From Publishers Weekly
Donovan whips up a fine frappé of romantic comedy and suspense. Josie Sheehan, obituary feature writer, joins her dog-walking friends in a vow to give up on men. After a drunken motorcycle crash left Rick Rousseau nearly crippled and his date comatose, he swore repentant celibacy. Of course, the two can't resist each other, and their first date is laugh-out-loud hilarious, but when Rick's old girlfriend slips from coma to coffin, drama ensues. Donovan creates delightful characters in Josie and Rick and a fine supporting cast in the dog-walkers and Rick's rehab buddy. Even the villain is a sympathetic character, though the end of his plot is cut disappointingly short. Excessive gushing over the trappings of Rick's wealthy lifestyle is the novel's only flaw.
Passages
On the joy of dogs
Just then the front door opened and Genghis charged through, the leash gripped in his teeth as he raced down the hallway, his wiry fur blowing back enough to expose a pair of eyes wild with the joy of living.
On the proper presentation of tea
"Umm, Gloria?" Josie took a deep breath. "Have you done this sort of thing before?" The woman's eyes brightened with a devilish gleam. "Do you mean have I ever been forced to drink off-brand tea in a cheap Styrofoam cup?"
Well, not to contradict Publishers Weekly, but the group found a few more flaws than the excessive gushing about Rick's wealthy lifestyle. Mainly, we felt none of the secondary characters (Josie's circle of friends) were all that well developed and were surprised to see that this book was the first in a series. The concensus was that Genghis, the Labradoodle, was one of the best things about the book.
Rating: 2.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Dedication: This book is dedicated to my dear friend, Arleen, with appreciation for the thousands of miles weve trekked with our dogs, our double strollers, or dogs and double strollers. Frische Luft, baby!
Epigraph: The more I see of man, the more I like dogs. --Madame de Stael
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