ARC mini-review: Feliz Naughty Dog (The Dogmothers #5.5)

Feliz Naughty Dog (The Dogmothers #5.5)

by Roxanne St. Claire

Blurb:

Pru Kilcannon has one goal when she wakes on Christmas Eve – to perform the most “Random Acts of

Christmas Kindness” so she can spread cheer and ensure her high school wins the county-wide “RACK IT UP” contest. But when her friends decide to team up with their boyfriends, the ever-helpful Dogmothers enlist the new kid in school as Pru’s partner for the contest. And that means good-girl Pru has to spend the entire day with the broody, moody, and crazy cute bad boy Lucas Darling, and his chaos-causing greyhound, Tor.

As if that wasn’t enough holiday havoc, Pru and Lucas have to accompany the grannies on a secret mission to check out a man Yiayia has met on an online dating service. Gramma Finnie is convinced Aldo Fiore is a mobster, Yiayia thinks he’s her dream man, and Pru just wants to be sure her great-grandmothers don’t get themselves arrested — or worse. There’s no telling what could happen when the Dogmothers spy on an eighty-year-old who might be playing a rather flirtatious Santa at the mall…or might be hiding from the Feds.

But no one expected the real trouble to come from Tor, the former racing dog who causes mayhem and mall madness. As Pru and Lucas attempt to control Tor, supervise the Santa Stalking, and knock out a few random acts of kindness…they also give in to a delicious little Christmas crush that just might lead to some magic under the mistletoe this year!

Themes:  Holiday, Contemporary, Short story

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Well I love a good holiday comedy of errors and no one does it like Roxanne St. Claire and the Dogmothers (plus their granddaughter/honorary Dogmother) and this holiday season the craziness is at an all new high.  One granny is hunting love, another is feeling lonely and jealous, and one teenager is feeling her very first teenage crush on a boy that is thrown into her path by her Grannies. It is amazing the maze of crazy antics and drama that Rocki can squish into a single short story, but it never amazes me that she is able to bring such sweetness and holiday cheer into her stories.  I loved this story for several reasons and I will try to explain without providing too many spoilers. Firstly, you see one of the Dogmothers on a quest for love, but she soon realizes that everything she has been looking for was in front of her all along in her best friend and roommate (well almost everything, but we can do without that if we have the other stuff).  Another of the Grannies, has to come to terms with the fact that even at her age, sometimes change can be good and that the best kinds of change are the kind that come with love.   Next you have a teenager who is learning a lot, as she meets a young man that has caught her eye and is thrown into crazy situations that allow her to see right into his heart, reminding her how important it is to not judge a person on their looks, gossip, or their reputation only. All together these three ladies, some old and others young, are learning the most important lesson of the holidays, coming together with friends and family in love is the best and most important way to spend the holidays no matter how crazy it gets or how much work it takes to have a happy holiday. I loved every second of this story, and especially enjoyed getting to meet an all new dog with his own message to deliver and look forward to seeing him more as hopefully Pru and Lucas become closer friends in future novels.  This series continues to grow sweeter and more loving, but the most important thread remains the love of these Dogmothers that has come through the generations and will continue to the next.  Rocki gives us another holiday masterpiece with Santas, puppies, mobsters, and love all rolled into one sweet, magical, Christmas gift that I hope you all enjoy unwrapping as much as I did.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.