Reviewed by: Babe King

Romantic Comedy

“The kiss was bad.” (p. 1)

So opens the book. I had to read on to see why, right?

Megan Rose moves to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to take over the run-down veterinary clinic of her estranged and drunken father when he retires. Recently divorced, she hardly expects to be woken with a sloppy kiss, even if said kiss comes from a handsome, four-legged stranger. With a tail. Hmmm. Naturally Megan tries to return the lost puppy to the address on its collar, only to find that Sutter Foley, the even more handsome software mogul in residence, swears the critter isn't his. He doesn't even like dogs –tantamount to blasphemy for someone like Megan who lives for beasts.

Much to her credit, the irrepressible Megan sees through Sutter's pretentious attitude and just knows that the reclusive man needs the dog as much as the puppy needs him. Since puppies have to visit the vet, getting Sutter to keep the dog also ensures she'll see him again. It's an arrangement made in jellybone heaven. So she guilts Sutter into it, sparking off a whole kennel full of fun, love and mayhem. Think Three Men and a Baby, canine style.

The dogs aren't the only warm and fuzzies in this rom com. Ms. Fox manages new twists on the usual steps of a romantic relationship. From the rain-drenched first kiss to the roll in sugar instead of the hay, this was cute. I was rooting for the hero and heroine all the way. The sex scenes were mildly hot – plenty of body and soul involved without too much graphic description.

Fox's secondary characters add a lot of color too. (I always love a book that shows the hero and heroine with their friends and family. It grounds them and adds dimensions we might not otherwise see.) Megan's friends are a hoot, and the gutter tabloid journalist's interference adds great tension.

In my opinion, this amusing book would appeal to any animal lover and those who like the light side of romance. With lines like, “That sperm is mine,”(p163) (said at top voice in a public place), what's not to love? I wonder what the next Elaine Fox book will be? “Porgy and Beast”, perhaps? Or “A Westside Stray?” With a cover quote from the goddess of romance, Nora Roberts, if nothing else, I want Ms. Fox's contact list.

I give Guys and Dogs four wagging tales, er…kisses. Share it with your furry friends.