This is my second novel by Victoria Schade and I have absolutely fallen in love with her novels! They are light hearted reading with romance and tons and tons of sweet dogs! The adorable doggies on the cover just get me every time and this one is no different. I jumped at this one because it sounded too cute and that dog on the cover was screaming ‘read me!’.
By Schade’s books are more than just adorable dogs on the cover, I have really loved the romances that are woven into the story. This one was especially tender and adorable. I fell in love with Griffin about as fast as Justine! He was so charming and thoughtful.
If you love romances in the vein of movies like Must Love Dog, this is an author that you absolutely need on your radar! I am 100% a dog person, but anyone who loves animals will enjoy how predominant they are featured in the story. The animals take on roles of their own and I loved learning about dog handling and training throughout the story. Fetch this one on your TBR immediately!
Summary
What do you do when you discover your four-legged best friend might belong to someone else? From the acclaimed author of Who Rescued Who comes the charming story of a custody battle between two pet parents who would do anything for the dog they both adore.
Justine Becker could not be more in love with her rescue dog, Spencer. He’s her best friend and colleague at her dog supply store, Tricks & Biscuits, in upstate New York. When she discovers a heartbreaking social media post trying to locate a dog that looks suspiciously like Spencer, Justine realizes that her beloved pup might actually belong to someone else.
Her worst fears are realized when she and Spencer meet up with Brooklyn-based Griffin McCabe, and he wants Spencer back. He claims he is the dog’s rightful owner, and has the paperwork to prove it. But Justine refuses to roll over and let him take Spencer without a fight.
It’s not easy juggling Spencer’s burgeoning new career as a dog actor, along with the demands of her life upstate, all while constantly trying to prove she’s a better pet parent than Griffin. Their not-so-friendly competition teeters on the edge of flat-out hate, so when romantic feelings for Griffin catch Justine off guard, she needs to determine if it’s all part of his plot to win the pup back, or if the guy who was good enough for Spencer might also be good enough for her. (summary from Goodreads)
Review
I loved that this romance was written for the modern woman—-even if you don’t love dogs or animals (I am secretly judging you if you don’t love animals thought!) the romance between Griffin and Justine is nuanced and features real life issues that any new couple might encounter. Justine and Griffin have many common goals and values, but yet they are very different people with their own lives before they met each other. They had to work to address their issues and decide if they were better together or not. It wasn’t a romance that was angsty but rather real and there was never a question if they loved each other, simply that they needed to figure out how to make room in their lives for on another and I really appreciate that.
So many of the romances I have been reading lately have been fraught with angst, usually there is a character that’s trying to fight the attraction/love but in this one, it was clear that Griffin liked Justine and had feelings for her (and vice versa) but they needed to sort out what that might look like. I really appreciated that and it made me love Griffin all the more for the fact that he never questioned his feelings for Justine, simply the logistics.
My only issue was I would have liked to have seen was things from Griffin’s perspective. It wasn’t a huge deal but I would have loved to have seen what was going on in his mind when he was with Justine. Obviously this is more of a style preference, I still loved the book even if we only got Justine’s side of things.
Besides the wonderful romance, I really loved all the behind the scenes things for the tv series with Spencer! I never really stopped to think about all the behind the scenes things that go on with pets in a tv show or movie! It sounded so intense and equally fascinating, I loved that aspect of this story. I know that in her other novels Schade includes a lot of dog training bits in her story and honestly it never gets old. It’s interesting especially because I have dogs. Some people might find it tedious, but I think it’s interesting and I think the author does a good job making it interesting and not overwhelming. I was also really captivated by the whole how to prove the dog is yours situation. I never considered the steps one would have to go through to prove that their dog was their dog! Insane and so interesting!
Spencer and Griffin stole the show in this book and I cannot wait for more doggie romances from Schade! I adored this one!
Book Info and Rating
Paperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: March 30th 2021 by Berkley Books
ISBN0593098854 (ISBN13: 9780593098851)
Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: romance
The Lit Bitch 