Besides a very abrupt ending....this was a very interesting and educational story. We spend a lot of time in the Florida forests, with interesting descriptions of the vegetation, waterways, and the animals. You will fall in love with the manitees.
The love story is a sweet convincing slow burn. The characters are very likeable and the dialog is clever, sincere and humorous. There are no villains. Just nice people.
There is one tiny angst near the end but it is quickly resolved. The ending is cute but a bit too abrupt.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The main characters are TJ and Bailey. TJ is a fish & wildlife officer in Florida & Bailey is a professional wild life photographer.
These 2 meet by chance. Bailey had received permission to photograph in a remote area. TJ finds her while trying to clear the area because a puma had been seen nearby. This begins the pull between the 2 - the love of wildlife.
If you love wildlife and women, this is a book to pick up!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Of all the books I read, this is the first one that has me wait till I've read 78% of it to just read about a kiss.
Very pg-13. I wouldn't suggest it.

Enjoyable read with a bit of angst. I loved Chewie the dog, he was my absolute favorite. I recommend.

Thank you, Bella Books, and NetGalley

This was just boring. Romance? No not really. This was two people sort of hanging out together around Florida taking pictures of wildlife. The best character was the dog. The two main characters had zero personality and even less chemistry.
I did learn some stuff about northern Florida wildlife, so there’s that.

When Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer TJ Smith meets Bailey Everett all she wanted was for her to go away. At the time TJ was tracking a panther in Florida. Rarely seen they are very dangerous and the last thing TJ wants Bailey to run into while taking her pictures.
Bailey Everett has made a living by photographing wildlife,turning them into a book. She’s done a few now, that all sold well. Along with her dog Chewie she has gone into all kinds of places where she can find the wildlife. Now she’s in Florida looking to take pictures and this TJ Smith was getting in her way.
This turned into a nice read but the one thing I wish authors wouldn’t retell their characters back-story over and over again. The Characters are likable, the plot's good. A Nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bella Books

4 ⭐️
The nature and wildlife of Northern Florida are the backdrops of Betty Harmon's latest romance, «Out of Focus».

Famous wildlife photographer Bailey Everett and her golden doodle Chewie are drawn to this area for her latest photography book project. Her many months of travel have made her at home everywhere and nowhere and never wanted it any other way. But all that traveling made Bailey a bit of a loner, not really letting anyone get close to her except Chewie.

In this surrounding, Bailey meets TJ Smith, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer who grew up in the small town of Crawfordville and still lives here, in a small house, with her grandmother. TJ had a difficult childhood and doesn't believe in the big love. Too many people let her down.

I loved spending time with the two of them in this obviously very beautiful area (I've never been to Florida). The author is able to describe the environment pictorially and I could imagine everything very well. The attraction between the two is palpable from the beginning, although the first meeting was not very accommodating. But soon a tender friendship begins to develop. A slow-burn romance takes its course without much unnecessary drama, but with a few misunderstandings/ miscommunications that were a bit too easy. Otherwise, the conversations were interesting and the easy banter was enjoyable. Also, the secondary characters (TJ's coworkers, and friends) were well-integrated and added depth to the story. I would have liked to spend a bit more time with Bailey and TJ and witness how they go about their lives together.

For me, as a part-time photographer, animal lover, and travel fan, it was natural to read this book, and I didn't regret it. I was able to put myself in some situations and understand Bailey's thoughts and actions. And also the job as a wildlife ranger has fascinated me since I saw the first documentary on TV, whether from South Africa's animal parks or from the nature parks in North America. And especially since I had visited some of them myself, of course, armed with my cameras.

An entertaining story with two MCs who quickly grew on me.

Thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for receiving an ARC for an honest review.

Bailey is an award winning photographer who moves to Florida to photograph the local wildlife. TJ is the Wildlife and Fisheries Officer who trips over her several times before they reach an understanding. There’s loads of nature and animal information at the beginning which I quite enjoyed as the area is very very different to mine. I’ve never been to America never mind north Florida.

There are the usual misunderstandings and stumbles along the way as Bailey and TJ find a way to be friends and perhaps more. There are some other characters who add greatly to the narrative especially TJ’s grandmother Katie. I’d like her to adopt me (though I’m probably as old as she is!) and it’s cute how Katie uses her wiles to encourage the relationship while spending time with Bailey’s dog Chewie.

There are a few places where the narrative hiccups but overall a good story with likeable lead characters. I’ll look for other books by Ms Harmon.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

This story took quite a while to grab my attention. I appreciated the depth the author took with expanding the setting, but the characters fell a bit flat. I was unable to grasp a full picture of what the protagonists looked like, which is my main concern apart from secondary characters, etc. It wasn't until a bit over halfway into the book that I settled in for the rest of the story, most likely due to that being the area in which the main characters really start to interact with one another. The rising action kept rising, and rising, and rising... with its central conflict (a tried and true romance trope of "an unfortunate misunderstanding" between main characters Bailey and TJ) feeling anti-climactic and somewhat disappointing. It was slow going, but not wholly unenjoyable to make me put it down. I admired the author's research and knowledge of Floridian wildlife, and actually learned a few things along the way. I would still be interested in reading any future offerings from author Becky Harmon. Many thanks to Bella Books via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this comforting tale of finding love where you least expect it.

S.C. Peregrine

This is a story about nature photographer Bailey Everett who with her dog Chewie, is on a job in the Florida panhandle. Bailey has become a famous photographer and has published several books with her photos. She goes to several book signings and to movie premieres. Bailey has lived a solitary life and is estranged from her parents. TJ Smith is a Florida Fish and Game officer. TJ had a difficult childhood and lives with her grandmother in a small Florida town.

Bailey and TJ meet out in the state park and both feel an instant attraction. But neither wants a relationship. As the story progresses they spend more time together and the moment comes when decisions must be made.

I choose this book because of the location in Florida which is a second home to me and I have been to several of the state parks in the book. I enjoyed the slow romance and easy storyline. There is some angst and poor communication at times that was a little silly in my mind for women in their late 30s. I would have liked another 30- 50 pages in the book to have more time with Bailey and TJ enjoying each others company and new romance.

ARC received from Bella Books through Net Galley for an honest and voluntary review.

<i>Thank you to Bella Books and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book took me a long time to finish. It travels along at a fairly casual page, and while that is great while we as the reader are experiencing the nature in the story, when it comes to the romance it takes the term slow burn to a whole new level.

But first, the good. The author is clearly as passionate about nature and animals as her characters are. The descriptions of the forests and rivers that the characters find themselves in, and the wildlife they encounter, is the richest in the book. Becky is either very familiar herself with the wilds of Northern Florida, or did a hell of a lot of research. She should be applauded for those scenes either way, they were phenomenal.

The supporting cast was also great, in particular TJ's grandmother Katie and the couple of Denise and Steven. They were a joy to read. And of course Bailey's dog Chewie deserves a special shout-out for being the best girl!

The main characters, unfortunately, had more problems, and were the main cause for the plodding pace and lackluster romance. They spend a lot of the run of the book, particularly in the first half, apart. And when they are together, while they will think the other is attractive, outwardly they'll act the opposite. And that lack of communication is basically the most consistent trait of their relationship. That's not to say there isn't great moments...dinner at TJ's house and the trip to see the manatees being particularly cute. But for the most part the two of them have about as much heat as a dripping faucet. It takes more than 85% of the book before their one and only night together (FTB...not a criticism, just a statement), and then from that point the author has to cover so much ground in such a short amount of time that it feels like we're reading a checklist of points she needs to hit, with next to no emotion. <spoiler>Through much of the book Bailey worries that Mona, the agent, would have issues with her ending up with a woman, and the work being the most important thing. That's solved in one line of dialogue. Bailey tells Mona she loves TJ, but neither of our mains tell the other. TJ and Bailey 'break up' over a silly misunderstanding and they just don't talk about it...TJ talks about thinking about texting Bailey to explain, but we don't see it, we're told by Bailey it happened. Hell, on the last 2 pages, they're still arguing and seemingly like Bailey is questioning moving to Florida, and then TJ kisses her and she declares her life has come into focus. And that's it, the book just kind of stops. It reads like 'gotta crank this out because I'm on a deadline.'</spoiler>

All in all, this book had a lot of potential, and if this was a literary fiction focused on the flora and fauna of Northern Florida, I think it'd be great, but as a romance it's kind of a miss. 2.5 stars rounded up.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Bailey is a nature photographer who travels to different locations photographing wildlife well really she author and photographer now she is focusing on her new book about wildlife in Florida. Bailey doesn’t really let anyone close but her dog Chewie who she takes out on nature walks. Bailey meets park Ranger TJ who lives her whole life in Florida who is committed to safeguarding the forest and its inhabitants. They get off on the wrong foot but as they continue to have encounters they start to bond over wildlife and the fact they believe love isn’t in the cards for them but start to wonder maybe they are wrong. The author description of the landscape and wildlife made you feel you actually seeing in real time and it’s was nice to learn things you forgot or just learned.

Nature and two women hesitant to love. Out of Focus is a lovely read if you love one or both of those. It’s not too heavy but it does make for an entertaining few hours of reading time. A nice slow burn story.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Bailey is a successful nature photographer. Her new book will be focused on the wild animals of Florida. She loves walking in nature with her best friend Chewie the dog. When she ventures out into the forest to get a feel of the region she stumbles upon a very harsh park officer. Harsh but very alluring.

TJ has been living in Florida her whole life. Being in love with nature and its marvelous animals she has the perfect job as a park ranger. Her job is to protect the animals but also the people visiting the park. When she finds a woman on one of the trails where she is looking for a panther, she hurries to get her to safety. The woman turns out to be the famous photographer her boss told her about. Something about her makes TJ want to know more about her but after having her heart broken a few times she is not ready to let anyone in again. Or will her heart decide differently this time?

Harmon is clearly a lover of nature and that love seeps through the pages. Her descriptions of the magical surroundings add to the understanding of these two characters. The way they slowly warm up to each other feels very natural. There are a few miscommunications that I feel should not have such a severe effect on their relationship, but in the end they get where they want to be.

If you are expecting a lot of nail biting tension between the two, you might be disappointed. I feel like the story skims the surface but leaves a lot to the imagination, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily.

All in all, Out of Focus is a nice read for those that love a slow burn romance and, yes, a lot of nature.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this insightful book

bailey is a full time professional photographer of wildlife and this new book of hers is going to be about all the wildlife around florida, she has all her permissions and licenses to be in that part of the world photographing everything she wants

so she cant understand when she is being stopped by Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer TJ Smith and being escorted back to her jeep....

but its only for her own safety

and as they seem to like the same things ...wildlife it stand to reason that they would spend time together

but bailey is on book tours can she really change her lifestyle to be with tj.... only time will tell or a hurricane or two

a fun read with elements of wildife and hurricanes added to the mix

Great start. The mains meet, they don’t get on, but there is also an element of intrigue/danger to the first chapter.
I like a book that teaches me some stuff. I’m learning about animals I’ve never heard of, (if you are not a Florida native, I advise you to keep google on hand,) and cameras, I’m also learning a fair bit about the mains separately as they haven’t so far had much on the same page time. 50% in and they are starting to interact more, which is good because although I’m learning loads, so far this has been a romance blend novel, a blend of romance and natural history, with the emphasis on natural history, tho there has been long sections of the mains thoughts about each other. Possibly too much of that and not enough romance, however the author had set up potentially another barrier and misunderstanding which has just happened which she didn’t drag it out and I really liked the simplicity of the resolution.
I wasn’t invested, I guess I was a bit meh, about the whole book. Is ambivalence better than dislike, which is at least a strong emotion?
Fade to black……
Ten more minutes of reading and I am flicking back to see if I misunderstood the fade to black as there is no indication of a closeness. Nope, they did get together, but there is another misunderstanding. I was a bit irritated by this, and also the clock ticking down to the book ending. Five minutes to go, and they have still not declared. It’s a romance so there is a happy ending, with the emphasis on end. I think if you took out all the non romantic bits in this book, interesting and educational as they were, you would be left with a very short book.
To sum it up, interesting environs and animals. I learned about photography but the people weren’t really as three dimensional as the wildlife and I wasn’t that bothered about their journey. 2.5 up to a 3 because apart from my irritation about simple misunderstandings or characters that seemed on the page for one purpose, I was okay about this book so not rounded down, but only just.

This was my first book I've read by this author and it was pretty good. I enjoyed the premise but it felt underwhelming at times.

TJ Smith is a park Ranger in Florida and keeps a tough outer shell but is all soft and mushy inside.

Bailey Everett is a photographer who is in town to get pictures for her next book. She doesn't let anyone in or anyone close.

The first meet didn't go very well and after that, it was hot and cold between the two of them. I liked some of this book, but it was a slow burn which wasn't bad, but the ending was too abrupt for my liking.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Bailey Everett is a wildlife photographer who moves to a new location every few months to scout out the area and take photos that she develops into wildlife books. She's actually a focus photographer and author. Although she has an apartment in New York, her current location is Wakulla County in the North Florida Panhandle just directly south of Tallahassee and near the Gulf Coast. Bailey usually takes her Labradoddle, Chewie, out on the nature hikes with her. During one of those initial hikes in Wakulla County, Bailey encounters Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer TJ Smith.

TJ is trying to clear the area since a Florida panther has been spotted nearby. TJ doesn't tell Bailey why she needs her to clear the area and that gets them off on the wrong foot. After a while, TJ and Bailey eventually go on some tours together and get to know each other at least on a surface level.

Living a couple of hours from Wakulla County and having previously visited the area I found the nature descriptions of the book quite interesting. However, I felt the relationship between TJ and Bailey to be quite dry and lacking in chemistry. There just wasn't a whole lot of romance to this book. I did enjoy TJ's grandmother, Katie, and the wisdom that she imparted to TJ. 3 stars

I received an ARC from Bella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 73%.

This was just going nowhere. It was tedious and had no personality. There was also a weird vibe all the way around between the women and the tone of all the characters. No real insights or emotion.

The two love interests have not done any real 'getting to know you' stuff beyond the tour guide of the Florida Wildlife. I thought this was a romance novel, not a travel guide!?

I had to DNF when one character accidentally sipped on anothers drink and panics - and the other takes it into her own mouth and swallows. Before even so much as a hug between them. ICK!!!

Put a dog in the story and I’m smitten. Add nature and I hooked. Neither TJ or Bailey have had success in relationships and even though their first meeting didn’t get off on the right foot, maybe sparks will fly. TJ works for Florida Wildlife and Bailey is a well known animal photographer. Tracking a panther is serious business and Bailey walks along the path not realizing what is happening in the area she has decided to look for animals in the wild. Meetings after that are less stressful allowing the two to actually get to know each other. If you enjoy this check out New Additions by the author.
Goodreads

A story of two women who have never found a forever love and don’t think they ever will. They are content in their own space and with what they do. Bailey moves around photographing wildlife. TJ is a fish and wildlife conservationist for Florida State and is happy where she is. An interesting tale of how they meet and fall in love. With some information about the wildlife of Florida. A readable book. I have read other books by this author and generally enjoyed them too.