The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Susan Wiggs is a fun romantic cozy just in time for Christmas. Who doesn't love a good dog rescue story with a romance and characters one can get involved with? This ticks all the boxes for me, as I am sure it will for others.

Just reading the authors name on the book cover provides a reason to sign and reminisce. Susan Wiggs list of stories is a vast reminder of wondrous moments turning pages and falling in love with a tale and its amazing characters. Every fan has their favorite. Mine too numerous to mention. And now I welcome you to THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS which has the joy of tinsel and bells mixed to perfection with the angst of the season as only Susan Wiggs could do with aplomb.
Sounds like it will be a fluff piece, but fans know better. Mixed in with the joy of the season are personal moments that are filled with memories of times past, some good – others more challenging. The main character in THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS Brenda is facing challenges to her life once again it almost seems as though her life has been filled with moments of angst and grief. Starting with the loss of her father during, you guessed it, Christmas.
Brenda’s mother is a career miliary woman whose assignments take her all over. Her father was the caretaker of a sort. With his passing it was Brenda, her mother and sister Cissy who now made up a different family group. A good solid and loving group but with a piece missing. Christmas season brought those memories back to life and for Brenda that meant crossing that holiday off her personal calendar. She diligently managed to accomplish that even when married to her ex whose family loved to lavishly celebrate the holiday.
Brenda is currently on a mission to deliver eleven dogs to a shelter that has lined up adoptive families for each and every one. She is traveling with her own dog – hence the title of twelve. All does not go smoothly. Weather, driving, road conditions all form a challenge. But not to worry Susan Wiggs has it all figured out. All we have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. Guaranteed enjoyment from the pen of Susan Wiggs.

Head back to Avalon with Brenda and Dolly as they bring eleven new residents to town. Fans of the author’s Lakeshore Chronicles books will love this Christmas story.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas is cute and fun and romantic. My only complaint is that I read it too quickly. Ha! I'm always intrigued by a road trip subplot and this one had a clever twist because it wasn't the hero and heroine traveling together. I liked the friendship between Brenda and the other characters, as well as their shared commitment to finding forever families for all the rescue dogs. The heroine's anti-Christmas stance is entertaining as well. Adam, the hero, is a super swoon-worthy paramedic who is also a single dad...need I say more? Adam and Brenda's slow-burn relationship has lots of tension and great chemistry to keep the pages turning. Susan Wiggs did a great job with the whole will-they-or-won't-they vibe.
I highly recommend The Twelve Dogs of Christmas to anyone who enjoys reading romance novels, especially Christmas-themed stories. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

A great cover that completely matches the story. This author never fails to entertain. I have to admit the start of the book with Tim in emergency has me cracking up. What an imaginative way to discover a cheater. Transporting Christmas dogs from TX to the northeast cold weather is not for the faint of heart. And holiday cheer is not something Brenda is about at all. She really is down on the holiday season. But Adam does sound fabulous and a good reason to reconsider the cold and the season.
Loved it!

Brenda Mallory has a rescue dog Tiny Tim. One Christmas Tim eats a pair of undies that are not Brenda’s One year later Brenda is divorced, she is helping with a dog rescue, this rescue needs a driver to deliver 11 dogs to Avalon NY. 11 dogs and Tim drive to NY from Houston. The drive goes well until a blinding snowstorm. Paramedic Adam Bellamy rescues not only the dogs but Brenda also. Adam is a divorced dad, living in his mom’s boathouse. Adam helps deliver the dogs along with Brenda. An aspiring writer who loathes Christmas. Will Adam help Brenda overcome her fears and love Christmas again. This is a continuation of The Lakeshore Chronicles. I loved this book. It is a fantastic Christmas and dog lovers read. I read this from NetGalley.

Fun Christmas romance. Even if you're not a pet lover, you'll like this book. The dogs play a part but it's not the whole book. Plenty of Christmas fun and a bit of romance.

In The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Susan Wiggs, Brenda Malloy is not a fan of Christmas. She doesn't have good memories associated with the season, the most recent is finding out that the panties her dog ingested were not hers. She struggles to get through a painful divorce. Luckily, she finds fulfillment in trying to write a children's novel and in volunteering with a local dog rescue organization in Houston, Texas. This organization partners with a rescue group in New York, and Brenda helps her friend Dolly transport eleven dogs there to find their forever homes. How hard could it be? A December snow storm derails their van, and they are rescued by handsome Adam Bellamy, a paramedic and single father... who just happens to be adopting one of the rescue dogs. Adam is smitten and, while the van is repaired, tries to convince Brenda that hope and love can indeed be possible. For this charming read, add a town full of Christmas cheer, a Christmas play, Adam's precious son Willy, dogs galore and people who want Adam and Brenda to find happiness. Brenda uses these experiences to grow as a writer, but more importantly, she learns to trust the depth of love that has escaped her for too many years..

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas is perfect to help readers find the spirit of Christmas.

It is heartwarming to know that a portion of the proceeds of the sale of this book goes to the author's local animal rescue organization.

Thanks to William Morrow, Susan Wiggs, and NetGalley for the ARC.

As she volunteers to help transport rescue dogs from Houston to upstate New York, Brenda Mallory finds out that second chances are possible when you let yourself believe in the power of Christmas.

An easy read that’s sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Texas and New York State - Present Day

Brenda Malloy lives in Houston, Texas, is fresh off of a divorce, and struggling to get a children's novel published. She is also not a fan of Christmas for several reasons. The most recent was that a year ago, after rushing her beloved dog to an emergency veterinarian on Christmas Eve along with her husband, Tim, the dog survived the surgery, but the pair of women's undies that was removed were not Brenda's. These days Brenda volunteers for a canine rescue group that gathers up stray or abused dogs, and transports them to new homes in Avalon, New York.

With the holiday season looming, Brenda is casually dating a new guy, although she's not sure he's "the one". There are no plans for Christmas celebrations as Brenda just doesn't "do" Christmas. But when the dog rescue group needs a second person to help with transport to New York, Brenda is asked to go along to help get the twelve dogs (taking her own boy, Tim along) to their new owners. It's an uneventful trip, despite her partner's Christmas music and decorations in the van, until they reach the outskirts of Avalon. Swerving to avoid hitting a deer, Brenda's friend ends up crashing the van in a snowstorm. While the dogs are okay, the driver is injured and hospitalized, and one of the paramedics who helped rescue them takes Brenda under his wing.

Adam Bellamy, also divorced, is the father of a little boy, and also the owner of one of the transported dogs. He and Brenda set out to deliver all of the dogs to their new owners, and they fall into an easy friendship. With the van out of commission for a while, and Brenda's friend still hospitalized, it looks as though Brenda will have to put up with the very Christmas-oriented Avalon. Can Adam coax her out of her anti-Christmas funk?

THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS is a sweet story of healing hearts, a beautiful season, and some adorable dogs who think everyone should be happy.

Rescue dogs are the subject of this sweetly appealing holiday romance. A woman who hates Christmas, Brenda deals with the holiday by avoidance after both the death of her father at Christmastime when she was a child, and the end of her marriage as an adult. When the animal rescue needs someone to fill in on a long trip from Houston to deliver a group of dogs to new forever homes in northern New York State, Brenda reluctantly agrees to help. Circumstances intervene to keep her in Avalon much longer and closer to Christmas than she wants, but a lonely paramedic, a desperate theater producer, and an adorable little boy change all that. Another perfect holiday read. The author is an animal lover, and will be sending a portion of the proceeds from this book to her local animal rescue organization, PAWS of Bainbridge Island, Washington. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance review copy.

A wonderful and enchanting book to read about trust, finding love again and the heartwarming companionship of dogs! Susan Wiggs' books about dogs and dog rescues are great books....especially this one that takes place at Christmas. Thanks for the advanced copy!

This is the first book I have read by Susan Wiggs, and the more I reflected on it the more I appreciated it. Brenda Malloy has suffered two traumatic events relating to the Christmas season, enough to put her off of Christmas forever. Through a series of unforeseen events as she works through her trauma by service she comes to understand that Christmas is a time for hope and change and a promise of love. I highly recommend 'The Twelve Dogs of Christmas' as a delightful holiday read.

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

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters which include dogs being delivered to their forever homes in time for Christmas. The main character doesn't like Christmas due to a tragic loss when she was young that she blames herself for. She is afraid to love or want anything too much so that she can manage to not hurt that badly again. Of course, Christmas is a time for love and miracles and hopefully if she can open her heart she will find what she has been needing.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for an advance copy of this book. I loved it and definitely recommend it. It was a great read.

When I first started this book I wasn't sure where it was going, but man did it take off in the most wonderful way! This is a feel-good, find the spirit of Christmas book with an over-the-top secondary character named Dolly who is the most positive up=beat friend anyone could have. Dolly embodies the spirit of Christmas and she helps her friend Brenda move out of her comfort zone and find the spirit of Christmas that she lost years ago. When the two get stuck in the snow delivering rescue dogs to a snowy northern town, the action begins as Brenda (Scroogetta) meets Adam, the sexy single-dad paramedic who tends to try to see the positive side of life. Their attraction is immediate even though Brenda does everything in her power to deny it. As the story evolves it is fun to watch Brenda trying to hold on to her "Christmas is a terrible time of year" attitude when she is surrounded by a town and people who truly embrace friendship, love, taking chances and finding the good in life. Definitely a feel good Christmas story that is fun to read and leaves you feeling good.

I have to admit, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas is the first Susan Wiggs novel that I have read. Any book about dogs is an instant seller for me and so there was no way I could resist this title. Plus, this is a novel about dog rescue, which made it a quick and easy read. I didn't want to stop reading.

The plot is straightforward enough--a divorced dog-loving, soured on Christmas woman, who has no interest in falling in love, drives north in a van loaded with rescue dogs needing to be delivered in time for Christmas. Getting snowed in during this trip is not the protagonist's plan. Nor is she interested in celebrating a small town Christmas with a kind handsome man. The plot is rather predictive, but that does not mean it isn't an enjoyable novel. The Twelve Dogs of Christmas is a lovely, fast, and easy read, with some nice ideas about love and the joy of falling in love.

I want to thank Wiggs and HarperCollins for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. For Wigg fans, this novel will not disappoint. Dog lovers and dog rescue people will enjoy this novel also. I am both. I loved the dogs. Thank you also to NetGalley for brining this novel to my attention.

This is a delightful, heart-warming Christmas story regardless of the nature of your connection with canine friends and family members.

Brenda Malloy, aka “Scroogetta,” would prefer to skip the Christmas season each year. Soured on the holiday after two disastrous events – one in childhood and one as an adult – she has little to celebrate and much to mourn. This year is different; reluctantly, Brenda has agreed to assist in driving twelve rescue dogs from Houston, TX to Avalon, NY with predictable challenges. In the process of being a good Samaritan, Brenda rediscovers the joy and wonder of the season through the kindness, love, and Christmas spirit of the town residents.

I enjoy reading Christmas novels/novellas any time of the year. This one is a quick and fun read with relatable and believable characters. The dogs and their antics are a bonus to the usual seasonal fare of this genre. If you are looking for a “feel good” boost, this charming story will fulfill that need and leave you with a smile.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Susan Wiggs you have done it again and gave me a book to read and fall into the story. Nothing better than reading a christmas story in July. Imagine my surprise when the story advances to Willow Lake and I am reacquainted with old friends. Bravo for a well done story.

This is the absolutely perfect Christmas story! Brenda hates Christmas, partly because of some bad childhood experiences, and partly because that is when her husband left her. A year later, she is getting her life back together and volunteering for a dog rescue organization. When one of the regular volunteers is unable to do so, she volunteers to help drive a van filled with 12 rescue dogs from her town in Texas to a small town in New England, just before Christmas. Things do not go smoothly. There is an accident, and she meets a handsome paramedic. Will he convince her to love Christmas again? And to find love again? Susan Wiggs is a great author with lots of readers -- this book will also appeal to readers who enjoy books by Susan Mallery, Kristin Higgins, and Mary Kay Andrews.

I am a huge Susan Wiggs fan, so I was thrilled to be selected by the publisher and NetGalley to receive an ARC of this book.

This was an adorable Christmas story, with all the feels. It's the perfect book to read with a cup of cocoa next to a fire or a Christmas tree. The Characters were likeable, and I loved all 12 of the dogs.

If you're looking for a sweet, short and lighthearted Christmas story, this book is for you.