3.5 stars

A small town story with fake dating, dogs, and lots of charm.

Deenie and Connor are opposites in a lot of ways, but it was easy to see they wouldn't be keep feelings out of their fake relationship for long. Lizzie Shane did a nice job with the character and relationship development and the story is well paced.

This sweet romance was a really enjoyable read and a nice addition to the Pine Hollow series!

Review:

You already know this book had a lot to live up to for me. In September I read The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. In my PPS at the end, I requested (slightly begged) for a Conner + Deenie relationship. I only had to wait for the next book. 8 months later, I got Conner and Deenie. I wanted them to be together so bad, that I was hoping it would be as wonderful as I wanted it to be. Y’all. Lizzie Shane made it more magical than my little heart could have imagined! I squealed like a school girl throughout this entire book. 🤦🏻‍♀️❤️

I loved loved loved Once Upon a Puppy! It has the small town charm that just gives you all the happiness inside. It has the wonderful characters where you just can’t help but cheer for them, and of course, puppies. With a dog like Maximus, how can you not pick this up?

This does have the “Great Misunderstanding” where the two MCs get into a fight over something to cause a rift in between the two. My heart kept yelling, “Just make up already please!” I couldn’t handle it. All in all, it was done well and the resolution left me satisfied. I love Deenie and her spirit. She never backs down from just loving and loving life, and I just gravitate to her spirit and will always cheer for her.

I love Pine Hollow so much. I want to live there. The people aren’t cookie cutter, they’re real. They’re fun, and they’re relatable. I love Once Upon A Puppy and am already waiting for To All The Dogs I Loved Before. Thank you Forever for the gifted copy. This is out tomorrow, 5/25!

Thank you NetGalley, Lizzie Shane and Forever for the ARC of Once Upon A Puppy. This is my personal review.
I enjoyed The Twelve Dogs of Christmas and was super excited when the second in the series came out.
Deenie and Connor are made for each other even though they do not know it right away.
A book set in a small town and has dogs is always going to be a hit for me. The chemistry between Deenie and Connor jumped off the pages for me.
This was a great few hours for me and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.
The cover of this book is adorable!

I read Once Upon a Puppy and I loved it so much I read it in one sitting. Small town romance, fake dating, laugh out loud moments, and a mischievous puppy? What more could a girl want in a book? This one is truly a gem and it was the perfect read for a Friday night of puppy cuddles with my puppy.

I loved this one so much. The main characters are both lovable despite their flaws and easy to root for. I especially loved Deenie because she is unapologetically herself. The wit and humor was perfect and kept me amused. And I’ll say it again. There’s a puppy 😍. I’m already adding The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (the first book in this series) to my holiday reads list for this year.

This is such a fun read. Deenie and Connor do not get along. Deenie works multiple jobs to fund her travels around the world and Connor is working hard to make partner at his law firm. Max is the giant dog that Connor adopted for Christmas in the previous book. Connor has been too busy with work to keep up with training Max and they both need it. When he finally makes it to a training session, Deenie is substituting for the sick trainer and ends up agreeing to train them. I love how the storyline goes and how it ends. I was literally smiling :D

I received a copy of this book to review from Forever through NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed it.

To think of Maximus as a puppy…I think this makes the entire story for me! In a previous book, Connor adopted Maximus while being goaded by Deenie. Unbeknownst to her, Connor really fell in love with Maximus – every giant, goofy, silly, untrained part of him. From this moment, Connor and Deenie don’t get along but Deenie is really like a dog whisperer, especially with Maximus, and Connor asks Deenie to help him out with training the big goof.

Of course, there is much attraction going on between them but some of the scenes are hilarious, especially when this big goof of a dog thinks he’s a lap dog. I really loved Connor, even when Deenie didn’t give him a break. They really are good for one another, as you’d suspect, and they are both hurting inside. Once they get past their own insecurities, well, they are perfect and fun.

And don’t get me started on Connor’s mother…she is a hoot! Totally enjoyed this story.

Enchanting, sassy, and sweet!

Once Upon a Puppy is a lovely, character-driven rom-com that sweeps you away to Pine Hollow and into the lives of the easy-going, feisty Deenie and the intense, broody Connor as they discover that opposites do attract and there may be more to their relationship than just dog training, pretend feelings, and fake dating.

The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are hardworking, engaging, and charismatic. And the plot is a delightful mix of friendship, family, light drama, tricky moments, hilarious hijinks, snappy dialogue, shameless flirting, sizzling romance, and a mischievous, adorable Irish Wolfhound mix.

Overall, Once Upon a Puppy is an amusing, captivating, charming novel by Shane that’s another wonderful addition to the Pine Hollow series that, with its irresistible characters and heartwarming storylines, is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourites.

Hot romance and dogs. What else do you need? Really fun story. Really complex characters. Loved the storyline, loved the romance. Hard to put down. This book starts slow and then keeps you turning the pages. Loved the ending!

I was deeply emotionally involved in the outcome of this 'Once Upon a Puppy'. Even though I knew it should turn out fine, I had no idea how it would get there. It was a joy to be along for the ride. This was an interesting study in how our childhood situations impact all of our future decisions. I could relate to Deenie as I was so different from the rest of my family, and was saved by a loving Aunt who got me. This is the second in a trilogy, and I look forward with great anticipation to the next book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Once Upon A Puppy is a sweet romance about two insecure people who discover how much they enjoy fake dating. She’s the poster girl for spontaneous and outrageous. He’s the model for organizing and planning. The journey to recognition that their relationship is important and real makes this a good read. The book is clean, funny at times, poignant at times and engaging from beginning to end. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

Deenie has been fighting against her conformist family since she was a kid. As the family black sheep she has been able to find herself on her world travels inspired by her eccentric aunt who always supported her…

Now it’s her time to support her, since her dementia is worsening, Deenie is in Pine Hollow visiting her aunt every chance she gets, in hopes of helping her keep her memories.

But Deenie is itching to hit the roan again, so while she is here caring for her aunt, she is also working to refill her travel fund… so when Connor, the epitome of what her family would want her to be asks for help training his unruly dog she hesitantly takes the high paying gig.

Soon Connor is taking part in the lessons along with his pup and as he and Deenie get to know each other it becomes obvious, that they could expand on this working relationship to mutually benefit both of them by fake dating each other for their work and family events!

These two start to realize that their pretend chemistry isn’t pretend at all, but how can Connor trust Deenie when she is looking for her next adventure while Deenie fears that Connoer will clip her wings…

I loved seeing Connor loosen up and start to enjoy life with Deenie’s influence. These two opposites made a great pairing and it really showed, as they stared to fake date and made their public appearances together. They made the other person better- it was a joy to see.

Interestingly enough, this book really reminded me of Abby Jimenez’s Life’s Too Short, with I also really enjoyed.

Once Upon a Puppy by Lizzie Shane is scheduled to release May 25th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Forever Publishing and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#OnceUponaPuppy #LizzieShane #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

I was so excited to read the second book in the Pine Hollow series after reading The Twelve Dogs of Christmas this past year. Dog adoption bringing two people together who ultimately fall in love, who doesn't love that? It's an opposites attract love story that touches on being accepted and loved for who you really are and realizing what in life makes you truly happy. I loved Deenie's carefree attitude and I think I want to be a little bit more like her.

This can be read as a stand alone even though it is the second book in a series. It was fun to revisit the characters (and dogs) from book one and how their relationships have progressed. It's definitely a book that will touch your heart.

2.5 stars

I received an ARC and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

After reading the prior book in the series, I was excited for more doggy goodness with Once Upon a Puppy. However, this one fell flat by comparison.

The dog elements, while less pronounced than in the first book, were great, and probably the best part of the book. And the initial premise of fake dating and dog-training is appealing. However, I think something was missing in the execution.

Connor and Deenie as characters are all right; Deenie has family issues that inform her character arc, and Connor struggles with the belief he needs to be perfect, thanks to being jilted by his former fiancée. While these perceptions do not turn out to be entirely true, I did like that there was that distinction between one’s internal thoughts of oneself and the broader reality.

But I never felt anything for them as a couple. The chemistry never really came through, and at the last moment when old insecurities rear their ugly head, I wasn’t invested enough to care if they resolved them.

I’m definitely in the minority here, as others have raves about it in their reviews. So, if this book sounds like something you’d enjoy, I’d recommend giving it a try.

This series is just so stinking adorable, and fortunately stays on the right side of being TOO sweet. Pine Hollow feels like a Hallmark movie setting, with a charming cast. Deenie and Connor seem totally mismatched, but watching how they come together and find joy in the parts of each other that seem like they wouldn't mesh is so fun. This series is a really gentle balm for me (closed door but I didn't feel like steam was "missing"). AND THE DOGS.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved Deenie, she’s full of life and glitter, her way of flying off to far away places, confuse Connor.

The outcome of when opposites pretend at a fake relationship, even with a undisciplined puppy, we all know.

I loved Lizzie’s descriptions.

Once Upon A Puppy has so many of the elements I usually love in a romance - adorable dog, fake dating, and an uptight grumpy hero who's soft and squishy at heart. It ultimately fell a bit flat for me, but to be honest, I can't pinpoint a specific reason why, other than the book never quite hooked me.

On paper, it's exactly the kind of book I usually fall heads over heels in love with, squeeing over, and unable to put down. Yet it took me almost a month to finish it, and finishing it was more might-as-well than OMG-I-can't-wait-to-keep-reading. I liked Deenie and Connor enough, but never quite fell in love with them. And Max, adorable and rambunctious as he was, seemed to disappear once the story got going, which is kinda meh -- if you're going to make an animal the catalyst for your romance, do it with your whole chest like Abby Jimenez and Jill Shalvis do. The romance is a bit slow-paced, with more heart than heat, but I've enjoyed sweet and slow-burn romances before. The side characters are interesting -- I was especially intrigued by Deenie's relationship with her sister (which I felt was underdeveloped here) and Connor's relationship with his mom -- but again, not quite compelling enough to hook me where the main characters fall short.

Deenie took me a while to warm up to -- I guess I'm more like Connor than I thought. When she wrinkled her nose at the contract Connor drew up for their dog-training arrangement, I was Team Connor all the way, since that's a work arrangement, and I would hate my dog trainer to just have a key to my home and come in whenever they choose. Still, Deenie eventually won me over with her devotion to Aunt Bitty. I also love how Connor recognizes that she isn't actually flaky, and is actually uber-responsible and dependable, and just hates external validations of her commitments.

I also like how both Deenie and Connor have their own past hurts to overcome -- Deenie with her overbearing family who doesn't approve of her free-spiritedness, Connor with his runaway bride and his belief that he needs to be perfect to be loved. I like how the side characters show that Deenie and Connor's perceptions may not be super accurate of reality (Deenie's sister loves her deeply despite not fully understanding her choices, and Connor's mom loves him unconditionally). And I like how what Deenie and Connor see as their own weaknesses and reasons for not belonging (Deenie's sparkle amidst her staid family, Connor's seriousness amongst his more social bosses), the other recognizes as their uniqueness and strength. Deenie and Connor both feel they have to mask themselves to fit in, while they each recognize that the other shouldn't mask at all but rather be fully themselves. I like that.

Overall, the book fell kinda flat for me, but it does have a lot of the elements I usually adore in romance, and the writing is solid, so I'm chalking this up as a 'not for me' or perhaps, 'not the right time', and I may check out this author again in future. I like how Deenie and Connor make each other better, and how they help each other realize how they're wonderful just the way they are.

+

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE Pine Hollow!!

Quirky, fun, relatable characters that love dogs and live in a small town? YES PLEASE!

I adored book #1, and I absolutely adored this one as well!

I really love how the author kept Deenie and Connor's characters throughout the book. I don't want to say too much and spoil anything, but the ending was so perfectly Dennie and Connor! I also really loved that we got to stay up to date with Aly, Ben, and Astrid from book #1! This was such a perfect follow up and I canNOT wait until book #3!

This book will be released May 25th - get it on your "want to read" and preorder lists now!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my free ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.*

Lizzie Shane's Pine Hollow series is objectively good. It's well written, with fully three-dimensional characters, funny and heartwarming moments, and small town charm. If you love small town closed door romances, this is a great series for you.

However, I did not like this story as much as Twelve Dogs of Christmas, likely for personal reasons. I am very much a Connor (Type A lawyer, maybe a little bit of an intellectual snob) and I have a really difficult time imagining myself with someone like Deenie. Deenie is the very definition of a free spirit, travelling all the time, not wanting to be tied down with a storefront or office job. Don't get me wrong--she's smart, well-educated, financially responsible, kind, etc. But I just don't see her and Connor together. Their connection seems to be more about chemistry that compatibility. And maybe I'm sure people will say that I'm missing the point of the book, and this is an opposites attract romance, and they need to learn from each other, blah, blah blah, but I'm a realist, and this didn't seem very real.

But in the end, this is a feel-good romance, it's cute, it's everything you want in a quick, closed-door read, and it accomplishes its goals.

Thank you to Forever for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 5/8

I love this small town Romance series where every happily ever after starts with adopting an adorable dog.

Title: Once Upon A Puppy
Author: Lizzie Shane
Publication: 5/25/21
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating:: 5 stars

In short: Connor has recently adopted an Irish Wolfhound named Max. He’s a handful which leads Connor to seek help from Deenie, a dog walker from the shelter who is the only person Max will listen to. As their friendship grows Connor and Deenie eventually enter into a fake dating scenario to help them both out.

What I liked:
Small town setting and familiar characters
Max the dog
Friends to lovers and opposites attract
The character development, finding what you really want in life and where you belong.

My thoughts: I loved this book and the fact that the series centers on an adopted dog. This can easily be read as a stand alone, but trust me, you want to read both books in this series so far.

Opposites attract and fake dating plus a rambunctious dog, what more could you want?

Deenie is always upbeat and on the go. She runs princess parties for little kids and helps out at the local animal shelter. Connor is nothing like her. He’s all about plans and organization and meeting his life goals. Connor has a crazy Irish wolfhound Max who is hellbent on destroying his house, and nothing Connor does seems to get Max to behave, forcing him to finally accept that he needs help. Deenie seems to be the only one who can tame the dog, so she and Connor strike up a deal for her to help train Max. Working together with Max leads to an unlikely friendship of sorts. Then Deenie needs a plus-one to act as a buffer during upcoming family events and she knows that Connor needs a plus-one to impress the partners at his law firm, so she proposes that they help each other out. But spending so much time together has them starting to blur their carefully negotiated lines. Maybe they aren’t so different after all?

Right from the start, Connor and Deenie are both a bit hard to like. Connor is super straight-laced and uptight; Deenie is a free spirit seemingly with no plans at all. Max is the saving grace from the beginning because he provides so much comedic relief and you can’t help but fall in love with him immediately. However, as the story goes on, you really come to understand Connor and Deenie, their histories, and how their pasts have defined who they are now. Understanding their motivations and the reasons behind their behavior makes them much more likeable. Seeing them interact with their families and friends, and open up to each other, lets us see what makes them tick and how they grow as individuals throughout the story and it’s easy to really start rooting for them.

Connor and Deenie also have a core group of friends that are super important to them and make the story so much better. This is a classic small town romance series, so speculating about the other couples (except the one that’s already together, presumably from the first book in the series, which I haven’t read) adds another layer of fun. I definitely want to learn more about Levi and Elinor!

If you love small town romances, opposites attract, or fake dating stories, I would definitely recommend checking this one out. The addition of Max and the other dogs just makes the book even better. I’ve never read anything by Lizzie Shane before, but I will be adding some to my TBR!