Are you looking for a mystery thriller that doubles as a romance? If so, pick up The Scenic Route by Katie Ruggle. It was a great read.

The Scenic Route by Katie Ruffle was face paced, fun, and funny.

What I liked:
- Felicity was a bad@$$ bounty hunter. I love a tough FMC that can handle her own.
- I liked Bennett’s generally calm and quiet demeanor. I wouldn’t say he was a grump but more of a calming presence that complimented Felicity.
- the plot was fast paced. They never settled in one place for long. It kept me engaged.
- I enjoy a book with a large cast of character, each with their own set of quirks.

What I struggled with:
- while I enjoy a large cast this one was a little overwhelming. But I think if I’d read the 4 books in her first series I would have had a better handle on them.
- the cover and back blurb were a little misleading:
I assumed by the name and cover there would be a little more woodsy adventure but this was definitely more of a suspense romcom where they happened to be in the woods a couple times. I’m not mad at it, it just wasn’t what I expected. And the back made it seem like there would be 2 povs but we only hear from Bennett for one and a half chapters… it kind of threw me off and I kept wanting more of his POV.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Scenic Route and will be picking up more Katie Ruffle books in the future.

The Scenic Route by Katie Ruggle is an action-packed, forced proximity of a romantic suspense between rival bounty hunters.

I have read approximately 10 Katie Ruggle books so I was so excited to see she wrote another one. If you are someone that’s read their other series, you will be ecstatic like me to find lots of fun cameos from previous books. However, this could be read as a standalone. As a fan of their other work,I do recommend her other series too.

Scenic Route is great for fans of…
🩷 Romantic Suspense
🩷 Rival Blunty Hunters
🩷 Family Drama
🩷 Forced Proximity Teamup

This is the type of book that is an almost equal parts of romance matched with the heartiest suspenseful mystery/thriller. I love the action adventure of a complex mystery and the twists & turns that follow….when you add a tension filled romance that starts with a suspicious rivalry with a middle of humor & steam & ends with the kind of a love that you cheer for & honestly what more could you ask for?!

This author & her several series got me through a very difficult time, so I am always grateful to find out when they are writing more books & I have the chance to share my love for them. I hope I get to read more from Katie Ruggle!

If you are a fan of the enthralling mix of captivating mystery & romance, I recommend trying The Scenic Route by Katie Ruggle.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Casablanca for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

This book was a really easy read. It flowed nicely. I loved the communication between the characters. If you want an easy read this is definitely a good book. I love the journey of the characters and the story. It kept me on my toes and there was definitely some times that things happened that I was not expecting. I will most definitely recommend this book to my friends.

The Scenic Route is the first book in Katie Ruffle’s new Beneath the Wild Sky series following the bounty hunting sisters and their adventures.

Felicity is the youngest sister and the when their mom skips town after a theft it’s up to the sisters to bring her in or they lose their house. Only there’s a slight complication in her plan in the form of a “stalker” named Bennett Green, a PI, who works for the insurance company. Felicity and her sisters devise a plan to lead Bennett on a wild goose chase and she heads for a small town to retrieve a meth dealer who skipped bail. Things don’t go as planned and Bennett turns out to be extremely helpful and handsome and soon he teams up with Felicity and a local friend group to take down the skip and his militia friends.

Im a big fan of series because I like staying connected to the couple/characters as each book progresses. These sisters are super close so there will sure to be updates on Felicity and Bennett in the next books.


Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

This cute book was like a spicy Hallmark Mystery Movie and I'm not complaining. Slow burn, cute main characters, adorable side characters, all around cozy mystery book with some spice.
If you like insta-love, light romantic suspense, this is for you.

3.75 out of 5

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this ARC.

I was so ready for Fi Fi's story and it did not disaapoint! Bennett is still swoon worthy and protecting like the other Pax's sisters beaus but was more of a cinnamon roll.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Katie Ruggle for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book but I just didn't.

I felt so lost in the world building. It felt like you needed to have read Katie's previous books in order to understand and keep track of the many side characters. Secondly the writing style didn't do it for me. There was a lot of random juxtapositions and excess tension I just wanted to scream "make up your mind" .
Unfortunately the romance aspect felt underdeveloped. I didn't feel the chemistry between the two characters. It was just weird and moments gave me the ick.

This was cute and I really enjoyed the backstory and setting of the novel. Starting off with a stalker PI was really smart and unique, however, I think the book would’ve been better if it was dual POV first person. I also didn’t feel like I knew anything about who the characters are.

Felicity is a bounty hunter living with her sisters and B. Green is a PI on a case involving Felicity’s mom. For B it’s love at first sight. He follows Felicity on her hunt for a bad guy in the mountains and things heat up between the pair. Felicity seems to like the idea of having a partner of the male variety. B is the shy to Felicity’s outgoing, and together they make a great pair in taking down skips. But Felicity is used to being alone… will she be able to let B in and show him her heart? Or will she go back home sans mountain man?

This was a fun story. Felicity was a quirky character. Though the age difference Felicity 22F and B 28F was meh to me. Just something about dating young 20s women puts me on the defensive. B was a sweet guy though. There wasn’t a lot of chemistry between the characters for me, it felt like instant love with not a whole lot of build up. B was shy and quiet, Felicity yappy and charismatic. I could see why they made a good pair, but this book didn’t give me the feels. Not feet kicking during this book. But the action part of the story kept me intrigued. Hopefully in the sequel things get wrapped up with Felicity’s mom… I’m still curious about how that will end.

A bounty hunter and a private investigator accidentally pair up to hunt down a skip and shenanigans ensue!

Despite the premise being based on a substantial suspense plot, the actual suspense was pretty light. It was a cozy and lighthearted romcom, perfect for a summer beach. There were jokes on each page and more quirky side characters than you can count. There was a one-car-bed trope, which was a coincidence because I read it while I was car camping and lying on a car bed at that moment.

My primary reason for the 3-star rating is that I felt it was a bit too cozy and lighthearted. The stakes from the suspense plot were non-existent. The pacing was consistent throughout the story, which is usually preferable but it left me feeling like all the big plot developments were reduced in importance. There was no time to breathe between them, leaving them feeling less dramatic.

If you are looking for something very light, perhaps after a very dark read, then I'd recommend this to you. For me, it was just a bit too much fluff.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A bounty hunter and a private investigator fall in love super fast. That is this book in a nutshell. This book is fast paced which makes it for an easy read but insta love is not my favorite in a romance. Overall it is a fun and easy read

I usually really enjoy Katie Ruggle books and was looking forward to reading this one, it just felt like there was something missing. I really enjoyed the characters, including the side characters but I .... it was the mom I didn't like the mom. I apologize for the turn of sentence but it came to me.

Watching Felicity and Bennett chase her skip was entertaining and at times I was thinking, how could they possibility find themselves in this situation. The women that they met who dubbed themselves the Murder Club were so much fun, even their husbands were hilarious. I liked this book and am looking forward to the next book.

Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review from NetGalley.

This book was so cute and fun!!! Felicity and Bennett were such a fun couple and I loved their insta-love. If you want a lighthearted and suspenseful story with grump/sunshine and only one bed - you need to read this one!!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc copy! I had so much fun reading this one!

If you are looking for a book that has:

Strangers to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Family Drama
Secrets
Bounty Hunters
One blanket

Will Felicity be able to uncover the truth that connects her mom to the stolen jewels and those pesky small town secrets?

Will the handsome new stranger in town prove he wants to work with her and not sabbatoge her future?

A story with loveable familiar characters for those who have read a handful of Katie's backlist. If not, have no fear this can be read as a standalone.

A slow burn, spicy, romantic suspense that lets you enjoy getting aquainted with all the fun characters or reconnecting with old favorites. How far will they have to trek to solve the case without becoming victims themselves?

Happy reading!

I am not sure what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting THAT. Overall, it's not a bad book. It's not a cheesy romance novel. Sure, it's kinda enemies to lovers and one bed. But it's more of an action packed adventure with what feels like a side of romance.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite fun. It had engaging writing and overall I found it very enjoyable to read. The dynamic between Bennett and Felicity was a fun one and they had good chemistry; I found their relationship very easy. The drama and conflict in this book was mostly all external, and in that sense it was a fairly uncomplicated read. That said, the external plot was pacy and exciting.

Personally, though, the tone of the book wasn’t for me. It was very silly in parts and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I can see it appealing to a lot of people, though, it just wasn’t something I could read a lot of in one go. That aside, though, this was a very fun book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Violence, gun violence, organised crime, references to drugs and drug dealing, head injuries, kidnap, murder, attempted murder, drink spiking, on-page sex, divorce (parents, in past).

The Scenic Route serves up a bounty hunter and a private investigator who team up to catch a criminal on the run. That right there had me completely SOLD!

What a sweet and fun romance!! Felicity & Bennett's story is super cool to read and keeps you hooked from the beginning, this book is perfect for anyone who loves a well-made grumpy/sunshine AND the only one bed trope. I wish the romance wasn't so insta-love but it made sense in the story so I can't complain. Bennett's personality could’ve been better in my opinion, although I found the character ok I felt he was quite forgettable.

Thank you Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was on my tbr and i was so excited to be approved to read the ARC. This book is so damn cute and funny. Grumpy x Sunshine is exactly what i need to get out of a reading slump and it did just that. It was fun and refreshing.