This series is so fun! I love all the adorable puppies and Max sounds like such a handful and lots of funny moments with Max. I love the opposite attract with fake dating between Deenie and Connor. I love seeing the friendships between the supporting characters as well.

Thank you to @readforeverpub @netgalley for a copy

Once Upon A Puppy by Lizzie Shane

Opposites attract when a lawyer & party planner must fake-date as co-parents of a rowdy Irish wolfhound.

Funny, uptight people, want to break Dennie’s flamboyant way. Can they succeed? Great romance, well-written, many secrets. Lovely characters. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Loved this one from Lizzie - this series is just so adorable and wonderful. I only wish I had the audio version. Such delightful and wonderful series that leaves you hopeful and with a HEA.

I had missed this book in the series and knew I had to go back and read it. It's a great romance about two people who start out not liking each other and having absolutely nothing in common at all--except for wanting to make the dog in the book behave better. Deenie is pink hair and glitter everywhere and Connor wears a tie even to work from home. There is a fake relationship trope that or course brings the two together enough that they get to see the good things in each other. The silly, clueless Irish Wolfhound puppy with a penchant for beer is just the icing on the cake.

I really enjoyed this romance/maybe even romcom.

I was gifted a copy of this book via Entangled Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

This was a thoroughly delightful read from start to finish. It's a clean romance story that is filled with emotion, some drama and lots of fun. Well-written with wonderful well-developed characters and an interesting story this book will grab your interest and hold it right up until the last page. Highly recommended!

Once Upon a Puppy is the second title in the Pine Hollow series, and it is an adorable puppy vs straitlaced human romance that I fell in love with on sight.

Max is an Irish Wolfhound mix who is as rambunctious as he is cute. In fact, he’s a bit more than his new adopted dog dad expected to be handling. Max is in puppy love with a woman who used to walk him back before he was adopted, Deenie could do no wrong in Max’s eyes. So, against all logic, Connor sets out to convince Deenie to help him train this adorable puppy who is on the verge of being untrainable in Connor’s eyes. And Connor is going to get a whole lot more than he bargained for in this deal.

I had such fun with Max, along with Connor and Deenie. Laughter, annoyance at times, falling in love with someone neither ever thought they’d be attracted to let alone want a life with. Sometimes opposites do counterbalance each other perfectly.

Once Upon a Puppy is well written, flows smoothly, gave me more than a few chuckles along the way, and a lovely couple to cheer on to their happy ending.

This story also deals with situations that so many of us face, either for ourselves or a beloved family member. Deenie’s situation was handled with love and care, yet another reason why I love this author.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Conner and Deenie are a perfect opposites attract grump/sunshine couple. Though covering some serious subjects (Alzheimer’s and death of a minor character) Shane manages to keep this book from becoming too serious. I really enjoyed the fake dating, but it started way too late in the storyline, in my opinion (I love a good fake dating story). Come for princess parties and stay for the HEA.

This was a sweet romance and a case of opposites attracted with the help of an unlikely matchmaker Max . A Irish wolfhound mix puppy. I can't help I'm a sucker for romance books with matchmakers especially when said matchmaker happens to be a cute puppy. And we all know dog's are good judges of character. What better matchmakers.

Once Upon a Puppy (Pine Hollow #2). By Lizzie Shane. 2021. Forever (ARC eBook).

Once Upon a Puppy was such an enjoyable read. I really liked Connor and Deenie. The story’s pacing flowed well and the motivations of the characters and their development in the romance department were believable and well written. This book served well for my introduction to the author and I plan to read more by Shane. A definite recommend for those looking for opposites attract, fake dating, small town romances and lovable dogs.

Get ready to curl up with this cozy opposites attract story.
Connor is a lawyer who adopts a Irish wolfhound mix.
Denise is a volunteer at the shelter and the only one Maximus will listen too. But she is also an whimsical party planner.
Sit back and watch this puppy play matchmaker.
Love it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love the idea of this small town, dog obsessed series. Unfortunately I think its simply too sweet for my tastes. I can see how others would really love it though. DNF for now.

Back to Pine Hollow, how exciting.
Connor adopted Maximus but can't get him trained so he hires Deenie. When I say opposites attract that is not even a slight joke.
Deenie runs a princess party and dress business , while Connor is a straightlaced lawyer. Deenie lives life on a fly and will leave in a moments notice. Connor needs a plan. When Deenie starts training they see different sides of each other.
Being in a Pine Hollow makes me happy. I love small town stories, where lives are entwined. We also get to see people from the other books in the series.

Lizzie Shane is bringing us back to Pine Hollow with Once Upon a Puppy, the second book in this series.

We once again meet Conner Wyeth, a lawyer dead set on making partner at his firm, and Deenie Mitchell, a carefree spirit who runs a princess party planning business. When Conner needs help training Maximus he begrudingly asks Deenie for help since Maximus seems to listen to her like no one else. Deenie doesn't want anything to do with Conner but the money is too enticing to pass up. After all she's saving for her next trip abroad. When Deenie and Conner both find themselves in need of dates for functions, they end up turning to each other when the ice thaws between them. They don't actually care for each other so it seems like the perfect arrangement.

As is the case with all fake romance trope novels they end up falling for each other. I was so happy to be returning to Pine Hollow after last year's series debut, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. It felt like going home reading this novel. I loved the relationship that blossomed between Conner and Deenie. They both made each other without changing too much. If anyone had changed I'd say it was Conner, although Deenie did as well. We also got a small glimpse back into the relationship between Ally and Ben, from the previous book, who happen to be best friends of Deenie and Conner.

Lizzie Shane already has another book in this series, To All the Dogs I've Loved Before, planned for publication in November 2021 and I can't wait. This series is the perfect combination of romance with a splash of dog antics. It's a closed door series, at least so far, for readers who prefer low steam on the pages.

Thank you to Forever for a copy of Once Upon a Puppy in exchange for my honest review.

Once Upon a Puppy is an entertaining and well written romance. I love books with animals and this had just that. Great plot and character dynamics. I highly recommend this book.

Once Upon A Puppy takes place in Pine Hollow, a picturesque New England small town. Connor Wyeth, a hot shot lawyer who always has a plan, recently adopted Maximus, an unruly wolfhound mix. When training Maximus doesn’t go according to Connor’s plan, he asks Deenie to help train him. Deenie is known in Pine Hollow for her nomadic lifestyle and spontaneous trips. Deenie despises Connor. She thinks he’s uptight, rigid and full of himself. She loves living in the moment and traveling the world—the last thing she wants is Connor as her boss. ⁣
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This was an enemies to lovers trope romance and I ate it up! Even though I knew how it was going to end, I enjoyed the characters’ antics and reading their love story. It wasn’t steamy…so if you prefer a more PG romance, this is def for you! ⁣
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Once Upon A Puppy is the second book in the Pine Hollow series. I read the first book, The Twelve Dogs Of Christmas, in December 2020. You can read Once Upon A Puppy as a stand alone, but I do think I benefitted from reading the books in order.

Sometimes we just need a cozy, feel good romance book and Once Upon a Puppy definitely fit the bill for me.

It is the second book in the Pine Hollow series. The first book in this series is The Twelve Dogs of Christmas and I really enjoyed it when I read it last December. While you can read this one as a standalone, the characters do overlap and their will be spoilers from the first book.

In Once Upon a Puppy, we follow Ben's lawyer friend Connor. He's a type A perfectionist, has to have a plan for everything, and was left by his ex-fiance two weeks before their wedding a year ago. He adopts a dog from Ally's shelter named Maximus, and when he can't get him trained, Ally's friend and shelter volunteer, Deenie, steps in. And Deenie is about as polar opposite from Connor as you can get.

It is perfect for those that like closed door romance, enemies to lovers AND the fake dating trope, small-town charm, and absolutely loves dogs.

I can't wait to see what's next for this cozy little town and characters that I have grown to love!

I really enjoyed Lizzie Shane's holiday romance that kicked off the Pine Hollow series. So, after enjoying The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, I was happy to pick up Once Upon a Puppy and revisit the town (and doggos) to see what had been happening since the holidays. It was a delightful romance and I already can't wait for the next book in the series!

Here's the book's description:
Opposites attract when a straitlaced lawyer and whimsical party planner must fake-date as co-parents of a rambunctious Irish wolfhound in the second book of this im-paw-ssibly charming small-town romance series.
Connor Wyeth has a plan for everything. But when he adopts Maximus, an unruly Irish wolfhound mix, he gets more than he bargained for. If he doesn't act fast, the big dopey mutt is going to destroy his house. The only person Max ever listens to is the volunteer who used to walk him at the shelter—a perennially upbeat woman whose day job is planning princess parties for little kids. Connor couldn't ever imagine that she'd be able to tame such a beast as Max, but he's desperate enough to try anything.

Deenie Mitchell isn't looking forward to spending more time with uptight, rules-oriented Connor—no matter how attractive he is. But when her sister announces her engagement, Deenie realizes he's the perfect person to impress her type-A family. When she learns he needs a plus-one for his law firm's work events, an unlikely alliance is formed. But as they play the perfect couple, the friendship—and the feelings—that are forming start to feel all too real. Opposites may attract, but can the man with a plan for everything and the misfit who makes her own rules ever find common ground?

I've recently started coming around to the enemies-to-lovers trope, but only if they're done in a certain way. I cannot understand it when the couple-to-be is fighting constantly and almost cruel to each other but a little bit of sniping and banter that turns into a romance? That I can handle. Especially when they don't really know each other to start and don't actually want to dislike the other person. With Connor and Deenie, their lives are so vastly different, they get on each other's nerves because they can't understand each other. But once they get to know each other and the why behind their lifestyles? Opinions change and sparks start to fly. And that's really enjoyable to read in a romance. Plus there was also a fake dating trope and I enjoy that one too. You know there are going to be issues but OF COURSE they're going to realize they should actually be dating each other. I love it!

Connor and Deenie were so great to read about. They were both wicked smart but showed it in different ways. They were also both hiding major parts of themselves and I loved reading as they were encouraged to really look at what they love and learn it's OK to feel certain things and want different things than maybe you'd always wanted. The feelings between the two seemed really genuine and watching them grow from annoyance to acceptance to friendship to romantic was lovely.

It was really nice to see what was happening with the rest of the residents of Pine Hollow, too. Shane has created a really great little town and residents that I care about. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I think I know which couples are up next and both will provide lots of swoon and amusement!

Once Upon a Puppy was such a fun read and the romance is perfect if you want something that you know will put a smile on your face. Lizzie Shane has created such a great romance series and I'm really looking forward to book three already!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

We are back in small town Pine Hollow full of puppies and princess parties. Conner is a lawyer trying to get partner but needs a life outside of work so he gets Max wolfhound and meet Deenie who helps train the dogs, works at the shelter, makes princess dresses and princess parties and hates not being able to travel. It takes these two a bit to move into friend zone and then into more. It was also not super steamy but you get cute puppies, great aunt, the old side characters of the town, and movies on the couch.

4 stars
2 steam

thanks forever for a copy of this in exchange of an honest review

I first met Deenie, Connor, and Maximus in The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. Loved Max. Deenie's snark and free spirit made me laugh, but Connor, an inflexible, judgmental martinet, irritated, so when he took giant goofball and unrepentant mischief-maker, Max, home, trouble had no choice but to follow.

I wasn't wrong. However, Max proves the perfect catalyst for these two wounded and guarded souls.

This book made me laugh. It also made me cry. Ms. Shane delves into family disfunction, end-of-life issues, and self-preservation strategies that can prove more destructive than beneficial, handling all with an uncompromising yet deft and compassionate hand.

This book was all kinds of adorable!! I read the first book in the series, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, over the holidays and fell in love with the characters, the small town of Pine Hollow and of course, the loveable dogs!

Once Upon a Puppy was the second book in this series and it was so cute and fun to read! We get to go back to Pine Hollow and visit with the characters that we met in the first book. But this time, we focus on Connor and Deenie.

Connor is trying to make partner at his job and Deenie is trying to impress her family. They agree to help each other out. Deenie will be his date to corporate events since his bosses think he is too uptight. Connor will be her date to her sisters wedding, since she seems to be the black sheep of the family. Of course, it's never as easy as that and what follows is a cute love story between the two! And of course, there are dogs!!

I really like the setting and characters and it was such a cute book to read! I flew through this one in a couple of days. I hope there is more to the series and I recommend checking it out!