Shy, lonely Sadie Harte spends more time fostering animals than fostering human relationships. But when her newest rescue, a balding Chihuahua named Tish brings home a big, gross Cicada in her mouth, it gives both girls a chance to make friends with the boys in the apartment next door. Buck Boswell (whom you might recall from Foster's Men of Courage series) is dog sitting his friend Riley's Chihuahua, Butch. After spending three months wondering about the spinsterish Sadie, Buck is delighted to find her running around in just her nightgown while she tries to dodge her bug toting dog. When the two Chihuahuas meet its love at first sight, rather than break the duo up, Buck decides to use the opportunity to find out more about his next door sweetheart.
After being stood up at his own wedding, ex-football star Sam Grogan, decides to drown his sorrows at Krispy Kreme with his Bull Mastiff, Darcy. Unfortunately, Darcy is more excited about making new doggy friends then he is donuts and runs across the parking lot into the path of an oncoming van. Swerving to avoid hitting the biggest dog she's ever seen, Jessica Hall instead rams a dumpster and totals her car. She wouldn't care so much, but she's transporting three rescue Pekingese from Virginia to Rhodes Island, and she doesn't have enough money for another car. When Sam offers Jess and her dogs a ride, they set off on a trip they'll never forget.
Its opening day for Penny Jameson at her new veterinary clinic and her first customer is nine-year-old Miranda with a box full of motherless kittens. While Penny and her uncle Peter tend to the kittens, Miranda disappears. When Miranda's father, Mack Sanders, comes in asking about her, they soon find out she's been kidnapped by the same men who've been pet-napping animals from around the neighborhood to sell to companies for animal experimentation. But Peter's cat Familiar, the feline sleuth, is on the case. With Familiar's help, Penny and Mack not only solve the case and find Miranda, they also fall in love.
Okay, I'll admit it. I found this book to be a horrible disappointment. I'm a huge fan of Lori Foster and bought the book because her name was on it, but I could barely finish reading it. I've read most of Foster's anthologies and am beginning to think romantic short stories just don't work. I'm either left feeling like the couples are having sex/falling in love too soon, or I'm disappointed because so much other stuff happens besides the romance that the author ends up just tacking the romance in at the end.
I liked the writing, humor, and characters in Foster's story, but the love/sex happened so fast I felt like my head was spinning. Rolofson's writing and characters were good and the story was the most believable, but we never got to the good stuff. And Burnes' story was just ridiculous. I haven't read any of her other feline sleuth stories, but come on, a cat detective? What are we, seven? I bought the book because I like sensual romance and Lori Foster always delivers, I also happen to love animals. But this book was for the dogs. Sorry Lori, you know I love ya.
Emily Flippin Maruna
