Let’s Read Good Books

My Thoughts:

May contain spoilers

I enjoy the the Top Dog Dude Ranch series and consider it a great palate cleanser. When I’m stuck on what to read next, I usually gravitate back to any Harlequin series I’m in the middle of. They are a quick read, they are fairly consistent, and they deliver a self contained story. Perfect for a little reset between meatier books.

Charlotte and Declan return to the forefront after their budding relationship ends in heartbreak in the previous book. Charlotte is trying to pick up the pieces, still bewildered by Declan abruptly dumping her. He’s moved on, away on a deployment with the National Guard. When Charlotte discovers she’s pregnant with his child, she is conflicted; let him know he’s about to become a father and possibly distract him on his mission, or keep quiet about it.

When Declan arrives unexpectedly at her doorstep, with her brother in tow, she’s hurt all over again. Declan didn’t even bother to let her know that he’s home. The icing on the cake is when she learns that his deployment wasn’t dangerous at all, and that he never even left the States. Now she knows that he’s truly over her, and she’s fiercely determined to bring up her baby alone.

Okay, I have very conflicted feelings about this entry in the Top Dog Dude Ranch series. Declan’s hot, then cold reactions to Charlotte had me questioning why she even wanted him in her life again. Sure, he had a tough childhood and made some monumentally poor decisions, but he’s now a grown a$$ man. The sheriff of their small town, he’s even become a man the locals respect and know they can count on when in need. Now Charlotte and his unborn child need him, and he can’t decide if he’s man enough for the most important mission of his life.

I’ll cut Charlotte some slack. Her mother has been hospitalized after trying to harm herself, so her younger brother Rory has moved in with her. Taking care of a traumatized teen is no easy task, and Charlotte is juggling Rory’s anger and confusion after finding their mother after her attempted suicide. Rory doesn’t know how to ask for help; he just keeps acting out, behaving in an ever more questionable manner with his delinquent friends. At least Rory has an excuse for his behavior. Declan does not. I thought Charlotte would probably be better off without him.

I’m not sure that I believe Declan’s sudden change of heart and his grovel at the end of the book. This is a story that an epilogue would have been welcome, but instead I found the ending rushed and not completely satisfying. I didn’t dislike the story – how could I with all of the doggy goodness and the sense of community that’s developed though the course of the series? But I did think the ending was too abrupt, and it felt like it left me in the lurch.

Rating: 3.75

About the Book:

The Lawman’s Surprise by Catherine Mann

Top Dog Dude Ranch #6

eBook borrowed from my local library