Most women I know don’t have unrealistic expectations for a partner. They want someone who’s loyal, who’ll love them unconditionally. Who’s happy to see them at the end of the day. Someone to share a bed with.
Many of them have given up on finding that relationship with a human, and are concentrating on their dogs instead. Yes, dogs require that you pick up their poop, but other than that drawback, they are the perfect partner.
Fido-friendly fiction writer Jackie Bouchard has expanded her repertoire with her latest novel, Stray Magic. While her previous books have all featured women and their hounds in situations ranging from comical to dramatic, Stray Magic is firmly in the fairy-tale genre. And while the dogs provide quite a bit of magic, they aren’t the only source.
Cara Snow, about to be an empty-nester when her daughter Winnie goes off the college, has ten months to find love before her ex-husband Todd’s Valentine’s Day wedding. But the only true love she has so far is with her Corgi, Llewellyn. When she wishes aloud that she could fall for a man as easy as she falls for the rescue dogs whose adoptions she facilitates, her fairy godfather appears. Vincent, a miniature guido from Jersey who’s just the right size to ride Llewellyn (apparently Corgis were specially bred to carry fae), is twenty-five years late, but he’s eager to help Cara find the right man. Too bad his spell is just a little clumsy. Now Cara is left wondering if every man who comes through the door of the pet boutique where she works is The One… and why the pooches are so much more attractive than the men.
Stray Magic is a cute, quick read—it came in at just under two hours on my Kindle. Cara is a bit of a pushover, but she’s easy to root for. And the dogs she falls in love with through the rescue events she coordinates are as well-described as any characters. The story moves naturally to its climax, which merges elements of Cinderella along with Cara’s personal character arc.
Even in a world of smart phones, Netflix, and Uber drivers, we still dream of magic and a fairy god… person to wave a wand and make our wishes come true. And if she brings a dog, that much the better.
Thanks to Jackie Bouchard for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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1 comment:
This looks SO cute!
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