ARC Review: Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle

Fish Out of Water
Author: Katie Ruggle
Publication: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 13, 2024)

Description: Why date a mountain man? Because he knows how to pitch a tent.

When Dahlia Weathersby's sister disappears on what should have been a simple day hike, Dahlia immediately heads deep into the Colorado Rockies to find her. Knowing she'll never survive the mountains alone, she convinces the local hermit―adorably grouchy survival expert Winston Dane―to be her guide. All it takes is a good helping of Dahlia's charm…and just the teeniest bit of blackmail…before she's got all six-foot-something of him wrapped around her finger. But even with her very own mountain man in tow, things aren't going to be easy. There are:

• Long hikes through gorgeous wilderness? Check.
• Bears? Check.
• A single shared sleeping bag? Check.
• Enough sparks to set the Rockies ablaze? Check, check, check.

With everything the wilderness has to throw at them, it'll take more than charm and some city girl ingenuity to make this trek anything but a disaster waiting to happen…and an adventure she'll never forget.

My Thoughts: This was an excellent romantic comedy. City girl and makeover artist Dahlia Weathersby comes to the depth of the Colorado Rockies when she gets an SOS text from her half-sister and best friend Rose. She is definitely a fish out of water, but a very fashionable one.

She dragoons local recluse Winston Dane into going with her to help her rescue her sister. Luckily, besides being the hot local hermit, he is a survival expert. While initially grumpy and taciturn, he is quick to agree to take Dahlia on her quest to locate her sister. As the two hike into the Rockies, they begin to fall in love through blizzards, bear sightings, and all the way to a meth lab where Rose is being kept prisoner. 

I enjoyed Dahlia's effervescent personality and optimistic attitude which she is using to cover up just how worried she is about the only person in her family that she loves. It is nicely contrasted with Winston's more quiet and dour personality which seems to be a cover for his shyness. 

Fans of humorous romances will enjoy getting to meet these two intriguing characters. 

Favorite Quote:

"Is...it running away?" she asked, unable to believe she wasn't about to be eaten like a very fashionable protein bar. She blinked again, but she hadn't been mistaken. The round, furry bear butt was getting farther and farther awy until it turned into the trees and disappeared completely.

Only then did Winston laugh. "You both saw each other, turned tail, and ran. You even had the same wide-eyed expression."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.