REVIEW: Forever Found by Allyson Charles

In Forever Found (Forever Friends #2) by Allyson Charles, Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Moretti thinks Marla Popov is a total airhead that only cares about money and how she can spend it. Still, she saved the shelter where he works, so it’s not as if he can ignore her. But when an injured dog comes into the shelter to be looked at, Gabe knows something bad has happened to the dog and probably countless others. Will Gabe be able to track down the illegal dog fighting ring or will Marla pay the price because Gabe is blindsided by the past?

She dropped her face into her hands and groaned. “I sexually harassed a man and didn’t even realize it.”
Izzy sputtered, drops of chocolate spraying the tablecloth. She set her mug down and patted her mouth with her napkin. “What now? I think I must have misheard you.”
“You heard right,” Marla said glumly. “I propositioned Gabe, a man whose salary I indirectly fund, for sex. I even did it in his workplace!” How could she have been so thoughtless? She massaged her temples. “Oh God, I’m the pervy landlord in a hundred bad porno films.”

Although I wasn’t all that fussed on this book the moment I started reading, even though I liked the hero a lot, I found that I couldn’t warm up to the heroine in the beginning. She comes off as someone that believes she can do whatever she likes just because she has money and I could understand why Gabe isn’t all that taken with her. However, it was from the moment where the heroine propositions Gabe and then the hero discovering that there could be dog fighting happening in the area where this story really takes off, as the hero is determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on and Marla is determined to do the same. Will Marla’s snooping lead to trouble?

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories, especially that of the hero, because he feels such guilt over what he had to do to stop the illegal activities his family was involved in. Still, he’s a good guy and isn’t going to let anyone hurt animals the way the one that’s come into the clinic was. Will Gabe uncover the truth of the dog fights before it’s too late? Moreover, as this story progressed, I really warmed up to the heroine, as she has insecurities that lead to her not feeling good enough. However, she’s smart, resilient and I liked that she didn’t give up on getting to the bottom of what was going on with the dog fights. I also liked how much of a challenge she provided for Gabe, as she’s good for the hero in the way she pushes him out of his comfort zone and gets him to lighten up instead of being so serious all the time. Certainly, Gabe seeing Marla as the enemy the way he does ups the sexual tension between them until their strong chemistry spills over onto the pages in hot sex scenes.

”I was wondering when you’d get here.” Marla jolted. Her wine sloshed over the rim of her glass as she spun. Gabe steadied her hand. “Easy. Lydia and Kevin only brought ten bottles of their wine. Gotta make it last.”
Marla lowered her eyebrows. “Was that a joke? Are you attempting humor?”
“I can be funny.” He held his neck stiffly, the cords sticking out.
“No, that’s not really your thing.”

While the hero, he’s resilient, courageous, smart, hard-working and I liked how determined he was to turn his life around. No way did he want to live a life of crime like his family. I also liked the close friendships he has with Brad and Dax, especially since Dax knows how to annoy Gabe as much as Marla does or maybe even more than the heroine does. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero was his determination to protect Marla and how determined he was to get to the bottom of the dog fights because there’s always a chance that people will think that he’s a part of it, considering his past and who his family is.

”You never said it back.”
Marla blinked awake. “What?”
Gabe ran his fingers through her hair, combing out the damp strands. “In the van. All night. I’ve been waiting for you to say it back.” He cleared his throat. “Guys like to hear those words sometimes, too.”
Raising her head to look at him, Marla arched an eyebrow. “Do they now? I thought you’d prefer if I show you.”

Overall, Ms. Charles has delivered a really good read in this book where the ending had me worried for one of the main characters and took me by surprise because of who turned out to be running the illegal dog fights. However, I liked how things worked out for this couple, as Gabe and Marla as so good together. Certainly, opposites attract is true in this couple’s case. I would recommend Forever Found by Allyson Charles, if you enjoy the opposites attract trope, the enemy to lovers trope, contemporary romances that encompass some light suspense; or books by authors Stacey Keith, Debbie Burns, Jamie Ferrell and Kristen Proby.
 

Book Info:

Publication: October 9th, 2018 | Lyrical Shine | Forever Friends #2

IS LOVE GOING TO THE DOGS?

Head vet at the Forever Friends animal rescue shelter, Gabriel Moretti is known as the Dog Whisperer because of his gift for soothing rambunctious patients. But it’s the two-legged species that has him, and his libido, working overtime. Marla Popov single-handedly saved the shelter from financial ruin. But the bossy trust funder is even more irritating than her snooty Standard Poodle. You’d think keeping his attraction on a short leash would be a no-brainer for Gabe. Unfortunately, Marla is also
smart, beautiful, and intriguing . . .

Most of her life, people have been eager to tell Marla just what she wants to hear. So now that she’s nearing forty, she doesn’t expect to be refused—especially by a sexy younger man like Gabe. She also doesn’t expect it to sting so much. But when she discovers a scheme involving illegal dog fights, she gets a chance to show what she’s truly made of. And as she and Gabe team up to fight it, they discover a surprising respect for each other—and passion that might just grow into love. . .