About a Dog (Bluff Point Romance, #1)

by Jenn McKinlay

Fall in love with a little help from man’s best friend in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay’s contemporary romance debut.

Mackenzie “Mac” Harris fled her hometown of Bluff Point, Maine, after being left at the altar—and seeking solace in the arms of her best friend’s off-limits brother. Now, seven years later, she’s back to attend her best friend’s wedding—safe, or so she thinks, from the mistakes of her youth.

But Gavin Tolliver has never forgotten the woman who has always held his heart. And when Mac rescues a stray puppy named Tulip, only Gavin, the town’s veterinarian, can help. With a little assistance from Tulip, Gavin vows to make Mac realize that their feelings are more than just puppy love...

• ISBN10: 0399584714
• ISBN13: 9780399584718
• Publish Date: 30 May 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780399584718

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Coffee Dates with About a Dog

• First Date: Mac left Bluff Point after her fiance left her at the altar. In her grief, she slept with her best friend's younger brother. She fled Point Bluff and never looked back. She has never told anyone about that night. She now lives in the city and is in a relationship of sorts with a man who has asked that they take a break. Her best friend is getting married and as the maid of honor, she heads back home. With two weeks of activity will she be able to resist Gavin?



• Second Date: Gavin is now the local veterinarian and all grown up.  Soft spoken, sexy and loves animals who could resist? I loved their first interaction after so many years. While Mac is pretending nothing happened Gavin is declaring his intentions. Oh boy!  Poor Mac is out of sorts between her attraction to Gavin and his declaration that he wants a repeat of their night together. Mac is damaged and as McKinlay peels back her layers we see the cracks brought on by her jilted fiance and the odd relationship she is currently in. We get to know several secondary characters and lordy but Mac's aunts are a hoot. When Mac finds an abandoned puppy she turns to Gavin for help. A suspenseful thread appears when a man claiming to be the dog owner shows up. Gavin and Mac soon find themselves tangled in the sheets and I felt their connection was genuine. Now if only Mac can accept it and find her happy.  I struggled a little in the middle of the book and wanted Mac to be less indecisive, confess to her bestie and tell her on a "sabbatical" boyfriend to beat it.



• Third Date: A wedding, a jerk, and secrets revealed kept me flipping the pages during the last date. We see growth in Mac and witness her open up her heart and form attachments again. It was fun seeing Mac figure it all out. Threads regarding her previous fiance proved interesting and allowed Mac to make peace with it. Gavin was patient, delightful and determined. It was nice having a hero who is inherently good and loves animals. The pacing was off a little for me, and as much as I loved the setup one needs to take a break from reality to accept two weeks of pre-wedding activity. I will say that I ended my dates with a smile.

Copy provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[pagesbycyndy]

The opening chapter of this book had me laughing! I knew then that I was going to enjoy Mac and her friends. Mac is going home for the first time since she was left at the altar and is still embarrassed by it. I also like this small Maine town that was very nicely described in this book. mac is the type of character that I always enjoy reading about , funny , tough but lovable.  Gavin is a veterinarian and seems quite interested in Mac , he also sounds very dreamy and I found myself wondering why Mac was not dating him in High School.....  Then to make this book an even more enjoyable experience , enter Tulip a runaway/stray puppy who just steals my heart! Mac takes a bit longer to fall in love with Tulip but eventually the bond is formed. I appreciated the author writing about animal cruelty in this story and how it is intolerable, I know that it is a tough subject to introduce in this type of book but kudos to Jenn McKinlay for doing an excellent job! There were quite a few scrapes and scuffles involving Mac that were hilarious, I found myself laughing out loud a few times! All in all a very enjoyable, heartwarming book. I am happy that this is the first book in the series and there will be more to follow.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge