Three Cowboys and a Puppy

Charming opposites attract, friends to lovers romance When Luke separated from the Marines, he brought his two best friends home with him to help run his family ranch in the mountains of Northern California. After a harrowing winter, Luke is still coming to terms with all the trauma he's endured, both in the military and since. Bernie has always had a crush on her best friend, Luke, and now that he's back she can tell that something's wrong. She knows he has a lot to sort through, but there's only so much she can do to help, especially since she's kept busy with her bakery and online business as well as running the local humane society non-profit out of her barn. When Luke asks her to help him get another woman's attentions, she realizes it's past time for her to turn her own attentions elsewhere. I didn't love this book as much as the first one, mainly because I was exasperated with Luke most of the time. He comes across as less mature than he did in the earlier book, and his path to redemption was not nearly as complete as it should have been. Still, Bernie is a delightful character, strong and determined in her own way, and I loved how she was able to find balance in her life without having to give up any of her pursuits. I also appreciated how she was not at all shy about calling Luke out on his stuff and not letting his excuses go unchallenged. I loved the realistic relationship between Luke, Noah, and Max, even with its endless complications. Emotional intimacy is the absolute hardest thing, especially for men, and I really love the way it was addressed here. I adored the friendship between Jen and Bernie, and was happy to see Sally in a larger role. The HEA was a bit of a let-down because while Luke did address a big issue, it wasn't the one that Bernie kept insisting he address throughout the book, which left me feeling a bit like there's still more work to do before their HEA is solid. But, since there will be at least one more book, I'm hoping we'll see more progress for Luke and Bernie in the future. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

One of my favorite things about this story are the puppies–so many puppies and kitties; I just wanted to have them all. When a story has the ability to make me laugh and also shed a few tears then I know it’s a winner for me and this book did all that and more. I’m intrigued by Max, Luke’s friend, who I’m sure will be the MC in the next book. I’m looking forward to reading it. I also hope we hear more from Luke and Bernie. A copy of this book was provided at my request; this is my honest review.

I loved it.