Thursday, October 15, 2026

Book Review: Rescue Me by Kelly Collins

 

Book Description

A small-town mill owner in over her head. A construction boss with a plan to save her. And a business partnership that turns personal fast.

Carla "Carl" Stevenson has been running the family lumber mill in overalls and steel-toed boots since before she could drive. Now the market has tanked, her brother wants to sell, and a corporate developer is circling Frazier Falls with plans to bulldoze the town for cattle farming. She'd rather go down swinging than hand over her family's legacy.

Owen Cooper has been buying lumber from "Carl" for years. He never realized Carl was a woman. 

When he meets Carla, she's everything he didn't expect: tough, stubborn, and completely unimpressed by his reputation. He's got an ambitious eco-building project that could save the mill, and she's got the lumber supply to make it work. All they have to do is trust each other.

That's the hard part. Carla doesn't trust charmers, and Owen has never given a woman a reason to stick around. But the more time they spend together, the more their business arrangement starts to feel like something neither of them planned for.

With a corporate shark playing dirty and the future of their town on the line, Owen and Carla will have to decide if they're partners, or something more.


My Review

This is the first book from this author that I've read but I know I want to read more now. 

Carla and her brother run the family lumber mill. Carla has been selling the Cooper brother's lumber for years, but most of them know Carla as Carl and never knew that the person they'd been buying from was a woman. Carla and her brother, Rich are trying to figure out a way to keep the lumber mill going after their parents passed away but it's hard. After Carla and Owen meet, they come up with a way to keep the lumber mill afloat because the lumber mill closing would hurt the Cooper brother's business as well. 

There's a bad guy who offers to buy the lumber mill, but his offer isn't good and they think his intentions aren't good for the town or its people. 

The Cooper brothers have been buying lumber from the lumber mill for years but the brothers thought it was run by two brothers. So when Owen has to show up to the mill to fix an order in person, he's very surprised to find out that Carl is actually Carla.

Owen has plans for a Green House Project, but he has debilitating panic attacks and needs someone to do the talking to the investors. He and Carla come to an understanding so they can help each other out of the bind they're in. 

Rich, Carla's brother wanted to sell the Mill, and he acted like a jerk because Carla wanted to wait until the end of the month they were given by the buyer to think things over. Rich, acted like a grade A jerk for too long and I didn't like it one bit. But he does eventually come around. 

I really liked this sweet romance between Owen and Carla. They like each other from the start and need each other's help which brings them closer together. As they get to know one another, the spark just ignites for them, and it was fun to watch. Owen's brothers made me laugh quite a bit. I need to read the other books in this series now. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.


35 comments:

  1. Sounds like a romance novel with an actual plot!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It sounds a sweet and entertaining romance

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love a small-town romance like this.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You seem to be reading books faster than they are printing them.
    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nothing beats a charming trope done right, Mary! The mix of lumber mill legacy, mutual business rescue, and Owen’s relatable vulnerabilities makes Carla and Owen sound like an easy couple to root for. (Even if brother Rich needed a sharp kick in the pants for most of the book!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol Rich really did. It was a good book.

      Delete
  6. Sounds like my kind of romance. :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds sweet. It also sounds like you really liked the writing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am glad you enjoyed it, Mary. Thanks for sharing this review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds good Mary.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the review Mary, that sounds like a fun read.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sounds good, it's fun when you find a new author you like!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This sounds good. I've read a few of her books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you? I really like her. I'll have to go back and read some of her other books.

      Delete
  13. Sounds interesting. These days I read rather serious stuff, however.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's ok. You're reading and that's what matters.

      Delete
  14. This sounds cute and easy to read!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Seems like he needs a rescue from her as she is trying to swallow his face, not that we wouldn't as well....

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is my jam 100% I've not read this author before. I'm adding it to my list. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh good! I hope you like this one too.

      Delete
  17. Aww this sounds lovely

    ReplyDelete

This is an Award-Free blog. It is a lovely gesture, but I am unable to comply with the terms of the awards so I have made this an Award-Free blog. Thank You for understanding.