By combining love, four legged friends, and a happy ending, Burns brings reader a great holiday read.
*****
My Forever Home
A Rescue Me Novel
by Debbie Burns
Blurb:
Love comes to the rescue.
Vet school drop-out Tess Grasso dreams of having her own pet therapy business, but she meets one disastrous obstacle after another. There’s no denying she has a way with animals, so in the meantime she puts her skills to use at a local no-kill shelter. Between helping her furry companions and a budding relationship with fellow dog lover Mason Redding, Tess begins to find fresh confidence…
What Tess doesn’t know is that Mason is recovering from an accident, hoping to get back to his pro-baseball career. He’s afraid the truth will ruin everything—and he’s right. But in the midst of hurt and betrayal, a free-spirited stray Husky enters their lives, and teaches them a few things about faith, love and forgiveness.
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*****
Excerpt:
Tess lifted her mug of tea and carried it into the kitchen and away from the wall of windows and the remarkable St. Louis night skyline. If this were her place, she’d get nothing done in the evenings as she cuddled against that couch, sipping tea, and gazing at the beautiful lights.
“I had no idea a veggie meat loaf could smell so amazing. I’m so hungry, I could eat… Wait, I don’t think you can say you could eat a bear when you’re vegetarian, can you?”
Mason laughed and said she could say whatever she wanted. He was slicing through a cucumber with a gleaming chef knife.
“After we eat, I’ll be good to get back out there and search again.”
“Me, too. I’ve been standing here thinking what it could be like if we succeed. I want the dog. No question. And I know he’ll have a better life. A much better life. But I can’t help but wonder if he’ll want to be here.”
Tess joined Mason at the opposite counter. “He will. I’m sure he will.” Her hand closed reflexively over his forearm in reassurance, and she had to refrain from jerking it away. Seeing his strength was one thing. Feeling it was another.
What would he do if she slid between him and the countertop and allowed her lips to land where they wanted?
She forced a stepped back. “Do you have honey?”
“Yeah. In the pantry.”
His pantry was relatively uncluttered, and she spotted the honey right away. A family-sized box of Cocoa Puffs on the top shelf made her smile.
“What?” He pulled open a drawer and handed her a spoon. “Are you grinning at my juvenile selection of pantry foods?”
“That’s a big box of Cocoa Puffs.”
“Aren’t they a kitchen-pantry requirement?”
“I certainly wished that growing up, but not in my house. At least not unless it was a special occasion. My parents both worked full-time when I was growing up, and I went over to my grandparents’ house every day before school. My grandma’s idea of a quick breakfast is a bread roll with butter and jam or day-old biscotti to dip in her coffee.”
“Somehow that doesn’t make you sound deprived, if that’s what you were aiming for.”
Tess laughed as she squeezed a bit of honey into her mug. “How can I help?”
“I’m almost done, thanks. I have a red on the counter and a white in the fridge, if you’re up for wine.”
“I’d like to try this,” she said, picking a Barolo, “if you like red.”
“Sure.” He pulled a corkscrew from one of the top drawers. “How about you open it while I finish up?”
Mason had a beautiful salad prepared, and a small pot of gravy was warming on the stove. When he opened the oven, she spotted a ceramic bowl of mashed potatoes, another of green beans, and the veggie meat loaf.
As Tess opened the wine, she thought of her grandma. Nonna had taught her never to belittle someone’s effort in the kitchen by equating their work to trouble. “Wow,” she said instead. “Everything looks great. I can’t wait to try it.”
“Thanks. My, uh, slow season is in winter. Cooking is a hobby I’ve wanted to take up for a while. Like I said, before tonight I’d only ever made three different main dishes.”
“You said that, but you didn’t tell me what they are, aside from meat loaf, that is.”
“Want to guess?” Mason grinned as he carried over the salad bowl to a dining table long enough to bring to mind Beauty and the Beast. Mason had set two places, one at an end, the other in the seat adjacent to it. Tess’s heart beat at the intimacy of it.
“Absolutely. Let’s see. You grew up on a farm in rural Iowa, and your family is not Italian, so I’m guessing one of them is not lasagna.”
“You would be correct.”
“Hmm, what’s farmy to cook? I’m trying to picture the Cracker Barrel menu in my head. And before you ask, I only got to eat there when I went to Florida with my cousin’s family on vacation. Okay, let’s see. Chicken and dumplings?”
Mason chuckled. “Nope, though that’s one of my mom’s go-to winter meals.”
“Country-fried steak?”
“If we were playing hangman, you’d have a head and body.”
“Chicken pot pie?”
“And there’s a leg, or is it the arm next?”
Tess clicked her tongue and slid into the open seat next to him. “Pot roast?”
“Well done.”
“Really?” Tess waggled her eyebrows. “Pot roast and meat loaf. Two very hearty meals. Impressive.”
“I bet you hang before you guess the third.”
Tess pierced a bit of salad and silently counted off the meals she’d guessed. “Barbecue ribs?”
“Add the second leg. I can barbecue as well as the next guy, but I wasn’t counting it. Slathering a rack of ribs with some sauce and enjoying a beer while it sizzles over the coals isn’t the same as preparing a meal from scratch.”
“True, I guess.” She pointed her fork his way. “Don’t tell me. I’m going to get this.” She was halfway through a bite of salad when she smacked her palm against the table and hurriedly swallowed. “OMG, I’ve got it. I’ve totally got it. I know your third meal, Mason…” Tess paused. “I know your third meal, but I don’t know your last name. How weird is that?”
Mason sat back in his chair and took a sip of wine, appraising her, his mouth pulled up in the crooked smile that she adored. “With that reaction, this is the all-or-nothing round. Get it right, you win. Get it wrong, that’s the arms, feet, hands, everything, and you’re hanged.”
“I’m okay with that, only what’re we playing for?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that. Something bigger than who does the dishes, that’s for sure.”
Tess agreed with him. “How about winner calls it?”
His gaze dropped to her mouth for two solid seconds before returning to her eyes. “Yes, definitely.”
*****
Review:
My Forever Home is a wonderfully cozy and heartwarming read. It is just made to tug at you, through both animal and people. You totally understand why Mason keeps who he is from Tessa and the revelation works well with their relationship as it has developed. And while there is the opportunity, I really appreciate that Burns avoids melodrama and handles issues quickly and realistically.
While I feel that Mason had good development as a character, I do wish we’d gotten a little more of Tessa’s family. Her issues with her family is what sent her on a tour of Europe, but while it is hit upon I think that it could have used a little more. I do love her relationship with her grandmother – their closeness is so sweet and I loved the support there.
As much as I love Mason and Tessa’s relationship, it is the connection with John Ronald that is really the highlight of the book. The look inside his mind brings happiness, sadness, and humor. Some may not like the personification of a dog, but it works for me.
Like Sit, Stay, Love, My Forever Home is one of those easy to read, slow burn books that takes it time creating connection between the characters – exploring them as people and how they relate to each other. Mason & Tessa manage to find each other at a time when both are ready for the next phase and it creates a delightfully satisfying HEA. I’m so looking forward to what Burns has in store for us next.
*****
Author Info:
Debbie Burns’ writing commendations include a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly and a Top Pick from RT Book Reviews for A New Leash on Love, as well as first-place awards for short stories, flash fiction, and longer selections. Her hobbies include hiking, gardening, and daydreaming, which, of course, always leads to new story ideas. She lives in St. Louis with her family, two phenomenal rescue dogs, and a somewhat tetchy Maine coon cat who everyone loves anyway.
*****
Giveaway:
5 Copies of Sit, Stay, Love
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7708/
*****
Trusting Jack
Author Info:
Romantic Reads and Such 