Shelter Me (Second Chance Ranch) Mass Market Paperback – August 5, 2014

Shelter Me takes on some deep issues, sometimes it is done beautifully, and other times not so much. This story revolves around a military family, the McDaniels, and the Second Chance Animal Rescue that the matriarch runs.I cried a couple of times in this story, it's near impossible not to tear up. This story begins in Iraq with the dog, Trooper, who was befriended by Colonel McDaniel. Through Trooper's memories, the reader learns of the special bond formed between the Colonel and this neglected dog. The recollections are bittersweet because Colonel McDaniel is killed by an IED and Trooper is brought to the States by a Sergeant in McDaniel's unit, Mike Kowlaski.Mike has a history with Sierra McDaniel, the Colonel's twenty-three-year-old daughter. Their feelings are combustible. Sierra is reeling from her father's death and she cannot just sweep away her feelings for Mike. She is overwhelmed with the many tasks and problems associated with her mom's animal rescue operation, her grandfather is suffering from Alzheimer's, and her teenage brother is withdrawn. Mike though is determined to help the McDaniel family and he does so not only because he was close to Colonel McDaniel but because he really does have a soft spot for the whole family. Mike shows his devotion through deeds more than words and it is impossible not to admire him.Sierra struggles to find her footing emotionally with Mike and she also does not want the life of a military spouse. Her feelings are understandable but she does send Mike mixed signals about their relationship. In fact, they both have difficulties visualizing their future. Their romance happens quickly because of their past relationship. The one thing that the author does not address well in their relationship is Mike's memories of battle. These feelings are glossed over rather than addressed head-on by Mike and Sierra.Sierra's mother, Lacy, is swamped with all her rescue operations and taking care of her father-in-law and her son. She is self-medicating and what is worse, no one seems to be aware of it. She is at the end of her rope. As an Army spouse, I found some missing pieces to this story. Lacy's husband was a commander, which that means as a commander's wife she would have been very involved in the Family Readiness Group (FRG) back at Fort Campbell, yet there is no hint of any military spouse support for her from the FRG. She is a Gold Star spouse which is a tight-knit group also that again does not offer support in this story. Perhaps Lacy didn't want their help but this was not really addressed. Her memories of her husband are precious and this made him a very real character in this story.SPOILER... I had a really difficult time liking the budding feelings between Lacy and the Veterinarian Ray Vega. Lacy's husband had been only dead for four months yet she is feeling amorous toward Ray. Every military spouse I know, myself included, felt like we were married during long deployments, we still communicated with letters, emails, Skype, and phone calls; it was hard to imagine that Lacy would have felt she had let go of her husband in such a short time after his burial. Lacy was working way too hard (perhaps so she did not have to deal with her emotions) and I guess this is why she was vulnerable but Ray knew she was overworked. Worse he had feelings for her while he knew she was married and I can't help but think he needed to find someone else as soon as he knew she had a deployed husband but he allowed his feelings to grow knowing she was married. This did not endear me to him, what was he hoping for, that Lacy would leave her deployed husband for him, was he going to confront Colonel McDaniel if he returned? He acted too fast when Lacy's husband died and I guess I just could not get past the fact that he seemed to be too forward and too focused on his desires with a woman who clearly did not have enough time to grieve her loss (her husband's clothes were still in the closet, her children were still mourning, and she could not even turn down the covers of their marital bed). Ray's work with dogs was admirable but not his love and desire for Lacy while she was married.This book had some really really fine moments, the best centered around Trooper, the brave mission-minded dog. He is self-sacrificing and perceptive (the Colonel's last days with him were heartbreaking). Also, Mike and Sierra were a great couple and Mike's sensitive nature would make any heart melt. I just was not enthralled with Lacy's romance.

I've read quite a lot of Catherine's books, and always love them. I was so excited about this one coming out, as I knew it involved a rescued dog. When I first started reading it, and realized that it was Trooper the dog talking first... I was in love!! Not everyone can carry off telling parts of a story in a dogs point of view... And Catherine did this perfectly. Trooper had a mission.. But didn't quite tell you exactly what that mission was.This story takes you from meeting Trooper and finding out how he was saved by the Commander in Afghanistan, to Staff Sgt. Mike Kowalski bringing Trooper home to the US... home to the fallen Commanders family, the the Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue, run by the Commander's widow, Lacey. You will meet his daughter, Sierra, and his son Nathan, and his ailing father The General.This is not your typical book about a grieving family. Catherine knows exactly how to pull on your heart strings. She knows exactly how to explain the fear and pain a family faces every time their loved ones go off to fight a war in another country....Being the wife of a retired Navy man myself, reading this story I could easily to see the truth in the feelings.. The fear... The heartbreak... And the love.... And I could easily see the strength a military family must always have, to survive every day... With or without their loved ones... And how with that strength and love, they always manage to pull it together..The wife, without her husband... The daughter, without her dad... But is she in love with Mike?The son... How does an impressionable teen cope?And The General... He knows... But does he know?The returning soldier... Where is his heart... What does he feel... Love for his fallen Commanders daughter? Quilt?Struggling with being back home... Struggling to cope after war...I can tell you... This book had me laughing at times.... And it certainly had me in tears... It broke my heart.. And healed it all over again...And Trooper.... Just what is his mission anyway?? Can this dog be the bridge that heals all their hearts...I absolutely loved Troopers POV.... It added a spark to the book and a side to the story that was perfect.Catherine did a wonderful job in telling this story... And showing a side of military life we don't often see...She also shares how hard it is to run a rescue.. And how important it is to save unwanted animals.. And help them find love and forever homes...I absolutely love how she combined military life... Love... Friendship... And animal rescue... And the struggles that go with it... Both important things for everyone to learn about...And.... Learn this.... Don't ever underestimate the genius mind of your dog.... Just sayin... Trooper is a star... I can't wait for the next book in this series.. And to see what dog adventures keep the people on their toes.... I love love love this book and how it was written... Catherine Mann wins again with this one!!

This was the first novel I have read from this author. Overall, I liked the story line, and, as a dog lover with a rescue dog from The Last Chance Ranch in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, how could I resist reading 'Shelter Me (Second Chance Ranch)'? Since other reviewers have done an excellent job summarizing the story I will only tell what I most liked and most disliked about the book.Even though I was slightly skeptical about the prologue told from a dog's perspective I found it was a good way to tell the back story of Trooper and the Col McDaniels. What did not work for me was Trooper's canine POV scattered throughout the rest of the book. I found it too fantastical and unnecessary. Some dogs are very smart and intuitive, but I think the author took Trooper's analytic abilities too far to be believable. We were already in the characters' heads, so I found Trooper's accounts unnecessary and distracting.I thought the book started out slow and I almost gave up on it, but I did come to like the touching story lines of each character. I agree with another reviewer who disliked veterinarian, Ray, Lacey's obvious future love interest. I did not like how he fell in love at first sight with Lacey, realized that she was married to a deployed soldier, but continued to harbor sexual feelings for her. I think the author should have started Lacey and Ray out as only friends, working together to save animals, but adding no sexual attraction between them, until the end of this book.I will not be a spoiler, but I also dd not care for the epilogue. The information it disclosed made me less likely to want to read the next book.in the series.

I love this book it was so nice too read a book with a great story line. Can't wait for the next book too come out