The Marine's Mission by Deb Kastner

The Marine's Mission
by Deb Kastner

ISBN-13: 9781335758637
MM Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired
Released: June 29, 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Wounded ex-marine Aaron Jamison always follows orders—and the assignment to take on a service dog is just that. Trainer Ruby Winslow is definitely barking up the wrong tree when she insists a beauty-parlor poodle is his perfect match. But Ruby and her clever canine are determined to melt the heart of this battle-hardened marine. And they'll teach him an unforgettable new trick—love.


My Review:
The Marine's Mission is a romance. I thought the service dog aspect would be interesting, but I ended up feeling like I knew more about the training and use of service dogs than the author (and it's not like I've researched the topic). When Aaron comes to get his service dog, he has no idea of what one can do to help him and Ruby demands that he simply trust her judgement. Each listed his injuries several times in their thoughts, but there's no scene where Ruby explained how the dog could help with his various issues. She wanted him to discover how useful the dog could be from experience, which made the first weeks unnecessarily tense. It's several chapters in before we even learn that the dog is trained for mobility issues, and it's not until the end that we get a list of things the dog can help Aaron with. More time was spent on running the dog over the agility course than on the service dog skills.

The author also wasn't consistent about how Aaron was injured. In one place, it was tackling someone off a landmine. In other places, it's from an IED blast. The romance mainly took place in the last two weeks of training as they were frustrated with each other for the first week or two. Ruby was kind even when frustrated, and Aaron tried hard even though he couldn't see any need for a service dog. Working together quickly turned into admiration and attraction, though, and Ruby's family helped Aaron envision a future rather than dwell on what he could no longer do. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.