Puppy Kisses

This story is as sweet as it's title hints to! I really enjoyed it! The characters are lovable and deep and I was rooting for Dawn and Adam from the get-go. Really fun story with great dialogue that kept me interested and hopeful throughout! Add in some steamy times and you've got yourself a nicely well rounded story. I'm liking what this author brings to the table very much!

4.5 stars — Who has avoided this review for no reason whatsoever? This girl!! I finished it last night, and I just can’t get my thoughts in order. I have no idea why. I’m just in a bad mood. Dawn and Adam’s story was NOTHING like what I was expecting. I mean, I’m not sure I was expecting anything, but I was completely caught off guard with them having an established sexual relationship when the book starts! Nothing in the blurb indicates that at all…in fact, the blurb is misleading in other ways as well. Oh gosh — I just finished ranting about a different book I basically all but DNF’d, and I feel like that rantiness is going to come into play, which is ridiculous, b/c I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I should have written this review this morning, now it’s going to be all tainted. Think Lenore, think! I LOVED how with Dawn we get a very sex positive heroine. You know how playboys don’t get the same shaming as manwhores, but they are very free with the loving? Dawn is like a female equivalent, and it’s super refreshing. She seriously enjoys sex, and she doesn’t feel shame for it. I LOVE that. I LOVE her. In most everything in her life she’s very strong, forthright, she knows what she wants and she doesn’t apologize for it. She’s hiding a very vulnerable heart, and she had a LOT to work through, but it was satisfying to see her get over her own insecurities and get what she deserved in life. I honestly really felt for how she saw her role in life — how she was resigned almost with the way people saw her…which was always partially correctly, but not some important parts. All 3 Vasquez girls had their own set of insecurities about their role and who they were. It was a really interesting series in that way. Adam was kind of fascinating, but I also wanted to shake him over and over and over! Man, that boy just made some boneheaded moves in the “assume I know what’s best” category. I was worried he wasn’t going to get there, but he did eventually. It might have taken just a titch longer than I wanted though. Obviously Gigi/Methuselah and Uncle were absolute gems. I adored seeing yet another way these incredible dogs can be trained to be such a life changing resource for humans. I mean, Gigi was just Gigi, though I ached for her start in life. I appreciated how her story played out, but I don’t want to spoil it. But yeah, Uncle was da bomb. And I loved them together, so adorable! As always there was an interesting supporting cast. It was great to see Sophie and Lila coming together for Dawn this time. And Phoebe and Zeke added their own colour (though I was pretty unhappy with Zeke during a certain scene). And then there’s Bea…Bea and Dawn the cow. Man, what characters. I’m not sure if it was my mood, but this was probably not my favourite of the three books — but I still loved it. I can definitely see seeking out more from Ms. Gilmore. I wish I could read more in this universe, but we’re kinda out of sisters.

This third book in the series, gives us the story of the last unattached Vazquez sister, Dawn. The sisters own a service dog training center. Dawn is the free spirit, and risk taker of the three, or is she? While that’s what she portrays, she really is a woman who cares deeply, and will do anything for those around her. As the story begins we find her stealing an abused dog in order to save him. Not wanting the cop that stops them to give her friend a ticket for speeding away from the location of “the crime”, she lies about to whom the dog belongs. Adam Dearborn, is a by the book rancher, who needs a guide dog due to his blindness. When everyone convenes at the ranch, he figures out what her brother and Dawn are up to and much to everyone’s surprise, decides he wants to keep the rescued dog. It was interesting to watch Dawn and Adam interact. That said, I have to confess that it was the least favorite of the stories in the series. I felt I had missed some background since as the story begins , it’s assumed we know the two of them have been having a relationship for a while. It just seems to be coming out of left field. Also, during a poker game, we are not clear on how Adam is able to “read” the cards and the ending was sort of rushed. Thus, for me, it was more of a 3.5 stars story, but having enjoyed the previous stories in the series, I will give it 4 stars. I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca. The opinions expressed are solely my own.