Daniel Ashe, a literary agent in Los Angeles, is jaded about life and love. He dreams of starting his own agency, but in reality is afraid if he doesn’t find the next J. D. Salinger he will be out of a job.  When he arrives home to a puddle of pee on the floor he hires a dog sitter named Annie Donahue who has left a flier on his door. He meets her in person and although charmed by her Irish accent he is terrified of her red hair, a phobia left over from his childhood. He is determined to fire her so he doesn’t have to look at her red hair but she leaves him a charming story about his dogs and their adventure at the park that day. This starts a funny and animated diary flirtation between the two that sets his literary agent wheels and his heart spinning.

The first half of this novel was written in a fairy tale style with childlike stories of the dog that acted as the impetus to Daniel and Annie’s love story. As with most love stories there were quite a few bumps in the road, the biggest in this one being Daniel’s aversion to love. Although slow moving, I did find the stories sweet and Annie charming. Daniel, on the other hand didn’t have any self confidence, although he had an abundance of good looks, so it took me a little longer to warm up to him.

The second half of the novel was like a different book. The pace was quicker because the story abruptly changed from a sweet clever romance to a romantic thriller. The change was a little jarring, but the Daniel in the second half of the novel was everything that had been missing in the first; take charge, confident, and driven to succeed. Without giving away the story, I’ll just say that due to circumstance, Annie was mostly absent until the end which was also a little out of character for a romance.

How did I feel about this abrupt shift in pace and yes, even genre? Well, I still enjoyed the book. Although, in my head, they were two separate novels with the same characters that ultimately reached a happy ending. When I finished the book, I was happy that those two found their HEA but a little confused at the plot shifts that got them there. This author has a ton of talent because she made my emotions spike from one end of the spectrum to the other that’s for sure!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review, and it was honest!

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