If you’re looking for an easy way to brighten your day or you’re a little down in the dumps, here’s a surefire message to improve it. Open up a contemporary romance starring dogs. It’s a proven method by this author that will have you smiling pretty quickly.
It’s hard not to put a smile on your face when you read a sweet romance and this upcoming release fits the bill. Continue on for my full review.
Unleashed Holiday by Victoria Schade
Publisher : Berkley (September 26, 2023)
ISBN-13 : 978-0593437414
SYNOPSIS:
Chelsea Higgins is doing just fine. She’s heading into the holidays at the helm of a thriving dog training business, and she’s got a mellow senior dog at home to keep her warm at the end of the day. What more could she need? Enter certified gym bro Andrew Gibson: Chelsea’s former nemesis, and now the newest neighbor in her business complex, who also wants to expand into the vacant space Chelsea’s been eyeing for months. Who cares if it’s the season of joy? Let the turf war begin.
When an unfortunate (and literal) run-in with Andrew’s lawless dog leaves Chelsea with a bum wrist, the two strike a deal: Andrew will help Chelsea rehab the injury if she’ll work with him to train his adorably uncivilized boxer.
Their typical bickering soon turns to bantering, and Chelsea finds herself inexplicably drawn to the man she thought she had nothing in common with. As she gets to know Andrew and his parents, she realizes she needs to refocus on her own family, especially with a milestone Christmas speeding toward them. But Chelsea can’t help wondering if she and Andrew are training for keeps, or if this unexpected Christmas gift is just too good to be true.
Unleashed Holiday by Victoria Schade Review
This story has a good blend of content that will make you feel right at home. It’s a combination of different tropes – Christmas romance, enemies to lovers, dealing with grief, family dynamics, second chance romance, and more.
Unleashed Holiday was a fun story to read because of all the components the author treated us to, but especially because of the dogs. After all, we do have a dog trainer in the house with two cute pups and an athlete with a darling boxer. What could go wrong?
The author crafts the story with great visualization and detail. She loads it up with heart and delight. But also adds in a bit of hate and discontent, strife, old loves, a past hot hookup, and a wonderful HEA.
I love the fact that it was not all roses and sunshine. These two had to go through a lot to get to their happy place. They both are business owners and deal with issues there. Family drama and past issues had them working to get through it together.
One thing was bugging me a bit in this story and that is the female lead did have a bit of bite with some of her words and that was never really addressed well enough for me with Andrew. Her hurt was showing through but in turn, she was degrading him.
Unleashed Holiday is a pleasure to read. Schade pulls out the stops with tenderness, warmth, and a slow-burn romance. A yummy hot Andrew and cute secondary characters in the pups make this a delightful, sweetheart of a read!
4 STARS!
Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.
Hi! I’m Chris! Just a Midlife Wife sharing about life’s journey; screaming and kicking through it while supposedly aging gracefully…
Focusing on healthy living, low carb & keto, things I am loving right now, and life in general.