The Lonely Hearts Rescue, a collection of three stories by Morgan Lee Miller, Nell Stark, and Missouri Vaun was exactly what I needed to read. These are three touching tales (or should I say tails?) that brightened my day.
All of the stories have similarities. They all take place after a hurricane disaster in the Gulf Coast and involve the folks working for, or somehow helping, the animals rescued through the Lonely Hearts Rescue Shelter. In “Something About You” by Morgan Lee Miller, animal control officer Reese Shepard is reunited with her high school crush after she rescues Apollo, the stray tuxedo cat from the flood waters left by the hurricane. “Test of Faith” by Nell Stark tells us about Faith Kincaid adopting her new best friend “Pinoe” who used to be Buffy, an adorable dog who was rescued by the shelter. Faith is doing this as part of her therapy, but after taking Pinoe/Buffy to see veterinarian Dr. Delphine Wu, she may get much more than a new furry best friend. Missouri Vaun’s “Force of Nature” is a sometimes funny, definitely romantic narrative about Rebekah Hawks stepping up to help the Lonely Hearts Rescue Shelter fundraising efforts only to end up fostering an “impossible” little long-haired dachshund named Cotton. Knowing next to nothing about dogs, much less one that is as high maintenance as Cotton, she turns to dog trainer Rory Maclaren for help.
All three of the stories are well-written by exceptionally skilled authors. The characters, especially the four-legged ones, will pull at your heartstrings. The romances are beautiful with at least the chance of happy-ever-after in every tale.
I will admit to having a favorite story, mainly because of something in my life that fits with this narrative. A couple of years ago we had a feral cat in our neighborhood. Over the summer and fall we tried to make friends with him, but he was extremely shy. He finally got to the point he would let us pet him, and we would see him more often, but winter was coming and it was freezing outside. When we saw him eating birdseed from our feeder, we knew it was time to bring him in. We coaxed him into the house and he finally figured out we would make adequate staff…um…I mean a great forever family. As I was reading “Something About You” and the rescue of Apollo, our Kitty kept me company as he stretched out beside me napping. His presence made that story very special for me.
If you love tales about animals finding their forever homes and the loving couples who save them, then get The Lonely Hearts Rescue. You will be happy you did.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 