When the universe screws you over, adopt a dog.
Paige Herbert doesn’t know how she lost control of her life. Friday morning, she had her future planned. Sunday night, she’s jobless and staring at her half-naked fiancé and a woman wearing her green robe.
Taking refuge in her childhood home, Paige decides this time around her life partner will have four legs instead of two. But her newly rescued pit bull is in bad need of obedience training…and the perfect guy for the job has Paige forgetting the past.
Dash Lamont doesn’t want to go back to jail. Out on parole and working at an animal shelter, he’s focused on living life by the rules. And number one on the list: avoid temptation.
And then, in walks Paige.
The woman parks in the middle of Dash’s well-ordered life, demanding his attention with her offbeat conversation, sinful curves, and dream of a refurbished classic Chevy. Despite his decision to keep his distance, he somehow finds himself agreeing to her plea for help.
As the two spend more time together, awkward attempts at flirting, late-night dancing to jazz music, and a chance taken at a Halloween party lure the hesitant pair down a sensual road. But when sins of the past work against the newly budding romance, Dash will need to decide whether to take his chance on love or stay in his safe lane, watching as Paige drives off without him.
| Title: | Rescue Me |
| Author: | Lauren Connolly |
| Series: | Forget the Past (Book 1) |
| Pages: | 358 |
| Category / Genre(s): | Contemporary |
| Trope(s): | Bad Boy Opposites Attract |
| Point of View: | First Person, Present Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
| Location: | New Orleans, USA |
| HEA: | ✔️ |
| Release Date: | 14th July, 2020 |
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A likeable, if not thrilling, read
This was my first Lauren Connolly book and it got off to a good start. The writing was hugely engaging and I was interested from the first page. Paige was a great lead character. She was in a tough place what with a cheating boyfriend, losing her job and moving back with her parents – and yet she still came across as a strong, independent woman who didn’t wallow in her misery – as much as you would probably forgive her for doing so.
As we move through the book we begin to see that Paige is a little bit quirky. Kinda awkward and ditsy. I’m all for this in a heroine – even if it came out of the blue for me. Perhaps I just missed it at the beginning but I’m still always game for an awkward heroine.
I had zero problems with Dash being an ex-con – but other than that I didn’t really find him all that interesting. Perhaps ‘bad-boy’ ex-con might have been a bit of a cliche but at least it would have been something.
“…it really didn’t hold my attention.”
I liked our two characters together although they didn’t singe the pages enough for my liking. They were nice together and a good opposites attract / good girl – bad boy pairing.
I feel I have to add in something about Pumpkin the Pitbull. This book does touch on the debate about whether pitbulls are inherently dangerous and seems to try hard to show them as loveable. So I thought it was very tasteless for the author to use the breeds bad reputation to create drama between chapters. “She was laughing. But that was before the attack.” Only for you to read the next chapter and find they were playing with a tennis ball or some such. Just a bit cheap, in my opinion.
Despite liking the characters and the writing, I couldn’t give this book more than 3 stars as it really didn’t hold my attention. I’d read a chapter, pop the book down and then not read another chapter for about a day. It just didn’t capture me. I’m pleased to see that many other reviewers adored the book so hopefully it was just the headspace I was in while reading – and if you fancy it and pick it up, I hope you love it.
Lauren Connolly is a Colorado Book Awards Finalist and an author of contemporary and paranormal romance stories. As a librarian, she knows the importance of citing sources, often falling down research rabbit holes when working on her novels. Lauren can never seem to stay in one place for too long, but trust that wherever she’s living there is a dog who thinks he’s a troll, twin cats hiding in the couch, and bookshelves bursting with the diverse stories written by the authors she loves.
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Forget the Past Series:
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