GONE CAMPING-325 [Mass Market Paperback]

I love, love, love this book! Now I must let you know that I am a big fan of Gail Sattler. All of her books are great (you should read all of them, especially At Arm's Length), but I think this one is her best. The relationship between Garrett and Roberta is very real, deep, and had my heart sighing with happiness. This book is also really funny and the side characters are interesting too. I would recommend this to people who are big fans of Heartsong Presents, Love Inspired, or just romances in general. I hope it sweeps you away like it did to me the first time I read it, as well as the many other times I have read this wonderful little book.

Roberta Garland, aka Robbie, just lost her job, due to her cheating fiancé. Instead of wallowing in self-pity at home, her friend coerced her to go camping with her and her friends. Arriving first to set up, her inexperience reared its ugly head and Robbie was having a frustrating time setting up camp. Along comes Garrett Lamont, Mr. Ranger. Dismayed, he always showed up when Robbie was at her worst. But as their camping trip progressed, Garrett began to feel more for Robbie. Still stinging from her ex, can Robbie put aside the past before she missed out on her chance at love?

Oh man. Talk about having a bad day. In one day, Robbie's fiancé cheated on her, then got her fired, then she was forced to go camping by herself with no idea of what she was doing, hurting herself repeatedly trying to set up camp and then became a target for a stalker. You can't help but sympathize for our heroine. However, Robbie tended to be overly emotional, which was logical but still can be annoying when she was running hot and cold with the hero. Despite that, I have to admire her for allowing her faith to give her strength to rationalize she was not at fault because her relationship failed. Robbie was a very levelheaded lady when she wasn't acting contradictory. Garret, the forest ranger, was my kind of guy. He had a chivalrous streak a mile long and was always there to protect and assist Robbie whenever she needed him. So sweet. Of course, no one is perfect. The author tempered his perfectness by allowing him to be too rigid or strict in his views. For example, Robbie pulled out some wildflowers. Garrett got really upset and was willing to writer her up. Luckily, they convinced him to let it go since she didn't know. Despite being good together, considering the circumstances, I'm glad Robbie hesitated in going into the relationship on the rebound. It made it more believable even though Garrett had to suffer a little bit. This little touch of realism made the story more relate-able. Instead of a whirlwind courtships you might find in most romances, they decided to learn more about each other before rushing off to marriage.

This story was absolutely charming. Gail Sattler did a wonderful job of keeping the humor coming. Good writing. Good characters. There was not much character development but it was minor detail one can overlook. Every scene will ensnared your attention and you won't want to stop reading. Would I recommend this book? Definitely. Should you rush out and get it? Not really. If you are looking for a hot read or a plot intensive story, this is not for you. Side Note: This is the first book in the Vancouver series. You can find Robbie's ex-fiancé in book #4.

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars