Honestly what drew me to this book was the cover and then when I read the blurb I was hooked. This book has it all. It has cute puppies, an adorable six year old, and a single father. To top it off this book was so much fun to read. I loved Ford and Lila together. When you added in Ford’s daughter it just made this book so much more interesting. This book is filled with romance and lots of humor. I was laughing and smiling from one page to the next. Honestly this book is a must read. Thanks Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am surprised by how much time Lila puts into personal training of Emily's (Ford's daughter) service dog. I'm not sure if it's factual, still impressive.
Ford is a great dad. Very flirtatious to all the ladies though. You can see why this could get him in trouble.

This was an adorable read. The banter was worth, but a bit long winded. It was cute and fluffy and I did adore Emily. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

This book was so sweet. A special needs puppy trainer is dressed at a formal in an outrageous bubble gum pink gown. She finds a little girl who is lost in almost the same dress. She becomes Princess Lila. The story tells about a father and daughter who get a puppy to help her needs when she can't hear well. He is smitten with her, but she doesn't take him seriously because her self esteem is not very high. The neighbors at Ford's place seem nosy, but turned out to be well meaning. I really enjoyed the story and have read the ending twice already. This book is definitely going in my reread pile

I love a good romance that also incorporates animals. I had read the first book in the series and loved it and couldn't wait to dive back into the series. It did not disappoint. This can be read as a stand-alone.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention.

Lucy Gilmore can do no wrong. I predict another smash hot with this book. Great plot with characters that come to live on the pages. This one is absolutely impossible to put down once you start. To find out what I mean you will have to read it yourself.....happy reading!!

I didn't read the first book in this series, but after reading this I think I'll need to go back to it. This book was super cute with a great lead couple, a 6 YO child with a significant hearing impairment who actually misbehaves occasionally, and an adorable cockapoo puppy being trained as a service dog for the 6 YO.

Lila, the heroine, was thought by everyone to be too uptight to relate easily to children, but she rises beautifully to the occasion, treats Emily, the 6 YO with respect, and finds the perfect balance between being firm and adult, while also relating on the child's level. Ford, the hero was truly a beta type of guy. His whole world was his daughter. He didn't have that much ambition, so when his ex-wife took off to conduct scientific research and further her own career, he didn't hesitate to take a boring industrial design job and live in a small house in a subdivision so that he could be a stay-at-home dad. He doesn't date and he doesn't make much money but he doesn't really care as long as he can support his daughter.

Another thing I loved so much about this book was that Ford had a support system of neighborhood single moms, all of whom thought he was very attractive and who would be happy to date him, but none of them were catty or mean. They were generous, loving, competent moms, a bit pushy maybe, but there was no manufactured conflict between them and Lila, in fact, they were all thrilled to think that he finally had a girlfriend even though many of them would have loved to fill that role themselves.

Gosh this book, this series is so stinkin’ cute!

Lila Vasquez is the oldest of three sisters and together they run a personalized service puppy program. Lila is used to taking care of others, but tends to keep herself rigid in control, which led to her most recent ex turning the word “perfect” into a weapon against her. When she has to go to an event where she and her sisters are giving away a service puppy for someone with hearing loss as part of the Auditory Guild, she ends up dressing in a pink, poofy, glittery princess dress at the behest of her sisters. While hiding, though, she runs into a six-year-old girl also wearing a pink princess dress who’s lost her dad. Lila promises to help her find him, but Ford Ford, Emily’s father, finds them first. Emily believes Lila truly is a princess so when she ends up getting a service dog and personalized training, Lila dedicates herself to acting the part of princess.

If Lila’s interactions with Emily aren’t sweet enough, Ford is a single dad living in a neighborhood of single moms who all adore him for the way he’s able to joke and flirt outrageously without meaning anything by it. He’s used to protecting himself with an armor of humor and when he realizes he truly cares for Lila, and not just for the ways she interacts and care for Emily and Jeeves, he has to learn to be serious once in a while.

This book was honestly so sweet and cute and fun. I love the little ways Lila and Ford bond, as well as the way they make each other laugh and give each other a place to drop their shields. The development of their trust is very organic though not always easy when there’s some instances of miscommunication and internal stuff coloring what the other person is saying.

Scenes with Emily are some of my favorites because she’s such a sweet young girl. She has Pendred syndrome which involves degenerative hearing loss and also affects her thyroid function. She has cochleae implants but I liked that the book talks about how she still has to use lip reading and sign language at times in order to fully comprehend what’s being said to her. I also loved her companionship with Jeeves von Hinklebottom the Third, the cockapoo she ends up choosing as her service dog. He is her first friend and watching their bond deepen was absolutely on of my favorite elements.

But my actual favorite part of the book? Family! Lila is very close with her two younger sisters and the ways they take care of each other and work together for the business they built together just makes me so happy! I also love how it feels like the moms in Ford’s neighborhood have become a family of sorts for him and Emily. He talks several times about how lost he’d have been if he didn’t have their support and the tips they had for him when it comes to raising his daughter. Their community is definitely strong and always willing to help one another out with their children and anything else they may need.

Overall, Puppy Christmas is a light, fluffy read that focuses on strong sibling bonds as well as the chosen family that supports us. The romance between Lila and Ford was so fun and made me laugh and smile so much, though there are definitely points that brought tears to my eyes. And the ending was so sweet, it practically makes me swoon! Definitely recommend if you enjoy light, fun romances~

This is an honest review in exchange for the ARC from NetGalley. I don’t remember why I requested Puppy Christmas from NetGalley, but I’m so glad I did.

Lila Vasquez and her sisters train puppies to be service dogs. They have donated a puppy, plus six weeks of service training to a nonprofit, who have awarded the puppy to Emily Ford, a 6 year old with a degenerative hearing condition and her single father Ford. We won’t be discussing the fact that Lucy Gilmore named her character Ford Ford, because pretty much everything else about the book was lovely and adorable.

Lila thinks she always has to be in control, but her ex boyfriend has told her she’s cold and unapproachable. Ford keeps everyone at bay by being flirty and never seeming to take anything seriously. Lila and Ford glimpse beneath each other’s masks, but their lack of faith in themselves is their biggest hurdle. Lila doesn’t trust Ford’s attentions because she doesn’t believe she is likable or lovable. Ford assumes the worst when Lila wants honesty from him because he judges himself and his lack of financial stability harshly.

The obstacles for Lila and Ford are themselves, which means there doesn’t need to be an external villain, and there is not. There are no bad guys, just run of the mill irritating people. The ex boyfriend does a couple of jerk things, but he apologizes fairly early in the book. The pushy neighbor has a good heart. Gilmore doesn’t even vilify the ex wife for leaving to pursue her career passions.

We have plenty of real life villains right now, and I do love a good villain in fiction, but it was nice to spend some time in a place where everyone is doing their best and our biggest obstacles are us. Truth be told, we all need to work on how we open ourselves up to the world and showing compassion to people who are struggling. This was a lovely puppy pile of a read.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Puppy Christmas by Lucy Gilmore from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had read the first novel in the Service Puppies series by Lucy Gilmore so I did have high expectations for a solid read and, happily, was not let down by Puppy Christmas!

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I found it to be well written, the plot was fast paced, and the banter was witty. The primary characters' romantic start was adorable - Lila, a dog trainer, meets Ford when she starts working with his daughter (Emily) to train a service dog for Emily - and it just got better from there.

I thoroughly enjoyed Puppy Christmas by Lucy Gilmore and can't wait for the next novel in this series!

What a cute story. I feel in love with Emily and you will too. She was adorable. Now I want to go back and read the first book in this series. Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cute story and I liked the animal aspect. Not enough really dedicated to the romance aspect for me to believe they were really in love and the hero would have turned down the job, etc. for her.

Ford thinks he's a funny man, “you can drop the ‘mister.’ Or the Ford, but that might start to sound strange after a while. I suppose you could also call me Daddy, which is what Emily prefers, but—” Ford tends to not have a filter, “yes, d-a-m-m-i-t. If I’m going to have to lie here until the next alarm, staring at the ceiling and wishing you were in this bed with me, then the least you can do is talk to me in your phone-sex-operator voice.” She was so startled she almost dropped her cell phone...." The man tends to have a one track mind as well, "he growled once again. “I didn’t call to talk to you about that d-a-m-n dog. What are you wearing?” Lila is quite the jokester, "...I’ll be like Pretty Woman, except you won’t have to pay me for s-e-x later.” Ford cast a sidelong look at Lila..." I loved this book, I loved the banter, and I loved the characters.

Love love love this second book in this series. How can you wrong with a dog a wonderful little girl a princess and a prince of a dad. I love how these stories help all who are involved. Wonderful

Lila and her sisters run a service animal training facility. When the opportunity arises to train a pup to act as a service animal for a young hearing impaired child, Lila is excited but also scared. She never considered herself to be good with children. Well, was she ever wrong. She does things that she never imagined, including dressing up in a bubble gum pink ball gown and wearing tiaras as she bonds with darling Emily.

The last six years of Ford’s life have been spent as a single dad, focusing on raising his hearing-impaired daughter. He didn’t realize how lonely he was until he met Lila, and was smitten at first sight.

Neither of them has much confidence in themselves or their ability to have a successful relationship, but when put comes to shove, neither can give up the other. This funny and incredibly sweet story is not only a love story about Lila and Ford, but also includes darling Emily and dependable Jeeves the service dog.

This single parent romance was a super fun read for many reasons, but I’ll start with Lila and Ford. Lila runs Puppy Promise with her siblings. In the first book, I would have said she was really uptight and serious. However, getting to know and explore what made Lila tick gave me a much better appreciation for why she was who she was. I don’t think she was emotionally closed off. Lila just hadn’t found the right person to unlock what made her tick. Then Ford in all his glory popped on the scene!

Ford may have had physical appeal, but he wasn’t a typical male lead. He’s a single dad who lives in a modest home, drives a minivan, and eeks out a decent living illustrating coffee machines. And he’s okay with that. His daughter is his world and he wants to make sure he can put her first. He’s also great at deflecting personal questions with jokes of all kinds and can put anyone at ease with a snap of his fingers. Yet there’s something about Lila that thaws his heart in places he didn’t know still had room for someone else, besides his daughter, Emily. But is it worth risking another broken heart to reach for someone who appears to be much better off without him?

I loved Puppy Christmas sooooo much! From the zany supporting characters (to live on a street with that many single moms speaks highly of Ford’s ability to stay single and still be supportive friends with them all) to Ford’s adorably cheeky humor, Emily and her princess obsession, her service dog, Jeeves the cockapoo, and the wonderfully charged romance between Lila and Ford... there isn’t any part of the story I disliked...well, maybe a longer epilogue. Like a few years down the road or something:)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For the love of Pete! Where's your imagination, girl?

Ford Ford? School must have been fun for him.

Who doesn't know the Macarena?

This kid should be a writer.

Back off already, Helen.

Someone punch Patrick in the nuts!

She just insulted George Washington.

You're the parent here, Helen.

Huddling for warmth could be romantic.

Byron and Neil are scary kids, on the outside.

How sharp are Emily's teeth?!

Title : Puppy Christmas

Series:Forever Home #2

Author: Lucy Gilmore

Pub Date September 24th 2019

Genre:Romance

Pages:416

Lila Vasquez might not be the "fun one" at Puppy Promise―the service puppy training school she runs with her sisters―but she can always be counted on to gets things done. So when her latest client shows an interest in princess gowns over power suits, Lila puts aside her scruples, straps on the glittery heels, and gets to work.

If only the adorable six-year-old's father wasn't such an appealing Prince Charming.

Ford's whole life revolves around his daughter...until he meets Lila. Smart, capable, and amazing at helping Emily gain confidence with her new service puppy at her side, Lila is everything he ever wanted―but she's way out of his league. Good thing Emily and her new pup are up to the matchmaking task. This Christmas, it's all hands (and paws) on deck!



My thoughts

Rating: 5

Would I recommend it: yes

Would I read more of this series : yes

Would I read more by this author: yes

Another cute and adorable story from this author ,its Filled with humor and heart,even if it has some touches of some serious themes mixed in with it but it doesn't take anything away from the story in fact it seems to bring the story more to life , and the attraction between Lila and Ford ,was hot and funny at the same time as was Ford little girl Emily , no matter how much I read of this story I just couldn't stop smiling , or laughing at the chaos that happens when you mix one little girl and a cute puppy and a poor father who can do nothing but shake his head at them and full even more in love with Lila . There was some characters I didn't like but then there was some that just made me smile even more so as they became friends with Lila , and I can't forget her sisters they was just as fun and charming in this one as they was in Puppy Love , with that said I can't wait for the third book to come out so I can read that one as well and see what happenings next . With that said I want say thanks to Netgalley for letting me read and review it .

The second book in this series, this is the story of eldest sister Lila.

She meets Ford Ford and his daughter Emily at an event, and as it transpires that Emily will be getting a hearing dog, she ends up spending a lot of time with them.

The attraction between her and Ford is there from the outset, but she is trying to remain professional.

Great read, entertaining and fun! Looking forward to the next in the series.