Faux Paws (The Dogmothers #6)
by Roxanne St. Claire
Blurb:
After bolting
from the church when she learned the groom waiting at the altar had cheated on
her, Ayla Hollis can now add “runaway bride” to her short resume. But this
perennial people-pleaser has broken free from her stifling upbringing and is
finally ready to begin a new life. She’ll start by openly admitting to the
world that she has a gift that might seem bizarre to some, but she can help
animals, and in a town that loves dogs, that makes her a local hero. Her first
“patient” is an emotionally damaged stray dog held in the strong arms of a
handsome, but skeptical, owner. Ayla soon finds it can be much easier to
understand an animal’s feelings than those of a man who refuses to believe her
abilities are real.
As Theo and Ayla
work together to help Clementine heal, they can’t deny one thing is real: their
sizzling chemistry that quickly grows to feelings of forever. But before the
Dogmothers can claim another successful match, Ayla’s psychic skills thrust her
into a perilous spotlight that threatens everything. With their love on the
line and a dog’s life in the balance, Ayla’s gift could save them all…but only
if Theo will finally risk his heart and believe.
Themes: Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
The
Dogmothers once again remind us of the healing power of love—between two people
in need of it as well as the love between a canine and their person(s)—in this
newest adventure in Bitter Bark, NC, the most dog-friendly town in America. I have been all-in with this series since the
beginning of its predecessor (The Dogfather Series) and I find that with each
story I become more invested in this family and dread more and more that I can
see the end in sight since we are almost out of family members in need of a
match. Gramma Finnie and Yiayia have
worked their subtle and magnificent magic again with the return of Theo into the
family fold and the introduction of a new friend, a woman destined to become so
much more not just to the family but to the town. The
story is filled with heartbreak, uplifting revelations, and the truth that
sometimes the family you are born into lets you down, but luckily we can choose
another family to give us just what we need in life and to offer us the love of
a lifetime. I have been looking forward
to this story for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is getting to see
more of Yiayia’s own little romance, but I was even surprised how much I was
brought to tears and then amazed as this fabulous story unfolded and Theo and
Ayla found their way through the labyrinth of heartbreak and disappointment they
were dealing with. I am dying to see
what comes next as we’ve gotten serious heavy hints for the last two kids in
the clan and who their matches might be, but as we know with Rocki, nothing is
set in stone until the last strike of her keyboard falls.
Ayla
Hollis has just made the first really rebellious choice in her life, running
out on her own wedding after finding out what a cheating rat her fiance truly is, but
luckily she has a good friend willing to put her up on her ranch and give her a
purpose with her animal rescues. She has hidden her truth for entirely too long
so when she has the chance to finally unload and share with her friend, the
relief and freedom it gives her brings the realization that it is time for real
changes in her life. Theo Santorini is
on the last leg of a long drive back home to North Carolina after his professional
and personal lives have imploded leaving him jobless, homeless, and suddenly
single—not to mention the reluctant rescuer to a traumatized rescue animal.
When he arrives at Waterford Farms, he is determined to do whatever he needs to
do to get Clementine healthy and happy, but when the sexy stranger introduces
herself as a freaking pet psychic he is way beyond skeptical, despite how drawn
he is to her. But the time they spend
together, becoming friends, and working toward the shared goal of Clementine's
mental health and upgrading the Last Chance ranch for their friend, the harder
it is to resist the connection between them.
Ayla wants so badly to claim Theo and be claimed in return, but she
refuses to ever settle for a man that doesn’t accept her fully, heart and soul,
including her gifts, and unless Theo can learn to really believe in her, they
have no chance of a future. Can such a
scientific minded and practical man really come to understand the woman that
has stolen his heart and understand just how deep their feelings have gotten,
or will he give up their chance at a future together?
Theo
is the quintessential practical scientist in so many ways, and it was intense
and frustrating seeing him denying and overthinking Ayla at every turn instead
of just accepting what his heart was telling him. I loved the sweetness he never failed to
share and the strength of mind and spirit he always exhibited as he worked
through his own fears and issues. It was
obvious he was hurt and had a lot of deep problems and concerns to work
through, but in the end all it took was seeing through the eyes of someone he
trusted empirically to come to believe wholeheartedly in the woman he loved and
her gifts. He might have been a little
bit frustrating at times, but it was easy to see that even when he didn’t fully
understand the depth of his feelings or even why he was so connected to Ayla,
he wasn’t willing to just let her go and he never tried to hurt her in his
ignorance or arrogance. Ayla was really
one of those people that got screwed big time in the family department to say
the least; honestly with parents and siblings like that, it’s amazing that she didn’t
become a total witch and was as selfless and sweet as she was, but her
connection to the animals and their need for her obviously had a lot to do with
that. After she finally decided to take her life into her hands, leaving behind
the dead weight of her old life and focus only on the good, she is free for the
first time in all her years. Her
strength, once she finally decides to live for herself instead of others, was
outstanding and beautiful to see as she stood up not only to those from her
past, but even to Theo as he shortchanged and tried to downplay her gifts again
and again. Her charm and passion for
helping the animals made her the perfect addition to the Waterford group and
all of the people that make their inner circle for certain, because you could
tell all her thoughts and focus was on those she cared about in any given
moment they had her attention, no matter if they were four- or two-legged. The best part of her story in my opinion was
her fearlessness in the face of danger to herself when it came to saving and
caring for those she loved and running into danger to protect her beloved
animals or man was a no sweat decision for her.
The heartaches she had to live through in order to hone the inner strength
of her steel backbone made me hurt for her, but in the end it was obvious she
was a better person than those around her and that she learned the right
lessons from those mistakes and encounters.
This
story of the small pains and hurts you can cause a person, even without meaning
to (which I guess is the true meaning of the name Faux Paws) is a wonderful reminder that words truly can hurt when
they come from a person that means something to us. Theo is determined to make no attachments
while he awaits his next big offer and then he’ll be gone from Bitter Bark, but
the sweet and sexy animal communicator has grabbed his attention even as he
continues to doubt her with every neuron in his brain. Ayla has finally found her freedom and place
in the world and would love for Theo to be a part of that, but his doubt and
the small slices to her heart he unintentionally causes are almost more than
she can bear as they get to know one another.
But once they both get to know one another more and come to terms with
the power of her gifts, Ayla and Theo both learn that they both needed the love
of the Bitter Bark crew in order to truly find their place in the world and the
freedom to express their love so they can be together. Once he accepted that, even if he couldn’t explain
it rationally, he believed in Ayla, Theo became the man she needed him to be
all along and they realized they were the puzzle pieces always missing from one
another’s lives. The chemistry and pull
between these two was there from the very beginning, but with so many obstacles
it took them a good long time to be able to give into their passions, but once
it did the warmth of their love and heat of their passion was undeniable. I loved every second of this book and would
have loved it to be even longer just to be able to continue enjoying time with
Theo, Ayla and Clementine. Of course the story of their pup, Clementine was
beyond heart-wrenching and made me angry enough to spit nails, but hopefully
stories like these spreading the greatness that is the canine, there will be
fewer and fewer of those stories in the future.
I cannot wait for the next story, whether it is Nick’s or Ella’s, but I fear
that once those are done the series will end and I’ll be in dire need of
another great series to read. Another canine masterpiece, Rocki.
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
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