Puppy Kisses (Forever Home Book 3) by Lucy Gilmore

source: free review copy via Sourcebooks Casablanca
title: Puppy Kisses (Forever Home)
author: Lucy Gilmore
pages: 352
published: June 30, 2020
first line: Stealing a dog turned out to be much easier than Dawn had expected.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

blurb:
Is it too much to want the dog and the guy?

I’ve never been one to take life too seriously. I’ve always been kind of a whirlwind free spirit―Dawn Vasquez, the girl with the sunny disposition and the flighty personality. But then an adorable golden retriever puppy in need of rescue crossed my path and everything changed. Now, I’m wondering just what life would be like if I put some roots down and offer Gigi, my rescue pup, the promise of a real home.

Unfortunately, as I’m about to hunker down for some full-time puppy love, Adam Dearborn, a hopelessly buttoned-up cowboy rancher, enters the picture and insists he needs a guide dog and it must be Gigi. I’ve got no choice but to fight for my puppy and convince Adam that there are plenty of other dogs who would suit him. But somehow, our little tussle turns into a serious attraction, and now I’m wondering if for the price of a kiss, I can convince this handsome, slightly stuffy cowboy to take on both the puppy and me, so we can all have the chance of a forever home.

My thoughts:
Puppy Kisses is the third book in the Forever Home series but I’m happy to say this installment reads fine as a stand-alone.

In this book Dawn runs a dog rescue/training service with her sister Lila where they train the rescues to be service dogs. Dawn rescues a mistreated lab puppy and brings her to Adam Dearborn’s ranch. Adam and Dawn have a past history together and the two still have chemistry and seeing each other once again stirs up old feelings. The plot mainly centers on Adam and Dawn rekindling their romance while Dawn trains a service dog for him.

First off, Adam is a great hero. He’s a cowboy, owns his own ranch and he’s blind due to meningitis as a child. His being blind is not mentioned too early on and you need to be paying attention as you read to pick up on it.
Dawn is an extroverted social butterfly and a free spirit. She and Adam compliment each other well since he’s more quiet and down to Earth. Dawn feels she will never settle down and sells herself short a little thinking she’s not marriage material. Adam is more work oriented and doesn’t really make time for romance. The story includes other characters like Adam and Dawn’s siblings that have been featured in the previous books and the author gives enough backstory to make this fine as a stand alone.

Puppy Kisses is pretty much what I expected when I chose to read this one; fluffy romance with puppies in the plot and a cute cowboy. While I enjoyed this one overall I found that the way Dawn and Adam met up again to be far fetched. It seemed like a stretch in order to get Dawn to Adam’s ranch and back into his life to rekindle their romance. However, once these two met up again the storyline flowed easy and this was sweet contemporary romance. The dogs in the storyline like Great Dane Uncle and Lab Gigi were also really cute. If you enjoy reserved but sexy heroes, sassy heroines and books with puppies in the mix you might like this one. I like the cover.

I’ll close with a few favorite lines from -Puppy Kisses (Forever Home Book 3) by Lucy Gilmore:
“All she had to do was walk into a room, and Adam forgot about anything and anyone else in it.”

“That was the problem with being rescued-with being loved. Once you got used to things like soft touches and family gathered around the dinner table, it was hard to let go of them again.”

“There’d been only him: Adam Dearborn, solid and stalwart, honest and real. He was the first man to offer her that-not some flashy lifestyle designed to charm her out of her panties, but just himself.”

Special thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for my copy of Puppy Kisses.

About the Author
Lucy Gilmore is a contemporary romance author with a love of puppies, rainbows, and happily ever afters. She began her reading (and writing) career as an English literature major and ended as a die-hard fan of romance in all forms. When she’s not rolling around with her two Akitas, she can be found hiking, biking, or with her nose buried in a book. – quoted from Amazon



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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I received my copy of Puppy Kisses (Forever Home Book 3) by Lucy Gilmore via Sourcebooks Casablanca. Some of the links in the post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission.

Survive the Night (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit #3) by Katie Ruggle

source: free ARC via Netgalley and Sourcebooks
title: Survive the Night (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit 3)
author: Katie Ruggle / {Twitter}
pages: 352
published: February 6th 2018 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
genre: romantic suspense
first line: “Alice!”
rated: 3 out of 5

blurb:
He’s always been a haven:
For the lost. The sick. The injured.
But when a hunted woman takes shelter in his arms, this gentle giant swears he’ll do more than heal her battered spirit—he’ll defend her with his life.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen always had a soft spot for anyone in need. As Monroe’s very own Dr. Doolittle, he dedicates himself to rehabilitating the injured souls that cross his path—but for all his big heart, he’s never been in love.

Until he meets Sarah Clifton’s haunted eyes. Until he realizes he’ll do anything to save her.

All Sarah wants is to escape a life caught between ambitious crime families, but there’s no outrunning her past. Her power-mad brother would hunt her to the ends of the earth…but he’d never expect Sarah to fight back. With Otto and the whole of Monroe, Colorado by her side, Sarah’s finally ready to face whatever comes her way.

It’s time to take a stand.

my thoughts:
Survive the Night is book three in the Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series Katie Ruggle and as soon as my dog loving self saw the awesome cover and read the blurb my attention was peaked. This author has the “hot cops with dogs” book cover market mastered by the way, take a peek at her website to see for yourself. This installment had its good and its bad parts and I would like to read the first in the series to get a little more backstory. I’m going to pick this one apart a little. This review contains minor spoilers.

This third installment starts off with Alice being held captive by her brother who is planning on marrying her off to a man from the Jovanovic family against her will. He is using her as a pawn. A mysterious man helps Alice escape from her brother’s highly guarded house and she ends up in small town Monroe, Colorado under a new name, Sarah Clifton. Her escape contact connects her with Jules and Grace along with a couple of police officers from the Monroe P.D. Sarah is to live with them until her brother and his goons are captured and she can consider herself officially safe. Jules and Grace were also on the run at one point and victims of the Jovanovic clan.

Enter canine officer Otto Gunnersen who is a viking type teddy-bear who rescues stray animals and cares for them at home. He has a horse, a goat, a cat and a pit-bull mix among others.