dog days of love

Hazel Bristow is taking a minute. She just got out of a bad marriage and is staying at a friend’s house while she figures out her next step. It wasn’t enough that her ex had broken her heart, he’d also drained their bank accounts before he left town. Now she’s taking some time to get over him. But she’s not lonely. The five foster dogs she’s working with keep her from feeling alone. She has them trained so well that they didn’t even bark when someone broke into the house.

Just seconds away from hitting the intruder with her handy cast iron skillet, Hazel is shocked to find an extremely handsome man in the kitchen. He’s shocked too, insisting that the house was his. A quick call to the friend who was letting her stay there, and Hazel finds out the truth—her friends had sold the house, and she was once again without a place to stay.

Linc Kennedy bought the house in Florida to renovate it and sell it, hopefully for a tidy profit, and had no idea anyone was living there. And when she started packing up the few items she had and the five different dogs, he realizes that she doesn’t actually have anywhere to go. He offers her the guest house, at least for the night, and she agrees, at least for the night. But when she offers to cook him dinner (she was just about to make herself something), and he finds out what a great chef she is, they come up with a new plan.

Hazel gets to stay in the guest house with the dogs, and Linc will employ her as his cook. He offers her a salary in addition to a place to stay, and Hazel figures out that she can take the salary and bank it towards a down-payment on a rental. It would help her take care of the dogs and make a plan for what’s next. But what she doesn’t realize is that what comes next just may be falling for the handsome house flipper in front of her. Especially when it turns out how great he is with the dogs she’s fostering.

But Linc has a secret. He’s just out of a bad relationship too. He thought she’d be different, but in the end, she was just another girlfriend who was with him for his millions. So he’s very careful not to mention that to Hazel, so she doesn’t try to take advantage of him. But when he starts developing feelings for all his housemates, not just the dogs, he knows he has to tell her the truth about his money. But when can he confess his secret without destroying her trust in him?

Housebroke is the latest rom com from Jaci Burton, and it’s a sweet light-hearted story with lots and lots of dog love. Just as the foster dogs have been damaged by some of their past relationships, the humans here have been damaged also, and they are all finding healing together. There are lots of steamy scenes as well, mimicking the heat and humidity of their Florida house.

Housebroke is a little bit of family warmth and a little bit of icy attraction, with the blend of heat and sweet making it the perfect blend for a winter weekend read. I especially loved all the dogs with their individual personalities and quirks and how lovable they were. That was an unexpected surprise, and it was just the balm I was needing in the middle of a stressful month. If you’re a dog lover, then you’ll want to pick this one up and read it with your best friend nearby. But if your best friend is like Penny, and likes to walk off with anything she can call a toy, then you might want to held on to the book extra-tight.

Egalleys for Housebroke were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.