Review - - Like Cats & Dogs

Like Cats & Dogs

by Lizzie Shane

Pine Hollow - Book 6

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: November 12, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

Magda Miller’s feud with rival baker Mackenzie Newton is so old, folks in tiny Pine Hollow, Vermont forgot how it started. But Magda remembers: Ten years ago, she offered Mac her heart—instead, he ran off with her grandmother's maple cake recipe. Now, Mac traipses all over Magda’s baking territory, just like his oversized tabby keeps sneaking into her house to claim her dog’s favorite bed. So, when Magda gets the call to compete on The Great American Cake-Off, she’s thrilled to finally shine in a Mac-free zone. But when she arrives on set, her devilishly handsome nemesis is already there . . .

It turns out, Mac and Magda’s story has inspired the first ever Arch Rivals edition of Cake-Off, and of course Mac has to raise the stakes with a wager. The winner takes all—the Cake-Off title, the contested recipe, and control of the narrative. Magda is more than ready to kick Mac’s Bundt. But as they spar, on-screen and off, Mac and Magda reveal the best in each other...and the sizzling attraction fueling their rivalry. Only one of them can win, so why does it suddenly feel like they both stand to lose?

PJ's Thoughts:

What a fun book! If you wait on pins and needles for the newest episode of Great British Bake Off or Food Network Holiday Baking Championship or any of the plethora of other reality cooking/baking competitions available to view, you are going to love this book!

For the final book in her Pine Hollow series (I do not want to say good-bye to these characters!), Lizzie Shane has created a fast-paced, enemies-to-lovers story with snappy banter, sizzling chemistry, drool-worthy food, plenty of humor, but also heart, an enthusiastic, meddling, but supportive friend group, adorable dogs, and one lone cat who you will never convince me didn't know exactly what it was doing. 

The characters are well-developed with intriguing layers that are slowly revealed, and not only Magda and Mac. The kitchen scenes are especially fun. Shane really nails the atmosphere - both on screen and off - of what I would expect from a rivals edition of a reality show. It's fun to observe the friendships that form while also rooting for the "villains" to be cast out of the kitchen. And it's not just the contestants who create the drama. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series. They are tied together through the group of friends, with a different couple - and dog - featured in each book yet can be read in any order. If you enjoy humor, heart, animals, friendships, emotional depth, and endearing romance, give this book - and this series - a try. I highly recommend it. 

 

Review - - Four Weddings and a Puppy

Four Weddings and a Puppy

by Lizzie Shane

Pine Hollow - Book 5

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: November 21, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

 

When two childhood friends return home after their sports careers don't go as planned, a puppy just may give them a second chance at happiness together.

She’s always been the girl with the plan . . . until the plan crashed big time

Kendall Walsh has exactly one second to save a fancy, five-tiered wedding cake and any possibility of being a wedding planner—not to mention her family’s struggling ski resort. All because of one very cute, very furry, golden menace of a retriever who has a serious thing for butter chiffon icing. Which is exactly when Olympic skier Brody James shows up and saves the day . . . and the cake.

Brody makes Kendall feel about a million indecipherable things. He’s her brother’s bestie. Her first crush. And a ridiculously popular Olympic hero, which only reminds her of her own failed Olympic dreams. What Brody isn’t telling her is that he’s walked away from it all. The fame. The sponsorships. The celebrity girlfriend. Now he and Kendall are both lost somewhere between their past and a future they can’t yet see. But four weddings, one mischievous puppy, and a few steamy kisses later, these two might just realize that they are both exactly where they need to be…with each other. 

PJ's Thoughts:

I don't know how I managed to not read any of the books in this series before getting an ARC of book five, Four Weddings and a Puppy. Once I began reading I couldn't put it down. Finished the entire book in one day then immediately bought the first four books in the series. Then, I read all four of them back-to-back over the next five days. I am in love with Pine Hollow, the pups, and all of the residents!

Shane has created a friends-to-lovers trope simmering with emotional depth, snappy banter, and swoony romance. Brody has enjoyed a stellar career on the slopes while Kendall's crashed spectacularly just short of achieving her dreams. Yet both are now at a crossroads and unsure of their next steps. It's the perfect time to reunite them as adults and toss some unexpected romance into the mix. I loved how they each supported the other, challenged one another, their open and heartfelt conversations, and the perspective, confidence, and direction gained. I really enjoyed these two together. 

While the book deals with some tough topics - mental health, debilitating injuries, dysfunctional family relationships - its overall tone is upbeat and hopeful. Let's face it, when you have a town brimming with lovable dogs and a good friend who runs the local shelter, there's bound to be plenty of laughter and smiles. 

Although I usually prefer to read a series in order, I had no issues with jumping into this one at book five. However, as I mentioned above, by the time I had finished Four Weddings and a Puppy, meeting Kendall's friends and numerous pups in the process, I couldn't wait to go back to book one and read everyone else's heartwarming journeys to love. If you enjoy charming ski towns, great friend groups, heartwarming romance, and adorable dogs, don't miss Four Weddings and a Puppy, as well as the earlier books in Lizzie Shane's Pine Hollow series. I laughed, cried, and willingly handed over my heart in all five books.