Rescued Heart Paperback – February 23, 2016

I normally like Beers' work, but I didn't like this.I know Beers is setting this up to be the start of a series, but as an individual book it doesn't work at all well. There are far too many characters who are named but never feature in the action. There appears to be no purpose other than throwing over twenty characters at us. Presumably they will appear in the next book, but there is no reason for us to be introduced to them in the first book. It felt like I was going to face a pop quiz on these odd characters who had no relation to the story or the main characters.Even the main characters were underwritten. I didn't really get a good enough sense of them in the book to see how they could possibly work together as a pair.Ashley Stiles works at a bakery, and is accommodating almost to the point of doormat. She volunteers at a pet rescue operation, where she fancies one of the full time staff. Lisa Drakemore is in charge of the pets, and the boss of Ashley. Lisa was thrown into parenting her younger siblings after her parents split, so won't engage anyone in a relationship as a result.At least that's the story. Ashley is likable and has the capacity to change, but Lisa appears to be a selfish pain in the neck unless you're a dog or cat. Beers did a good job of giving me a sense that the two were very attracted to one another, but I never got the sense of why anyone would stay around to be treated like crap by Lisa. The blurb reads like this is a charming little romance, but if it is read in that light, it doesn't work at all well.As a single book romance, this is a dud. As the start of a series, it needs reworking so that it has more depth, the characters are more complex and reasonable, and a reason to have so many characters in the first book. Go read her other books, which are vastly better.

First of all, let me say Georgia Beers can do no wrong. I love her books. This one is a shining example of how sweet and fun her books can be. A volunteer animal-walker at a rescue center falls for a worker at the center. Whether family, friends or workers, all the characters are people I wouldn't mind meeting (except for one fellow). And this book made me remember how much this cat-owner loves dogs.

Georgia Beers had me from the first line of the synopsis: hook, line, and sinker. A story about lesbians and an animal shelter? Woof! Meow! How can I say ‘no’?!In a similar fashion as other stories written by Georgia Beers, the progression of love between the characters is slow and sweet. Lisa has her own reasons for baby-stepping.. or not-stepping at all, really. Eventually, Ashley breaks through her barriers and gives her a reason to pick up the pace. Wow… when these two finally sync and step, they sprint to that finish line together like they’re the pair of legs that belong to Marion Jones. Georgia Beer certainly has a way of showing readers that foreplay is not overrated, and the pay-off at the end is definitely worth the wait.Somehow, in the middle of reading this book, I completely forgot that the setting of the story is in upstate New York. If you didn’t review the synopsis before diving into the novel, you may get the sense that it’s set in a small-town because it has such a down-home feel. The characters in the story are very down-to-earth and interconnected in a way, that’s more often than not, a bit uncharacteristic in an urban setting. For me, it felt a little too cozy to be in the city, but this doesn’t detract from the exceptional writing and entertaining story from the author. It’s just a side observation.We don’t seize opportunities that are presented to us often enough, especially when it comes to love and romance. The lesson that can be learned from this book is that we are not meant to exist as passive observers. In our own pursuit of happiness, we have to grab life by its horns and follow our heart without fear or reservation. This is Ashley’s journey in Rescued Heart, and it’s really a joy to see this transformation in her character.Rescued Heart will pull the heck out of your heart strings and make you want to give a big hug to your pets at home. I wonder what Georgia Beers will write about next!