Sit, Stay, Love is a heartwarming story that will pull at your heartstrings for the dogs as well as their handlers. The dogs have been rescued from a dog fighting ring and are in bad shape and in need of rehabilitation. Kelsey and Kurt have been put in charge of their rehab and use the donated mansion as an outreach of the animal shelter. Not only do you see the slow changes in the dogs they are helping but you see a slow relationship developing between the humans as they too open their hearts to change.

Kelsey has worked hard at the shelter and is up to the challenge of this task of rehabbing the dogs for adoption. Her working relationship with Kurt might have started off on shaky ground but she doesn’t back down to the big, bad ex-military dog handler and stands her ground on what is right for the dogs. She might have a small crush on Kurt but she knows that she’ll have to be careful and go slow if she wants anything to happen between the two of them. Over the course of the story you see admiration turn to respect and eventually into a love for Kelsey. When he reciprocates she knows that she’s find the right one for her and understands her far more than she thought imaginable.

Kurt is ex-military and has a few dark secrets of his own and lets very few people into his life. On a whim he accepts the job to work with Kelsey and sees that she too is very much dedicated but a softie when it comes to the dogs. He doesn’t know how but she has wiggled her way into his thoughts and heart and feels that she brings something to balance him out. His family’s dynamics are a bit complicated but when he puts the past behind him, he knows that he can have a good future with Kelsey and deal with anything with her in his life.

Sit. Stay. Love is a sweet romance that draws you in to show that both humans and dogs can rescue one another with a little work and patience. The author has created such likable main characters and a supporting cast to propel the story that it is very easy to get lost in it. She’s combined two of my favorite topics together, romance and dogs, and has created a good balance between them to show how it all works together for caring and devoted handlers and the dogs that need rehab.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/F Romance
Triggers: Dog fighting

Kurt and Kelsey are a couple who would seemingly not have very much in common. Kelsey is a very soft-hearted woman who would die for any of the animals in her shelter. She gives everything that she has to them and with that devotion, she also makes an incredible friend. When she is asked to head up a rehabilitation program for a dog fighting ring, she doesn't hesitate.

Kurt is just coming home from being deployed. He has been a dog handler his entire career and lost many friends. With each loss, a little part of himself was lost too. When he comes home and is asked to help rehabilitate some fighting dogs and get them ready to be adopted, he balks at first. He came home to lose himself in work but wanted to stay away from the dogs.

Kurt and Kelsey's relationship was very slow burn. They took their time and despite the communicating hang-ups that Kurt has, it seems that Kelsey is very intuitive. However, the love story was not very fluid and seemed at times to drag on for a while. Also, the book was a lot about the dogs and less about the romance. I think that my final issue is that it seemed to end very abruptly.

But, in saying all of that, if you're a dog lover, you're going to love the personalities of all of the animals involved. The kindness that each character displays for them is truly admirable. I wonder if Kurt's longtime friend, Tess, will get her own story next?

Kurt and Kelsey are great characters and they are aided by some awesome dogs. A older house left to the shelter becomes on of the characters as well. This is a very well plotted story with two character who have to overcome their past to move on to their future. There is great dialog, interesting side characters and a multilayered story line. Great addition to the Rescue Me series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

"Sit, Stay, Love" was a sweet love story, with delightful dogs and a cat that I want to adopt. I enjoyed this one quite a bit and I'm looking forward to more in the series. I'm really hoping that Patrick will be the lead in the next book. He's an interesting character, who happens to be on the autism spectrum but it's presented as just a part of him, like his hair color or his height. To my knowledge, there's a dearth of romantic leads who have autism so I'm rooting for Patrick to be a romantic hero in a future book.

Anyway, back to "Sit, Stay, Love". We met Kelsey in the first book. She is a full-time worker at an animal rescue center but has been feeling restless. When the rescue agrees to house, nurse back to health, and re-train almost 40 dogs rescued from a dog fighting ring, Kelsey takes on the challenge of running it and working with a professional dog handler, Kurt. He's just out of the Army and at loose ends. His dog mentor talks him into taking on the job; he thinks is might be good until he figures out what he wants to do now that he's a civilian.

Sparks fly between Kurt and Kelsey from the first meeting. I loved the slow development of their relationship, their ability to talk things out like adults (for the most part), the ways they helped each other, and their willingness to learn and to admit mistakes. As they worked together they got know each other and they don't hit the sack together until relatively late in the book. Their romance played out subtly, with few dramatic moments. It was sweet, gentle, steamy, and subtle.

The animal element was not forgotten. The shelter, the rescue of the fighting dogs, the dogs themselves, and the adorably grumpy cat, Mr. Longtail were realistic and important. It was obvious Burns knows her animals and rescue work. They are integral elements of the story, not just window dressing. She managed a good balance between enough information and drowning us in information. I enjoyed the animals and the dog training as much as I did Kurt and Kelsey's romance.

"Sit, Stay, Love" was a sweet story that pulled at my heart, had me rooting for the humans and the animals, and left me smiling.

My review of A New Leash on Love - http://beasbooknook.blogspot.com/2017/07/review-giveaway-new-leash-on-love-by.html

Trigger warning: animal abuse (dogfighting – not on page, but dog’s injuries after surgery are described), PTSD from military service

This is a sweet opposites-attract contemporary with just a hint of magical realism. It’s the second in the Rescue Me series, but I read it as a standalone. I’m very much looking forward to going back and reading the first book soon!

Kelsey works at a no-kill shelter, and when a dogfighting ring is busted, the responsibility falls on her to figure out which dogs can be safely rehabilitated and rehomed, and how to do it. She initially comes off as a bit overly optimistic and softhearted – she wears a different colored rescue animal shirt each day of the week and has an “I Brake For Turtles” bumper sticker – but she’s actually quite levelheaded. And she has to be, considering she’s signed herself up for housing thirty-eight dogs in a rundown mansion that was donated to the shelter. At one point, Kurt describes her as being “all-heart,” and I think it does fit her quite well. She’s such a kind, loving person.

Kurt is everything Kelsey is not – he’s an ex-military dog handler, and initially wants nothing to do with Kelsey and what he sees as her harebrained, doomed to failure idea. He has near-crippling ADHD that’s soothed by being around and working with dogs. His last tour, though, has taken a toll on him, and he thinks getting away from dog training and life as he’s known it is the perfect cure – until he can’t get Kelsey and the dogs out of his mind. Underneath it all, he’s a squishy cinnamon roll, and watching him shake off the prickly outside as the book progressed was fun. They’re still very much opposites, though, and it’s perfectly encapsulated in an argument over whether the dogs should be named (because they’re all going to forever homes!-Kelsey) or referred to by number (so the volunteers don’t let down their guards around possibly dangerous animals-Kurt). And so begins a lovely dance of crushing and sexual tension interrupted by dogs that need to be fed.

“I had heard about people feeling like a place was made for them, but never understood it. That wasn’t the desert for me, or the jungle, or the post. But this house… When I’m here, I don’t feel like a puzzle piece that will never fit in. When I’m with you, that rings even more true.”


It’s not just about the rescue dogs, though, or about their budding relationship, but also about the house they’re doing the rehab in, which I thought was a fascinating side plot. I loved Ida and Sabrina, the sisters who lived in mansions next to each other, until Sabrina died and left the house – and Mr. Longtail the cat – to the rescue. While most of the book’s POV is from Kurt or Kelsey, there are small snippets from Ida’s POV, and some of my favorite scenes where her telling the history of the house and her sister to them.

As for cons, Kelsey verges on being just too sweet and wonderful. I rolled my eyes a few times at some of her antics, but was able to overlook it for most of the book. Also, between Kurt’s ADHD and his PTSD, I would’ve liked to see him get some sort of therapy. Both seemed pretty bad at times, and I left the book wondering how he’d recover.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I can see where, if you’re not a fan of dogs, this may not be anywhere near appealing, since so much of it deals with their rehabilitation. Other than that, this was adorable and sweet!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

You know what I really loved and respected about Sit, Stay, Love – aside from the dogs, of course? Adults acting like adults, okay, maybe flawed, not perfect, have their own issues adults… but, still acting like an adult. I was drawn in to this story by the plight of the dogs, but the human characters kept me captured to find out what happens next to them all. It may sound silly, but so often characters act like children throwing a tantrum – so yes, it is noteworthy and enjoyable to find a non-human driven story (dogs desperately in need of help and a forever home) with humans acting like grown-ups.

Both Kurt and Kelsey have realistic issues to be dealt with, there is no denying that. Kurt has lost too many friends, both human and canine, in his time in deployment. The absolute last thing he wants to be doing as a new civilian is training dogs again – yet, he cannot let Kelsey face the realities of retraining now former fight dogs in the hopes of eventually finding them forever homes completely on her own. She’s going to need help and he cannot just walk away from the dog or the woman. Their’s is a slow burning romance, from strangers to team mates with a purpose, to friends and then more. There is little sugar glossing on any of the situations. We all know the reality of life for fight dogs isn’t always a happy ending, yet watching caring humans try to redirect the learned instincts of these rescues is truly heartwarming. Could there have been more harshness? I suppose, but I also liked that the author let her readers be human themselves, and trusted us to know the realities, the hardships and the joy of retraining fight dogs without having to hit us with a sledgehammer.

I was easily caught up in Sit, Stay, Love. With dogs who need love and patience, one superior cat, lots of interesting secondary characters and a story that touches the heart whether you’re a dog lover or not – really, what’s not to enjoy about this one? I’d recommend Sit, Stay, Love to any Contemporary Romance reader – and if you haven’t read it yet, I’d also recommend the first story in the series, A New Leash on Love as well.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This book was great on so many levels. Kelsey and Kurt are both great characters dealing with issues from their pasts, as well as trying to do their best to get through each day and build a better future. I love Kelsey's history with depression, her rainbow color-of-the-day T-shirts, and how she takes one of the shelter dogs home with her each night. I appreciate the amount of diversity in this book - Kurt is dealing with PTSD, Kelsey struggles with depression, Patrick (a wonderful side character) has Asperger's.

The romance storyline doesn't really feel front and center of this book to me. It splits its focus on Kurt dealing with his PTSD, his family issues, and the loss of his grandmother; running rehab for 37 dogs rescued from a dog fighting ring in a falling apart mansion, with a specific focus on a few of the individual dogs' stories, as well as issues with protesters and the like; the relationship with Ida (another really great side character). There are also many themes of fate in this book, which at times got a little sappy for me. The sex scenes are also told in a very fade-to-black manner, so this book is definitely more sweet than steamy. At times it got a little too saccharine sweet for me, which is what inevitably made me rate it 4 stars instead of 5. The writing is great, I loved the characters and the world they built, and this book make me want to go adopt a cat exactly like Mr. Longtail.

This is the second book in the Rescue Me series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. The first book, A New Leash on Love, is about Megan and Craig who do feature some as side characters in this novel, but the spoilers are really limited to things you already know from reading romance (i.e. that they wind up together and live happily ever after). There is also some set up that makes me really hopeful that the next book will be about Tess and Patrick.

A romance that centres around dogs? Count me in!

Sit, Stay, Love is a lovely light romance where the story centres around the mass rescue of abused dogs. Kelsey works at an animal shelter where she rehabilitates them for new homes, Kurt is an ex-marine who also works with dogs. Together they take on the task of rehabbing the dogs so that they find their forever homes.

Sit, Stay, Love is sweet. Both Kurt and Kelsey had trouble in their past that they had to work through and it was nice to watch them overcome their obstacles and watch their relationship develop.

For a light book, it does get a bit emotional, especially where the dogs are concerned. I shed a tear or two (but then I’m a wuss) but it’s not too dramatic, and it moves on quickly.

For a dog lover, Sit, Stay, Love is the ultimate feel-good book.

I am a sucker for any book that has dogs in it, and this one is loaded with dogs. They were rescued from evil owners that pitted them against one another for what they thought was a sport. You expect the dogs to aggressive to all the humans they come across, but not always.

Kurt is tough and wants nothing to do with training dogs anymore after losing one overseas to an explosive device. It devastated Kurt because there was nothing he could do. He comes back home and gets rooked into helping his mentor rehabilitate the dogs rescued from the fight situation. He initially turns it down, but one look at Kelsey and her optimistic outlook and knowing who was going to come in and help train the dogs got the better of him.

Kelsey may be optimistic but she is a realist too. She loves all animals and the job working at the local shelter is perfect for her. She has a kind heart and we see that when she is checking out the dogs before they can be transferred to their temporary shelter that she will be overseeing. I can imagine seeing any dog in the condition they were in would be hard. It would probably break my heart. But she can be tough when the situation arises.

I enjoyed the evolution of the love story between Kurt and Kelsey. They both have some baggage to wade through and leave behind, but having each other to lean on helps their relationship move forward.

There were a few situations with the dogs that left me with tears rolling down my face. Not for bad/sad reasons, but for happy ones.

Very enjoyable!

Spotlight, Review & Giveaway: SIT, STAY, LOVE (Rescue Me) by Debbie Burns https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-aFW
Publication Date: April 3, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 4.5 Stars

This is a lovely, light romance with a cast of varied personalities and emotions. There is no real drama to tense you up, yet it never got boring or saccharine. Kurt may have seemed a bit too standoffish at first, and Kelsey too naively optimistic, but it all worked. It was real people, real life and real love woven around rescued dogs. I enjoyed this feel-good story.

*Review copy provided by Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

Kindle $4.99 http://amzn.to/2sxIPNK

Man's best friend becomes his unwitting wingman in this appealingly adorable bundle of heart. Bring on the cuddles, highlight the wisdom and amp up the humor to create an enchanting tale of faith, empathy and romance. Love is a long time coming, but it arrives right on time.

Sit, Stay, Love, book #2 in Debbie Burns Rescue Me series is a wonderful second chance love story and that includes a number of rescued dogs as well as their human keepers. It is filled with lots of love and laughter. The dogs rescued from a dog fighting ring managed to work their way into the main characters' hearts. And mine too!

This author has told a story of loving, caring and dedicated dog lovers. Anyone who has ever rescued a pet will surely relate. I'm sure all who enjoy a love story with dogs involved will really enjoy this book!

This was my kind of romance! The dogs were the main focus and the chemistry between Kelsey and Kurt was interspersed. There wasn't any real conflict which was kind of refreshing in a romance novel. Burns wove the the different elements in the story in a way that you didn't feel like you were missing out on any one aspect of the romance between Kurt and Kelsey but you were still very much involved in their lives and the outcome of the dogs. I can't wait to read bk 3.

This is such a feel good romance, a bit surprising with how it opened. Kurt was a bit of a curmudgeon, then there was the whole situation with the dogs. Kelsey was so open and happy that I didn't want her with someone like Kurt and I worried that things with the dogs would be too much for her. Instead Kelsey worked her magic on all of them. I loved seeing Kelsey fighting for all of the dogs, but especially loved how everyone saw how great Frankie was!

The romance between Kurt and Kelsey had a slow burn, but it worked for them. By the time either of them were really ready to act you knew they were in deep!

I loved how this one ended, loved the journey Kurt went on at the end, the decision he made on how to really start his life and how he wanted Kelsey right there with him!

Debbie Burns continues her adorable stories about dog adoption and the heroes and heroines it brings together in Sit, Stay, Love, the second book in her Rescue Me series.

Kelsey Sutton, lead adoption coordinator for the no-kill High Grove Animal Shelter, is determined to find a quiet home for her latest charge, Orzo, a shy, retiring corgi puppy.  She takes her job very seriously and the placement of the animals in the right permanent home is of utmost importance to her.  She’s the kind of woman who lets a different shelter dog come to stay at her place every night; she’s happy but lonely.  When her best friend Megan (heroine of book one, A New Leash on Life) asks her to help rehab a group of recently-rescued fighting dogs, she’s both looking for a change in her life as she nears thirty and unable to resist the lure of helping innocent animals.

Kurt Crawford has spent his life training dogs for military and police service around the world.  After eight years in the military, he’s happy to be home, to hang with his friends, renovate classic cars and readjust to the land of plenty while fending off his dysfunctional family and looking for a civilian job.  Kurt’s not sure of his next move until his mentor, Rob Bornello, approaches him with an offer to use his expertise to help him rehabilitate a group of dogs seized from a fighting ring.

Kelsey and Kurt meet on the job, and there’s instantly a combination of repulsion and attraction between them.  Kurt thinks Kelsey is far too lightweight for the task ahead; when she throws up violently on his boots upon seeing what rough shape the dogs are in, she seems to prove his case.  Kelsey feels overwhelmed, both by Kurt’s attractiveness and the enormity of the job at hand, but is careful to keep organized and otherwise cool-headed. But her impassioned speech to a reporter who’s covering the controversy created by the shelter’s choice to take the dogs in instead of euthanatizing them convinces Kurt to sign up for the program.  Because the dogs are too unstable to be placed with the general populace at the shelter, Kurt and Kelsey settle with them into a semi-derelict mansion owned by the shelter together with an ornery cat who (literally) owns the place, and set about the tasks of becoming friends to both one another and the dogs.

One of the dogs, Orzo, soon finds his place, helping Kurt heal from his battle wounds as well as helping to socialize this new pack of dogs; and Kelsey and Kurt’s crushes turn into mutual admiration and blooming love.  Kelsey is still smarting from losing her college best friend and first true love, and Kurt experienced a terrible loss in Afghanistan in addition to possessing baggage heavy enough to fell a blue whale.  Will they succeed in helping this new pack find homes?

Sit, Stay, Love is a cute book with a serious mission and a very all-American motif about it; it even (fittingly) closes with a recipe for apple pie.

The dynamic between the hero and heroine is quite traditional but flows beautifully along.  Kelsey is inexperienced, sensitive, highly emotionally intuitive but confident with a growing sense of security about who she is, and hails from an intact and happy family, while Kurt’s family is dysfunctional, he’s been through several tours of Afghanistan and bears those scars, and is sarcastic-minded and remote.  Love, naturally, softens them both, and the ultimate romance is very sweet.

Kelsey ends up becoming the most readily-evolving character; she’s rather immature and out of her depth at first, which causes moments of uneven characterization.  In one scene, she easily disposes of deceased, recently trapped rodents in the mansion and playfully threatens to show them to the housecat which has failed its mousing duties. But then she finds the abuse to the fighting dogs cruel and distressing and has an ‘I Brake for Turtles’ bumper sticker.  But she’s overall proud-minded and determined and makes a good heroine.

Kurt’s a nice guy too; it doesn’t take Kelsey long to prove him wrong about her, and it doesn’t take too long for him to start opening up about what’s bugging him. But there’s a lot going on with him, almost too much tragedy and conflict for a single backstory.  It’s interesting to see a hero with both PTSD and ADHD, but the latter character trait feels a bit underdeveloped even when the author discusses it.

The supporting cast is amusing in general; my favorite is Ida, the wise sister of the person who willed the mansion to the humane society.  Kelsey’s co-workers, Kurt’s family and the previously mentioned Megan also put in charming appearances.  For fans of the previous instalment, Megan and Craig’s wedding takes place in this one.

There’s a strong, positive message attached to this book about the worth of rescuing traumatized fighting dogs, and there’s a lot of good focus on what it takes to train and rehabilitate them and be a responsible owner, and the author obviously did her research into how shelters operate.

Sit, Stay Love is a fine, sweet-tempered book that provides a tender idyll for the mind.  It’s sometimes a bit too fairytale for its honest and realistic plot underpinning; but in the end, if a little escape is all you need, it might just be what you’re looking for.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Sit, Stay, Love by Debbie Burns is the second book in her wonderful Rescue Me series. I loved this story, as it was a wonderful heartwarming story about an animal shelter, rescue dogs and a sweet romance.

Kelsey Sutton, our heroine, devotes her time to working at the local animal shelter. When a raid has rescued a lot of dogs who were brutally used for dog fighting, Kelsey’s boss, Megan sends her take a look at the dogs, and picks about 15 for the shelter to help in rehabbing the dogs. The plan is to bring these dogs to a mansion that was left to the shelter in a will, which was to feed and take care of the deceased lady’s cat, Mr. Longtail.
Kelsey upon picking the dogs she felt would be good to stay in the mansion, notices an ex-marine, who is friends with the man in charge of finding places for the rescued dogs. Kelsey immediately finds herself attracted to him, but brushes it off, since she will never see him again.

Kurt Crawford, our hero, is an ex marine with PSTD, who was also a dog handler both in Afghanistan and for Rob, the man in charge. Kurt notices the pretty Kelsey, but he walks away, until he discovers that this might be the perfect job for him.

Once the dogs start to arrive, Kelsey is shocked to learn that Kurt will be one working with her to rehab the dogs. Kurt, considered a dog whisperer, knows how to handle these types of dogs that need the extra and careful protection. Both Kelsey and Kurt cannot deny their attraction, but they both are devoted to taking care of the dogs, and a slow built romance will begin. Their romance was destined to heal both Kelsey (her lack of confidence in finding someone to love her), and Kurt (who did not think he could get past his past and nightmares); this romance was a background of the main story, but was beautiful and very well done.
I loved Mr. Longtail, a maine coon cat, who was aloof when Kelsey would come to feed him twice a day; but when Kurt began to live there full time, the cat became very affectionate, and was a good companion to some of the dogs. We also got to meet in more detail some of the dogs, which was not only heart wrenching, but was so emotional when they slowly began to feel free and happy. Frankie, Devil, Pepper, Zeus, as well as the shelter dog, Corzi was wonderful to see them thrive. There were a few tears along the way, especially when one of the dogs came face to face with his former owner before he was forced into dog fighting. Very emotional. I loved Frankie, who bonded with Kurt and along with Mr. Longtail, went a long way to heal Kurt.
Debbie Burns gives us another wonderful, sweet, heartwarming story that kept us hooked until the very end. Sit, Stay, Love was a beautiful story, as we fell in love with the dogs we spent time with and watched as they helped them to recover and live normal happy lives. Kurt and Kelsey’s romance was pure and sweet, and blended so well into the story. If you love animals, with a romance in the background, you need to read this book.

Sit, Stay Love is book two in the rescue me series by Debbie Burns.

I haven't read this authors work before, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. I love that this wasn't just about the animals needing rescued, but the rescuers needing to be rescued as well. Sit, Stay, Love is packed with sweet, heartfelt moments. My only critique is that I personally wished for me sexy times, a little more suspense, but that book friends is a personal preference. Overall a sweet endearing story.

We have a retired marine who is fighting battles within and what is helping him deal is the training dogs. While at the shelter he meets Kelsey who comes to realize that this man needs help too not only the animals. This was a sweet story, probably a little too sweet for me, but good none the less.

Ms. Burns does an impressive job of filling an old home with love and life again. I will definitely read more of her stories.

If you love dogs, cats, and people falling in love, this is the book for you. Kelsey is a soft hearted but tough minded woman who is a dedicated animal rescuer. When a dog fighting ring is busted and dozens of abused dogs need rescuing, Kelsey is right on top of the problem. The catch is, her shelter can’t take that many dogs. A solution presents itself when the shelter is given a large old house with the provision that they can use it as long as the late owner’s cat is cared for in the house.

The dogs that are adoptable are retained at the shelter but another 37 or so are housed at the house. It requires some adaptive construction and someone who is able to rehab and train the dogs. Fortunately, that someone has recently retired from the Marines and needs a purpose in life as well as a place to stay. Kurt, who was a K9 handler in the Army and then the Marines, agrees to help with the dogs’ rehabilitation. Kurt needs rescuing just as much as the dogs do. He is afraid to commit himself to a long term relationship due to things that have happened to him in his past.

Kelsey has a past relationship that gives her a commitment phobia of her own. As she and Kurt, and other secondary, but critical, characters, work with the dogs and discover facts about themselves. Kelsey insists on giving the dogs names that fit with their personalities while Kurt, trying to distance himself from the dogs’ own characteristics, gives them numbers instead. They both use color coding to indicate where each dog is in the process of becoming adoptable.

Several of the dogs are highlighted in the book and you can’t help but root for them to find their way back to what made them good pets at one time. Frankie has been severely disfigured, Devil always seems to be looking for something or someone and won’t allow himself to become attached to anyone. A Rottweiler arrives already pregnant and captures the heart of everyone.

There is a very satisfying ending for the human characters as well as the dogs. Not all of them are ready for adoption by the end of the book, but things are looking up. And the cat that is central to the story as the “owner” of the house has wandered in and out of all of the other stories in the book. Mr. Longtail is a Maine Coon who is a large, affectionate cat who claims the pillows in the bed where Kurt sleeps.

I really enjoyed this book. I won’t say it is a quick read but it did seize my heart from the beginning through all the trials of the people and animals in the book. While it is the second book in the Rescue Me series, it can be read as a stand alone novel.