Rescue Me

March 26, 2012
Gibson (Any Man of Mine) pairs up two damaged souls desperately in need of rescue in this distant and dark contemporary. Sadie Jo Hollowell reluctantly goes home to dusty cowtown Lovett, Tex., after a 15-year absence. Intending to be in and out for a family wedding, Sadie is surprised to fall hard for Navy SEAL Vince Haven, a sexy, silent man with a broken-down truck. Vince is fleeing his Afghanistan-related PTSD demons; searching for roots, he decides to take over his aunt’s convenience store/gas station in Lovett. Meeting Sadie and discovering their sexual fireworks momentarily soothes his restless soul. The emotionally closed duo fight their deeper feelings even as their bodies steam up the pages, leaving them surprisingly closed off to readers. The first five chapters of backstory and scene-setting fail to enliven the plot, which doesn’t begin to entice until present-day action takes over. Agent: Claudia Cross, Sterling Lord Literistic.

June 15, 2012

Tired of never being able to live up to her wealthy rancher father's--or the town's--expectations, Sadie Hollowell leaves tiny Lovett, TX, heads west, and carves out a footloose, happily single life selling real estate. Fifteen years later, still blissfully rootless and unwed, she returns home--for just a few days--to be in her cousin's wedding. When her father is seriously injured, she ends up staying longer and connecting with hunky ex-Navy SEAL Vince Haven. Vince is in Lovett to take over his aunt's Gas and Go, but this "no strings" arrangement with Sadie surprises them both when it moves beyond "friends with benefits" into something much more. VERDICT Sizzling sex, dialog peppered with plenty of Texas slang, a setting overflowing with country flavor, and a pair of appealing, emotionally scarred protagonists combine in a big-hearted, touching, and hilarious story you won't be able to put down. RITA Award winner Gibson (Any Man of Mine) is an icon in the romantic comedy arena; she lives in Idaho.

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