This one ended up being a sweet little romance with some cute husky in the story as well. The dogs made the story even sweeter.

Martin’s trilogy brings together small-town Alaska, husky puppies and a long standing feud. I was smitten with the covers and found the stories delightful.

I was in dire need of a cute romance so this was great timing when I started it. There were some things that I really liked in this book and some that didn’t work as well for me sadly but I do think I will continue with the series.

The setup in Alaska was really fun and I enjoyed the contrast between the fMC’s usual (chosen) life and the town that she grew up in and was now visiting to help out her sister. The mMC background and how he got there was relatable and realistic as well and I loved his three furry sidekicks and the roles they ended up playing in this story. For the most part, I liked both MCs’ personalities and the development of their feelings felt realistic as well.

The big thing that really bothered me about this book though was the drama that tried to keep them apart. I knew that there would be drama going in. That’s what happens with these kinds of romances and it was mentioned in the description. But it was too over-the-top for me and not relatable at all. It eventually got on my nerves how immature everyone was reacting in regard to that feud and I was ready to be done with it by the end.

Based on the description of the second book, this won’t play as big a part in that one hopefully. I enjoyed the relationship development and the characters outside of the drama so I have high hopes for her other books and think they might work well for me as long as the drama turns out to be more my style.

I’ve had Heart on a Leash an embarrassingly long time, and I’ve tried to finish it a few times but always get stuck around 20%. Something about the plot isn’t holding my attention. DNF

Cute and adorable romance that takes place in Alaska, it had me smiling and laughing though out the book , and can't wait to read the other 2 books in this series .

In a small Alaskan town. The feud between the Lipin’s and Porters have had a feud going on for years. Now one of the Lipin’s is back and falling in love with a Porter. As they grow closer the tensions in town are at a breaking point. Will love survive in the light of the fued?

I would definitely give this one 5 stars. With rescue huskies and love abounding. You will fall in love with the small town of Helen.

I adopted a husky puppy a few months ago, so the cover and blurb immediately caught my attention. I was a little sad the puppies didn’t play a larger part in the story (they were present, but I thought they’d have more on page time or play a larger role), but they were still cute and made this a fun read.

Taylor Lipin left home for college and never looked back. She’s happy living in California – until her sister calls to tell her their parents are getting a divorce and she needs to come back home to help out with the family Inn. Taylor has no intention of agreeing, but an unexpected layoff means she has no good reason to refuse. She’s determined to find another job ASAP, so she doesn’t have to deal with her crazy town and a wacky family feud between her family and another in town. Of course she never planned for a hot romance with Dr. Josh Krane…

Josh moved to Helen, Alaska after medical school to take part in a loan forgiveness program – if he works in Helen for 5 years a major part of his student debt will be forgiven. He didn’t expect to love it, but the town has grown on him. Sure, they have some weird quirks – like that strange family feud – but overall the town is charming. It becomes even better when Taylor moves back. Josh is immediately smitten, but their families are on opposite sides of the feud and no one is happy about them being together.

I liked both Taylor and Josh. I thought their romance was cute. They had really fun, witty banter that made for an easy read. But I had two major issues with this story.

1) Taylor is allergic to dogs and Josh has 3 very fluffy huskies. She mentioned, several times, needing to take her allergy meds to be comfortable around them. I love dogs and I completely understand why she’d want to spend time with them. But spending a few hours with them is not the same as living with them full time. I realize it’s a fictional story, but I kept thinking about how uncomfortable it would be to live your every day life like that. If she and Josh end up married, she’s going to take allergy meds every day for the rest of her life just to be comfortable in her own house? I don’t know, that seemed like a stretch.

2) The family feud was ridiculous. It wasn’t just an argument between two families that was out of control. It was a multi-generational thing that included violence. I expected something kind of light-hearted based on the cover/blurb, but it was very toxic and awful. I was very dissatisfied with the lack of resolution on that score. Breaking and entering, vandalism, smear campaigns against Taylor and Josh both from members of their families…it was horrible. Having that as the mail conflict really took away from the romance and my overall enjoyment.

I enjoyed parts of this story and thought there were some really cute elements, but the family feud thing really made it hard to get through. I don’t know if I’ll continue the series.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5

I was not a fan of this book when I read it because of the instant romance that seemed to play right at the beginning of the book.

The pacing was also slow moving. It was just ok, though I do love the cover and the dogs!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me the chance to read and review.

I loved this book about small town Alaska!! It's amazing how animals can bring people, especially a couple, together. Add in small town secrets, etc. and it makes for a fun, satisfying read. I look forward to the next book in the series. I received a copy from Net Galley and am leaving an unbiased review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book!

The cover of the book is what caught my attention. I love dogs so of course I had to read a dog-related romance. The story was good and was a fairly quick read. Some of the drama was a bit far-fetched but I still enjoyed the story as a whole.

This book is difficult to review and rate. I liked the chemistry between Taylor and Josh and I loved that the dogs were an integral part of this book. What dove me crazy(and not in a good way)about this book was the feud between the two families (think of the Hatfield and McCoy feud); it had been going on for almost a century, give or take. It was just ridiculous. I also felt the book was excessively long. I really liked the interaction between Josh and Taylor and the dogs. Not sure I'll continue with this series.

Cute romance! Great setting! Looking forward to the rest of the series. Would recommend to romances series lovers.

Heart On A Leash is a story that turns pup inspired cute and small town quirk into an uber-readable story. With an "awe factor of ten". Long before the Romeo and Juliet meets the Hatfields and the McCoys styled romance that Josh and Taylor find themselves victims to even becomes a thing.
Cuteness factor aside.
Be forewarned when reading this that it is choc-a-bloc full of supposed adults. Repeatedly engaging in clearly childish and asinine behavior.
So much so...
That one is often tempted to skip pages of character interaction. Just to reacha point where sanity even dares peek through. If only for the briefest of moments.
Not to worry though...
The romance between Josh and Taylor is more than cute enough to make up for the long held feud nonsense.
And the well placed sex scenes are just plain yummy.
Though the sentiment of "love conquering all" does fit here.
At least as far as Taylor and Josh are concerned.
The state of the feud is left as a bit of an unresolved stalemate.
Oh well.
On to book two.
*Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley. For providing the review copy on which this honest literary critique is based.*

A small-town romance without the cliches that often accompany this genre, the story features a heroine who has the self-awareness to know you can come home again and still be yourself and a hero who is up for the challenge of making a home for himself after a childhood of moving from place to place. The two lovers meet-cute before they find out they are on opposite sides of a century-old family feud. I loved how they were both mature and kind, with no deep hidden traumas or hangups, just two people wanting to be together but divided by the treacherous waters of family dynamics. Also, there are adopted huskies. Huskies, Alaska, love - what more could you want!!??

I took this book away with me on vacation and it was the perfect holiday read. Wonderful, believable characters, a gorgeous setting, high drama and to-die-for romance. Not to mention the adorable huskies! I loved Taylor and Josh's story, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

HEART ON A LEASH is the first book in the HEARTS OF ALASKA series, and I’m looking forward to returning to Helen, Alaska, many more times. Josh and Taylor don’t know who the other is when they first meet, but there’s definitely an attraction. That doesn’t bode well since the Hatfield and McCoys have nothing on the feud between their families—that goes back a hundred years! (Meet some of the members of the Porter and the Lipin clans and see how down and dirty things can really get!)

The descriptions of Alaska made me feel like I was there and enriched the book. The characters have a depth to them. Josh and Taylor play nicely off each other. But when push comes to shove, thanks to their families, they have a lot of obstacles to overcome.

I loved how there were so many Huskies throughout the story and how Josh’s three dogs were front and center through most of the book. I loved the cover (though I do wish there had been three dogs on it to reflect the story.)

HEART ON A LEASH is a delightful debut novel by Ms. Martin, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, PAWS AND PREJUDICE. There’s an excerpt from it in the back of the book, and it left me wanting more. I look forward to reading other books penned my this author.

I rated the book 4.5 stars but rounded to 5 stars here and on other sites.

3.5 Stars

This book had me a t the cover ... Husky puppies and Alaska. LOL
I found the story too slow moving for my tastes.
It was a good fluffy read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, I'm sorry to have to do this but, I've been trying to read Heart on a Leash for 3 days now and I've only gotten to 15%. The book is so slooow moving. Taylor and Josh seem like they might be fun characters, but I can't get pass how slow it is. I'm sad because that cover is so adorable and the synopsis sounded like it would be a cute story. I just don't have the energy or desire to keep going.

Thank you, though, for the opportunity to give Alanna's book a try. Sorry I didn't have better feedback.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to this novel.
This is the first one I read from Alanna Martin and I can't wait for the next one.

First, I came because of the huskies, and I stayed because of the romance. I really like how the author allows you to feel Alaska, because I thought it just had cold places, but it would be a nice place to visit.
Have always love huskies, but I can't imagine having 3.

So, this goes arround Taylor, who decided some years back to leave her hometown Helen, Alaska to LA because of a feud between her family the Lipins and the Porters. Suddenly she comes back in order to help her sister, and somehow she meets Josh, a doctor with 3 huskies. Curiously he's a cousin of the Porters but didn't grow up in Helen, and he hates the feud too.
Taylor was planning to stay only for two weeks, but thanks to Josh and his adorable dogs, she is starting to think about staying, but when their relationship makes their families to act causing troubles, then it's when they will have to decide what to do, what's important, what is it that they want and how can their love be stronger than this feud.

I really enjoyed, good characters, love the dogs and I can't wait for the second book, as that ending is not one I was hoping for, but I need to know.