If you love sweet romances (PG-rating), look no further than Rachelle Ayala’s Have a Hart series. The Harts are a family of San Francisco firefighters. Their family motto is: Heart comes first.
Former fireman Larry Davison covers his burn scars well, by working at an elementary school as a custodian where he finds a lost hound dog behind the dumpster.
Fashion designer Jenna Hart is in town to do a charity fashion show when she loses her top model, Little Treat. When Larry turns up with the puppy, she asks him to be in the show and bachelor auction.
Larry’s not sure he belongs in a fashion show and balks at being her good deed. Can Jenna convince Larry beauty is never skin deep and love’s arrow strikes not only the beautiful, but the bold?
The Hart family will delight you with clean and wholesome love stories, filled with family, friends [both people and animals].
Valentine Hound Dog is Book #2 of the Have A Hart Romance Series. It can be read standalone, although characters from the previous books appear here in supporting roles.
Book 1: Melisa & Rob, Christmas Lovebirds
Book 2: Jenna & Larry, Valentine Hound Dog
Book 3: Connor & Nadine, Spring Fling Kitty
Book 4: Cait & Brian, Blue Chow Christmas (releasing 7th February)
Book 5: Valentine Wedding Hound (releasing 14th February)
“Valentine Hound Dog is an extraordinarily beautiful and tremendously poignant story that serves as a gentle reminder that no one should settle for less than who they are and what they want.” – Amber McCallister” review
“A beautiful heartwarming modern Beauty and the Beast love story.” – Marie Smith Fowler
Above reviews from Amazon.com
Christmas Lovebirds (Have a Hart #1)
Melisa Hart has a soft spot for her brother Connor’s ex-best buddy, Rob Reed. Unfortunately, Rob slept with Connor’s girlfriend and is no longer welcome with any of the Harts.Melisa lends her pet lovebird for a Christmas Toy Drive, but a mix-up brings her face to face with Rob and his lovebird. Melisa is drawn into a whirlwind romance with Rob and discovers he hasn’t told her the entire story.Can two little lovebirds and Christmas cheer open Melisa’s heart to giving Rob another chance?Christmas Lovebirds is Book #1 of the Have A Hart Romance Series. It can be read standalone, although characters from the previous books appear here in supporting roles.
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Spring Fling Kitty (Have a Hart #3)
Cait Hart has been married to Brian Wonder for twelve years, but does she really know him? The redheaded firefighter is dependable, loyal, and kind to others, but he’s never let her probe his feelings.Brian Wonder’s life is blown open when his former high school teacher and wife of a senator dies in a car crash. When a pair of blue chow dogs show up at his mountain cabin, he is forced to tell Cait his secret–the real owner of the dogs is a boy he believes is his son.
Cait and Brian are tested on the true meaning of love when the boy goes missing and authorities suspect Brian of wrongdoing. Can two lost chow dogs save this fragile and vulnerable family?
Valentine Wedding Hound
Fashion designer Jenna Hart’s wedding turns into a media circus when her wedding planner signs her up for a reality show. Each week, the producers challenge her to keep her wedding on track while performing an unpleasant task or working with difficult people. Firefighter Larry Davison wants Jenna to be happy, so he goes along with the reality show despite hating to be on camera. When the show digs too deep into his past, he has second thoughts about both the wedding and Jenna’s celebrity lifestyle. Will their ring bearer, Harley the basset hound, bring Jenna and Larry together to tie the knot in the season finale?
Rachelle Ayala is a bestselling author of dramatic romantic suspense and humorous, sexy contemporary romances. Her heroines are feisty and her heroes hot. She writes emotionally challenging stories but believes in the power of love and hope.
Rachelle is an active member of the California Writer’s Club, Fremont Chapter, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. She is a very happy woman and lives in California with her husband. She has three children and has taught violin and made mountain dulcimers.
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Valentine Hound Dog by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was sent a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
I have had the pleasure of reading several of Rachelle’s books in the past, and it was a delight to have the opportunity to read one of her sweet romances. She can write in edgier styles, but don’t be fooled. This one is sweet with a little bit of heat added here and there. You’re not going to find profanity nor sex scenes. While it is implied that some of the characters (most notably the heroine) is a bit “easy” when it comes to sex, nothing like that happens in this book. In fact, I was absolutely in love with Larry. For a romantic lover and true gentleman, you can’t do any better than him. Jenna is not the typical skinny minny, but she is an amazing fashion designer. She appears to be a bit flighty at times, but we know how she genuinely feels about Larry. The problem is that Jenna’s past seems to be keeping her from experiencing true love. We can only hope that this sweet romance will end the way we want it to. Oh, and the addition of a dog–priceless! I mean, who doesn’t love a basset hound??
My only criticism concerns the last twenty pages of the book or so, and this is merely something that I often see in terms of rom-coms whether in book form or movies. The ending feels a bit forced and too rapid. I understand that romance authors have a certain length that is preferable, and sometimes the ending of the book seems a bit choppy. It is not a major flaw. I would probably give Rachelle a 4.5 on this book, but the thing is that the book was close enough to a 5 that I rounded it.
One thing that Rachelle does incredibly well is the interactions between the characters. Everything seems plausible, and it’s even humorous at times–some authors don’t do that well. Rachelle always strives for realistic writing and clever dialogue, and there is no doubt that she delivers in this book.
I have not read any other books in the series, and I had no problem keeping the characters straight. It looks like this is an entire series, and if you’re in the mood for sweet romance, look no further than Rachelle.
(winners choice)
Ending on Sunday 19th February at 11.59pm EST
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2 Comments
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Thanks so much, Ruth! I do remember the other books we shared and am so glad you found one of my sweeter ones. This entire series is sweet and I also have another sweet series, The Veteran’s Christmas Series, as well as plans for other sweet ones in the future. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day.
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Thank you so much for reviewing Valentine Hound Dog today xx
