Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

This was a nice quick read. The plot flowed nicely. The book was written in a dual POV which makes understanding the characters so much easier. Brad and Izzy couldn't be more different than black and white. It was nice to see how meeting each other made helped them to evolve. In Izzy's case, is more important to spend time with loved ones (especially her daughter Ana). Yes, it is important to save for the future college, retirement, etc. but not at the expense of quality time with her daughter. For Brad, yes living life to the fullest is important but saving for emergencies is also important.

This book also shows just have important rescuing animals is. It is a thankless job but oh so important. As a Mommy to two rescues, I loved this aspect. This book was a nice escape of everyday life about real people. I was able to relate to these characters more than billionaires. Thank you for a nice enjoyable read.

Who doesn’t love dogs...
Isabel, a real estate agent, was checking out one of the abandoned apartment when she heard noise. She was trespassing in the building and didn’t want to risk but she couldn’t just leave. When she found the litter of puppies and a skinny dog, she couldn’t just leave them to starve, so she decided to rescue. She was afraid she would get caught so she wanted to leave the dog at the back of Forever Shelter. But one of the puppies ran out of the crate and she had to search then she came face to face with Brad.
Brad couldn’t believe someone would leave the emancipated mother dog with litter puppies. But when he saw Izzy, he liked what he saw. He wanted to know more about her and rest of the dogs.
Isabel never thought she wanted to adopt any dogs until she met Brad. Izzy’s life goal was to 401K and college funds for her daughter.. All she saw was dollar signs whenever she had listing of homes and buildings.
Brad thought Izzy would be perfect for his feature fundraiser. Now he needs to convince her to attend his award/fundraiser banquet.
Now they are spending more time with Brad and seeing those dogs warm her heart and finally adopts mommy dog and one of the puppy. Those two dogs are giving her unconditional love and relaxes her hectic life.
Brad is warming up to Izzy through dogs and her daughter yet his shelter’s building owner has different idea for the future. Izzy is representing the owner so she can’t break the promise to her client but it will effect his shelter.
Will they find each other’s forever home???

It was cute and funny story.. Most funniest moment was when her doggy started farting during PTA election, I was laughing so loud. Dogs add another layer to the story (maybe I am biased because I love dogs). I can’t wait to read his partner story...

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing Lyrical Press for my ARC in exchange for honest review.

Although I've only read 3 books from author Allyson Charles, I know that when I pick up one of her books I'm going to get a sweet romance that'll make me smile, laugh, and swoon. Her characters are lovable, intelligent, and hardworking. They usually carry their hearts on their sleeves and love with their whole being. Brad Cohen is dedicated to his shelter and the pups that enter it. He wasn't prepared for Izzy when she stumbled into his life. Their attraction is instant and as they grow closer, both have to figure out what is more important in life.

I thought Forever Home was adorable. I loved the characters. Watching Brad interacting with Izzy and her daughter was swoon-worthy. I mean, here's a hero that will do anything for the dogs in his care while opening his heart to a woman and her daughter. He never once questioned his role in their lives. I loved that although they had a pretty rough argument, he never stopped loving both of them. Izzy can be a bit bullheaded, but to be a successful realtor while being a single mother, she definitely has to be. She hates that people on both sides judge her and she uses that to prove herself. I loved that Brad and Izzy balanced each other. Brad brings a bit of spontaneity into Izzy's life, while she brings in stability.

Forever Home was a fun-loving and heartwarming romance. Allyson Charles brings her readers back to Pineville with all new characters. I've got my fingers crossed that Gabe and Dax will be the next two heroes. It's going to be fun watching grumpy Gabe fall in love. Can't wait!

This is a very cute story, with characters that you really root for. Plus dogs. Lots of dogs. Glad this is the start of a new series, because that Gabe is a tough nut to crack and I want him to get his happy ending with a special lady, too, whether he wants it or not!

Isabelle Lopez moves to a small town to raise her daughter. She is embroiled in making her real estate career successful, missing more and more time with her daughter. She is putting her financial goals ahead of what's important - raising her daughter. When she rescues a mom dog and her pups, life begins to change. At the Shelter, she meets the easy-going owner, with a completely opposite look on life than her own.

Brad had a life altering childhood that caused him to want to enjoy and live life to the fullest. Isabelle struggles with his outlook, to the point she irritated me a few times. Brad works hard to get her to focus less on work and enjoying life.

This was an ok read with a couple good laughs, but not a particularly memorable one. However, I am curious about Gabe. I liked the side characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Review by Leah for Love Romance Books Blog

I was asked by the author for an honest review.

3 Stars

This was a cute book and my first by Allyson Charles. I enjoyed the characters and the way they were portrayed, faults and all, although Brad's decision to abstain from making any kind of money, even if it would help his shelter in the long run, seemed over the top. There were a few decisions by Izzy that were surprising and seemed out of character, but I loved Brad's intentions to stick and win her over. This is a story about overcoming your fears and trusting someone enough to let them in. It's also a story about puppies and a sexy former engineer with rippling abs, so it's really a win regardless of which type of story you're looking for.

Having read the author's Pineville series, and enjoying it, I was so looking forward to her new Forever Friends series. Dog, or any animal rescue is a hot button right so the story is quite relatable.

I enjoyed the story and characters tremendous, but did get a bit tired of Izzy's incessant need to judge Brad on his lack of forward financial planning. Not wanting to get involved with someone because they didn't have a 401k, of other securities such as CD's in place was a bit over the top for me.

Izzy's compulsive and harsh actions towards not only Brad, but other characters as well, when things didn't go her way definitely made Izzy seem shrewish. Regardless of all the great qualities she recognized in him, Izzy still found fault with Brad regardless, making her a less than desirable character at times.

Many other aspects of the story were fun, the characters were quite diverse in their personalities which came through in some of the most delightful ways...the humorous moments and witty banter were priceless. All in all, despite any issues I had with Izzy, the story was an enjoyable read and I look forward to more of the series.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

I liked this story. I'm a sucker for a romance with a hero who loves dogs and especially with the cover showing a boxer. This story is hot and steamy with Isabelle and Brad bonding over her rescue of a mother dog and her liter of puppies. She's obsessed with work and caring for her daughter. He's busy keeping his no-kill animal shelter out of the red and finding homes for the abandoned dogs. They join forces to raise money and find find time for themselves. Very sensual. I received this free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Forever Home is an entertaining, humorous, and a rather adorable story of dogs, friends, single parenting, priorities in life, and the opposite attracting each other.
Isabelle Lopez has one goal in life, and that is to provide the best possible life for her daughter, economically. That requires hard work, long hours, and cut-throat attitude as a real estate agent. She has no time for PTA and some of her daughter's soccer games, not to mention men and dating. Isabelle is not a bad person, her priorities even are not completely wrong. Yet she could be a bit more flexible and live more at the moment, enjoy what she has now, instead of planning and focusing solely on money and for the future.
Bradley Cohen loves his furry friends. He left the lucrative career as an engineer behind him to enjoy life and take care of the dogs in his shelter. He is the opposite of Isabella when it comes to planning and economics, and they surely could learn a lot from each other.
I liked the world the author had created, I like the main characters as well as their supporting cast and crew. They all were well thought out, had distinctive individuality, and were pleasant to be around. The story flows smoothly, it is easy to read without any major drama or angst. The chemistry between Bradley and Isabella was smoking hot. The passion was palpable and their feelings towards each other were believable.
Forever Home is a story that was easy to get lost in. It is a bit predictable, yes, but fun and enjoyable. It is a good, solid romance story with pleasant characters and great chemistry, a few life lessons, charming dogs, and amusing moments that made me smile.
A lovely and lively story to spend an evening with
~ Four Spoons

Forever Home is the first sweet romance in the Forever Friends series written by author Allyson Charles. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Lyrical Shine for the advance copy.

When Isabella Lopez rescues an abandoned litter of puppies and their mother and brings them to the local shelter, she never thought she'd become a local celebrity. Even worse, she can't seem to get the shelter's owner Bradley Cohen out of her head. Will Bradley be able to convince Isabella that there's more to life than work and making money or will they both walk away from their chance at happy ever after because they're too different?

What a very entertaining read Ms. Charles has delivered in this book where the main characters do justice to the term 'opposites attract' and drew me into this story immediately, as the heroine is a workaholic and needs to have fun and the hero is the right man for the job. Will Isabella give Bradley a chance, especially when he reminds her a bit of her ex? However, it was from the moment this couple are introduced to each other where things really get interesting, as the hero doesn't know whether to trust the heroine or not, especially with what he comes across her doing. Will Isabella's explanation be enough for Bradley?

As for the dialogue, I loved the main characters back stories, as the heroine has done it tough and it's understandable why she's such a workaholic. Providing for her daughter is important, but I liked how Brad did his best to make the heroine realize that money isn't everything. Moreover, the heroine is strong and brave by giving Brad a chance. Since to her he does things on a whim instead of worrying about money, which is proven by his barely-surviving animal shelter that he needs serious help raising funds for. I also liked her feisty side in the way she stands up to a colleague that thinks she can't handle everything she has going on. When, in fact, that couldn't be further from the truth. Yet, what I liked most of all about the heroine was the tight bond she shared with her daughter and that she would do anything for the little girl including what Brad persuades her to let the little girl do when it comes to the shelter.

While the hero, he's hard-working, kind, caring, doing good things for the clinic when it comes to the care he takes with the animals and I loved how determined he was to win the heroine over. She needs more fun in her life instead of always working and I loved how persistent he was in his pursuit. I also liked the growing bond Brad shared with the heroine's daughter because the young girl needs a father figure in her life. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero was his friendship with Gabe, despite the fact that they're as different as chalk and cheese, especially with the way Gabe feels about relationships and Brad is fighting to have something with Isabella.

Overall, Ms. Charles has delivered a wonderful read in this first book of her Forever Friends series where the chemistry between Isabella and Brad was instantaneous the moment they come face-to-face for the first time, even though they get off to a rocky start; the romance was delightful and had me so happy that the hero won the heroine over; and the ending left me completely satisfied, especially because of what the heroine does for the hero. I would recommend Forever Home by Allyson Charles, if you enjoy the mysterious strangers trope, the friends to lovers trope, or books by authors by authors Melia Alexander, Jennifer Hoopes, Elsie Davis and Jenna Bayley-Burke.

Forever Friends #1, First time author for me, Allyson Charles, writes an adorable Rom-Com about a driven Real Estate agent/Mom who finds an abandoned dog and her litter of puppies and how her life is forever changed after that. Isabelle Lopez is a hard working mom trying to support her daughter and save enough money for Anna's college education. Izzy works so hard she often feels guilty about choosing work over her daughter especially when the Mom Mafia aka PTA president guilt trips her. (The whole Mom Mafia thing reminded me of the movie Bad Mom.) Brad is a fun loving guy who runs an animal shelter/rescue and lives paycheck, or in this case fundraiser to fundraiser kind of guy; he's content where he is and doesn't worry about the future. The romance was a fun opposites attract kind of thing, Izzy and Brad balance each other out well. Because Brad is the way he is I kept thinking he was a lot younger than he was he acts like he doesn't have a care in the world and that made him seem really immature to me as opposed to Izzy who life is nothing but stress.

Izzy's newest client is curious about selling his property, but wants to know if anyone is interested in buying it before listing it. Izzy is out scouting the property when she hears an animal whining from inside an abandoned apartment complex. After breaking in she finds a mother dog and her six pups starving; Izzy never owned a dog or even considered herself a dog person but she knew she couldn't just leave these poor guys to fend for themselves. After getting them in her car she drives down the street to the animal rescue place, but worried about the fact that she broke into the apartment and she was just going to drop the dogs off in the back. Bradley Cohen catches Izzy before she can leave and after explaining what she did Brad sees a great chance to bring in some extra money for the shelter. Brad wants to honor Izzy with an award but she's against the idea. Brad gets her boss in on it and her boss, Liz, sees free advertising for the real estate agency.

Izzy's daughter Anna flips when she finds out about the dogs and as much as Izzy keeps saying she's not going to adopt one; she ends up adopting two, the mother and one of the babies. Brad likes Izzy from the start but getting her to go on a date is even harder than getting her to agree to accept the award. Izzy is attracted to Brad but she doesn't think she has time for a relationship on top of everything else, not to mention she doesn't trust men very much. After one very steamy kiss Izzy agrees to a date. Everything seems to be going well except for that one looming secret that Izzy knows but can't tell Brad and when he does find out Izzy left to pick up the pieces of her heart. Unless Brad gets his head and his heart on the same page.

Overall, it is an adorable read, between Anna and all the dogs, the amusing side characters, and the easy romance between Izzy and Brad this was a very enjoyable read. Being a new author to me Allyson Charles definitely made an impression, her writing style is easy to follow and easy to get sucked into. I will definitely go out of my way to read the next books in the series; especially if it's Gabe.

Forever Home is the first book in the new Forever Friends series by Allyson Charles. It is currently scheduled for release on April 10 2018. Isabelle Lopez has never been a dog person. Raising her daughter alone and building a real estate career leaves no time for four-legged furballs. When she finds an abandoned mutt and litter of pups in a foreclosed apartment, Izzy intends to drop them off at a shelter and walk briskly away. Instead, her “heroic” deed makes her a local celebrity. Her boss is thrilled and thanks to gorgeous shelter owner Bradley Cohen, Izzy’s disciplined life is suddenly much, much more complicated. He’s got a sexy smile, a wicked sense of humor, and a big, noble heart. Even as Izzy tries to get her libido to heel, boy, Bradley sets out to convince her there’s more to life than padding her bank account. But Izzy knows a trade secret that puts Brad’s beloved shelter at risk, and she can’t warn him. Their relationship was barely getting started; suddenly it’s in the dog house. Now Izzy and Brad need to figure out what matters most, and whether this could be much more than animal attraction.

Forever Home is a contemporary romance that had several moments I related to- being a mom and a pragmatic sort. However there were other things that just seemed out of character to me. I loved the set up- real estate agent stumbles on dogs and tries to drop them at the shelter without having conversation- something I can total get. Of course that does not go as planned and the first connection with Brad happens. I did like Brad's willingness to work for Izzy's affection, and thought that Izzy reacted in character. I also liked his reactions to Anna, and how flexible he was in finding his place in Izzy's life. However, there were a couple moments that I was surprised with her choices (from not dating at all to getting busy outside). I liked getting the insight into both character's minds, to see their worries and needs. I thought that the conflicts were easy to see coming, but well done. I did find the resolution and I love yous to be a little quick. However, one hysterical scene that had me laughing hard enough to wake up my daughter made many of the small issues like that become less important. I still am smiling just thinking about those pages.

Forever Home is a satisfying read, and I related and laughed at times. However, while it was good- aside from a few absolutely stellar moments, I was not wowed. It was a good, satisfying read, but not a must read for me.

I normally read mysteries. That being said I asked the publisher to review this book. It was a leap to even get my approval. Seriously most of the time my head is full of mystery. But this book started fast, and kept the momentum up. For a romance it was a great lighter tale. I don't do so much bad language that some romances do. This book was my kind of romance book If I had to read more romances.
The lead character Isabelle "Izzy" Lopez is a Real Estate dealer and seller for "Gold Star Realty". It was a chance encounter with a mama dog and her puppies that led Izzy to "Forever Friends". It is at this animal shelter that Izzy meets Brad Cohen. Brad was a great guy to Izzy. This is a romance after all and there has to be a hot guy. I loved the fact that Izzy wasn't taken by Brad at first. It sort of made it more believable. The only difficulty I had was would Izzy's nine year old daughter really be so opinionated. Ana, wasn't bratty, but very mature for her age. "Extra-Large" Pizza and a strong will.
The writing was light and good. It seemed a good fit for someone like me. Especially when the dogs in the shelter were named for detectives of classic mysteries. "Hercule" was great. Like a mystery Izzy lives in a smaller town/city. Crook County is made up of three suburban towns (Clarion Township, Marysville, and Pineville). Where I live there also is a Pineville, so that was a great story connection that stuck with me. Some things were not ideal, or picturesque and that was perfectly fine by me. Oh, and the whole gal pal theme was great. I was a little concerned when Lydia made a plan to hook up with Brad though. On that idea, I don't picture Michigan being the wine capitol, but the winery featured in this book was my kind of Riesling. I enjoyed reading about some of the other characters like Dax, and the computer whizzes who were granny aged characters Debbie and Eugenie. I kept reading to find out how all the plot twists would be handled. If this author writes anything else like this book I will be picking it up. Five stars for sure!

I was pretty excited to start this new series by Allyson Charles. I really enjoyed her last one Pineville and was hoping that Forever Friends would be just as good.

I wasn't disappointed.

Forever Home has everything I like in my romance. Men friends, men who love animals and children, single mom fighting for her kids, funny charcters.

I really think that this series started out with a bang. I always love how non-animal people become crazy animal people. We need more people to fall in love with animals and treat them right. I couldn't life without mine. And I'm sure when they are gone from my life I will be getting more. Pets make a house a home.

Right away I liked Brad, mostly because I could not what with him taking in dogs and helping them find homes. But...I really wish he had more ambition. He could have made a lot more of his place if he only tired but he didn't. That didn't sit right with me. Yes, I know it worked for the book, but for a hero...

I'm not saying I didn't like him, I said already that I did. He's a great guy but who need focus to be even better.

Isabelle is pretty great too. She's very driven and I like that to a point. You still have to live and be there for you family. Otherwise yes you might help your kid go to college but you also don't really know them.

Together they learned how to balance their own flaws (not terrible ones) and be better people. As a whole this is a wonderful story and I was so glad that I read it. I was glad the author added a few of the characters that I really loved from the first series and introduced us to some new ones that I can't wait to learn more about. Those would be Brad's friends.

The book cover with the boxer mix on it and the synopsis both piqued my interest when I had an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. Then the book opens with Izzy the realtor climbing through the window of an abandoned building and rescuing a starving mama dog and her five puppies and I was hooked. Izzy may have been a bit misguided in how she handled getting the pups to Forever Friends shelter, but Brad quickly educated her in all things canine.

Allyson Charles is a new author to me, and thanks to Kensington Books/Lyrical Press and Net Galley I was able to read an early copy of this book. This is one author to keep your eye on in the rom-com genre. She snagged my interest quickly and then kept it easily with endearing, somewhat flawed and quirky characters, a fast paced storyline and an effortless style. Add in an adorable “I’m not a baby, Mom" nine-year old girl and a rescued boxer mix with a propensity for pilfering people chow, then sit back and watch the pup with a pooting problem take on the PTA. There was never a dull moment in this book, but even better than that was seeing two people who were seemingly so different figure out a relationship together while realizing things in their own lives that needed a little improvement.

I freely admit to being a sucker for a story with children or animals, but they have to be done well, as they were here. There’s plenty of light-hearted fun, a co-worker you'll love to hate, some laugh-out-loud moments, and a few tugs at the heartstrings in this delightfully entertaining read. I easily fell in love with these characters and can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

Forever Home by Allyson Charles
Forever Friends #1

Isabelle Lopez moved to a smaller town to raise her daughter Anna. She is a type A real estate salesperson who has monetary goals. Sometimes it seems she puts those goals before things that should take priority in her life – like her daughter. Her life begins to change when she rescues a mother and her pups, meets the no-kill shelter owner and begins to date him. Bradley Cohen has a much more laid back relationship to life and monetary issues. His focus is the dogs and providing for them even if it is only one month at a time.

This is an easy read with two likable characters, good friends for the hero and heroine, a charming daughter, wonderful dogs, a great supporting cast and the potential for other books in the future. There was not a great deal of drama but there were issues the couple did need to address before they could achieve their HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington – Lyrical Shine for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading more from Allyson Charles.

Loved this book!! What's not to love with a hottie who cares for animals the way Brad does. The opposites in their personalities add to the fun in the relationship between Brad and Izzy. Brad is carefree with an "everything will work out" view which drives Izzy crazy. Isabelle is a single mom and takes her responsibilities very seriously. Especially her financial responsibilities. It's obvious that her daughter is Izzy's number one priority and keeping them financially sound is how she knows they will always be ok. Sure she's attracted to Brad but could she be with someone so fiscally irresponsible? All this and lots of cute puppies?? Yes please!

I highly recommend this one.