Publishers Weekly
09/13/2021
Sparks fly when a former beauty queen crosses paths with an uptight veterinarian in the run-up to the West Coast Canine Classic dog show in this delightfully over-the-top rom-com from Gilmore (Ruff and Tumble). Though 28-year-old Ruby Taylor abandoned her pageantry career at 18 to work as a nursing assistant in a senior residence, she trusts her competition know-how will help her fulfill an old woman’s dying wish to see her golden retriever, Wheezy, win a local dog show. Thirty-year-old Spencer Wilson, one of the Canine Classic judges, has never seen a more beautiful woman or a less qualified dog. But when Ruby hires Spencer’s twin brother and roommate, Caleb, to train Wheezy, Spencer is pulled into close contact with Ruby, and the more time they spend together, the more he’s tempted to throw away the rule book. Gilmore’s empathetic, appealing lovers both wrestle with old family dynamics—Ruby with her demanding pageant coach mother and Spencer with his challenging twin—as they seek to break out of roles that no longer work for them. Snappy dialogue, a brisk pace, and buoyant humor will charm Gilmore’s fans and newcomers alike. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"Entertaining" — Kirkus Reviews
Rom-com fans will laugh out loud… Gilmore's sexy, snarky rom-com takes the crown, humorously showcasing winning dynamics of dysfunctional families and quirky romantic relationships.
Kirkus Reviews
2021-09-15
A dog-show judge is forced to reconsider his beliefs when confronted with a former beauty queen and her awkward canine.
As a favor to a lovable woman in her care, nursing home assistant Ruby Taylor registers Wheezy, the patient's spectacularly uninterested golden retriever, in the prestigious West Coast Canine Classic. After having spent her childhood training for beauty pageants, Ruby has firmly distanced herself from competitions as an adult. But when veterinarian Spencer Wilson, founder of the Canine Classic, haughtily dismisses the lazy dog’s chances at his show, Ruby resolves to apply her previous experience to ensure that Wheezy wins the contest—even hiring Spencer’s twin brother, Caleb, to help train the dog. At first, Spencer is convinced that Ruby’s beauty is only skin deep, but eventually he comes to appreciate the dedication and determination with which she tries to discipline her friend’s intractable dog. Skepticism and judgment give way to attraction on both sides, but if Ruby and Spencer are to have a chance at happy companionship, they must both work on their complexes. Gilmore leverages the differences in Ruby's and Spencer’s personalities to ensure that their interactions—in bed and outside—are consistently entertaining. But it is Wheezy’s willful resistance to convention that is a thing of real beauty: He bridges the gap between the straight-laced veterinarian and the adventure-loving pageant queen. Since Gilmore refuses to engage with the difficulty of arriving at an objective assessment of qualities such as beauty and breeding, though, she misses the chance to fully unleash Ruby and Spencer’s potential for introspection and change.
Opposites attract with predictable ease but not without some surprises.
