A service dog in training knows just what they need!
Veterinarian Maggie Reid is focused on training service dogs and has no time for romance. Yet Asher Matsuda sends her guarded heart into a tailspin. The widowed single dad has vowed to put his grieving daughter first. He can’t be falling for a beautiful workaholic who hides behind her career. But every dog has its day and this stubborn duo is no different…if only they’ll take a chance on love!
Excerpt:
She was back in the true crime section, like she had been the first day he’d noticed her and Jackson. Was wearing scrubs again, too. Unsurprising, since she must have left work to come here. She did it for the dog, not for me.
But a man could dream. Some naive, romantic part of him, a part that had survived despite of—or perhaps because of—Alex, could easily imagine Maggie popping in to share lunch, or a secret kiss in the stacks… Nerves fluttered in his chest, and the corners of his mouth quirked up.
“It seems Jackson is missing his true love,” he said.
Maggie’s lips formed an O. “He was only with me for a few months.”
“Apparently it only took that long to make an impression.” He stepped closer and brushed a stray curl off her cheek. “I can see how that would happen.”
“Asher…” Longing flickered across her face. She bit her lower lip.
He flexed his hands at his sides to keep from tracing his thumb along the pink flesh. “Yeah?”
“You’re flirting with me.” She said it softly, warily, as if she couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.
“Yeah.”
Her brow furrowed. “And you’re at work.”
“Is that the only reason you don’t like it?”
Her chest rose with a deep breath. Her earlier flush returned to her cheeks. “Who said I didn’t like it?”
“A hunch.”
She glanced over her shoulder and around him before rising up to steal a kiss. “You clearly shouldn’t listen to your hunches.”
Clearly not. Sliding his fingers into her hair, he sank into the kiss. She tasted like mint, as if she'd anticipated this and popped a breath freshener.
His pulse kicked up. Drove higher as her hands skimmed his back.
She murmured a pleasure-filled sound that hummed along his skin.
A throat cleared behind him. “I have a book to check out when you get a second. Is that you there, Maggie?”
Maggie sprang back at Mrs. Brooks’s question. “Oh goodness. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t let me interrupt.” Amusement colored the older woman’s tone. “What’s a library for, if not a little romance? Those books are one aisle over, though, aren’t they?”
“That’s— It’s not—” Maggie croaked, seemingly unable to finish a sentence. A deep red flush swept from her neck to her hairline.
Asher palmed his mouth, smoothing his beard and turning on his winningest smile. “Apologies, Mrs. Brooks. Let me check out your selection for you.”
It took everything he had, not to kiss Maggie one more time before he went to his desk. But one stolen embrace was plenty for today.
Flirting was one thing. Making a habit of this woman was entirely another.
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About
Raised in a small town on Vancouver Island, Laurel grew up skiing and boating by day and reading romances under the covers by flashlight at night. Ever committed to the proper placement of the Canadian “eh,” she loves to write books with snapping sexual tension and second chances. She lives outside Vancouver with her law-talking husband and two daughters. At least half her diet is made up of tea.
On a research trip to Montana, Laurel found the inspiration for the town of Sutter Creek, and the Dawson and Fitzgerald families came to life. The second trilogy in the Harlequin Special Edition Sutter Creek, Montana miniseries is being released June 2020, September 2020, and January 2021.
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4.25 stars
In Service of Love by Laurel Greer centers around Maggie Reid, a veterinarian who also trains service dogs, librarian Asher Matsuda, and his precocious daughter. Neither is ready for a relationship, especially because their respective lives are not going quite the way they’ve planned, but their connection can’t be denied.
This adult contemporary romance is part of the ‘Sutter Creek, Montana’ series and spotlights Asher, the brother of the main character (Caleb) from “Holiday by Candlelight.” Who can resist the talented and sexy librarian who struggles to provide everything for his young daughter while he copes with both his own and her grief over the death of his husband? The gradual bond that forms between them, Maggie, and her noise-shy canine trainee is beautiful and touching to watch.
I thought the author did a wonderful job of depicting the challenges of juggling an overabundance of commitments, the delicate dance of exploring a relationship with a bisexual partner, and the importance of making sure Asher’s daughter was accepting and comfortable with his courtship. It was fascinating to learn what was involved in training a canine as a service animal, and I found myself cheering for Jackson to overcome his obstacles
This is my favorite story in the series thus far, and I enjoyed the cameos by characters from previous books. I’m looking forward to learning more about the third Reid sibling and her backstory and I’m sure that cameos will feature this adorable ready-made family as well.
A copy of this story was provided for review
