Catch and Keep is a delight. It takes place in the North Woods in Wisconsin and has a heroine who loves to fish. I knew I was in for a good time when I saw for all the lake girls in the author’s dedication!

Maren has just broken up with her boyfriend in a dramatic scene in front of her family and friends. She and her boyfriend both worked for Michigan Forestry (she was a park ranger) and after he secretly applied for a promotion that she wanted and he got the job, she told him she wanted a break. But instead he proposed to her in front of her family and friends and she vomited on his shoes and ran. She needs to get away and decides to go to her old shack on the lake and fix it up. (She inherited the shack and bait shop from Mr. Foster, an old fisherman and family friend who taught her how to fish.) It is the perfect project to work on while she decides what to do next. The lake setting is breathtaking and now I want to go there!

She and her dog are out on the beach one morning when she sees a handsome man–he lives next door–playing with his two kids. Her older brother, Liam, shows up at the lake to check on her and introduces her to Joe, his best friend from childhood. Joe is newly divorced – his wife left him and their kids when he returned home after three tours with the Marines in Afghanistan. His four year old daughter, Lucy, is autistic and a challenge. He has his hands full although his parents help him out when they can. He and his parents manage their family resort which is next door to Maren’s shack.

Maren sees that Joe could use an extra hand in the morning getting the kids off to school so, the next morning, she takes over muffins and helps his son, Anders, pack a lunch and get on the bus while Joe helps his daughter, Lucy, get ready for her special preschool. (The way the author described Lucy’s autism felt very real and is handled with care.) Maren is also great with Anders who dreams of catching a musky. In fact, my favorite scenes in the story are when Maren takes Joe and his kids out fishing.

They enjoy seeing each other in the resort lounge in the evenings, when Joe is working at the bar. Guests and locals sing karaoke and it’s sweet when Joe sings a Bon Jovi song to Maren. They share some steamy times whenever they are able to catch a few minutes alone together. She’s been working as a fishing guide at the resort and loving it and is almost done fixing up her shack. She’s trying to decide whether she should apply for other park ranger jobs. Joe asks if there is any chance she could stay through the holidays because he feels there is something between them and would like more time for them to get to know each other and happily, she agrees to stay. We see them meet new challenges together as they have holiday meals with their families and work through drama with Joe’s ex.

I struggled a bit with Maren’s brother, Liam. He gets upset at Maren for getting together with Joe because he feels Joe is too fragile after his divorce and he‘s mad at Joe for hooking up with his baby sister. This went on for far too long and is my least favorite part of the story. (Although I did enjoy seeing Joe finally stand up to Liam.) And while I liked parts of the side plot about Maren‘s YouTube channel, Musky Maren, which she had when she was a teen, the resolution of it felt awkward and unresolved to me.

Maren’s best friends are couples from earlier books, Lorelai and Craig from Friends Don’t Fall in Love and Shelby and Lyle from Built to Last, (both got DIK reviews here) and they have cameos in Catch and Keep. There’s a funny scene when Craig and Lyle FaceTime with Joe to share advice for him to help him win over Maren.

I really enjoyed being transported to a lake in the Northwoods for this heartwarming romance. My criticisms about it are vastly outweighed by how enjoyable and sweet it is. I highly recommend it.