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Cavanaugh Justice #25

Mission: Cavanaugh Baby

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An Entertainment Weekly Top 10 Romance Author

From USA TODAY bestselling author Marie Ferrarella comes another Cavanaugh Justice book, and this time a baby's in jeopardy…

The only things Ashley St. James has ever allowed herself to love are her dogs. A child of the foster-care system, she never even knew her own birthday. When a dog in distress leads her to a brutally butchered woman whose baby was stolen, Ashley has a purpose—so she teams up with cop Shane Cavanaugh.

Losing his fiancée only ripened Shane's thirst for justice. But the closer he gets to Ashley, the more he wants to erase the tears she hasn't managed to dry. If they can find the missing baby and nab a psychotic killer first.

If you love this read from Marie Ferrarella, unearth more scintillating secrets of the Adair family in CARRYING HIS SECRET, her 250th Harlequin book! Available only from Harlequin Romantic Suspense!

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

28 people are currently reading
135 people want to read

About the author

Marie Ferrarella

1,231 books276 followers
Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
aka Marie Charles, Marie Michael, Marie Nicole, Marie Ferrarella

Marie Rydzynski was born on March 28 in West Germany to Polish parents. She moved to America at the age of four. For an entire year, Marie and her family explored the eastern half of the country before finally settling in New York.

Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.

Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.

After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.

In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.

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5 stars
57 (38%)
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41 (27%)
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35 (23%)
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9 (6%)
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5 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Paula Legate.
Author 17 books25 followers
October 18, 2013
This was a delightful story. I love the banter between Shane, and Ashley. The two kept me laughing for most of the book. I grew up in foster care, so Ashley’s story of her life made my heart ache for her. I was also proud of her. She had come so far, and everything in life she earned herself. This is the kind of book that makes you feel good after you’re finished with the book. Shane was a detective, and Ashley was a dog catcher for the police department. Ashley stumbled upon a murder, when she was called about a barking dog. Shane, and Ashley teamed up to solve the case. The romance between Shane, and Ashley was slow, and sweet.

Sample from chapter 3 – “You taking that dog to the shelter?” He called out after her. He honestly didn’t know why he’d asked that. He really didn’t care where the animal went, as long as it didn’t run through the crime scene again. “Why?” She asked, slipping a shielding hand around the terrier as if to silently communicate to the animal that it had no reason to fear anything as long as it was under her protection. “You want to question him later and rule him out as a suspect, too?” The woman’s feisty attitude intrigued him even as it annoyed him. “I want to tie up all the ends I can in my report. That includes where the dog was relocated.

Sample from chapter 6 – What she was, Shane decided, was the type who seemed to believe that animals were capable of a regular, deep thought process. He, however, didn’t. “And were they?” He asked, humoring her. “Were they okay with Albert staying with them for awhile?” She knew he was having fun at her expense, but she didn’t let on. Instead, she answered him as if he’d asked a serious question. “They were fine with it after a few rough minutes.” When she saw him raise a quizzical brow, she laid it out for him. “You know what I mean. They were checking each other out, sniffing butts and making sure the other dog was okay.” “Fraid that’s a little out of my realm of experience,” He told her, still trying to decide whether the soft spot she seemed to have for animals was in her heart or in her head. “I don’t smell a fellow detective’s butt to make sure he or she is on the level.” Ashley laughed at the image he’d created, and he found her laughter to be a soft, enticing sound.


Profile Image for Susan.
4,812 reviews126 followers
September 10, 2013
Very good book. Ashley works in the animal control section of the Aurora Police Department. When she's called to the location of a dog in distress she finds a woman brutally murdered and her baby stolen. Shane Cavanaugh is the officer who responds to her call. Because of her past as a foster child Ashley prefers the company of animals to humans - as she says "Animals don't lie". She is pretty blunt with Shane about her opinions of people. He finds her views on animals and their abilities and "emotions" pretty odd at first, but starts to come around as he's around her more. Ashley gets assigned as his partner in the investigation since the homicide division is a little shorthanded. This is Shane's first murder investigation and he and Ashley end up being an excellent fit in their investigative styles. Because of her time as a foster child Ashley is good at reading people and able to use what she knows to get them to cooperate with her and Shane. She also thinks of things he doesn't because of their different backgrounds. I loved the way that she started to get more comfortable with him, to the point of telling him some of the things about her past. She also started to dream a little about what a life with him would be like but with no expectation that anything would be possible "Because good things don't happen to me." I really loved her reactions to meeting various members of the Cavanaugh family, especially at Andrew's house. Her decision about the missing baby at the end was not a surprise.

Shane has been working a lot as he recovers from his broken engagement. His fiancee decided she didn't want to be married to a cop who might get hurt or killed. Shane has decided that he wasn't going to get involved with another woman for a long time to come. When he got called as backup for Ashley's call he wasn't impressed with her at first. He especially mocked her "woo-woo" attitude about dogs and their intelligence and emotions. But there was something about her attitude that also intrigued him. When she came up with a good idea for the investigation he ended up with her going along with him. As the investigation continued they worked together to try to find the murderer and missing baby. I loved the way that her presence grew on him and how he wanted to know more about her. The things that he learned were so far outside his experience that he didn't always know what to say, but he was good at silent support. I loved what he did when he found out about her lack of a birthday. It really showed what a good heart he had and how much he was beginning to care for her. I also liked the way that he was finally getting used to being part of the Cavanaugh family and how he went to Andrew for help. I really liked the ending to the story. Shane wasn't particularly smooth but he got through to her.
1,244 reviews3 followers
October 16, 2024
Cavanaugh Strong

Shane Cavanaugh, Police Detective, did not put his best foot forward when he met Officer Ashley St. James. In fact, he managed to belittle her multiple times. Can the Detective overcome his initial awkwardness and change Ashley's mind about him? Another fine book about the Cavanaughs. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Bonnie Drummond.
921 reviews19 followers
August 22, 2018
Marie Ferrarella was one great series going on. Mission: Cavanaugh Baby book 25in the Cavanaugh Justice Harlequin Romance Series. Being a Police Animal Control Officer and then a Temp Detective to help a very sexy Cavanaugh Detective solve a gruesome murder will take ever ounce of will power she has to get through this and save not only her heart but the harts of both the Detective and a baby.
532 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2014
MISSION: CAVANAUGH BABY - CAVANAUGH FAMILY SERIES #25 (Shane and Ashley)

From beloved author Marie Ferrarella comes another Cavanaugh Justice book, and this time a baby's in jeopardy…

The only things Ashley St. James has ever allowed herself to love are her dogs. A child of the foster-care system, she never even knew her own birthday. When a dog in distress leads her to a brutally butchered woman whose baby was stolen, Ashley has a purpose -- so she teams up with cop Shane Cavanaugh.

Losing his fiancée only ripened Shane's thirst for justice. But the closer he gets to Ashley, the more he wants to erase the tears she hasn't managed to dry. If they can find the missing baby and nab a psychotic killer first
644 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2013
I am a huge fan of Marie Ferrarella but for some reason this book didn't do it for me. The female lead seemed whiney instead of strong and silent. Her story was sort of dropped in piece by piece without any real discussion about her past. The love story was virtually non-existent until the last of the book when all of a sudden the male lead tells her he loves her and wants to marry her. I love romance and I believe in love at first sight and love happening quickly but I felt it was missing from this read.
Profile Image for Jen_C.
1,112 reviews56 followers
September 23, 2013
This is my favorite author so I must disclose I have high expectations, especially since I LOVE this series. I was a bit disappointed with this one. The romance and suspense were both slow & barely existent until a warp speed conclusion. The really emotional confessions/conversations that our main characters had were the best parts - those are why I read all of Marie's books.
Profile Image for Lorraine Bennett.
88 reviews2 followers
February 7, 2015
Nice, sweet, and makes time pass.

Characters were likable, story was predictable, but it did make me want to read more. I love happy endings, if I want to relax these are the books I will read.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
11 reviews
November 29, 2013
I would have liked it better if author had gave more background on Ashley. You never really get her history - just bits and pieces of her past.
Profile Image for Nancy.
2,596 reviews63 followers
September 15, 2013
This book started out SO terrifically then bogged down & fizzled. 3.5 stars
Profile Image for Leslie.
1,272 reviews6 followers
February 6, 2015
Really good!

Fast moving well thought out plot. Great characters, great dialogue. Was happy to find this on the 99¢ rack at Amazon. I'll look for more in this series.
Profile Image for Anna.
214 reviews6 followers
December 28, 2015
Mission Cavanaugh Baby

Love, love it!!!! If you want suspense, attraction and family this book will take you there. Great read with wanting to help in catching the bad people.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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