First thought: Binge Worthy! I loved the extreme opposites of the main characters yet somehow they perfectly fit together and balance eachother out in this wild adventure into the CO Rockies wilderness on the hunt for a missing sister.

Dahlia is an LA makeup artist who loves fashion but she’s also a talkative mariner that doesn’t let anything stand in her way. So when her sister goes missing in the CO Rockies she forces the local survival expert hermit to be her guide on an adventure to locate her. But she definitely took on more than she expected as he’s not only a grouch but secretly bossy and adorable.

Winston hates people, he’s not comfortable around them and he’s built a life where he’s secluded and happy. Then this woman pushes herself into his life by evading all his traps and measures he’s put in place around his house and ends up on his doorstep. Then that leads to blackmail and him taking her into the forest on a hiking trip. Where they only have each other, one tent and a bunch of obstacles.

What could go wrong right? Add in some danger and but if spice and this one’s a total hit!

Literally Themes you’ll find:

* Grumpy vs Sunshine
* Forced Proximity
* Opposites Attract
* Hint of Danger
* One Tent & Blizzard
* Small Town
* Mildly Spicy 🌶️

💙🌲⛺️💙🌲⛺️💙🌲⛺️💙🌲⛺️💙

This is my first read (listen) from Ruggle and the mix of RomCom with mystery and romantic suspense was very interesting! I enjoyed it quite a bit and think I would like to do a re-listen right away - see what else I can pick up on a read-though. I definitely want to read more of her books after this one!

I loved the big mix of things - it wasn’t just a grumpy sunshine, city girl in the wilderness with a mountain man, but definitely adding the mystery and intrigue of her missing sister and the big twist of the suspense that was totally unexpected towards the end (I also really enjoy romantic suspense and mystery and thriller books, so that was fantastic). Can’t say anything more about this so other readers can fully enjoy.

Dahlia runs to the mountains where her sister was last known to be when she receives an emergency coded text, to search the area she’d planned to go hiking. The local law enforcement isn’t interested or concerned in helping out, so Dahlia breaks into Winston’s place and ropes the hermit into assisting her on the trails to use his skills and track her missing sis.

Such a great read, so many unexpected things pop up (only one tent/sleeping bag, someone has a v-card!, there’s a blizzard, and so much more) - this exciting read is not one to be missed, and definitely should be listened to. Cassandra Myles did a fantastic job! 4.5 stars to both author and narrator!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and this is my honest feedback.

Fish Out of Water is a weird book, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s also probably not weird for reasons you may think. Dahlia gets a text from her sister that is a code for her being in trouble. Dahlia goes into action and travels from California to Colorado to try to find out what happened to her sister.

The book then turns into a rom-com. Dahlia meets Winston who is a grumpy hermit that helps her hike into the dangerous trails to find her sister. I liked their love story and enjoyed getting to know both of them. They had a lot of fun banter but then I kept thinking….what about her sister? I felt awkward laughing and watching their love story when we had no idea where Dahlia's sister was.

The story goes even more off the rails once we find out what happened to Dahlia's sister. I’m not going to say it works, but it was for sure entertaining. This felt like two different books melded together and I am not going to complain.

When city girl, Dahlia, receives an SOS text from her sister while she was supposed to be on a simple hike in the Rookies, Dahlia jumps into action and heads to the mountains to find her sister. Dahlia allies herself with the local "grumpy" hermit, by blackmailing him into helping her find her sister, and so the adventure through the mountain begins.

I went into this excited because, I thought it was going to be a suspenseful book, where these 2 characters fell in love along the way, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. This book lacked the suspense until the last like 40 pages, and instead was entirely focused on this unlikely pair failing in love in... checks notes... 5? days? (They had a sexathon while her sister was literally missing without a care in the world).

I never for a second found anything about our "grumpy" MC, Winston, grumpy, aside from his facial expressions. Everything about him, to me, was super likable and so baby girl coded. The things she perceived about herself as difficult and high maintenance, from other people in her life, he found admiring and are all the reasons he fell for her.

I will say I did enjoy the romance in this book, they had great banter, and I like how even in a short time, they made the other one better. They also had great communication and her giving Winston a makeover was 10/10.

The premise of this story drew me in. It sounded sweet and funny and I love an opposites attract storyline. This is about loving devoted sisters (Dahlia and Rose) who always have each others backs. When one goes missing,
the other will do any and everything to find them. If that includes breaking into someones home and blackmailing them into help, who care right? Apparently I did as I found her only redeeming quality to be that she was ride or die with her sister. Aside from that I found her terribly obnoxious, unkind, condescending and generally unlikable. Winston, a hermetic wilderness expert falling for her threats was just silly and their relationship, while looking for her sister, so unrealistic. This had potential, but just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t a big fan of the narration. Maybe read this one.

Do not get fooled by the adorable cover. That is what pulled me in. The cover was the only thing I enjoyed. I was tempted to DNF early on, but kept going. At 90%, I was still thinking about it. So close to the end and I was still wondering if I cared to know what happened- I didn't. But I did finish.

The characters do not have chemistry. Or really personalities at all. The entire book is a dry and boring search for her sister. Nothing happens.

There were things that could have been explored- Winston grew up in foster care. Nothing. Daliah has a notorious family. Very little. There were opportunities to make the book more interesting, but nope. Wandering through the woods.

The audiobook is narrated by Cassandra Myles. I didn't enjoy the narration, though I am not sure this was the fault of Cassandra Myles or not.

Hours of my life I'll never get back. All because of a cute cover.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fish Out of Water is a light, sugary escapist read. Dahlia recruits Winston, a local recluse, to help her find her sister Rose who is missing in the Colorado mountains. This cute romance plays on grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, and instant connection.

I had a bit of trouble getting into this story. I found the narration a bit cartoonish, and took me a little while to connect with the characters. The pacing in the first half was a bit slow. I enjoyed the second half much more including the mystery around the sister’s disappearance, more action, and better pacing. Winston and Dahlia seemed genuine and earnest, and I enjoyed their chemistry. I’m really glad I persevered because overall this was an enjoyable read, and a great escape on my morning commute. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 because I just loved the remote mountain setting ❤️.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

This was cute read. It had a little bit of a cozy mystery vibe, which I wasn't expecting going in.
I thought the grumpy/sunshine relationship between the main characters was cute, though he definitely turned into more of a cinnamon roll towards the
I also liked that the MMC was a virgin, which is not typical in romance books.
Overall, not what I expected but I good palette cleanser nonetheless!
Thank you NetGalley for both the ALC and ebook copy of this ARC.

When Dahlia gets an SOS text from her sister she high tails it to Colorado from LA to help. But when she gets to her sister’s hotel, she’s still MIA. After talking to some locals she learns the last person they remember her talking to was the town recluse Winston. Dahlia, desperate for answers, goes to Winston’s home, which he has taken great lengths to ensure privacy and security and basically black mails him into going with her to find her sister. Winston agrees and the two set off for a once in a life time adventure.


I hate that I didn’t love this one. It had so much potential for me but fell flat. I found that while the pacing was fast, it also felt a little choppy. Blackmailing the last person who saw your sister and spending days alone in the wilderness with him? weird. I did enjoy Winston’s character but I really wished we had his POV. While this book wasn’t for me, I can see a lot of readers enjoying it more.

I also didn’t love the narrator and maybe that was to my own detriment.

This is my first book from this author. I don't know if this is her typical style, but I found it to be a low-stakes, over the top cutesy rom-com with a small dose of a mystery to keep it interesting.

What was over the top? Well, everything.

Dahlia is a make-up artist from LA who has ventured out to rustic Colorado to find her sister after a cryptic SOS text. She enlists the help of the local grumpy hermit after breaking into his compound. Of course he turns out to be a giant softie but who doesn't love a cinnamon roll hero? This unlikely duo immediately falls into lust in the confines of a small tent in the middle of a blizzard, because, obviously.

It was funny, cute, aww inspiring, horribly unrealistic, and a very quick easy listen. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the occasional eye rolling rom com for sure.

I will also be checking out more of Ruggle's books in the future!

Grumpy meets sunshine trope done so well
- Outdoorsy
- Banter is on point
- Blizzard sleeping bag scene is fire
- Narrator was great
- love the sisterly relationship
- Boobie traps were a nice and fun addition

I sadly DNF'd at 25%.

I was excited about this title because of the cover and description, but it was a bit too slow for me. After reading a few other reviews, I don't think I'm missing out.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I did not care for this book about a girl looking for her sister. in a secluded mountain. When she blackmails a local author into helping her, they take off on an adventure. I ended up not finishing this book because it was frustrating. We spend a third of the book breaking into Winston's land and then asking about her sister. They didn't seem to have any chemistry and I found both characters to be annoying as well.

Fish Out of Water
By: Katie Ruggle

Dahlia Weathersby gets a text from her sister and she automatically knows she’s in trouble. Trying to find someone to hike the Rocky Mountains to help her find her sister proves challenging.
🐠 🏕️
She finds Winston Dane and persuades him to help her find her sister. He’s a survival guide among other things. Their personalities clash but find a common ground.
🐠🏕️
A little romance, fun banter and a mystery all wrapped up in one.

This book was okay. I'm a fan of instant love, but I felt that elements of this book were a bit out the blue and not realistic The female character felt superficially developed and the male character seemed to lack depth, intrigue and attraction.

Listening to this on audio as well, the narrator sounded like it was made from AI which made it harder to enjoy the book. I feel like if I were to read this physically It would've worked better.

This book was so freaking enjoyable. It had me stifling giggles while listening to the audio book. And I will be honest I don't typically enjoy the super cheesy and overly witty romance books with the dramatically unrealistic plots. But this one did it for me and I just had such a good time with it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

Dahlia, a city girl, goes to a small town in Colorado and meets Winston, a mountain man hermit, and enlists his help in finding her missing sister. As the two hike together, following the path her sister supposedly took, they get to know each other and end up sharing a tent on their trek.

The inner monologue from Dal’s POV was so hilarious, and I loved how loyal she was to the people she loved. Even though their connection was instantaneous, I really enjoyed the chemistry and cute moments between Dahl and Wins. He was such a wonderful cinnamon roll, so attentive and protective of her. 😍

If you like contemporary romance with a hint of mystery and suspense, you will love Fish Out of Water.

Things I loved:

⛺ Grumpy x sunshine
⛺ Cinnamon roll masquerading as a hermit
⛺ Forced proximity
⛺ Only one tent
⛺ Strangers to lovers
⛺ Instant connection
⛺ Fast paced romcom with a hint of mystery

The narrator did a great job and I laughed out loud more than once. Thank you Dreamscape Media for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a romcom but also a pretty serious storyline. The two main characters are searching for a lost sister so parts of it were pretty intense. But it was also steamy and seemed a bit much since they were searching for a lost loved one. But if you just let it all go, it was a decent read.

3.5 Stars

This is the perfect mix of if you want a romance that’s sweet and spicy but feels like a cozy mystery. I would categorize it as a cozy because the romance side steers a good majority of the story even though the couple is trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of our heroine’s sister.

I loved the small town setting and the outdoorsy campouts as they hiked the trail. I love a good just one bed trope but my favorite is always when it’s just one tent or just one sleeping bag and BOY DID THIS ONE DELIVER on that front.

The mystery and romance wrap up quickly and effectively so you are absolutely left satisfied on both counts. My only gripes are mostly with the audiobook narrator (her voice was whiney and nasally so our character sounded incredibly air-headed and immature while we learn how she is SO MUCH MORE than her makeup career), and the simplicity of the storyline.

I did enjoy it and consider this story to be an excellent palate cleanser between more heavy stories. It was the perfect mystery romance read while I did my chores this afternoon.

I really wanted to enjoy Fish Out of Water however; I couldn't connect to the characters and found the book to be very wordy. As someone who looks for pacing while reading, I found the pacing of this one to be choppy and the book didn't flow as much as I wanted it to. Shorter chapters would have been best! While I enjoyed listening to Fish (narrated by Cassandra Myles) I found I couldn't finish this book at the 23% mark.