He's a Private Investigator and she's the Bounty Hunter, they're both on the hunt for a rare necklace that her mother has taken... and possibly falling in love as they chase the necklace through quirky mountain towns, a drunken wedding, and stake outs! Bennett Green is a PI and he's latest job has him trying to find a necklace that was stolen by Jane Pax. What Bennett never expected was to fall for Felicity Pax, Jane's daughter and a bounty hunter, when he first meets her. Felicity is tired of her mother ruining her and her siblings lives, she's determined to get the necklace back and to shake the handsome PI following her. Yet when Bennett strikes up a partnership since they're both on the same hunt, Felicity can't help but fall for the very quiet but adorable scruffy guy. Can they find the necklace before it's too late? This was a really cute easy read, the romance was fun and the entire story just felt like a charming time. It kind of gave off Hallmark mystery/ 2000s rom com vibes, which makes it an excellent time. The story was fun and the little quirky town visits were sweet. Overall, it's definitely a cute read and one that I think that anyone can read and relax with! Its part of a series however it can be read as a standalone!

Release Date: July 30,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca | Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

“Where you go, I go.”
“Stalker.”
This was the first book I’ve read by Katie Ruggle and when I read the description and saw it took place in Colorado it was an immediate read for me!

Felicity Pax is a bounty hunter from a family of bounty hunters. However, her latest skip to chase is her mother and it isn’t just her and her family who want to know where Jane Pax has gone. Bennett Green is a PI who needs what Jane Pax stole and he has decided that tailing Felicity is his best shot, he just didn’t expect to fall for her.
“I saw you, and it was like someone squeezed my heart really hard.” “Sounds painful. You sure you weren’t having a small heart attack?”

When the two wind up in Simpson, Colorado the unexpected repeatedly happens. Simpson is a quirky town, I loved all of the characters! It was fun to travel with Felicity and Bennett as they chased their skips and started to rely on each other as back up. I will certainly be going back to read the other Pac sisters and Simpson townsfolk’s stories.
Thank you @katieruggle and @netgalley for the ARC!
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A very light romantic suspense I think that's been written to appeal to contemporary romance fans (the cover is obviously in the same vein).

It's fine, I liked both characters but the set up didn't really make sense why Felicity would do this side mission to distract Bennet.

Insta-love doesn't really hold up when you don't see that persons perspective.

This book got me right from the first page and held my attention throughout the entire thing. It was a fun read from beginning to end. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC was great - I mean who doesn't love a grumpy/sunshine trope? Initially I was a little put off because it felt a little too insta-lovey, but quickly found myself rooting for them. I also loved all the side characters, and since this is my first Katie Ruggle book, I didn't really understand how they fit into the world. But after reading this it makes me want to go back and read her backlist to get to know all these characters' stories as well, especially those for the FMC's sisters.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC.

When I read the blurb about a female bounty hunter who loves the thrill of her job, I knew I had to get this book in my hands. "The Scenic Route" by Katie Ruggle follows Felicity Pax, who sets off on a mission to find her estranged mother who has disappeared with a small fortune. Her journey gets complicated when Bennett Green, an infuriating yet attractive private investigator, starts following her.

The book does a great job of painting a picture of the Rocky Mountains. You can really imagine the beautiful, rugged scenery as Felicity and Bennett chase leads through quirky mountain towns. The mix of action and humor keeps the story lively.

Felicity and Bennett’s dynamic is interesting—they’re constantly trying to outsmart each other, which adds a fun twist. While the plot has its ups and downs, the relationship between the two main characters develops in a way that feels natural and engaging.

Overall, "The Scenic Route" is a decent read for those who enjoy adventure with a bit of romance and humor. It’s not without its flaws, but the vibrant setting and the chemistry between Felicity and Bennett make it worth checking out.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

DNF 16% in.

I really liked Fish out of water by Katie Ruggle and I think I may retry this book eventually with audio as that is how I read Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle. I am really picky about third person in books and it is always harder for me to get into romance with third person but I have found audio sometimes works better and if I do pick this back up I will fully review it. What I did read I liked but I didn't care for the characters 16% in which normally if I am over 15% in and I don't care about the characters or the story I will dnf. I found the story interesting just nothing was keeping me interested due to me not connecting with the writing fully.

The cover and the blurb for this book enticed me and I’m so glad I grabbed it on NetGalley when I had the chance. It was a wild, fun, and funny adventure with an adorable (and also steamy) romance between Felicity and Bennett as they came together to catch some bad guys.

The chemistry and connection between Felicity and Bennett felt so genuine even without the two of them knowing each other for long. I felt the bond and I loved their dynamic. The banter and the moments Felicity was able to break Bennett’s grumpy exterior were so endearing. I enjoyed Felicity’s competence and skill and Bennett’s willingness to defer to her when the situation called for it. He was never condescending toward her and never underestimated her abilities. They developed a balanced partnership in the short time they were working together, however reluctantly on Felicity’s part in the beginning.

There were also so many enjoyable side characters. I loved the murder club and would totally want to be a member. I’m intrigued by Felicity’s sister, Norah, and look forward to reading about her soon.

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

Katie Ruggle always writes fun romcom/romantic suspense. Her stories aren't gory or too dark for romantic suspense so when I'm in the mood for both subgenres I usually gravitate towards her books.

The Scenic Route had a lot of fun elements. Many adventures (or side quests) while looking for Felicity's mother, cute small town & side characters, only one bed and a bit of rivals to lovers. Ruggle did a great job blending everything together. I never felt lost or that something didn't have a purpose in the story. This book was hilarious and filled with fantastic characters that brought a lot of life to the story.

The romance was super cute too! Felicity and Bennett really get to know each other on their adventures and it helped bring heat to the open door scenes. It can seem a little insta-love but they have known each other for a long time so I didn't mind that. The steamy scenes were good and didn't overshadow the story.

A solid romcom mystery that I think readers will have a blast reading.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This is Felicity’s story and her Bounty Hunting journey continues with her sisters. She picks up a stalker along the way who ends up eventually helping her among other things.

I loved the characters in this book and their quirky sarcastic nature. The descriptions had me laughing at times and It was a fast paced well developed read.

I can’t wait for Norah’s story! 4.5 stars

Felicity's a bounty hunter, and she always gets her man. Bennett's a PI, and, well, he likes to get his man too. There's just one problem: at the moment, they're both after Felicity's mother.

I picked this up based on 1) the energy in "Fish Out of Water", the other of Ruggle's books I've read, and 2) the promise of more into-the-woods plotline. On the latter point, the book disappoints (lots of small town but precious little into-the-woods—the cover's not particularly representative), but the energy is still there.

Honestly, this is the sort of book that should make me grumpy for its lack of realism. Felicity and her sisters are part of a bounty-hunting crew, supposedly reserved and basically friendless—but Felicity is also ready to trust Bennett more or less right off the bat, and tell just about everyone she meets that she's a bounty hunter, and I...can't imagine that this is really the best way to go about getting your mark and also not get killed? It should make me very annoyed. It does—a little. But I also flew through the book with surprisingly few qualms. I think I just like that Felicity and Bennett are on pretty equal footing, all things considered, and Felicity in particular is confident in her skills and happy with who she is; although they're both guarded to a certain degree, neither of them needs the other to tell them that they're good at their job or that they're lovable.

I'm not going to go out of my way to read the rest of the connected books, but...I might check to see whether Ruggle has any other into-the-woods books. Just in case. And I'm making another mental note to reread "Fish Out of Water" one of these days.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This book was pretty cute, I really enjoyed the bounty hunter and PI aspect. I'm always a sucker for instalove as well as forced proximity. there was some mild spice sprinkled throughout but nothing too heavy. This was my first Katie Ruggles book but I will definitely be picking up more in the future.

This book was some fun nonsense. The plot didn’t fully make sense, the cute town setting was full of ridiculous characters, the FMC and MMC had the type of instant love that’s hard to believe in, and the constant twists and turns with slim escapes were just wild. That being said, it was just fun to read. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down, and I finished the book in one day.

Highly recommend for when you need some light, fun, ridiculous reading. Ideal for a beach, plane, vacation, or rainy day.

3.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The scenic route follows Felicity on her journey to hunt down her bounty target with PI Bennett following her all the while. Felicity is quickly swept off her feet after a conversation with the handsome PI. Their relationship grows closer after they decide to join forces to work together to solve each of their cases.

Overall this was a super cute & quick read. The characters were relatable and fun to get to know. I had never read a book by this author before but thoroughly enjoyed. I will be likely be finding myself another one of hers to read in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley, Katie Ruggle & Sourcebooks Casablanca for letting me read this early. Publish date is 7/30/24.

My first thought when I picked up this book is what a unique concept that should be a lot of fun to read. it was fun with Felicity and Bennett at odds on page one. My second thought was why are we jumping in with 2 sisters already in committed relationships so I had to do some digging. While this is the first book in a new series, it is not the first time we see the Pax sisters or the first time a Pax sister finds herself in a dangerous situation with a hot guy.
Before I jump into the hilarity and action, mom or Jane, was definitely not winning mom of the year. Stealing, making your daughters pariahs in their town and leveraging their home were just a few of her crimes. Attacking Felicity to escape, while horrible, set the rest of the story into motion. Imagine, Jane did something to save her own hide and instead helped he daughter find happiness. Let's back up a minute to the meet cute. Felicity is on the trial on Jane's possible accomplice when she ends up with Bennett knocking her down and setting on her. Doesn't sound like a formula for happy ever after. Instead, the author used that as a jumping off point for a story full of non-stereotypical characters, danger, adventure and romance. With two more sisters left single, this crew including Felicity, Bennett and all the sisters and other males will be back for more crazy family fun.
I have waffled on a score for this book. It was fun and there was action and humor but a few of the scenes that were a bit long and messed with the flow of the story. I would be happy to rate this book a 3.5 to 3.6 stars but must round up.
Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thrill-seeking bounty hunter Felicity is chasing her own estranged mother, who’s vanished with a small fortune in jewels. Felicity’s pursuit is complicated by Bennett, an infuriatingly hot but undeniably skilled PI hired by the insurance company. On a wild goose chase through the Rockies, she encounters a mystery worth solving—and realizes Bennett might be the partner she needs in both her professional and personal lives.

This is a fun and quirky, plot-focused adventure romance Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Fun book

This book kept me chuckling at the interactions between Felicity and Bennett, along with the multiple members of the unofficial Murder Club. Sure, there are suspenseful moments in the story, times when lives are at stake, but the situations that the pair keep getting themselves into while bounty hunting are just silly enough to be entertaining. A nice palate-cleanser type of book if you need something light.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This is my first book from this author but I don’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read the previous books. I really enjoyed this! It was action packed and full of adventure, hot and spicy, full is family drama. I can’t wait to check our more from this author!

I love that Katie Ruggle is continuing her Pax Sisters series! It was great to be back with them as well as some other familiar faces.

3.5 Stars

The Scenic Route was my first Katie Ruggle book but it certainly will not be my last! This one is cute and introduces us to a bunch of zany characters featured in the author’s other series. We follow our bounty hunter FMC Felicity Paxwho is trying to catch a criminal while also being followed by our hunky private investigator, Bennett Green.

If you’re into contemporary stories with small town gossip, insta-love romance, and hilarious side characters then this one is for you!! The Scenic Route is quirky, a little ridiculous, and adventurous. Pick up your copy on July 30, 2024.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

The Scenic Route is a really cute story about a bounty hunter and a PI who team up to catch a criminal on the run. It’s very adventurous and outdoorsy with some mystery and humor. It starts off with the PI, Bennett, “stalking” our MC Felicity for a job until she eventually warms to him and they start working together.

I loved how Felicity and Bennett had a lot in common through their professions, but at the same time had completely different personalities. Felicity is outgoing and snarky, while Bennet is the strong silent type. There are some forced proximity and only one bed scenarios, a bit of instalove/love at first sight, and some mild spice. This was my first book from this author but I’d be interested in catching up on some of the others in this world.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC!