Must Love Dogs...and Hockey

by Kelly Jamieson

[Sam@WLABB]

After being rescued, a dog is abandoned in Easton's building. Though it was supposed to be a temporary situation, Easton could not resist this dog and knows he cannot not handle him alone. Fate brings him into contact with Lilly, a down on her luck dog walker, and though Easton wasn't looking for romance or a dog, he found both to be welcomed additions in his life.

I am well known in these parts as a hockey romance lover, but Jamieson went and sweetened the deal by working an adorable pup into the story. Could things get any better? Well, they actually did, because I found this to be quite a fun, sweet, and heartwarming romance.

Lilly and Easton were fantastic together. Lots of chemistry and great banter made them easy to ship, but in each other, they also found the encouragement and support they had been missing. Lilly was still recovering from losing her job and her ongoing whistleblower case. At the same time, she was trying to blaze her own path with a new dog-walking-day-care type business. Not many people believed she could make this work, but Easton did.

Jamieson ripped my heart out with Easton's backstory. Wow! Utterly heartbreaking. I don't want to go into detail with this. It ends up being something really important in this book, and I want you to uncover it all as intended. Needless to say, Lilly was a gift for him. She was someone to give him the love and affection he had gone without for so long. She helped him process a lot and encouraged him in many areas of his life.

As with all her novels, Jamieson assembled an interesting group of players to inhabit this world, and I am eager to learn more about them. I watched them play, on and off the ice, and enjoyed the camaraderie they shared. The family vibe was alive and well, and that's something I love seeing.

I need to mention the dog, Otis. Nothing like some 6 foot 5 man being handled by a pup. Watching their bond grow was something that melted my heart. And, we all know dog antics can add a fun element to any story. Otis definitely earned all his page time, and he was just the sweetest thing.

I greatly enjoyed getting to know Lilly, Easton, and Otis. That epilogue has me chomping at the bit for the next book too! I anticipate a feels tsunami based on what was revealed at the end there, and I can't wait!

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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