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Summary
Summary
Man's best friend is turning out to be his worst enemy...
I have one chance to redeem my family name- take a rundown Miami Beach apartment building and turn it into luxury condos. Easy, right? Sure, if you're not faced with a bunch of angry neighbors-and smart and sassy building manager Riley Carson-who are all salty about me tearing down their precious dog park. Listen, I like dogs as much as the next guy, but this is business.
Her bite is definitely worse than her bark...
Caleb Donovan has absolutely no understanding of the value of a community dog park. And try as I might to convince him-with help from my big-hearted dog LouLou-the man is intractable. If only he weren't also adorable. I'm supposed to be rescuing the dog park, not drooling like a shelter puppy. The attraction between us is the last thing I need...unless I can somehow convince him that what's best for business isn't always what's best for the heart.
Author Notes
Mara Wells loves stories, but especially stories with kissing. She works in academe, and lives with her family and two rescue dogs-a poodle-mix named Houdini Beauregarde and Sheba Reba Rita Peanut, a chihuahua-mix in Hollywood, Florida.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Wells's cute enemies-to-lovers debut, the first in her Fur Haven Dog Park series, is full of humor and heart. After Riley Carson is laid off from her Miami resort job, she's hired to manage the Dorothy, a rundown senior housing building that she believes her grandmother owns. She learns she's mistaken when the real owner, Caleb Donovan, swoops in and attempts to replace the Dorothy with luxury condos in the hopes of redeeming his family name following the arrest of his CEO father. One of the Dorothy's parking lots serves as a makeshift dog park, and Riley rallies the dog owners and their pets to protest Caleb's construction. Caleb is charmed by the spunky, beautiful Riley and her poodle, LouLou, and offers to build the town a real dog park as a compromise. He and Riley grow closer, giving in to their mutual attraction, but Caleb feels betrayed when he learns that the protestors have filed a lawsuit against him. Animal lovers will delight in the large cast of canine supporting characters in this well-paced romance. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, the Seymour Agency. (Feb.)
Booklist Review
Caleb Donovan wants to redeem his family name by turning a rundown South Beach apartment building into luxury condos. His grandfather's only stipulation is that Caleb's two brothers have to work with him on it, and they don't want to. Another obstacle is the fact that this plan would turn the local dog park adjacent to the building into a parking lot, which the building's manager, Riley Carson, and her poodle, LouLou, are determined to stop. Yet in spite of this beyond-compromise conflict, Caleb and Riley are not destined to be enemies. How they manage to become lovers in the midst of all this trouble is the heart of the story. Wells' debut is a funny and sweet romance featuring dogs, Miami, and cantankerous grandparents. Readers can expect more canine-inspired entertainment, since this is billed as the start of Wells' Fur Haven Dog Park series.--Mary K. Chelton Copyright 2019 Booklist
Kirkus Review
An antagonistic couple find love through meddling grandparents, troublesome pets, and a real estate rehab project in this enemies-to-lovers romance.The Dorothy is a senior-living apartment complex with personality, but building manager Riley Carson knows she's in a little over her head. After a public scandal involving her previous employer, a fancy resort, she left her job to help run her grandmother's apartment complex in South Florida. Unfortunately, the building is in desperate need of TLC, and Riley knows the residents' fixed income limits the improvements that can be made. Caleb Donovan takes one look at the Dorothy and sees luxury condominiums in its future. That would also mean displacing the complex's residents and turning the beloved neighboring dog park into a parking lot. Though Caleb is clearly painted as the bad guy, looking to gentrify a neighborhood and run out its inhabitants, his motivations lie in saving his family business. It'd be easier to understand his plight if he didn't drive around in a Porsche and clothe himself in high-end brands. The quirky characters, both human and animal, overwhelm the romance between Riley and Caleb; they're far more entertaining than the main couple. The solution that would work for Riley and Caleb in terms of the Dorothy is obvious from the start, and readers may feel frustrated that the two of them don't reach a compromise sooner. At the very least, the romance and setting are cute enough to persevere to a happily-ever-after, and animal lovers will enjoy seeing the distinct personalities of the Dorothy's residents and their pets. More cynical romance readers may rankle at the saccharine setup and pampered pups.Expect a toothache from this overly sweet contemporary. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
DEBUT Riley Carson lost her job when the Donovan family's resorts went under following multiple scandals. She is now the general manager of her grandmother's 55-plus residence, the Dorothy. The Dorothy's Art Deco facade and interior have seen better days, but it and the adjoining, impromptu dog park are the heart of the neighborhood. Caleb Donovan doesn't quite see it that way. When his grandfather makes him aware of a property that survived the liquidation, Caleb sees an opportunity to restore the family name and business: a new condo and a money-making parking garage would be an excellent start. When Riley and her neighbors discover the plan, they come together to save the Dorothy and the dog park. Even though it's against his financial interests, Caleb can't help being attracted to Riley and her cause. Neither Riley nor Caleb are great at compromise, but they will have to find a way to save the business and their relationship. VERDICT In this delightful debut novel, Wells sets the stage for a warm-hearted series with a twosome who just can't seem to hate each other.--Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash
