I've struggled to get into the audiobook, so will continue reading Fish Out of Water on eReader, since I was fortunate to get a copy of the ePub ARC too.

I will reserve judgement until finished, so will mark the book as 3 stars for now

It's a shorter book that packs a punch. Grumpy lumberjack meets a feisty sunshine fashionista from LA. While they are forced to spend time together Dahlia manages to get Winston to open up. They learn more about each other and more than a friendship starts to develop. But now is not the time, they need to find Rose, Dahlia's missing sister. But when they are stuck in the wilderness together all bets are off and sparks fly. #FishOutofWater #NetGalley

Keywords:
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Big City Girl/ Small town boy
- Forced proximity

First I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for providing me an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Dahlia who arrives in a small town in Colorado looking for her sister. When people in town tell her the last person they saw her sister talking to was the grouch who lives outside of town, Dahlia decides to "break-in" and get her sister back. After Dahlia's unsuccessful attempt to surprise Winston she instead convinces him to be her guide and help find her sister. As their adventure progresses not only are they getting closer to Dahlia's sister, but they are also getting closer to each other.

What I loved:
Audiobook, this was such a fun listen with an amazing narration and just a amazing quality production
Grumpy/Sunshine, Winston and Dahlia are the epitome of this and it was just done so well throughout the book
One tent/Snowstorm, the two get stuck in a snowstorm in their one tent and they had to waste time somehow.....;)
Action, I really was pleasantly surprised by how much action this book ended up having and ended up being a fun twist

This book was a quick listen that kept me engaged with great characters, laughs and a good amount of spice that I wasn't expecting. If you are looking for a fun, quick, slow burn grumpy/sunshine romance with a side of action I would absolutely recommend you checking this book out!

Okay I absolutely adored this audiobook! I loved the characters, the setting, and the storyline so dang much and I finished this in a day because I couldn’t stop!

This was a fun forced proximity/ grumpy sunshine romance. Dahlia receives a text from her sister with their secret code word. Next thing Dahlia knows, she’s on her way to a small town near the Rocky Mountains to save her sister. It appears her sister went on an easy day hike and hasn’t been back in a few days. Dahlia couldn’t possibly follow her sisters trail without a handsome grouchy survival expert… Winston Dane. Overall, I liked this book and it’s exactly what you want from cute romcoms.

The narration of this book was okay. I found the voice used for the girl was a little annoying. I think I would have enjoyed this book a little more reading it vs the audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this book.

This was such a fun read! I loved the setup, where LA makeup artist comes to small town Colorado to find her missing sister. Helping her is grumpy recluse Winston (who I adore!) Their whole first meeting had me cracking up! I loved the banter between the two, and the mystery of finding Dahlia's sister kept me engrossed. I do wish we had Winston's point of view as well, because I'm sure it would be just as hilarious. I also really enjoyed the narration of the audiobook, the narrator was great and really elevated the story!

First I'll say, I've never read any books previously, by this author.
Second, the narrator was not great for me.
Third, I did not finish this book.

The plot seemed jumpy and the characters were not relatable to myself.

The premise of this book is unique and I enjoyed it until the ending. The ending felt a little forced like they had to find her sister but why did it have to be like that. Anyways, the romance is cute. I really liked the male lead and his life away from others but he finally opens up because of her.

🌀Synopsis
Dahlia is on the hunt for her sister. She came up to this same mountain and went hiking but now she can’t get ahold of her. Being that her sister is one of the most important people in her life she’s determined to find her.
Immediately in her quest she knows she’s going to need some help. Her guide shows up in the version of Winston Dane, a survival expert. The two embark on the journey together as an unlikely pair. Winston’s gruff exterior is no match to the way he actually takes care of Dahlia though and when a blizzard blows in the two get more than cozy to make sure they stay warm. As the keep on the trek they have a hard time finding her sister which is concerning but both also become worried about what happens after their journey is over. They’re too attached to leave each other now.

This was a fun adventure rom com. I loved the grumpy/sunshine and online one tent trope. I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrators voice so that turned me off a little bit. I never really connected with any of the characters either. I think this just wasn’t a book for me but I could see this working for a lot of people so I will still recommend it.

Unfortunately Fish Out of Water didn't quite work for me. I am not a fan of this particular trope and since I was already annoyed with Dahlia I decided not to finish the book at 66%. I'm sure their are others out there who will enjoy this book.

2.5 Stars

Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle is a story about Dahlia, who arrives in a small town in the Rocky Mountains searching for her missing sister. Despite having no experience in finding missing persons, she is determined to locate her sister and follows a lead that takes her to the property of a mountain man hermit named Winston. Although Winston is not impressed with her intrusion to his life, he decides to help Dahlia and they start investigating together.

This is an enjoyable and easy read with a classic grumpy/sunshine dynamic with a mystery to solve. It's perfect for getting lost in for a few hours, but I do not feel like it will leave any lasting impression.

I love it when you go into a book with zero expectations and think, “I’m so glad I found this book!”

When Dahlia receives a 911 text from her sister, she travels from LA to an isolated Colorado mountain town, where her adventure-hunting sister is believed to be. With the police dismissing her concerns, time becomes critical. In a hilarious turn of events, she convinces the town hermit, the enigmatic mystery author, and grouchy survival expert Winston Dane, to be her guide. Initially finding the situation absurd, Winston is convinced that the city-dwelling makeover artist will meet her end on that mountain if he doesn’t assist her. As they navigate through chaos that ranges from madcap to death-defying, Dahlia and Winston discover parts of each other they thought were lost, and amidst the bears and blizzards, they realize they might have found their perfect match.

This is a charming opposites attract, grumpy sunshine, only one tent story of what it feels like to find someone who really sees you for who you truly are. It is also an unexpectedly intense adventure to solve the mystery of Dalia’s missing sister.

Thanks to @NetGalley, @dreamscapemedia, and @katieruggle for the opportunity to review this audiobook! It was a fast-paced and fun performance that I INHALED in one day. I simply could not stop listening. This is my first of Katie’s books, and I’m absolutely going to check out more!

This was such an adorable book. I honestly really loved it. The chemistry of the 2 main characters was so easy. And it had me hooked from the first chapter.

Heat Factor: Tent sex marathon, which might be hotter if you’ve never actually tried to have sex in a cold tent after backpacking in the wilderness for a couple days
Character Chemistry: I’m not sure if there wasn’t any or if the narrator just didn’t sell it
Plot: Dahlia’s sister sends her an SOS text, and when no authorities take her concerns seriously, she sets out to solve the problem herself with the help of a blackmailed hermit mountain man
Overall: This book was meant to be a little silly, but I don’t think Dahlia’s ridiculousness was as funny and sincere as it was, well, ridiculous

So, I was scrolling through audiobooks on NetGalley, and I saw this book. I saw that it had a cartoon cover, and I saw that it was by Katie Ruggle. And then I read the blurb and it sounded suspense-y. And I remembered that Ruggle’s brand is very suspense, with very suspense book covers, and I was like, “Is this a romantic suspense with a cartoon cover? What is that even like?”

The answer is that it’s not like a romantic suspense. It’s actually a romantic comedy. One point for the cover marketing matching the content of the book!

Okay, then, what about the book? The premise is that Dahlia shows up in a small Rocky Mountain town in search of her missing sister. She has zero finding missing persons skills, but a ton of determination. This determination causes her to follow a lead to trespass onto a mountain man hermit’s property to question him. Winston is not impressed, but also he’s not going to let this weird woman wander into the mountains on her own. And so they start sleuthing together.

I expected this book to be more of a thriller than it was. I got to the “2 hours remaining” mark in my audiobook, and thought, “There has been no sign of the sister. Is anything going to happen in this book?” Thinking back, there was plenty of oddball situational humor (like crawling out from underneath the hotel when they break into the sister’s room after the owner refuses to open it for Dahlia), but at the point I was pondering if anything would happen, I felt like they were just going to hike in the woods for days and, like, string up bear bags and cook dehydrated food. I was kind of wondering why I was still listening, since nothing was actually happening, but listening is easier than reading with my eyes, so I just committed.

As an aside, as a backpacker myself, I have to say that all of that was pretty accurate. Except the sex. There is no way two entire adults fit in one backpacking sleeping bag, I don’t care how big this guy is. Beyond that, they have been marinating in their own sweat for days by the time they finally have sex—which you might just not want to think about, even if you do get turned on by your partner’s sweat—and also tent sex is not comfortable. Like. Okay, maybe they have some killer sleeping pads so the hard ground isn’t an issue. But they’re not using condoms, and there are just…juices…all over the sleeping bags. Who wants to sleep in a jizzy sleeping bag? Sticky thighs. It made me shudder. AND He’s a virgin, so aside from the sex marathon in general (because they get snowed in for a day), he pops off real quick the first time and she’s like, “That’s cool, we’ll just do it again!” So it’s numerous ejaculations over about 24 hours, and no potty breaks. Don’t overthink the resulting smell; you’ll end up like me, and it’s not a great place to be.

Anyway, beyond me wondering what we were doing meandering through the woods letting the characters bond for days—perhaps this is a primary flaw of this book, because it’s supposed to be about finding the missing sister, and Dahlia is supposed to be really worried, but the sister just drops out of the narrative most of the time—I struggled with Dahlia. I’m trying really hard to reconcile my feelings, because on the one hand, Dahlia is almost a caricature of absurd womanhood, but on the other hand, even bubbly women who really like makeup and clothes deserve to be taken seriously as human beings. So you can decide.

Dahlia is a makeover consultant; her passion is helping people use their makeup and wardrobe to express their true selves. At the same time, she bemoans her sister’s terrible clothes and categorically refuses to go backpacking in the wilderness without all of her makeup, etc. Here again, I struggled, because, really, carry what you want! It’s your back! OTOH, are you kidding me? She has never backpacked before, she’s not an exercise enthusiast, and she just pops off into the Rockies with a multi-day pack and it’s NBD to add a couple pounds of non-essential items? I get so irritated with characters like that. You know, the ones who have no idea what they’re doing, but refuse to listen to the expert’s advice. And then it’s cute. Sure, Jan.

TL;dr The cover marketing tracks (except that there are no fish, and there is no water?). This book was meant to be light and funny. One of my friends is new to romance, and her primary criterion for finding a book okay is that it is not cheesy. As a Romance Reader (like, it’s part of my identity at this point, right?), I balked at this from her, because with my depth of knowledge and experience, I can see behind the curtain even with the trope-iest of romances. But this book was pure cheese. Every conversation, every interaction, seemed to be written with a mind to cute and silly, and in the end it just did not land.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I loved Dahlia's character and that she will do anything to protect her sister. She overcomes obstacles to successfully make it to Winston's compound. She finally makes it and he is a very quiet and lone man. He likes his privacy and wants to be left alone. Dahlia blackmails this man to help her find her sister. She begins to get him to open up some and they have to camp out a few nights. Dahlia was not ready for the elements. They start to catch feelings. I have read quite a few books by Katie Ruggle and loved them all. When they are on the search for her sister, I got a little distracted by how much the story becomes about their romance and not so much about finding her sister. The story picks back up and the ending was amazing. I will be recommending that we purchase this for my library.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this audiobook!

3rd person, single POV
Grumpy/sunshine
One sleeping bag
Virgin FMC
Opposites attract

This was entertaining and a quick listen. The narrators did a good job brining the characters to life.

It was slow burn for me; I considered DNF at the beginning, but kept going and it eventually got better. Still, I found myself not completely buying into the romance in the book. It all felt too easy to me. And even though that is common in romance books, I just had a harder time with this one suspending my disbelief.

It wasn't my favorite, but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book.

Rom-com review!

I have so many mixed feelings about this book but first some tropes. Tropes: virgin (we all know it’s a construct but there is a cute twist on this trope), forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, only one bed (kinda sleeping bag/tent in this case), falling in love and solving crime…ok not sure that’s a trope but still I was impressed at their multitasking, and strong silent type who is secretly a cinnamon roll, also he writes romances.

What worked for me:
So I love all the above tropes plus it took place in a small little town in the woods where people wear lots of flannel which I also love. Then they basically went camping and the very girly city girl character ended up rocking that shit. I hate when girly characters are forced into the diachotomy of only being one thing or the other. Also there was a sweet moment where the FMC does the MMCs makeup because they are stuck in the tent during the snow and I felt that this sensitivity and almost gender bending was done so well, and I’ve honestly never seen a scene like that in a more conventional heteronormative romance. I also loved that the 3rd act was not a miscommunication or breakup but dealt with external circumstances instead. I personally don’t find a lot of the 3rd act break up scenes in romances believable (this one wasn’t either, but at least it wasn’t about the main characters’ relationship.

What didn’t work:

They were backpacking and she had her whole makeup and hair kit with make up palette’s! Do you know how much space and weight that takes up. That just was not believable.
Some of their outdoor choices were just very bad. Like no experienced outdoors person, which we believe the MMC to be, would make those choices.
It felt kinda ick that while they are looking for her missing sister who is potentially dead/dying that there is this whole romance going on. The FMC is self aware of that at times but still wasn’t sure I bought it.
Not spicy enough haha. Ok that’s personal preference this wasn’t closed door and fade to black completely but almost.

Finally I really struggled with some aspects of the FMCs personality/vibe but I think that has to do with my own issues with how her femininity is portrayed. I do have my own work to do at divesting from judgements based on gender stereotypes and the ones we are taught to self-hate. I do wish it leaned less into stereotypes though and that both characters had more nuance. I never felt like I knew either of the main characters much because it never went deeper than the parts they played.

That said I was entertained, loved the tropes, and flew through this book. The audiobook narrator was solid and it was nice to not have a perspective flipping romance because I feel like I’ve read so much of that in modern romance lately.

3.75⭐, 2🌶️

This book pulled me in like 5 different directions and while it was fun and entertaining, at times I felt its pacing had me iffy on how much I was enjoying it, and the romance didn't read clearly for me as well. The last 20% of the book was entertaining for sure. Over all, a little under a 4⭐for me - I enjoyed it, I wouldnt recommend it for everyone, but I think it was a nice and sweet audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscapes Media for an ALC of Fish Out of Water, written by Kate Ruggle, and narrated by Cassandra Myles.

When I was but 4% into Fish Out of Water, I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to like it. But I decided to give it a chance and keep on reading. This was a mistake on my part. Respectfully and in the nicest way possible, this is one of the worst books I’ve read. From a plot that was all over the place, an unlikeable and quite frankly dumb FMC, to bad writing and dialogue, I lost track of how many times I rolled my eyes.

I received an ALC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Fish Out of Water is a delightful romcom, mystery, intrigue tale by Kate Ruggle. This is the first novel by this author that I have read but will not be the last! Dahlia Weathersby has arrived in small town Howling Falls, Colorado, on a quest to find her sister, Rose. After having received an SOS code from her sister, a phrase neither of them would say to the other if not in a dire situation, Dahlia left her California home and arrived as quickly as she could in Howling Falls.

Dahlia and Rose, born three weeks apart, have a few things in common besides their abiding love and devotion: both have first names that are flowers, they have the same father, and are the only real people in a media mogul family. Rose, tall and blonde, fair with blue eyes; Dahlia, shorter and brunette, olive complected with brown eyes. Each resembles their mother.

Upon her arrival, Dahlia checks in to the same motel that her sister did before trying to retrace Rose’s steps when she arrived. This tracking brings Dahlia to the compound of author Winston Dane. After navigating the numerous booby traps set, Dahlia approaches his front porch only to find the giant of a man watching her. Although a grouchy hermit of a guy, Winston goes out of his way for Dahlia. First, when she arrives, then when the storm hits, and finally as preparations are made and the journey begins to rescue Rose.

This is such a good story! As much as I wanted to answer the whole, what, when, how questions posed in the story, I was in no hurry for the tale to be completed. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!