Lila Vasquez might not be the “fun one” at Puppy Promise―the service puppy training school she runs with her sisters―but she can always be counted on to gets things done. So when her latest client shows an interest in princess gowns over power suits, Lila puts aside her scruples, straps on the glittery heels, and gets to work.
If only the adorable six-year-old’s father wasn’t such an appealing Prince Charming.
Ford’s whole life revolves around his daughter…until he meets Lila. Smart, capable, and amazing at helping Emily gain confidence with her new service puppy at her side, Lila is everything he ever wanted―but she’s way out of his league. Good thing Emily and her new pup are up to the matchmaking task. This Christmas, it’s all hands (and paws) on deck!
Review:
Absolutely adorable!
Lila and Ford’s story was a whole lot of fun to read–the romance was really sweet, the puppy and Ford’s little girl were too cute for words, and Ford’s apparently contagious habit of spelling not-appropriate-for-six-year-olds words out loud made me LOL more than once. The secondary characters (Lila’s sisters and Ford’s next door neighbor, as well as Emily and her cockapoo Jeeves) felt realistic and fairly fleshed out, not as if they’re just there to advance the plot for our main characters.
Ms. Gilmore did a good job of showing the (many) insecurities that Lila and Ford had that were getting in the way of their relationship without making them overblown and ridiculous–even as they did their best to break my (and their) hearts, I got why they were doing and why they believed what they did–and yet, the ways she had them get over them and find their HEA also worked out well. It was more than a little heartbreaking to realize that Lila’s whole idea of how everyone else saw her her whole life was so off–that wasn’t all the fault of her ex–but seeing her begin to realize her true worth was wonderful. Ford too saw himself as less-than, though it manifested itself totally differently than in Lila–and his turnaround too was really rewarding. When I realized that this is just Lucy Gilmore‘s second published book, I was twice as impressed!
This was my first book from Ms Gilmore, but definitely not my last! Book 1 ( Puppy Love –) is already on my TBR, and book 3 (middle sister Dawn’s, I presume) will join it, as soon as it has a title 🙂
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.