Last-Chance Marriage Rescue

Top Dog Dude Ranch #1

by Catherine Mann

Nina and Douglas are certain it’s over between.

They’re about to step into a parent trap of their twins’ making!

Nina and Douglas Archer are on the verge of divorce. He’s retreated from her since his brother’s death, and their dairy ranch is on the brink of bankruptcy. But they’re both determined to keep it together for one last family vacation, planned by their devious ten-year-old twins. They’re surprised to find themselves giving in to the romance of evening hikes and family cookouts. Still, Nina knows she needs an emotionally available husband. Will a once-in-a-lifetime trip show them the way back to each other?

Genres: Romance, Harlequin

280 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 24, 2021

About the author

USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann has written women's fiction, romance, and romantic suspense for Lake Union, Harlequin, HQN, Berkley, Tule, and Sourcebooks, with titles released in more than 30 countries. Catherine’s novels have won numerous awards, including a RITA Award, the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award, and the Bookseller’s Best Award.

A South Carolinian at heart, after years of moving around the country Catherine has settled back in her home state with her Harley-riding husband. Empty nesters, they have a blended family of nine children, nine grandchildren, two dogs, and three feral cats, who all provide endless inspiration for new novels. For more information, visit: http://catherinemann.com

Reviews

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Contemporary Romance, Animal Fiction
Miniseries
Top Dog Dude Ranch (Book #1)

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nina and Douglas are on the brink of divorce. For years, life kept throwing them challenges and heartbreak. Death in the family and financial troubles (that the pandemic only aggravated) pulled them away from each other more and more. Thankfully, their young daughters plan a family vacation, hoping that the Top Dog Dude Ranch, where there's dogs and critters everywhere, will be favorable for a reconciliation.

What an heart-tugging story! I felt for both Nina and Douglas and could totally understand their different point of view. I read a lot of Harlequin books and the Special Edition too but I'm pretty sure it's the first time I read a marriage-in-crisis trope in this collection. I'm pretty adamant about not wanting to see or hear about Covid in the fiction world but surprisingly, I found it so organic in this story which mean it didn't bother me this time.

[Monae Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was about a marriage in trouble. There were a few brief steamy moments in this book.

This story is about a married couple named Nina and Douglas Archer. They are on the verge of divorce. He’s retreated from her since his brother’s death and their dairy ranch is on the brink of bankruptcy. They are both determined to keep it together for one last family vacation planned by their devious ten-year-old twins. They’re surprised to find themselves giving in to the romance of evening hikes and family cookouts. Nina knows that she needs an emotionally available husband which Douglas isn’t .

I liked the twins in this story. However I didn’t like that the married couple in this story didn’t know how to sit down and communicate. They didn’t sit down and talk to one another about how they were feeling about their marriage. Douglas didn’t want to communicate with his wife about what he was thinking or feeling.

[Lynn Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reunion to remember! The first book in Catherine Mann's Top Dog Dude Ranch series brings an emotional start with LAST-CHANCE MARRIAGE RESCUE. The back story of this family had me up in the feels quickly and getting to know how each of them felt as their marriage was crumbling before their eyes while their precious daughters watched made for an emotional journey of healing. I am excited to see where the series takes us next.

The adorable twin daughters in this book took center stage as they finagled a family trip out of their parents as one last hurrah before the end they all could see coming. I enjoyed them very much.

Nina was my least favorite character as I felt she was a tad too unforgiving, but had I been in her shoes I might have felt the same, so she was easily redeemable.

[Becky Tatar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Between COVID, and his brother's catastrophic accident, Douglas Archer is going to have to file bankruptcy on the family dairy farm in Tennessee. And he won't entertain any other ideas from his wife, Nina. And the word divorce has been put out there. But their twin girls, Kasey and Kelsey, have an idea to bring their family back together at the Top Dog Dude Ranch, which has a reputation bringing people together again. Good book about a couple who lost their way due to circumstances out of their control.

[Dorel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the 1st book I read by Catherine Mann. I'm sorry I stopped reading this story 📖 at chapter 3 because it didn't grab my interest.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!!!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a good hook at the beginning, predictable but good plot twist but it didn’t truly resolve the crux of what it was all about - a marriage headed for rocks due to lack of communication and companionship. They ended up back together abruptly without actually addressing it. They empathized and addressed some of the issues but the H still hadn’t acknowledged or apologized for essentially treating his own wife and children as guests rather than family when it comes to crunch. Or, treating his wife as a partner in the relationship instead of as the caretaker of their children. The h apologizes for not having seen him but she has seen him more than he seems to have seen her!