Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title.

While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023 and beyond.

Laura

A contemporary romance with witty banter, cute furry friends, a fear of public speaking, a fear of dogs, and literary references to Pygmalian.

Would you let your fears stop you from finding love? Would you seek help to overcome your obstacles and find the courage to get what you want?

Fiona Nichol must give a speech but her fear of speaking in public leaves her doubting she can deliver it without passing out. When speech coach Jacob Ward is hired to help her overcome her fear of speaking in public to a room a strangers there might be one thing that stands in their way, Jacob's paralyzing fear of dogs. Will he be able to help her overcome her fears while working through his own?

Will they cross the line and explore their attraction or will Fiona push aside her fears and fire Jacob so they can explore their connection? Will her professor find the same fate as the one in Pygmalian or will Jacob's heart soften and recognize how much he needs her? If they take a chance together, their relationship could be out of this world?

If you love animals, a sweet but slightly romance that reads fast with witty banter and secondary characters that move the story along, give this a try.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher for an honest and fair review.

Love Out Loud is a well written, humorous romance. I loved the plot, characters and setting. I definitely recommend this book.

Such a sweet story!

I feel like we waited forever for this book--#1 and #2 came out in 2017 and 2018 (I honestly barely remember the details of them, but it didn't matter for this one because it would have worked as a standalone anyway)--but it was worth the wait!

Love Out Loud is an opposites attract story--whatever you do, don't refer to it as Pygmalian-esque!--and I loved that even though both Fiona and Jake had their own issues to resolve here (and each got *some* help from the other in resolving them) no one had to be "fixed" to be loveable.

Though "fixing" animals might have been a part of the plot. #sorrynotsorry ;)

Now that all of the Animal Attraction women have found their much deserved HEAs, if Ms Clarke wanted to work on some for Marcus, Elaine, or even Charise...*I* won't complain!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I loved this story and the adorable characters, including the animals. The plot was charming and kept me engaged.
Many thanks to Entangled Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Very intriguing because it had a lot of psychology. A very shy but very intelligent woman, she’s a veterinarian and she’s more comfortable around animals than around people. When she attends to a patient, she’ll talk to the animal instead of to the client. And she also won’t look people at the eyes. Actually, I thought Fiona was autistic and later on, it’s revealed that she suffers societal anxiety due to extreme shyness. In spite of this, once she gets close to a person, she’s funny, articulate, playful, and her brilliance comes through loud and clear.

In contrast, Jacob comes out lack luster. He’s afraid of dogs, which gives him a negative qualification in Fiona’s eyes, but he later gets attached to her two Cairn Terriers, Otto and Grace. He helps Fiona with an acceptance speech she has to give for an award and in so doing, falls for her. I liked the process he takes to help her to get accustomed to public speech, I found it interesting. I liked that he appreciates her and finds her beautiful, with all her quirks and funny expressions. I found her adorable as well.

I loved the characters but for some reason, the story fell short in keeping my attention. Fiona was engaging, but the rest of the characters didn’t shine as bright as she did, in my opinion. I liked the story but didn’t feel engaged, didn’t feel the angst. Overall, it was entertaining but meh.

I tried and tried and just couldn't connect with the characters or their story. I like this author but it was a miss for me.

Super cute, fun read. The characters were great, including the dogs. I would definitely recommend this if you want an easy read, feel good book. It definitely left me smiling.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

I really liked this amusing story. The characters were great, the dogs cute and the personal growth of the MC's was decent. The story had me engrossed the whole way through, and there was a bit of steam, but not so much that it took over the story. I also enjoyed that the h's shyness wasn't portrayed as meekness or lack of personality. Overall, a very enjoyable story. *I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Someone had followed her into the revolving door. Not just someone. Without looking, she knew exactly who it was. Him. After a deep breath, she snuck a quick glance over her shoulder to find him in the next section of the door behind her. Mr. Perfectly Put Together was right there, stuck in the revolving door with Dr. Fiona Falling Apart. Closing her eyes, she cursed her bad luck.

Him - that was in reference to the hottie who Fiona has secretly been crushing on. Though he seems standoffish. Of course, getting stuck in a revolving door was not part of her plan on how to meet him. But this was only the start of things to come.

Jake has seen Fiona in the lobby of his apartment building. He has no idea he's about to get to know her professionally. She is nothing like anyone he's ever met. The more time he spends with her, the more time he WANTS to spend with her.

Fiona relates to animals. Being a vet suits her personality - more animals, less people. Once Jake pops into her life, she is hoping he can see that just because she's shy, doesn't mean she's dull!! Not by a long shot.

This was a great book! It was my first read by this author and I will definitely go back to read the start of this series.

Love Out Loud by Marissa Clarke is the third book in the Animal Attraction series. As I did not read the prior novels, I can assure you that they can be read as standalones. I loved the quirky main characters of Fiona and Jake.

Fiona calls herself shy and is quite happy with her life. She is a veterinarian and works in a busy practice. She does volunteer work and has her animals. Jake is a speech coach, helping people overcome their struggles with speaking in public. He also is the hot guy in Fiona’s building that she has noticed a few times. However it is not until a squeaky toy (that looks like a piece of a male’s anatomy) that gets stuck in the rotating door that Fiona actually speaks with him. It is not until later when Fiona realizes he is her new coach for a speech she has to give in a couple of months.

Jake and Fiona have it bad for each other. Both seem to find each other extremely hot, but because they are in this business relationship, they both know they cannot step over the line. When Fiona fires Jake, they can finally “date”. This would be the end of the story except for a couple of details that both Jake and Fiona forgot to share which sets off another issue.

The novel was a fast read with fun characters. I enjoyed how even a couple of the animals had great personalities. The storyline was enjoyable with a good pace. Love Out Loud by Marissa Clarke was a good read.

Cute romance about a vet and a speech coach, neighbors turned clients turned romance. It was a quick read but sweet, with some funny moments. Great for a beach or poolside read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled for the arc.

Love Out Loud by Marissa Clarke is a feel-good love story. As an added bonus there are dogs involved. Dr Fiona is a shy veterinarian who has a crush on her neighbor Jake. The story of their meeting, becoming friends and then beyond is terrific and funny. I recommend this story for a great summer read.

What a sweet, heartwarming, and charming story where dogs are also included. We have a shy veterinarian and spoke coach that is afraid of dogs who meets when they are stuck in a door. There is banter, funny situations, romantic moments, and heat. in this short contemporary romance. The story is well written, the characters are likable, and also not to forget the animals in it. I enjoyed reading it and cant wait to read something else for the author

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

If you love a good rom com or Hallmark like movies, this book is for you!

Dr. Fiona is a successful vet with a crush on her neighbor. Always too shy to talk to him, they happen to meet one morning, when her dogs toy gets stuck in the revolving door.

Fiona is about to receive an award for her generous work and does not feel comfortable in front of a crowd. A friend/co-worker suggests a speech coach. Low and behold, speech coach is crushy neighbor, Jake!

This story follows their journey from clients, friends and beyond. Plus it includes some amazing pups!

Marissa Clarke writes such a sweet rom com that you can't put down!

A sweet story of an introverted, shy veterinarian who falls in love with Mr. Wrong. Fiona is a kind hearted vet who truly cares for her patients and plays a huge role in her in helping the members of her community. When she is forced to work with Jake, a speech coach, she realizes she’s seen him before. Jake has a strong aversion to dogs though, meaning he doesn’t even check box one in the list for Mr. right. As the pair works together, they help each other overcome fears and face uncomfortable situations. Jake learns maybe dogs aren’t so bad and Fiona learns she can speak in public. An endearing story with a happy ending, this book was just the lighthearted read I needed!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I have read the first two in this series and was very excited when I was approved to read this one. Unfortunately I didn't think it lived up to the first two. I found Fiona's shyness not really believable and both Jake and Fiona felt like caricatures instead of characters. It felt like the author ticked some boxes instead of giving them life.

An embarrassing chance encounter with her secret crush sets the tone for this delightful rom-com. When Fiona discovers that she's going to actually have to spend time with Hot Guy for work, that takes things up a notch!

I loved how these two very different people came to appreciate one another's uniqueness and to smooth out some of each other's rough spots along the way.

I don't really feel like the cover works very well for the story since it has more of a "country vibe" and much of the story is based in the city. But otherwise, no complaints from me here!

I look forward to reading other stories by this author.

Thank you Marissa Clarke, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Fiona, a vet, is expected to give a speech, in accepting an award for her community work. Something she think she could not do due to her phobia to speak in the public. She is more comfortable talking to animal then human. Jack who is a public speaking coach was hired to help and prepare her for the event. They stay close and notice each other. However, Jake avoid her at all cost due to her puppy. Jack has a phobia too. He is afraid of dog.

It is a sweet and heartwarming read to me. There are multiple of funny moments in the story and also very tender ones. I love reading how the main characters help each other to overcome their phobia and also their chemistry.

*review will be publish on my blog on 12/7/22

A really lovely love story between a shy veterinarian Fiona and her hot neighbor Jake who is like it seems her new speaking coach. A really funny romance story perfect for a beach read.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley