In the second installment of a cheerful romcom
series, love percolates amidst the competition
of two Austin, Texas coffee shops.
Julia London’s second installment of her cheerful romcom series is set in Austin, Tx., during the Christmas season. She cleverly brings together two 30something dog lovers with personalities and agendas as different as caffeinated versus decaffeinated coffee.
Aeronautical Engineer,
Jonah Rogers, leaves his job to help out at the ‘Lucky Star,’ a charmingly
humble--however lagging--coffee shop run by his parents, his aunt and uncle.
With his father ill, Jonah--reliable and devoted, sacrificing and loyal--steps
in to assist the long-standing family business that offers no frills,
old-school coffee and desserts. Matters are complicated when he accidentally
swaps his phone with Chicagoan, Harper Thompson, in town to launch ‘Deja
Brew’—a trendy, two-story coffee house accented with gleaming chrome coffee
makers, which serves upscale coffee and vegan food choices. The driven,
only-child overachiever is up for a promotion riding on the success of ‘Deja
Brew.’ However, can she contend with ‘Lucky Star,’ a local fixture in town, and
a ‘Starbucks’ situated in the very same neighborhood?
Along the way, Jonah
and Harper and their swapped phones lead them to romance as they discover they
are business rivals. The ante is upped when a local dog competition, “King
Mutt,” pits the couple--the lovable three-legged Dachshund mascot of ‘Lucky
Star’ versus Harper’s mean old bulldog--against each other, as well.
A perfect blend
of coffee, dogs and romance permeates London’s
(You
Lucky Dog, Charmer
in Chaps) frothy romcom that will leave
readers thirsty for a third helping in this sweet, enjoyable series.
It
Started with a Dog (Book 2: Lucky Dog series) by Julia London
Berkley (Penguin Books), $16.00 paperback, 9780593100400,
320 pages
Publication
Date: September 28, 2021
To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE
NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being
posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (October 2, 2021), link HERE
