Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle Narrator: Callie Beaulieu
Series: Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #1
Published by Tantor Audio on March 26, 2019
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Length: 9 hours, 50 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble
Bounty hunter Molly Pax fought hard for everything she has, turning the bail recovery business she shares with her sisters into an unqualified success. So when their sticky-fingered mother jumps bail and puts the childhood home up as collateral, Molly's horrified. To make matters worse, every two-bit criminal in the Rockies now sees her family's misfortune as their next big break.
She needs help, stat.
Enter rival bounty hunter John Carmondy: six feet of pure trouble, with a cocky grin to match. John's the most cheerfully, annoyingly gorgeous frenemy Molly's ever had the pleasure of defeating...and he may be her only hope of making it out of this mess alive.
I enjoy everything I’ve read by Katie Ruggle, which is mostly romantic suspense. In Her Sights starts off a new series, Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters. There is a free anthology, Turn the Tide, which includes an introduction to the series, Any Necessary Force, which I really wish I had read first. *OK I read it last night and it doesn’t help with the issue I had.*
I felt a little lost initially dropped into this world and the prequel could have helped. The romance here is the part which troubled me as it seemed to happen too quickly. In Her Sights makes it seem like they have been acquaintances for awhile. The prequel makes it clear they have just barely met. Possibly, I was just more absorbed in the action and mystery.
Quickly, it becomes clear Molly keeps a tight rein on herself, as she has been hurt too many times. She doesn’t have any time for herself as she has to keep the business running and support her family. So possibly she was just too busy with her family and business to realize who John was and how he felt about her.
We don’t get to see much of John’s inner thought process so he seems a little too good to be true so it’s not surprising Molly can’t believe he likes her. On the other hand, her mother is a little too bad to be true. So some of the characters are not quite believable. As we get to know the main ones though, they become more authentic.
While it seems there will be a new couple in each book, but some of the overall story arc of the business and cases will carry through the series. I’ll be looking forward to more in this action-packed series in a gorgeous Rocky Mountain setting.
Narration:
I listened at my usual 1.5x speed but it took me awhile to settle into this narration. I have listened to her before and it was on other books by Katie Ruggle. Somehow, the voice for Molly sounded too old? It’s one of my things sometimes but by the end I was comfortable. The narration of both male and female voices was well performed, with some variation for each person. The performance did add to the emotional feelings and increased my enjoyment.
Listen to a clip:
About Katie Ruggle
A fan of the old adage “write what you know”, Katie Ruggle lived in an off-grid, solar- and wind-powered house in the Rocky Mountains until her family lured her back to Minnesota. When she’s not writing, Katie rides horses, shoots guns (not while riding, although that would be awesome), cross-country skis (badly) and travels to warm places where she can scuba dive. A graduate of the Police Academy, Katie received her ice-rescue certification and can attest that the reservoirs in the Colorado mountains really are that cold. A fan of anything that makes her feel like a bad-ass, she has trained in Krav Maga, boxing and gymnastics.
| Rating Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Plot |
|
| Writing |
|
| Characters |
 |
| Narration (Audio) |
|
| Overall: | |
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
- 🎧 We Solve Murders by Richard Osman @richardosman #NicolaWalker @PRHAudio #LoveAudiobooks - September 17, 2024
- Sunday Post – 15 September 2024 @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality - September 15, 2024
- Series on Saturday: HGTV Edition @katecarlisle @JulietBlackwell #CallieCarpenter @dianekellybooks @bennett_jenna @mstessabailey #SeriesOnSaturday - September 14, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Audiobooks
- 2019 Releases
I didn’t mention it in my review. But I did feel like I never got to know John well other than that he is into Molly and puts up with a lot because he does seem to already love her before she’s aware of him as more than a nuisance.
And, yeah, her mom did have the cartoon villainness thing going for her. 😉
I look forward to seeing what comes next with the sisters.
I’ve not tried these on audio, but I do get what you mean about how a voice has to sound like the right age or it gets distracting.
I enjoy this author and I’m sure I will love the series. But the sort of insta-love with not much about John didn’t work for me.
Is it possible this is a spinoff? I’ll make certain, though, if I read this to definitely start with the prequel. Good review, Anne!
I’ve read all her stuff so not a spinoff. The prequel didn’t really help. It almost made it worse because then it was clear she didn’t even know who John was and he was already insta-love. The romance was weird. I did enjoy the rest of the story and I’m sure I will love this series.
I’ve got this one on my list to listen to very soon, so I only skimmed your review. I have that anthology, but I haven’t read the prequel. Good to know that I don’t HAVE to read before listening to this one. I might still try to give it a go though.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
I would always read in order when you can. The prequel is very short. I mean you wouldn’t have to read the other 3 novellas. I’m reviewing it Thursday btw.
I do want to get caught up with Katie Ruggle’s books. This one sounds like something that I would like. Too bad the story didn’t ease you into meeting the characters a bit better.
I loved the action, mystery and the characters. I just didn’t like the way the romance happened.
I have this one to read. I really enjoyed her Rocky Mountain K9 series and I like when a series features different couples in each book but still connect overall.
The K9 characters aren’t in this one but it is also set in Colorado. If you enjoyed it, you will likely enjoy this, as I did.
I enjoyed this more than you, but I got the impression they all know each other from the biz and sort of went with it. LOL
Yes, but unfortunately the prequel shows clearly they didn’t which made it even more weird. That was what I assumed just listening to this one. It was all good except the kind of insta-love.
Darn Insta Love. Not my favorite but read many books and bound for it to happen. Many authors can pull it off for me. Sometimes first books in a series is not hit. Glad you still liked it enough to continue the series.
I’m sure it will be a great series. But the combo of insta-love and wanting a bit more character development with John held me back a bit. I enjoyed this book though.