Review – Once Upon a Puppy by Lizzie Shane

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Once Upon a Puppy by Lizzie Shane
Series: Pine Hollow #2
Published by Forever on May 25, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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Opposites attract when a straitlaced lawyer and whimsical party planner must fake-date as co-parents of a rambunctious Irish wolfhound in the second book of this im-paw-ssibly charming small-town romance series.

Connor Wyeth has a plan for everything. But when he adopts Maximus, an unruly Irish wolfhound mix, he gets more than he bargained for. If he doesn't act fast, the big dopey mutt is going to destroy his house. The only person Max ever listens to is the volunteer who used to walk him at the shelter—a perennially upbeat woman whose day job is planning princess parties for little kids. Connor couldn't ever imagine that she'd be able to tame such a beast as Max, but he's desperate enough to try anything.

Deenie Mitchell isn't looking forward to spending more time with uptight, rules-oriented Connor—no matter how attractive he is. But when her sister announces her engagement, Deenie realizes he's the perfect person to impress her type-A family. When she learns he needs a plus-one for his law firm's work events, an unlikely alliance is formed. But as they play the perfect couple, the friendship—and the feelings—that are forming start to feel all too real. Opposites may attract, but can the man with a plan for everything and the misfit who makes her own rules ever find common ground?

I thought that this romance was simply delightful! This is the second book in the Pine Hollow series but each book in the series features a different couple so it can easily be read as a stand-alone. This series originally caught my attention with the dogs that grace the covers but I found myself coming back because of the fantastic characters. The small-town only adds to the appeal. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover.

This book features Deenie and Connor. These two appear to be polar opposites on the surface and I wondered how they would ever make it work but I was more than willing to find out. Connor is a lawyer working to make partner at his law firm. He is organized and plans everything out. He has everything under control, everything except his dog Max. Deenie is a free spirit. She doesn’t stay in one place long and wants to see as much of the world as she can. She has pink hair and is usually covered in glitter, especially if she has recently led a princess party. She also is fantastic with animals and agrees to help Connor out with Max. When it turns out that they both are in need of a plus one for some upcoming events, they strike a deal that should help them both.

I loved Deenie and Connor. They were perfect together and they had a lot of great chemistry. I think that they balanced each other out very well and I liked how natural they were with each other when nobody else was around. They both had some pretty big issues that they were dealing with and I loved how they were able to be so supportive of each other. The other members of the friend group were wonderful and added a lot to the story.

I would recommend this book to others. This is a cleaner romance with fantastic characters that I have grown to love. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing).

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