ARC Review: It Started with a Dog (Lucky Dog #2)

It Started with a Dog (Lucky Dog #2)

by Julia London

Blurb:

All Harper Thompson wants for Christmas is the huge promotion she's worked so hard for--which she should get, as long as her launch of the hip new coffeehouse, Deja Brew, goes according to plan. Jonah Rogers is trying to save his family's coffee shop, Lucky Star, from going out of business, which will be tough with the brand-new Deja Brew opening across the street.

When Jonah and Harper meet for the first time after accidentally swapping phones, their chemistry is as electric as a strand of Christmas lights. He's a tall, handsome, compassionate hunk of engineer, and she's an entrepreneur whose zest for life is very sexy. They love all the same things, like scary movies, greasy food--and most of all, dogs. It's a match made in heaven...until Jonah finds out that Harper's the one about to put him out of business.

Only one coffee shop likely can survive, and a competition of one-upmanship ensues in a battle of the brews. The paws really come out when the local rescue shelter has a fundraiser where local businesses foster dogs, and patrons vote with their dollars for their favorite pup. Harper takes in an adorable old bulldog on behalf of Deja Brew, while Jonah fosters a perky three-legged dachshund for Lucky Star. As the excitement builds for who will be crowned King Mutt and king of the coffee hill, Harper and Jonah must decide if their connection was all steam or if they are the perfect blend.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 So once again I come to the hard question of whether I actually enjoy Ms. London’s Contemporary writing, which in the past was such a difficult question to answer that I almost past on this novel, but I’m glad I didn’t for once.  While I can say that I didn’t love it nearly as much as I do her historical work, this second installment in the Lucky Dog series was much more enjoyable to me than previous contemporary novels in the recent past for sure.  It took me a long while to make the connection to the first novel, mainly because it’s been a while and I didn’t love the first one enough for it to stick, but there is a connection and it’s interesting.   The story begins with a meet-cute between Harper and Jonah in a ride share when they are both on their way out of town for Christmas, which leaves them in possession of one another’s phone.  Harper is an extremely driven, uptight and overall odd character, making her a tricky to like in the beginning, but she has her moments and her odd sense of humor make Jonah laugh and lightens his heavy load.  Jonah is dealing with the heavy burden of managing his family business as his father recovers from a health scare, but the health of the business is its own scary proposition.  As Jonah and Harper chat through the holidays they begin to really like one another and decide to try getting to know one another when they switch back phones in person, but they both also have a lot going on professionally.  And when Harper’s professional future and Jonah’s begin to clash things between them become tense and a decision between personal connection and professional competition has to be made.  Some say competition can make a relationship more intense, but at some point I think both Harper and Jonah began to see that there wasn’t much worth for competing for, and instead they needed to band together to build the life they wanted together.

I really enjoyed this story much more than the first in the series, but there were a few things that made it less enjoyable for me.  I really didn’t like Harper’s boss and through most of the story her coworkers either, even if that was the intention to make her learn her lesson and move on with life.  Some of the other side characters, namely Jonah’s family and friends and, of course, the canine characters were much more enjoyable to read about, so they carried many of the scenes when Jonah and Harper were being idiots.  Harper was a woman that needed to find a way to experience a new way of living and let go of a lot so that she could find a happier life.  Having life goals is one thing, but she was really letting life pass her by until Jonah finally got her to start living it. I loved seeing her find a backbone and standup for herself with her boss and move on with her life in order to have Jonah.  Jonah is just the opposite, always giving so much of himself to others that he’s lost himself and I think meeting Harper was just what he needed to remind him that there can and needs to be a balance in your life in order to find happiness.  He was a perfect guy once her stopped martyring himself and accepted that sometimes being selfish is the best thing for everyone involved.  The love that developed between Harper and Jonah and sweet and came at just the right time for them both, giving them someone in their corner that they both needed.  I am looking forward much more to seeing where the series goes next and what type of canine craziness will be coming next. While the story didn’t blow me out of the water like some of Ms. London’s historical works, it was charming, engaging, and overall a satisfying read.

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