Shelter Me

Col. Allen McDaniel was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, and his family is devastated. Sgt. Mike Kowalski brings Allen’s dog, Trooper, back to the McDaniels and the precocious pooch sets about making things right, one person at a time. Sierra McDaniel helps her mother keep the ranch running and the family functioning while carrying a full course load at school. The last thing she wants is her dead father’s dog; neither does she want to remember the passionate moments from her brief affair with Mike. But the connection between the two is still strong, and they to resume their affair. Trooper’s asides expressing his thoughts, memories, and opinions about the family are some of the funniest moments in this romance. The story isn’t just about the love between Sierra and Mike—it also covers the love between mother and daughter, grandfather and granddaughter, dog and human, neighbor and neighbor, and even the army and its troops. There is indeed plenty of love to go around, and animal fans in particular will be swept away by it. (Aug.)