At Big Chance Dog Rescue, everyone can find a forever home
Marcus Talbott is a soldier through and through, and he’s not going to let an injury keep him from his Army unit. Sure, his last mission nearly broke his back, but that’s nothing his positive attitude and work ethic can’t fix, right? In the meantime, he’s got a place on the board at the Big Chance Dog Rescue, and flirting with his friend’s sassy sister, Emma, is a welcome distraction.
Emma Stern is barely scraping by while working and caring for her elderly grandfather, but she’s running out of options–and hope. The last thing she has time for is Marcus and his flirting, sexy as he might be. But every time Emma thinks she’s reached the end of her rope, Marcus is there to lend a hand. Maybe there’s more to the handsome playboy after all.
Titles in the Big Chance Dog Rescue series include — Big Chance Cowboy – Lucky Chance Cowboy –
Title: Lucky Chance Cowboy
Series: Big Chance Dog Rescue #2
Author: Teri Anne Stanley
Genre: Romance
Published: January 28, 2020
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 4 stars
Lucky Chance Cowboy is the second title in the Big Chance Dog Rescue series, and like the first story, Marcus and Emma’s romance is an emotional journey.
Marcus truly believes that his only role in life is as a soldier, he doesn’t really know any other lifestyle. So in spite of an injury during his last mission, Marcus is convinced that he’ll be back to his job just as soon as this pesky rehab and exam are over and done with. The truth is, even Marcus will admit in his dark, quiet moments to wondering if that can possibly be his future but since he knows no other way but to power through and get the job done he puts those concerns aside for now. Fortunately, his rehab has brought him to his friend’s dog rescue operation and a very lovely, very vulnerable, very untrusting woman who will capture his heart. Now to help her heal hers.
Emma has endured just about all that she can handle, and then she handles more. A widow who watched her husband’s battle with pain medication addiction, she is about at the end of her rope now. Her grandfather is living through dementia, she’s trying to make ends meet and simply survive. She has no time for healing her own demons she’s got too many other things to deal with. Her first impression of Marcus isn’t the best, and to discover that this handsome man who gets on her last nerve will be around the rescue center is annoying. Yet, Marcus is polite, flirty, and always there whenever it seems that Emma is in trouble or needs some help. Something has to give – maybe two wounded hearts finding a home.
Lucky Chance Cowboy flows easily, believably as Marcus and Emma dance around the attraction between them. Both are stubborn, although Emma probably wins the award for the most stubborn, bull-headed, opinionated even when she’s wrong of the two. I understood her reasons but that didn’t stop me from flinching from some of her words or actions. Marcus is a good example of still waters run deep, what you see on the surface hides a lot – not bad, just things he’s conditioned to keep from sight. Together they’ll end up healing each other but to get to that happy ending will involve some pretty amazing pups, a vile bad guy, and overcoming the past for them both. I enjoyed their romance very much, it’s believable, even relatable and it’s filled with temper, laughter, heartache and discovering that love comes when you least expect it and you have to be open to that discovery.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available in paperback and for the Kindle
