NOME-O SEEKS JULIET 

An Odds-Are-Good Romance #2

 Katy Regnery

Release Day: November 4, 2019

Buy Amazon | Apple | B&N | Kobo

New York Times bestselling author Katy Regnery returns with the second book in her Odds-Are-Good series!

When a lonely vet(eran) and an ambitious vet(erinarian) work together to win the Qimmiq 200, sparks will fly…

Montana-born veterinary student, Juliet Sanderson, is disappointed when her project on the treatment and care of sled dogs falls through due to the illness of a local musher. In an effort to salvage her study and graduate, she answers the personal ad of Alaskan musher, Cody Garrison, who is desperately seeking a teammate for an upcoming co-ed race, The Qimmiq 200.

Cody Garrison, a retired U.S. Marine, doesn’t tell Juliet that he was left permanently disabled during his time in active service, fearing that she wouldn’t agree to race with him if she knew. But once she arrives in Alaska, discovering the truth about Cody’s past will be inevitable. Will the partnership they’ve agreed to, and the off-the-charts chemistry between them, be enough to see them through the rigors of training and secure them the win of their lives?

This book was more than I was expecting. It is a stand-alone story even though it is part of the Odds are Good series. It takes place in Alaska and centers around dog sledding which is something I have not read about before. It is obvious that the author researched this book well, and the whole experience just comes alive on the pages. 

But the stand out in this book is the hero, Cody Garrison. He is retired from the military and lives an isolated existence in Nome, Alaska with his dogs. He has challenges that he fights daily to overcome, but he still has insecurities and has self-worth issues. He places an ad in the magazine since he needs a female partner to qualify for a race with him.

Juliet Sanderson is a veterinarian student and needs a new subject for her grant study. Answering the ad seems like her only choice on a short timeline and getting away from Montana is just what she needs. She is smart, sassy, strong, and determined. She needs Cody and this experience for her project, but finds she loves being there for the dogs, the adventure, and Cody himself.

They got off to an awkward start and never expected to be attracted to each other, have crazy chemistry, or catch feelings. Her acceptance of Cody gives him much needed hope. The way he treats her makes her believe that there really are good men out there. Soon things are heating up, but now their original short term arrangement is getting more complicated.

How do you find a way to be together when your future plans take you in completely different directions? That whole saying about "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" is seeming like a crock in reality. 

My heart broke for them as they found who they wanted to be with,  but struggled to figure out how to make it work. I totally fell for Cody. He was self-conscious and had so many challenges and responsibilities. He was a bit uncomfortable at first, but had such a big, loving heart and just wanted to find someone to share it with...even though he was afraid to hope that would be possible. But he was also resilient, adaptable, and cared enough to be self-sacrificing. And Juliet was brave and not afraid to stand up for herself when needed. The side characters, even the dogs helped make this story feel real.

The scenery and experience make it a unique, tension-filled adventure, but the beautiful love story is the heart of it. It's emotional, intense, steamy, sweet, and swoony. I loved getting both of their points of view. I felt every bit of loneliness, despair, hope, joy, wonder, and excitement. It is about acceptance, priorities, taking risks, and trying to find a way to sustain love in an impossible situation.

Cody Garrison needs a female partner for the last race to qualify for the Iditarod. He doesn’t need to place, just finish, but race rules say the 2-person teams must be co-ed. He waited too long to partner with any of the local mushers, and they’ve paired up with more experienced mushers anyway. His last resort is a classified ad in the hopes of finding someone he can train.

Juliet Sanderson needs a subject for her study on the connection between sled dogs and their musher. As a veterinary student in her final year of school, she has only a short time to find a replacement before she loses her fellowship. The classified ad her best friend finds seems like the perfect fit, but she isn’t sure he will want to be studied if he is really looking for a race partner.

A last ditch effort for both of them turns out to be exactly what they didn’t know they were looking for.

This turned out to be more than I expected. Stemming from a classified ad, I was sort of expecting light and frivolous. But Cody has a lot going on that makes him a more dynamic character than just a dog sled racer. He keeps to himself, and chose Nome, Alaska partly for the fact that it is a small town that he could hide in. but has such a backstory that his reasoning for being nervous about Juliet’s arrival is so understandable. He is awkward and a little brash when she first arrives, which makes first impressions negative. He lacks confidence when it comes to his physical impairment, which causes even more tension between them when Juliet finds his secret.

Juliet was an equally interesting character. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to like her in the beginning. She seemed like a rather naive college student getting mixed up with a professor, but I grew to love her dedication to the animals, her sensitive nature, and her willingness to do what needed to be done.

The major reason this wasn’t a full 5 star read for me was the speed at which they solve all their problems at the end. It felt a little rushed, especially with a few of the more emotional moments that happen towards the end. But I also loved those epilogues. The final one, in the form of a newspaper article, described everything I could have hoped for this pair.

This was one of those books that caught me by surprise. I read it in nearly one (longer) sitting because once I was pulled into it, I didn’t want to put it down. Juliet and Cody had me rooting for them as they raced, and cheering as they worked through geography, careers, and differing ideas of what the future looked like. Though there are only 2 standalones so far in this series, this is by far my favorite of the two and will be hard to outdo, but I can’t wait to see who else will be impacted by an ad in the Odds-Are-Good personal (or classified!) sections.