Sit...Stay...Beg (The Dogfather #1)
by Roxanne St. Claire
Blurb:
Garrett
Kilcannon, a former dot com super-success who now devotes his life to rescuing
dogs and finding them homes, prefers to keep his secrets buried as deep as a
dog hides his bone. So when he learns his father has invited a journalist to
Waterford Farm to write and produce an in-depth profile on him, he doesn’t care
that she’s a childhood friend or drop dead gorgeous. He has zero tolerance for
the media…until he sees a different side when she gets through the walls of a
rescue dog who’s refused to eat during her short stay at Waterford. Unwillingly
charmed and undeniably attracted, Garrett agrees to the interview that could
break down a few of his emotional walls, too.
Garrett might
not want to share the story of his colorful former life, but Jessie Curtis has
the skills to peel back the layers of this sexy, complicated, caring man. In
the process, she not only discovers his secrets, she finds herself falling for
a man who touches her heart in a way she never thought possible. Her entire
career is riding on this one explosive interview, but can she bear to repay
Garrett’s trust by selling his secrets? Or can a woman who gave up on happiness
a long time ago learn to believe that all it takes to rescue a lost heart is
the love of a good man?
Themes: contemporary
Rating: 4.75 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
One of my favorite authors has combined her
wit and charm in writing truly endearing romances with one of my favorite
current issues—the tragedy of animals being deserted and left to die in
shelters. As with some of the best series currently on the shelves, The
Dogfather series begins with a tragedy, the loss of the family matriarch much
too young, but the good that seems to come from that loss will be the basis for
the entire series and the changes coming to the lives of her family. Roxanne
St. Claire is one of those authors that can break your heart and have you in
tears one moment and then the next all is right with the world because the
lessons learned by her characters are realistic and lessons that each of us
sometimes need to learn the hard way. As with every first in a series, there is
a lot of world building and prep for the future stories, but interwoven with
that is the story of a girl that is going
to learn the true value she can have in the world and a man that has been
hiding for too long from a secret that should never have been his responsibility
to carry. And of course, not to be discounted, Roxanne introduces some fun and
lovable characters of the four-legged variety, Characters that some would
discount, but a true animal lover would understand are just as important to the
story as the two-legged characters, front and center in this story being the
lovable and depressed Lola, who will grab your heart from the minute you meet
her and not let go even when you turn the last page. If you are looking for a
truly charming, loving and fascinating romance, Sit…Stay…Beg will be the
perfect book to settle in with a mug of hot cocoa (or cold glass of sweet tea,
if you’re in the South like I am) and a furry love of two. I cannot wait to learn
more about the enigmatic and vastly different Kilcaannon family members as each
of Daniel Kilcannon’s children fall into his web and find their hearts stolen.
The lovers
in this story both have serious histories and hangups to deal with as they are
reunited after over a decade apart. While their joint history is pretty tame
and innocent, they have each had serious hurts and damage done to them in the past. Garrett has turned his life around, Returning to his childhood home after the death of his mother and giving up a lucrative job
as the head of his own company, but honestly it was an easy decision. Garrett has become disillusioned with the
opposite sex, not offering his trust fully, and certainly not willing to truly
open himself up for any further hurt. There is no denying he has a heart of
gold, because the animals he has devoted his life to trust him implicitely, but
his hurts have made him suspicious, grumpy and pretty much a bear to deal with
most of the time. When Jessie lands back
in his life there is an instant attraction, but her job is pretty
insurmountable for a man that is trying to hide his secrets from the
world. When he did finally open up and
let Jessie have a place in his heart, he shows us the true depths of his loving
heart and proves that animals really are the best judges of character. I hated
to see how easily he returned to the mistrust that defined his life at the
first hint of trouble, but thankfully his family is able to talk sense into him
and he comes to understand that truly loving someone means trusting them with
everything including your heart, secrets, and future. In the end Garrett proves
he is just the kind of man all us single women are looking to find and make
ours. (Any thoughts on where I can find my own Garrett, Rocki?) :)
Jessica
has led an interesting life, but for all the challenges she has faced and
overcome, she never really forgot the life that ended early when she was
shipped away from the home of her youth.
For Jessie returning to her hometown, begging for the help of a family
that once served as the highlight of her life and the fantasy life she wanted,
mean facing the differences in her reality and those fantasies. When she sees Garrett again there is no
denying she is still attracted to him, though he is certainly not the same
carefree young man she shared a single intimate moment with, but she is
desperate for his help and willing to give up a bit of her pride in order to
get the help she needs. I liked Jessie, her sweeteness, charm and ability to
bring the peace out in those around her is not a trait to be discounted. Just by being herself, Jessie has Garrett
falling under her spell and soon the fear and sadness that has weighed
him down for years is lifted. Her
willingness to give up her happiness in order to protect those she loves, even
at the expense of her only dream, shows the strength of her character and
provides an excellent role model for us all.
I loved getting to see Jessis kicking butts and taking names when
those she loves are hurting, even though he thinks she has lost any chance of
ever having that love again. In the end
these two characters were perfect for one another.
The
Dogfather series has definitely kicked off with a bang and I am thrilled to
have had the chance to enjoy this story before it was shared with the
world. Daniel Kilcannon is the type of family patriarch that can
sometimes scare those of us from families that aren’t as tight knit and in each
other’s business as this big loving Irish family, but in the end his skill and
love shows as he brings his children back into the fold and makes sure they all
understand just how loved they truly are.
Garrett has some darkness in him, from his past mistakes, and offering
his trust—or his love—is not something he does lightly, but once a woman has
earned his love she will do just about anything to keep it. Garrett is just the kind of man I would see
falling for the sweet, witty, and lonely Jessie despite his closed mind and
heart in the beginning. Jessie certainly
has her work cut out for her, professionally and personally, once she decides
she wants something personal with Garrett very much. Jessie has to overcome her own issues with
feeling unloved in order to offer her heart, but once she does there is no
stopping the tears when she is hurting.
The passion between Garrett and Jessie was the kind of slow simmer you
don’t really imagine will ever become a conflagration, until you realize the fire
has become uncontrollable and undeniable. I love sharing the heartbreak, love
and passion that Jessica and Garrett found together and I am looking forward to
watching them build their lives, including the loveable Lola, in future stories
in this series. As always I am amazed
with Rocki’s ability to bring together two people that you don’t think work out
on paper, but in the end their love is an experience that you are thrilled you
were able to share. I cannot wait to
find out which sibling finds love next and to get to learn more about this
fabulous, loving, and large Irish family and the fantastic animal sanctuary
that they call home.
*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.
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