Awesome story. Can’t wait to read more from this author!!!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I have a lot of experience working with dogs and too often authors miss the mark with books that feature pet sitters or trainers. This one however did a wonderful job. I loved the main character and her realistic take on dog care and training. Just as important the mystery and her sleuthing, as well as her motive for doing so, all felt realistic to me.

The story follows a pet therapist as she makes her rounds and stop by a clients house to help with his German Shepards. When that client later shows up dead and she becomes a person of interest in the case, she sets out to clear her own name. I really liked the main character, she felt genuine and her loves of dogs came through. I enjoyed this mystery immensely and look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely loved this book. Sparkle Abbey is a talented writing duo that sure know how to spin a tale.
This book has everything in it that I love in a cozy mystery.
A strong, independent protagonist, animals and a whole lot of mystery.
This is the first in the series and I plan on reading the rest.
This series will appeal to all cozy mystery lovers.

This book is definitely a 5 paws up.

Cute cover, cute title, cute mystery.  Desperate Housedogs was part Murder She Wrote, part Real Housewives.  There were enough dogs, and bling to satisfy any cozy/chicklit reader.

It was fun to read about the lives of the super wealthy in southern California, and the parts about dealing with problem pets was interesting as well.  I had the feeling that the authors did a lot of researching before writing the novel.

But while I generally do like cozies, this one was a little too cozy for me.  It's all fluff and no substance.  Every character was a cliche, the romance was mediocre, and the plot suffered lag.  When I got to the end, I didn't feel that the clues added up as much as they should have.

There are a lot of readers who would love this easy, summertime read, but I needed more bang.  Desperate Housedogs is a good bit of escapist fiction, but that's all it is.

A delightful fun mystery and a promising series. This is the first in series I have read and I highly recommend the series.
Caro was a former psychologist who is now a pet therapist in posh Laguna Beach. She has put her former life behind her and is enjoying her new career helping animals and their owners. She visits a client and finds out soon he was murdered after she left. She becomes suspect number one and begins her own investigation to clear her name.
This is a fun fast read perfect for relaxing and very comical. I enjoyed the the humor throughout and getting to know the protagonist. The location of Laguna Beach is very fun for any armchair traveler.

Desperate Housedogs
Sparkle Abbey
Available: Now
Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
So while its weird to get an Advanced Reader Copy of a book that was published back in 2011, this series of now 8 books intrigued me – I’m a sucker for dogs and love books based in Orange County, CA. This series has potential – if the authors can bring a little more of the Texas Southern life into the OC with Caro’s mother and cousin, but I’m kind of on the fence about it right now.
What I loved: It was light, fluffy and murder so it’s a quick read and the characters have chemistry. The plot moves along at a great pace and there’s just enough of a back story to whet your whistle about reading future books.
What I didn’t love: I would have loved a little more personalization about Laguna Beach. Yes , the authors are correct about the amazing restaurants, influx of tourists and art galleries but more personal touches would be welcomed. There is an amazing LGBT community within Laguna Beach – I wish that was mentioned more along with amazing cultural events like The Pagent of The Masters as well as the Sawdust Festival. Perhaps in future volumes?
What I learned: Maybe my dog is crying out for her own pet psychologist?
Overall Grade: B

www.FluffSmutandMurder.com

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love dogs and their silly humans. The mystery was great. I didn't see the culprit until Caro figured it out. Loved the layers to the mystery. Looking forward to enjoying the rest of the series!

Thinking this sounded like a terrific read I requested it--not realizing I already read it when first published! I loved it. Went back to see my review and yep it's all stars! Read it and you'll want to read all in the series

Desperate Housedogs by Sparkle Abbey is a fun filled, light mystery story.
Carolina AKA Caro is a pet psychologist in Laguna Beach CA; many of her clients in the exclusive gated community of Ruby Point. Her cousin Melinda AKA Mel also lives in Laguna Beach and owns a doggie boutique. The two have a dispute going about ownership of a brooch left by their grandmother and keep “stealing” it from each other adding some light humor to the mystery story. Caro’s client, Kevin, calls her because his dogs are barking constantly at the back door and he sees nothing out there. When he and Caro let them out they discover the gate is open and off they go on a chase to catch the dogs. The normally friendly dogs corner and bite a landscaper while they are on the loose. Caro gets them back to a calm state and goes on with her day. As she prepares her dinner she learns from Detective Judd Malone that they believe she was the last person to see Kevin alive. Caro can’t resist asking questions and is doing a bit of her own investigating even after several reminders from Detective Malone to let the police handle the matter. Eventually retired film star, Diana, is arrested and sets herself up in the jail, holding interviews and promoting her Fur Ball charity auction that is coming up soon. Do the police have the real killer or he or she still out there?
I enjoyed this story but it is probably not for very serious mystery readers. There is a lot of silly, fun scenes as both Detective Malone and Caro try to unravel what is going on. There are a lot of characters who become suspects in Caro’s mind but are they what they seem? Caro’s character is realistic; I really can see someone doing the things she does. Some of the characters are just way out there though I think I have met some of them. I give this book a 5 of 5 stars. I did enjoy and while I was suspicious of the person behind the murder I could not see a motive until the end; this was very well written and the end was a surprise to me.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.