Interview with Animal Shelter Volunteer Life

Today we have an interview with Meowmeowmans (a.k.a. Kevin) from Animal Shelter Volunteer Life.  It's a great blog featuring the adoptable cats at PAWS.  Be sure to check it out!  

Thank you so much for agreeing to chat with us about your work at PAWS!  And thank you for being involved in cat rescue!  Yours is the only rescue blog I’ve ever come across.  What led to the decision to write a rescue blog?

My amazing wife, Tracey, started Animal Shelter Volunteer Life to help raise awareness about the wonderful PAWS cats, and to help demonstrate the amazing human/animal bond that takes place during the time we spend at the shelter.

How did you become involved in cat rescue?

I’ve always been a huge animal lover, and while growing up in Southern California, my family had a wide range of pets, including dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, lizards and fish (though not all at the same time).  Flash forward MANY years … I first began volunteering at PAWS (Pet Animal Welfare Society) at a time when I had just moved back to the Norwalk, Connecticut area, after a job stint in another city.  I was living in an apartment that did not allow pets (happily, my landlords later changed their minds), and figured I could get an “animal fix” by volunteering with the cats and dogs, while doing something good and productive. 

It wasn’t long at all before I was hooked.  And it was clear I was getting far more BACK from these animals and my experiences at the shelter than I could ever give.  I am still volunteering there almost 17 years later.  On a side note, PAWS is where Tracey (who has been volunteering for 11 years) and I reconnected (we used to work together a long time ago) and fell in love.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face at PAWS?

Like any no-kill shelter, it’s often a numbers game for PAWS.  There are so many stray and abandoned animals out there, and not enough space or resources.  It really highlights the need for strong spay and neuter programs, education, and Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR), etc.

Anyone involved in animal rescue knows that it can be heartbreaking at times, is there one particular rescue story or experience that helps you continue on as a cat rescuer?

There is definitely some sadness that comes with being involved with animal rescue, but it’s critical to remember that the lives of the animals that do wind up being rescued are improved on so many levels. You never forget the sad things that happen, but clinging to – and really owning – the good stuff that happens really helps keep us from being overwhelmed.

It breaks our hearts to see new arrivals that are fearful, angry or emotionally withdrawn.  And who can blame them? What an overwhelming experience to be thrust into.  But we are so often amazed and inspired to see love, kindness and patience help those very same animals learn to trust people again.  And there’s no better feeling than when that animal finds its forever home.

So many times people seem to think that what they’re able to do isn’t “enough” to help a rescue or shelter.  What are some of the small ways you’ve found that people can make a big difference in the lives of shelter cats?

There are so many opportunities to help shelter animals.  Some people might think that “only a few hours” isn’t going to make a difference.  But there is so much you can do.  A few hours spent sitting quietly with a frightened animal could very well be the thing that helps it begin to trust people.  And for those who aren’t as hands-on, the shelter is always in need of supplies, food, and donations.  Other ways to help include fundraising, helping to write pet animal bios, conducting store visits to solicit donations and distribute information, making needed building repairs, transporting animals for vet appointments, cleaning, writing thank you letters, collecting and redeeming  ​cans and bottles, fostering animals, and so on.   These things are all critical to the shelter’s survival, so it is no exaggeration to say they all make a big difference in the animals’ lives.  I would encourage everyone to just try volunteering.  The time you give will change lives – the animals’ and yours!

Is there anything major (urgent need, exciting new plans, etc.) going on with PAWS right now?

There is a really cool volunteer-initiated and implemented “catification” enrichment effort underway right now in one of the open (no cage) cat rooms.  The room is being redesigned – with spaces, furniture and interactive features – to improve the lives of the cats by creating a home-like atmosphere for these kitties as they wait for their real forever homes.

If you had one paragraph to convince someone to adopt/rescue a cat, what would you tell them?

Shelter cats are amazing, and have so much love to give.  They are not somehow “broken.”  In our experience, there’s a good home for every cat and dog … they just need a chance.  By adopting an animal, you’re actually saving TWO lives – the one of the animal you adopt, and the one of the animal for whom there is now space at the shelter.  Rescue pets KNOW you’re the one who saved them.  Your reward is the unconditional love they give to you.  And everyone wants to be loved, right?

Interview With Anna From Herding Cats & Burning Soup

Today we have an interview with Anna from Herding Cats & Burning Soup.  

First of all, thank you for being a cat rescuer.  It seems like the kitties need all of the help they can get.  How did you become involved in cat rescue?  Did you always plan to become a herder of cats?

Hey Danielle! LOL nope never really planned on being a herder of cats. I'd originally wanted to herd other peoples pets as a vet but then my mom sent me a book about Best Friend's Animal Society out in Utah. They're a huge sanctuary and do animal outreach. And that completely changed my plans and I decided once I finished school I'd open a rescue but then...I had an escapee of the feline variety from my herd.

For weeks I searched all of the animal control centers for Piedmont. There were so many kittens looking for homes and I knew since it was a county shelter most wouldn't make it long enough to find homes since they euthanize for space reasons. So after 3 1/2 weeks of searching with no luck I decided I'd probably never find Piedmont and maybe it had all been set in motion to get me to start the rescue then instead of waiting until I'd finished college. I did all my paperwork, brought home a handful of kittens and then...2 days later...Piedmont came strolling into the house and jumped up on his bookcase like he hadn't been gone for nearly a month. ::snort:: He's snuggled up at the foot of the bed as I type. lol (about 10 years later)

How many cats have come through your rescue?

 Oh goodness. Since I started 350ish plus a couple hundred pups and a few mice.

How many cats and kittens, on average, are in your care on any given day?

 It's changed over the years depending on the rescue's set up. A few years back we moved into an adoption center (from mainly using foster homes) so it went up a bit for me personally since I manage the adoption center. Right now on a daily basis I'm in charge of around 30 cats between my personal cats, fosters that live with me and the kitties that live at our adoption center.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a cat rescuer?

 Finding homes for less adopable kitties--adults, solid black cats, ones with medical issues or that are shy. It's so hard for all of them to find their forever families. They're often overlooked for kittens and younger kitties or ones that have more unique coat patterns.

So many people seem to feel that what they’re able to do or give isn’t “enough” to make a difference in rescue.  As a rescuer, what are some of the really small ways people can help to make a big difference?

 Everything can be helpful depending on the rescue's set up and really makes a huge difference. Some things from my end...

Donations! From small donations of food, toys or treats to monetary donations. With having an adoption center--cleaning supplies are always great things to received, bedding, towels, baskets the cats can snuggle in

Socializing with the animals-- Many animals come into rescues from hard situations. Some are shy, or have had little love in their lives or are just a little shell shocked from being in such a new situation. So coming in to the rescue and socializing--just sitting around and letting a herd babe climb in your lap for a while or rolling around a toy with a playful kitten is amazing! While it might not seem like much you can make a huge difference in helping them adjust and find their forever homes.

Donating your labor--If you have special skills or just a few hours on your hands and can help with things like cleaning their living areas or making repairs and such. If the rescue has an adoption center or you have a local shelter those are things that have to happen every single day of the year. Workdays, weekends, holidays. If you have the time and are willing to get a little dirty it's not glamorous but definitely helps the cause.

Helping out at adoption events. It all really helps. Even if you've just got an hour or two here or there.

Is there anything major (urgent need, exciting new plans, etc.) going on with your rescue right now?

Herm. Not really! We're in the process of turning more sanctuary than rescue. So more focus on longer term fosters that have "issues" that make them less adoptable so things are quieter around here at the moment.

If you had one paragraph to convince someone to rescue/adopt a cat what would you say?

You're saving more than one life every time you adopt a kitty. The kitty you adopted and the one a rescue can pull to take it's place which in turn gives those at county shelters just a little more time. It's an amazing thing.

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us about your cat rescue.

Thanks so much for having me on! Love what you're doing this month spreading the word and greatly appreciate it :)

June Is Adopt A Cat Month

I haven’t forgotten about or abandoned this project!  It’s just that June has also turned into something of a crazy month for me.  I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me when a month I see as license to indulge my inner crazy cat lady turns crazy.

There are a few modifications to my plan, however.  Obviously, I am not featuring a different cat and/or shelter every day as I had originally hoped. I do still have some guest posts lined up, and I’m very excited about those. It’s not too late to have a guest post.  If you’d like to share anything relevant to the world of cat rescue, just send me an email.  It’s all about the cats!

I’m still entering all of the rescues featured into a drawing for a $25.00 donation from me, and will announce that on July 1^st. 

In closing for today, I’d just like to encourage everyone to do something nice for shelter cats this month.   We’re not all in a position to adopt another cat, and that’s perfectly understandable, but we can all do a little something to make things a little easier for shelter cats whether it’s donating to your local shelter, dropping off a bag of food or litter, changing litter boxes, or helping to socialize the cats.  After all, it is their month. 

Review of Grayson's Surrender and Taking Cover & Interview with Catherine Mann

Today I have my first ever author interview with Catherine Mann.  I’m very excited!  I received a copy of the 2 in 1 release of Grayson’s Surrender and Taking Cover in exchange for an honest review, and Catherine graciously agreed to an interview as part of her blog tour. 

See how it all started with the first two books in Catherine Mann’s RITA Award winning “Wingmen Warriors” series!

***This 2-in-1 is available in print only. If you wish to order the books digitally, they must be ordered individually.***

Grayson’s Surrender (Wingman Warriors #1) and Taking Cover (Wingman Warriors #2)

by Catherine Mann

Genre: Contemporary Military Romance

Age category: Adult

Blurb:

  GRAYSON’S SURRENDER: Flight Surgeon Grayson Clark and NGO worker Lori Rutledge shared a passionate summer full of promise and ultimately heartbreak. After his turbulent childhood, Grayson knows well he’s ill-equipped to offer Lori the security she craves. But Grayson can’t escape Lori’s allure when they’re paired on a military rescue operation to an overseas orphanage. When one heart-tugging orphan charms her way into Lori’s life and Grayson’s heart, Lori and Grayson discover a new understanding of family – and a free-falling surrender to love.

TAKING COVER: Battle lines are drawn when Flight Surgeon Kathleen O’Connell temporarily grounds Captain Tanner Bennett from flying combat. No way does Tanner plan to watch his crew from the sidelines. Not that he has a choice, thanks to by-the-rules Kathleen and his ground duty assignment to investigate a crash. When Kathleen is teamed with him in the investigation, they’re both diving for cover as they battle an attraction ready to detonate!

You can find this 2-in-1 book Grayson’s Surrender and Taking Cover here on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19084994-grayson-s-surrender-and-taking-cover

You can buy this 2-in-1 book Grayson’s Surrender and Taking Cover here:

- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0373606249/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_9Cmctb0QYM3R1REZ

- Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/graysons-surrender-and-taking-cover-catherine-mann/1117542037?ean=9780373606245

You can also buy them separately. Grayson’s Surrender:

- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003M69WXK/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_CGmctb0SY2RQB

- B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/graysons-surrender-catherine-mann/1005244627?ean=9781426862854&itm=1&usri=9781426862854

- Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/grayson-s-surrender

- Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=41411&cid

Taking Cover:

- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003M69VZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_PHmctb1Z446B3

- B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taking-cover-catherine-mann/1022116803?ean=9781426862861

- Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/taking-cover

- Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=45398&cid

About the Author:

USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann and RITA Award winner, Catherine writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, and Sourcebooks, With over two million books in print in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated five RITA finals, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. A former theater school director and university instructor, she holds a Master’s degree in Theater from UNC-Greensboro and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts: Theater (with minors in both English and Education) from the College of Charleston. Catherine and her flyboy husband live on the Florida coast where they brought up their 4 children – and still have 5 four-legged, furry “children” (aka pets). Catherine is an active volunteer with her local Humane Society, serving on their Board of Directors and fostering puppies and special needs dogs (she stopped counting at a hundred). She recently checked off a major item on her “bucket list” by completing the hands-on training for the Florida State Animal Rescue Coalition. Catherine enjoys hearing from her readers and can be found online daily.  To receive an autographed bookmark, send a SASE to: P.O. Box 6065, Navarre, FL 32566

You can find and contact Catherine here:

- Website: http://www.catherinemann.com/

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatherineMannAuthor

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinemann1

- Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/93454.Catherine_Mann

- Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/catherinemann/

- Blog: http://www.catherinemann.com/category/blog/

- Newsletter: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/CatherineMann_News/

My Reviews:

Grayson’s Surrender:  I gave this one four stars.  Grayson and Lori are a great couple who had a really good thing going, but kind of messed it up.  They shared a summer of dating and a great relationship, but then decided they had different life plans and broke up.  They’re thrown back together during a mission to rescue orphans from a warzone.

Lori has ideas about what it takes to be a real family, and those ideas frighten Grayson, who has some ideas of his own about what family involves.  They end up spending a lot of time together after the mission and the spark between them is definitely re-kindled.

I really loved this book because Grayson and Lori seem real; they have problems that are real world – different ideas about marriage and children, different career paths, differing levels of willingness to pack up and move, and some baggage from their childhoods.  Together they work through all of that and compromise and learn to give and take on the things that really mater to both of them. 

There’s also a very strong message that family can extend beyond blood ties, and I really loved that.  Grayson’s fellow crew members and their families manage to become a second family for him, and Lori has no problems claiming an adopted child as her own.  I loved that about this book, and it really leaves you with a great warm and fuzzy feeling. 

Taking Cover:  I gave this one 4.5 stars.  It is the best contemporary romance I’ve read in a long time!  There’s romance, suspense, action, and adventure.  You can’t really ask for more than that in one book. 

Tanner and Kathleen have known each other for over ten years.  They shared one amazing kiss, and then went their separate ways, each building a life that didn’t involve the other one.  They’re thrown back together, and it’s explosive.

I like Kathleen and Tanner as a couple, but I also just really liked them both as individual characters.  They both worked really hard and overcame and put up with a lot to get where they are in the beginning of the book. 

There’s a definite chemistry between the two of them. There’s a lot of sweetness, and some great banter.  Kathleen and Tanner are both carrying some major baggage; Kathleen a failed marriage and Tanner a devastating loss.  They’re both wounded, but they find comfort from one another, even though they don’t seem to want to.  You just find yourself wanting them to have a happily ever after.

I’m trying not to include any spoilers, but the mission in this book becomes very interesting, with a twist that I just did not see coming.  So many suspenseful romances seem to be a little short on the suspense factor, but this one had a great action/suspense element, and it really helped the romantic part of the story along. 

If you’re going to read one contemporary romance novel any time soon, I would definitely suggest choosing Taking Cover.  

The Interview:  

Catherine, thank you so much for agreeing to an interview!  You’re my first author interview, so I’m really excited about it.  Thank you again for the opportunity.  I loved Grayson’s Surrender and Taking Cover, and really loved the 2-1 release.  Two great books in one!  

Q: As I was reading them, I couldn’t help thinking what great movies they’d both make, so I was wondering, if they were made into movies, who would be your picks to play Grayson and Lori?  And who would be your picks to play Tanner and Kathleen?  

A: Wow, what a fun question! For GRAYSON’S SURRENDER, Colin Farrell (Grayson) and Kiera Knightly (Lori). For TAKING COVER, Charlie Hunnam with his hair buzzed (Tanner) and Amy Adams (Kathleen).

Q: Did you write the characters with those actors in mind?

A: Actually, since I wrote these books over ten years ago, the actors I chose are older than the characters now. Originally, for Grayson and Lori, I envisioned George Clooney and Paige Turco. And for Tanner and Kathleen, I envisioned a blond football player (whose name I can’t recall!) and Gillian Anderson (X-Files). It’s fun seeing the new cover up next to original covers. Some folks have commented the guy on the new cover looks like Adam Levine from Maroon 5 (yum!).

Q: Your website mentions your flyboy husband; was he the inspiration for your Wingman Warriors books?  

A: Absolutely! My husband’s Air Force career and all the military friends we made provided endless inspiration for plots.

Q: Do you have any writing rituals (certain time of day, must-have coffee mug, background noise, etc.)?  

A: I write using a laptop, rather than a desktop. So I’m fairly mobile as to the locale, but I do usually have a diet Coke by my side and the TV playing in the background.

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?  Are there any authors who inspire your writing?

A: I have far too many favorite authors to list them all. I’m an avid reader. But to name a few of my auto-buy authors – Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Lisa Gardner, Teresa Medieros, Tana French, Jane Porter. And as for inspiration, Lori Foster, Suzanne Brockmann, Dianna Love and Sherilynn Kenyon have been tremendously inspiring and supportive over the years.

Q: I’m kind of a food person, so I have to ask, are there any treats you reward yourself with when you finish a tough scene, first draft, or any other milestone?

A: An Orange Dream Smoothie or a Mocha Madness Smoothie from Tropical Smoothie. They have a pick up window, so I can even pack up my dogs for a quick drive and some fresh air to clear my brain. And in colder weather I love a Starbucks skinny vanilla latte!

Q: I know Shelter Me is your next book, due out in August (which seems really far away right now); can you tell us a little more about Shelter Me?  

A: SHELTER ME launches my “Second Chance Ranch” animal rescue series. SHELTER ME features a military hero returning from war to bring an Iraqi dog to the family of his fallen commander. The book has been called reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks’ THE LUCKY ONE with a hint of MARLEY AND ME. Here’s a book trailer video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBfLiHsis3o  

Q: I have a feeling I’m going to love Shelter Me.  Is the next book in the series in the works yet?

A: Thank you for asking!  Yes, the sequel – RESCUE ME – is scheduled for February 2015. I just got an advance peek at the cover and it is absolutely gorgeous! Can’t wait to share it with readers. I also have an animal rescue Harlequin Desire coming out in November 2014 – SHELTERED BY THE MILLIONAIRE.

Thanks again for the interview, and for all of your work in animal rescue.  Animal rescue is very near and dear to our hearts here in the land of Sweet Tea.  

Thank YOU for featuring my books here and giving me the chance to visit!!

Still Here

I’m still here, even though I seem to have dropped out of the A to Z Challenge.  I’m thinking about trying to finish it out, even if it’s unofficially, just to get back in.  Good idea or waste of time?

Last week just got really crazy.  First of all, the weather went insane; one day we were wearing shorts and sunscreen and the next day we were wearing coats and gloves.  I don’t think my squash and zucchini plants survived the cold.  I planted them way too early I suppose.  My flowers seem to have made it.  They were still in pots, so we were able to move them on to the screened in porch and cover them up with old towels.  I’m hoping the weather will stay warm enough for me to plant them this weekend. 

I totally blame the weather, but I also got knocked on my butt with some sort of cold/sinus/allergy thing.  It pretty much felt like a herd of angry cats took up residence in my throat and then tried to claw their way out.  Not fun.  I just had no energy and felt terrible. I’ve been going to bed early and drinking lots of tea, water, and orange juice, and have finally started to feel a little better.  Early bed time and chicken noodle soup are still on tonight’s agenda, however.  Aren’t I exciting?

We also had three sick fur kids last week.  Frankie started vomiting excessively and had to go to the vet.  Lots of expensive tests later, it was determined that he seems to have acid reflux. He’s currently on Pepcid, and seems to be feeling much better.  The first few doses went fairly well, but now he seems to think he’s had enough.  He bit the HELL out of me last night when I gave him his pill!!!  I think it’s going to be Nick’s turn today. 

Emma went back to the specialist on Friday, and they repeated several tests.  We’re still waiting on the results of one more test, but they’re leaning toward a behavioral issue.  I’m still deciding if I think that’s accurate or not, and we’re currently researching a few different things to try for her.  We will also talk to her regular vet before beginning any new medications; he’s a really good vet and has more of a history with her than the specialist. 

We were hit in the parking lot as we were leaving.  All three of us are fine, and the car is fine. The woman who backed into us just seemed like a total idiot, and tried to pet Emma without asking first (which is a very sore subject with me).  Between feeling terrible and being worried about Emma, let’s just say that I definitely was not at my most charming.  At least everyone was fine. 

Duke has developed the very bad habit of eating anything he can possibly scavenge when we go out for walks.  I promise we’re not starving him, in fact the vet wasn’t terribly pleased with the amount of weight he has gained since we’ve had him.  But he still scavenges for anything even remotely edible when we walk him.  Unsurprisingly, this causes him severe gastrointestinal problems sometimes.  He needed to go out about every hour and a half Saturday night.  Nick and I took turns taking him out, but I’m a light sleeper and it takes Nick a while to go back to sleep, so neither of us got much sleep Saturday night.  Duke has some medicine now, and seems to be feeling much better.  I just hope he stops his scavenging.

We rented The Book Thief from Redbox and watched it over the weekend.  It was excellent!  I loved the book, and thought they did a really good job with the movie.  It has been a while, so I want to re-read the book now, but from what I remember, it seemed like the movie stayed pretty true to the book.  Have you read the book or watched the movie? What did you think?

I’m looking forward to catching up on all of your posts that I missed last week, and hope everyone in blogger land is doing well.

Never Say Never

Are there things you’ve said (or thought) that you would never do or like that you one day find yourself doing and/or liking?

For me, yard work has turned into one of those never say never things.  As a teenager, I hated yard work.  I swore that when I had my own house I would never garden, and that I’d pay someone (that was well before I realized how much things cost) to cut the grass.  Well, never say never.

Nick and I bought our first house about three and a half years ago.  It has a very small yard, but every year I’m finding myself doing more and more in the yard.  And I find myself actually enjoying some of the yard work.  

This weekend was beautiful and warm, and Home Depot had a Spring Black Friday Sale. There’s another never say never.  I never would have thought I’d utter the words, “Home Depot is having a Spring Black Friday sale.  We should go and get things for the yard.”  But once again, never say never.

We decided to go with some raised beds in the back yard for our vegetable garden, and we are slowly mulching and planting flowers in various beds around the house.  We’re both really excited about the raised beds because we’ve read and heard a lot of good things about them. We put the first one in on Saturday, and I am ridiculously proud of it.  I only have four plants in it so far.  It’s still a little early, but I just had to go ahead and try to get started.  We’re planning to put one more in this weekend, and will be planting lettuce in it.

We had a cold snap (hopefully the last one) last night and today, so I’ve moved all of my flowers onto the porch.  Yet another thing I never thought I’d do.  I’ve already planted the more cold tolerant flowers, and I’m looking forward to planting my daisy, marigolds, and petunias as soon as it warms up a little more.

I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really excited about our plans for the things we want to do with the yard, and the vegetables we plan to grow. 

What about you?  Any never say never things you’ve surprised yourself with?

Review of One Good Cowboy by Catherine Mann

One Good Cowboy (Diamonds in the Rough #1)

by Catherine Mann

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Category Romance/Cowboys/Animal Rescue

Age category: Adult

Release Date: April 1, 2014

Blurb:

From Ex to Eternity?

To inherit his family's empire, Texas cowboy-turned-CEO Stone McNair must prove he has a heart beneath his ruthlessly suave exterior. His trial? Finding homes for his grandmother's rescue dogs. His judge? Johanna Fletcher, the woman whose heart he broke.

Sure, Johanna can handle a week traveling the country with her ex-fiancé to fulfill his dying grandmother's request. She and Stone want different things—plain and simple. But there's nothing plain about Stone, or simple about the heat that still flares between them. One week may not be long enough….

You can find One Good Cowboy on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774824-one-good-cowboy?ac=1   

You can buy One Good Cowboy here:

- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FTQ1VH6/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_bFmctb01SMAV8

- Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-good-cowboy-catherine-mann/1117057012?ean=9780373733064    

- Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/one-good-cowboy-1

- Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=51415   

About the Author:

USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann and RITA Award winner, Catherine writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, and Sourcebooks, With over two million books in print in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated five RITA finals, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. A former theater school director and university instructor, she holds a Master’s degree in Theater from UNC-Greensboro and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts: Theater (with minors in both English and Education) from the College of Charleston. Catherine and her flyboy husband live on the Florida coast where they brought up their 4 children – and still have 5 four-legged, furry “children” (aka pets). Catherine is an active volunteer with her local Humane Society, serving on their Board of Directors and fostering puppies and special needs dogs (she stopped counting at a hundred). She recently checked off a major item on her “bucket list” by completing the hands-on training for the Florida State Animal Rescue Coalition. Catherine enjoys hearing from her readers and can be found online daily.  To receive an autographed bookmark, send a SASE to: P.O. Box 6065, Navarre, FL 32566

You can find and contact Catherine here:

- Website: http://www.catherinemann.com/

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatherineMannAuthor

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinemann1

- Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/93454.Catherine_Mann

- Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/catherinemann/

- Blog: http://www.catherinemann.com/category/blog/

- Newsletter: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/CatherineMann_News/

I received a free copy of One Good Cowboy by Catherine Mann in exchange for an honest review, which was pretty exciting for me since this was my first time being a given a book to review.  The blurb really grabbed my attention when it mentioned finding homes for rescue dogs.  As someone involved in animal rescue, I decided it was a book I definitely wanted to read.

Overall, I enjoyed One Good Cowboy.  I’m giving it three stars out of five, which means I liked it.  There were a few things I didn’t love about it, so I’ll start with the negative and end with the positive.  That’s just how I like to do things.

The negative:  The names of the characters and pets pretty much drove me insane.  Stone McNair’s grandmother is a billionaire and the founder of a jewelry company, Diamonds In The Rough.  The family also owns and operates the Hidden Gem Ranch.  There’s definitely a jewelry/precious stone connection there, but in case you miss that somehow EVERY single pet has some kind of jewel/precious metal name.  The dogs are Sterling, Gem, Pearl, and Ruby.  The horses mentioned by name have names like Goldie and Opal.   Then there’s Stone.  His cousins are Amethyst and Alexandrite.  It just seemed like a lot of overkill to me. 

There also seemed to be some overkill in letting you know just how wealthy the McNairs are; the private jet, the insanely famous and wealthy social circle, and the ability to just buy all new clothes and accessories in the middle of a trip.  Once again, it seemed like overkill by the end.

I know neither of those things are very big deals, and it’s probably just me, but that’s how I felt.

The positive:  First and foremost, the fact that the book essentially starts off with a dying woman’s wish to see her rescue dogs placed in good homes.  You had me at rescue dogs OR being responsible enough to make sure there’s a plan in place for pets in the event of their owner’s death.  Both?  I’m definitely in.  This was the first time I’ve read a romance with any kind of animal rescue connection, and I just love that being added in as a subgenre.

I liked Stone and Johanna, and I liked them together.  They had broken off their engagement several months before due in large part to a lack of trust, communication, and a lack of compromise.  The week together with the dogs placed them in close proximity to one another and more or less forced them to acknowledge and resolve their issues.

There was definite heat between the two of them, they just both seemed to get caught up in the picture of how they wanted things to be, and didn’t really give much thought to where the other person was coming from. 

The issues they faced seemed pretty realistic for the most part; children or no children, how and with whom they socialized, total (or lack thereof) honesty, and how much each was willing to give to make a life together.  I enjoyed the give and take between the two of them to come to a workable solution, and definitely felt like they were a couple I wanted to see make it.

This was my first time reading Catherine Mann, and I think I’ll definitely give some of her other books a try.  What about you?  Have you read any of her books?