Thanks to Backlit PR for the ARC!
The story is told from Capone's point of the view and... Well, he's a black labrador puppy. YES.
At first I was a bit confused, but then I realized what was happening and it was really cute and sweet to read these pages. Can't say it's my favorite book ever, but if you love dogs and romance you'll probably enjoy it too.

A very entertaining and well written romance. A good plot with a cast of quirky characters. Animal lovers and fans of romance books will enjoy this book. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

I'm still reading it but I couldn't wait to review as I'm in love with Capone and it's way of telling the story.
i think the author is a gifted storytelling and I hope to read other books by this writer.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Oh my goodness, I enjoyed this book so much! It was hilarious, heartwarming and at times, quite suspenseful.

The subtitle is 'Pride, prejudice and a puppy' and I think that sums it up nicely. Capone, a black lab puppy, is the narrator throughout the book. He is partial to the Regency period and his ambition is to be a proper Regency gentleman, preferably with a name other than Capone. Then he sees the movie version of Pride and Prejudice (the one with Colin Firth), and he yearns with all of his puppy heart to be named Mr. Darcy. Or perhaps FitzWilliam.

One thing I loved about this book is that the reader sees two points of view - the action from a human perspective and from the points of view of the animals. Capone's original owner gives him to her friend, Josie, who is going through some tough times and could use some cheering up. She has broken up with her weasel boyfriend, and inherited a bookstore from her employer. The bookstore is in financial trouble, with missing and damaged rare books, missing financial records, and mysterious break-ins. On top of that, she fears that the owner of the new coffee shop next door has designs on her property. He does have designs but not on her property. He also has a pug dog named Jackson who is a hoot.

If you have ever had a big, playful, destructive puppy join your household, you can imagine the sorts of chaos that Capone creates in his new household. Josie and Capone had some interesting times as she learned the ins and outs of dog parentage - the time you first 'step in it', doggie daycare incidents, dating with a dog, running from bears, etc.

The human characters, love story and conflicts were interesting, but I thought the animal characters stole the show. My favorite characters other than Capone were the cats Mr. Collins and Rocco, and pug dog Jackson, all of them with distinct voices, and brimming with character.

My thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

Oh my! This story is so adorable! It is written by the dog. Ok not really but it is written from a dog’s perception.

Capone is so adorable! He is obsessed with Jane Austin. Yes you read that right. And he wants his new owner to find her true love. And Capone is going to figure out how to do it.

I loved the concept of this story. Just so sweet. Yes the romance is kind of stereotypical but told this different way makes it so much fun to read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Love, Chocolate, and a Dog Named Al Capone by Abigail Drake is a delightful mystery. Capone is the undeniable star of this tale. I was initially thrown off with the narration being from a puppies point of view but then the action takes over and you can’t help but fall in love with the characters and the story. A wonderful escape.

Thank you Netgalley and Backlit pr for the ARC of love, chocolate, and a dog named Al Capone. I read bookstore owner and puppies and I was sold but of course Iove a fun romance story. This was an absolutely fun and adorable read and if you love feel good romance books check this one out.

This was such a fun book to read.
It's always entertaining to read a story from a pet's point of view. Because as a pet owner, you wonder what goes on in your dog, cat, etc.'s head.
Capone is a pup who wants to be a gentleman but living on a farm makes that very difficult. Until one day, he is adopted and taken to live with Miss Josephine St. Clair and her bookstore. He can't believe his luck & tries all that he can to be a gentile puppy. Sadly, he realizes that his name may be holding him back & hopes that Miss Josie will be willing to change his name and find the perfect name for him; a regal, literary name would be right up his alley.
Josie St. Clair has been left with a bookstore from her former employee and she's trying to keep afloat but disaster after disaster happens to the bookstore, along with her personal life. Someone is trying to sabotage & break into the bookstore but the question is why, what could her former employee have that someone would want. Unless they might know where the lost books that Mr. Bartley has misplaced may be. She's trying to find the perfect guy for her but she seems to attract nothing but duds, Josie wouldn't mind finding a Mr. Darcy of her own. And with Capone's help, she just might save her store and find the man for her.

It took me a while to get used to the unusual POV (a dog), but once I did, I enjoyed this great read. Mystery, romance and dogs... A great combination!

What an absolutely charming story! Capone is the narrator of this cute romance that includes a bit of mystery. Capone is a book-dog if ever there was one, and I love the references to Jane Austen that run throughout. Several animals run throughout, some becoming Capone's friends, some his nemeses. The big caper at the end reminds me of a Disney movie, a little bit of The Incredible Journey, a little bit of any movie with talking pets that save the day.

And of course there are Josie and Nate, the main characters. Yes, I just mentioned them, and that's because they really are less of the focus. Josie jumps through a few dating hoops, with some hilarious results. Nate is the charming neighbor that you know is the right guy for Josie, and happily he sticks around until Josie figures it out, too. They are very cute, but the dogs and cats rule this book. Outside of the dating hijinks, we don't see a lot of romance other than through the eyes of Capone and the other pets, as they watch Josie and Nate. Pacing slows down a little in the middle because of it. The villains are cartoonish and not unexpected. Still, there are some good laughs and I definitely was smiling at the end. Very charming.

While this is a cute and easy chick lit/romance read - I don't know how many people would enjoy reading from the perspective of a Labrador puppy. I enjoyed the romance between Miss Josie and Mr. Nate - and even some of the puppy hijinks. But while cute and easy, some of the storyline seemed a little left field/didn't 100% mesh. Still something I'd recommend to fans of Jill Shalvis or for people who love Jane Austen and chick lit.

Oh how I was excited to read this book, and just knew I would love it and give it a gazillion stars. Sadly this was not meant to be as as I was turned off very early on. First strike, this cute little black Labrador puppy ( my weakness, I have 2) was from a breeder. Strike two, the author tells us the rest of the litter was “adopted” when we all know they were sold for profit. 3rd strike the greedy breeder adopts the puppy out “as a gift” to live in a bookstore. Utterly ridiculous! I read for pleasure and pet adoption ( actual adoption as in saving a life from a shelter, not add to the pet overpopulation by breeding..Labs and especially black labs incl puppies are the most killed breed in US shelter today). Do me a favor and google puppy mills! I won’t even go into what’s wrong with getting a dog as a gift. I feel that strongly about this, that I simply will not finish this book and will give it my very first 1star review, I encourage all readers todo the same and the editor/author to adjust the story to one as a foster pup looking for a new home.

This book was absolutely adorable! Even though the mystery wasn’t exactly unpredictable this book had all the cuteness that I enjoy. This was from the perspective of Capone an adorable lab puppy who is determined to be a perfect gentleman. What makes this book even better is that Capone is the authors dog and the author has my last name. What can I say? This book and author was meant to be read by me. Loved it loved it loved it.

Love, Chocolate and a Dog Named Al Capone is told from the perspective of a black Labrador puppy named Capone who is given to a bookstore owner named Miss Josie. In true puppy fashion, Capone wrecks havoc in her life all in the name of finding Miss Josie her true love. You see Capone is a Jane Austin obsessed puppy who wants his owner to find her own Mr. Darcy. Add to this a mystery of missing books and ledgers and you have a cute story that will have you turning pages. Having the story told completely in Capone's point of view adds a distinct charm to the story. If you are looking for a cute story to brighten up your fall this book will be released October 15th!


Thank you Netgalley and Backlit PR for providing a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will be posting this review to Goodreads on 9/28/19 and Instagram on 9/29/19

I absolutely loved this book. I would highly highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It was well written and the characters are described well. I posted my review on my blog today September 24, 2019.

This was an entertaining read, told almost exclusively from the dog's point of view. Capone would like to become a gentleman, or at least as much as one can as a little Labrador pup. His new owner Miss Josie is going through many trials, involving love and keeping her business, so Capone sets out to find her the perfect man. Humorous and touching, this a great read with some quirky characters of both human and animal variety.

A funny laugh out loud story told only in the puppy pov, which was so weird at the beginning but while keeping reading, it just blended with the story. There are a few predictable mysteries but a lovely love story between the main characters.
Overall a good book that I'll recommend for an easy/cheesy story.

This book was hilarious and cute. I didn’t expect the entire story to be told entirely from the puppers pov but once I was a few chapters in it felt very natural. Capone was an adorable, funny, entertaining and engaging narrator. Loved his voice throughout and his interactions with all the other animals in the book. His ability and desire to eat practically anything was weirdly impressive.

Miss Josie and Mr Nate were imperfectly perfect for each other. The missing books mystery was a little predictable but the whole story kept me amused and hooked nonetheless. Will definitely be checking out more of this author’s work.

Love, Chocolate and a Dog Named Al Capone by Abigail Drake is a fantastic story full of sadness, laughter and love that will keep you turning the pages.
Capone, as he is called, was born and is being raised on a farm. All of his siblings have been adopted and he is left with Mistress Sue, the horses the cows, and Mr. Collins the barn cat. He is known for causing a bit of mischief but he also loves being read to and watching PBS. He is especially fond of Pride and Prejudice. One day a new lady, Anne, comes to the farm looking for a puppy for her friend, Josephine St. Claire the owner of Bartleby’s Books of Beaver. What could be a better place for Capone to live than a bookstore? With reservations Mistress Sue allows Capone to go but tells Anne she will come to check on him in two months to make sure everything is going okay. Anne believes Josie needs a puppy because her life has become the bookstore and she no longer gets out or spends time with others. Her ex broke her heart and her parents both passed away leaving her very alone. Now mysterious and confusing things are happening around the bookstore with missing items and attempted break-ins. Will Capone be only trouble or will he fit perfectly into his new life?
I loved this book! Capone is fantastic as he tells the story from his point of view and while he gets into some mischief as all puppies tend to do, he is also very lovable. Josie is not thrilled with the gift but vows to learn to care for Capone and to find him a better name. He would like Mr. Darcy but how can he tell her? There are parts of this story that are just laugh out loud funny and others are very serious. I give this book 5 of 5 stars and wish it could be more. I did not want to put this one down till I finished it. While the focus is on Josie and Capone there are so many characters that they meet such as the coffee shop owner, the vet and the trainer along with some who are less savory. All are so realistic and I know I have met all of them at some point in life. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

2 stars
For the life of me, I could not get into this book. i thought it would be different. The POV is from the dog. It just made it weird for me. And I am a dog lover!