Review: Rescue Me, Maybe by Jackie Bouchard

3 Stars

Jane loses her husband and her beloved beagle within weeks of each other.  Jane is more devastated by the loss of her dog, Barnum, than she was by the loss of her husband.  She knew long before he got sick, that things weren’t working out.  But she stayed, because it was the right thing to do.  But now that he’s gone, she’s ready to move back to San Diego and back to her old friends and her old life again.

Things don’t go exactly as planned.  Jane can’t find a job in her niche field and the thought of moving to San Diego on her meager savings has her terrified.  Her mother comes up with the perfect plan.  Her aunt and uncle need help running their B&B for a few months while her aunt recovers from surgery.  Jane decides to pack up and make the move to Arizona to be their chef working for her room and board while she searches for a job.  It’s not ideal, especially since Jane is not good with people.  An introvert, she’s much happier hiding from the world.

As Jane makes her way to Arizona, she comes across a scared stray dog at a rest stop.  Jane makes the decision to bring the dog with her and turn her over to the local animal shelter and plans to forget about her.  After the loss of Barnum, she has no intention on letting this mutt steal her heart.  She’s also determined to have as little interaction with the B&B’s demanding guests and the annoyingly handsome handyman that lives nearby.  Soon, both the dog and the handyman are working their charms on Jane and she just needs to decide whether she can open her heart again.

I really did enjoy this book, but Jane was incredibly annoying and thick-headed.  There were a few laugh out loud passages, especially when talking about her husband’s ashes and what she does to try and fulfill his dying wishes.  But there were times where I just wanted to smack her upside the head or take her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her!

I was not quite as satisfied with the ending.  I wish it could have gone on a little longer to see more into the future, so much potential either for a longer novel or a sequel in my opinion.