Karis Walsh

City girl Alana Brendt and country vet Tegan Evans both know they don't belong together. Only problem is, they're falling in love.

Sit. Stay. Love.

Izza

Lucia Correa

4 Stars for this pleasant romance by Karis Walsh. First off – how can anybody resist that cover? Walsh has become a favorite author and she doesn’t disappoint in this book. This is one of her fluffier romances, with minimal angst. Which was fine by me. 

Once again, she blends a romance with animals. She has horses in her Tacoma Mounted Patrol series and dogs in You Make Me Tremble and Blindsided and now in Sit. Stay. Love., there are horses and puppies.

Alana Brendt literally grew up in the hotel business, living in the hotels her parents managed. She doesn’t want to be a hotel manager like her parents, but she enjoys and excels at event planning. Unfortunately, her boss at a large hotel, laid all the blame on Alana for an unfortunate mix-up which leaves Alana searching for a new job. She accepts a one-year contract as an Activity Coordinator at a soon to be opened lodge/ranch in Yakima, Washington. She assumed she would just be planning events from her desk but when she arrives, she learns that the job also entails leading trail rides, care of the horses plus accompanying guests on rafting trips. Alana explains to Tegan “I didn’t lie, I fudged.” about her qualifications on her application.

Alana meets the local vet Tegan Evans on her first day. Tegan arrives to give the horses vaccinations and was expecting help from Alana. She quickly surmises that Alana has zero experience with horses but agrees to teach Alana as much as she can about riding and care before the first guests arrive in a month. They become friends then more than friends but with the specter that Alana would be leaving at the end of her contract.

Alana is very likable (as is Tegan) and she has an amazing work ethic, in spite of her initial deceit. She helps ranch owner, Chip manage the grand opening, taking care of details, contractors and the like, on top of her regular duties. But at the end of her contract - will she stay or return to the city to work in large hotels?

Did I mention cute puppies??

*An ARC was sent to me by the publisher Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley for my honest review.*

Carol Bailey

This was a fun, easy, beach read kind of book. Enjoyable and fun

City girl Alana Brendt accepts a one-year contract as an event coordinator in remote Yakima, Washington, to reboot her career. So what if she padded her résumé a little…doesn’t everyone? Then she discovers she has to lead trail rides and white-water adventures, not just coordinate them. Add a litter of puppies underneath her rickety farmhouse’s porch, and Alana is desperate enough to accept help from the local vet—the gorgeous, sexy, outdoorsy vet who is absolutely not Alana’s type. At all. Veterinarian Tegan Evans avoids the tourist side of Yakima, venturing there only when an animal needs her. Tourists only break your heart. Still, she can’t resist helping Alana, who, despite being in over her head with rambunctious puppies and a job she is barely qualified to perform, seems determined to make a success of things. Alana and Tegan both know they don’t belong together. Only problem is, they’re falling in love.

Jude Silberfeld

This is one of the cutest books I’ve read in a long time, and not just because there are animals (but also because, you know, puppies). 

After being betrayed by her boss, which, according to her, is worse than being betrayed by a girlfriend, Alana ends up in Yakima, Washington, far from the deluxe hotels she’s always aimed to work for. Refusing to be bitter about the situation, she does her best to do right by her new boss, a sweet guy who’s way in over his head with his new dude ranch. Tegan is the town vet and understands right from the start that Alana is out of her element. At first wary of her, she soon realizes that Alana could very well be the one who will break her heart.

I liked Alana from the start. She’s smart, kind, sweet, open-minded. Tegan is also really nice and of course they are meant for each other. The romance is really sweet and as I’ve written before, I don’t mind the instalove. I’ve been there, I know it happens.

Another thing I like so much about this book is the way Karis Walsh describes the surroundings, the trails, the beauty of nature. It reminds me a little of Gerri Hill’s novels, another author who’s so good at sharing how much she loves nature. This book also reminded me in particular of one of my all-time favorite Hill novels, No Strings, as the characters in both enter a relationship knowing it has an expiration date and trying (and failing) not to mind. The impermanence makes for great angstsy moments.

This might not be as obvious a 5-stars book as others I’ve reviewed recently, but I can’t give any less to a novel that makes me laugh out loud in joy and brings tears to my eyes the way this one did. So sue me, I don’t care.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Bianca Pereira da Ponte

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is an Lgbt romance about Alana Brendt an event coordinator and the veterinarian Tegan Evans, this looks like an enemy to lover type of romance but they became friendly really fast and start to show feelings to each other and I found funny when they started to flirt using massages. 
One thing that I liked about this book was the character development of Alana and how she has finally given herself a break and stop planning and accepting an amazing present with her new friend, lover, and animals. 
The book is well written and the sex scenes are not heavy and if you are new to the whole romance thing I recommend this one. Tegan and Alana are couple goals and I liked how they resolve their problems, in the end, talking and giving each other a new chance in the relationship and life even with all the things in the past.

Megan Cooper

3.75

I've decided that Karis Walsh is a sure thing when I want good romance read. Add rescue dog and a litter of puppies and you've got me hooked. 

This is a fish out of water kind of story and a good bit of the low key humour is around Alana's adapting to the added responsibility of leading the outdoor activities including leading trail rides, whitewater rafting and fishing rather than just planning events for the future ranch guests. Luckily, the local vet, Tegan, is on hand to help. Originally coming to the small Washington town to rebuild her tarnished reputation and return to the big city hotel jobs she is used to, Alana slowly begins to build the connections and attachments she didn't know that she has been missing. Alana and Tegan are sweet, easy to relate to and you can't help but root for them. Although there's the dark cloud of Alana's plan to only stay for a short time in her new job, Walsh doesn't overplay the angst card as both characters openly acknowledge it. The romance happens over a short period of time, but Alana and Tegan spend much of that time together and there's a nice rapport between the two that starts with attraction, moves to friendship and then to romance. 

This is a pretty quick read - and left me with a smile on my face. The banter and antics were not as laugh out loud as Love on Lavender Lane, but I quite enjoyed this one.

Sit. Stay. Love.

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