Peppermint Bark (The Dogmothers #7)

by Roxanne St. Claire

Blurb:

Getting stood up for her high school prom turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Colleen Kilcannon. That's when Joe Mahoney offered to fill in as her date, and magic happened. By the end of that night, Colleen was ready to give up her dreams of flying the friendly skies and seeing the world…because nothing in that world could compete with her firefighter. She and Joe married, had a family, and remained deeply in love until he died in the line of duty, leaving her a widow for twenty years.

Tim McIntosh has avoided Bitter Bark for forty-five years. But when the international business executive returns to his home town to fulfill his father’s dying wish, seeing Colleen again is inevitable. Determined to deliver a decades-old apology, he visits the dog treat store she runs, where a couple of sweet old ladies persuade him to participate in Peppermint Bark, a holiday dog fostering program. They even have the perfect dog for him to foster, an impish Westie named Bucky. There’s just one problem...someone else has already claimed that dog. Someone Tim remembers quite well.

As Colleen and Tim rekindle their friendship and co-foster a dog that seems to only be happy when they’re together, old sparks ignite. But they only have the month of December together before he returns to his life of world travel…and she returns to what suddenly seems like a mundane existence. Their relationship deepens while they set out on an impossible holiday mission to fulfill his father’s deathbed request, uncovering life-changing secrets. It’ll take one clever Westie, two scheming grannies, and a whole lot of Christmas magic for Colleen and Tim to finally get a second chance at a dance that just might last forever.

Themes: Contemporary, Holiday, Second Chance

Rating: 4.75 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

The Dogmothers have another hit, even if they didn’t realize just how close to perfection they were getting. This story is one that I was very unsure I would enjoy, because let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard to watch a widow/widower come to terms with finding a second chance at a great love of their lives. But as always Rocki proves that the heart can grow to unmeasurable sizes and always has room for more love in it. This story revolves around two former flames that were torn apart, but it made room for one to have the great love of her life and raise the big family she never knew she needed and wanted. Colleen and Tim have chemistry from the moment they come back into one another’s orbits and there is no denying that the love that develops between them is made to change lives in only the best of ways. I loved every second of this story, even the tears and sadness as we relived their pasts and learned the secrets that tore them apart the first time. There was laughter, love, family, and the joy of the holiday season, and of course let’s not forget the sweetness of one beautiful Westie to make this story unforgettable. I cannot wait for the rest of this series even though I know the ending is coming soon, but Rocki never fails to make the ride worth each and every tear.

Tim has returned to his hometown of Bitter Bark, NC with a job to do before the end of the year, finalizing this his father’s estate and fulfilling his father’s dying wishes, but he is also hoping to deliver a long-awaited apology to the girl who’s heart he bruised. Colleen never forgot the boy that deserted her on the night of her junior prom, and left town without a word, but she also knows that night changed her life in the best of ways as it led her to the husband that gave her the family and great love she never knew she needed. A widow for two decades that love still burns bright, but seeing Tim brings up both new and old feelings in Colleen and confuses her while also reminding her that she is still a woman with a lot of love to give. A holiday mix-up leads to a shared agreement between Colleen and Tim for the temporary fostering of a sweet West Highland Terrier and when she offers her help on his father’s quest Tim knows the extra time spent together will be perfect. As they spend more and more time together, the connections and emotions that grow between them brings them both right back to their youth and at the same time makes them realize that life isn’t over for them. But Tim is leaving and there is no way she can leave her family behind and live his jet-setting life. Can the love that has sprouted from the roots long buried be a lasting one, or is it destined to just a short fling for them both?

Colleen has been one of my favorite characters in this long-running series, from the very beginning of the Dogfathers series, an awesome sister, mother, aunt, and daughter, but we finally get to see her as simply a woman in her prime in this one. She has lived alone, focusing on her children and extended family since her husband’s heroic death, but this is the first time she has met (or reconnected with) a man that truly makes her feel desired and wanted in that way. She is smart, sassy, sweet and loving, though her fears lead her to pull back so much that I was truly afraid we might not get a happily-ever-after this time. Once she finally came to terms with the fact that compromising her needs and desires in order to stay in the same safe situation was not the answer I loved her even more. Tim was an interesting character to be sure. We begin not liking him, though at the same time being thankful to him, for deserting Colleen at the prom, so yeah mixed feeling to start, and then once he shows his genuine remorse, and explains his reasons… well you can’t help but love him. It’s obvious he has carried a torch for Colleen all these years, even if only in the back of his mind, and seeing her makes him think even more that it’s time for him to change his life. He has lived an adventurous, though lonely life, but seeing Colleen surrounded by her family and friends, he knows that he has missed out on something big in his life. I loved both of these characters and getting to see them not only work through their current issues to find a way back to love, but also seeing their pasts and reliving those moments with them. Lots of tears, laughs, and happiness along with their sadness.

Peppermint Bark is the perfect holiday story for anyone that has ever wondered, "What would have happened if...?" The second chance that Tim and Colleen get to find love is beautiful and enchanting set in this holiday romance and the added sweetness of the loving puppy they foster adds just the extra sprinkles to make a perfect holiday treat. Colleen gets a chance to understand what happened in her past, but more importantly she comes to understand that she still has a lot of love to give. She finds her adventurous spirit again and learns that dreams are never forgotten or lost, just postponed until the time they are lived. Tim has been around the world too many times to count, but he has never had the one thing he always wanted, but now he gets a chance to find it. A family and the love of a woman that will bring her happiness and fulfillment is the one thing he really wants this holiday season and never thought to have, much less with his first love. The passion between them is a much softer and slower burn than many stories, one of rekindled fire from buried coals that needs just a little reminding it can be a full flame. I loved the plot of this story and the secrets that come to light about Tim’s past that give him even more to be happy about for the holidays. Sometimes we don’t even realize that our dreams can be even bigger than we originally dreamed them. Love of family brightens the holidays season as Rocki takes us on a fun adventure and reminds readers that sometimes love just needs another chance to blossom. The end of the series is coming, but with stories like these we almost don’t even mind. Keep amazing us Rocki and we’ll keep coming back for more.

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