brings her entire makeup kit and makes a point to make sure she looks ✨pristine✨ while she is searching for her sister. She finds out this reclusive mountain man may know where she is, and so naturally, she decides the best next step is to pick the lock of his well-fortified home, dodge the many traps in place to keep people out, and then cheerfully greet him when he comes to find out who has broken into his property. Because ringing the bell and politely asking for his help is too easy. No, this needs to be a meet cute of epic proportions.

Now, I was willing to go with this book in all seriousness until this point. The man invites this random strange woman into his home, lets her stay the night, worries she is cold, and makes sure she is comfy cozy. He makes her PANCAKES. With little cut up fruit. And then somehow this crazy lady wraps this seemingly grumpy goose into helping her search for her sister. They head out into the wilderness. One tent trope, anyone? She OF COURSE brings her entire makeup kit with her.

Have I mentioned that up to this point, she has not shown much concern for her sister? I keep forgetting she exists and thinking this woman is just out for a jaunt in the forest. Seriously. She hardly mentions her sister once and shows remarkable calm for someone who is worried their sister might be dead.

And then finally, the coup de grace of this entire escapade. They are snowed inside their tent, and to kill time, she gives him a makeover. Toothbrush? Never mentioned. Deodorant? Who knows. But the woman has the entire Sephora store in her backpack. For FOUR PAGES I read as we get a makeup tutorial. I start to wonder if I am hallucinating.

And don’t get me started on the rescue scene. It’s so unrealistic I am still trying to comprehend it.

This was cute read. It had a little bit of a cozy mystery vibe, which I wasn't expecting going in.
I thought the grumpy/sunshine relationship between the main characters was cute, though he definitely turned into more of a cinnamon roll towards the
I also liked that the MMC was a virgin, which is not typical in romance books.
Overall, not what I expected but I good palette cleanser nonetheless!
Thank you NetGalley for both the ALC and ebook copy of this ARC.

One thing about me is that I love books where I have to suspend my disbelief, and this was one of those reads! Fun, fast-paced, and full of hilarious banter, I enjoyed every minute of this, from the meet-cute and wilderness adventure to the HEA.

This book has:
•A meet-cute to end all meet-cutes 🌲
•Grumpy x sunshine AND city girl x small-town guy 🌃
•A shy cinnamon roll hero who writes mystery novels
•Forced proximity and the only one bed (tent in this case) tropes 🏕️

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I laughed, I swooned, I cried a little, and i totally fell in love with this book!
It's a fun journey of self discovery for both leads, while discovering love, all while on a mission in the mountains to save her sister.
I loved the banter, the grumpiness and the slow build into some spice!
It's nice to see a different take on virginity, and who hadn't yet been intimate with another, apposed to it being the timid fragile women!
It was a great plot, it kept you wanting to know more of what was going to happen and not just with the romance! I'd certainly recommend

I loved Dahlia and Winston! Loved them.

Didn't love the overall storyline. We spent a lot of time in the woods -- which is definitely made clear in the synopsis -- but it just kind of fell flat.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Sourcebooks Casablanca.

I have not read anything by this author before, but I will definitely be looking out for their work in the future. I loved seeing the story unfold and seeing the characters grow.

Liked:
- story was cute
- Writing was fine
- some really good tropes (ONE SHARED SLEEPING BAG, grumpy x sunshine)
- Laughed A LOT


Didn't Like:
- action plot line
- didn't connect to the characters that much
- main character didn't feel fleshed out and therefore sometimes superficial

3 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the eARC!

I sadly DNF'd at 25%.

I was excited about this title because of the cover and description, but it was a bit too slow for me. After reading a few other reviews, I don't think I'm missing out.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this title.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I did not care for this book about a girl looking for her sister. in a secluded mountain. When she blackmails a local author into helping her, they take off on an adventure. I ended up not finishing this book because it was frustrating. We spend a third of the book breaking into Winston's land and then asking about her sister. They didn't seem to have any chemistry and I found both characters to be annoying as well.

As soon as I saw the cover and read the premise of this book I knew I had to read it. Even though I was super excited to read this book, I couldn't get into it at all and ended up not finishing it. There were a number of times when reading I thought that the characters choices were super unrealistic (like who is gonna break into a stranger's home and then con them into going on a hiking trip to find your lost sister). Overall, not the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to be an early reader.

Romance + Suspense + Virgin Hero = One happy reader! Dahlia is on the search to find her missing sister and breaks into Winston's compound. She's a great character who brings the MMC out of his shell. Yes, it's instalove with a grumpy/sunshine in the wilderness but reading is addictive. This book is a fast read which keeps you engaged the whole time.