The Hallmark Channel meets a book in a new book by Lizzie Shane called The Twelve Dogs of Christmas~

Town councilman Ben West has a lot on his mind. Keeping up with his job and his new roles as both mom and dad to his niece, he never gets a break.

Ally Gilmore comes to Pine Hollow to visit her grandparents, for a little rest and relaxation and to help out at the Community Animal Shelter.

Their paths collide when Ben makes the deciding vote not to finance the animal shelter….and things become much more difficult for Ally and her grandparents.

Feeling guilty about his say in the decision, Ben proposes a compromise to Ally called the 12 Dogs of Christmas. She puts her photography skills to use with his writing and in this Christmasy campaign, they try to get all of the shelter dogs adopted by Christmas.

With small-town gossip spreading like wildfire, and fireworks sparking, both Ben and Ally are set for a Christmas they’ll both never forget.

Thank you to Forever for the ARC. I absolutely LOVED this one!

Five tails a wagging.
Four paws a shaking
Three noses a snorting
Two ears a perking
And a dog in a blankie...
 Pure Christmas magic! This has been my favorite festive read so far this year and that's saying something because I have read over a dozen Christmas books already (yes I'm a bit obsessed). Lizzie Shane whisked me away to the lovely small town of Pine Hollow with her enchanting storytelling. Ally has escaped to Pine Hollow from her high pressure job just to find out that the family dog rescue is losing city funding. This leads her to confronting moody city councilman been, who appears less then enthusiastic about the situation. Could be because Ally just spilled coffee all over him. But Ben has a saucepot and that's his 10-year-old niece he has guardianship of, the girl is dog crazy. Sweet romance. Christmas cheer. Adorable dogs. The perfect recipe for a can't miss festive read.
Just love absolutely everything about this book! AllyWas such a wonderful character, she has such a huge heart. Loved the romance between Scrooge Ben and her. All the secondary characters were simply delightful and I was so excited to see that there will be another book in the series. Loved all the festive activities and the vibe of this Charming small town. And the dogs just took this holiday story to the next level. They were all so adorable with such engaging personalities. Fa la la la fabulous!
This book in emojis 🐩 🎄 🐕 📸 🐕‍🦺 ☕️
*** Big thank you to Forever for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

I absolutely adored this book! It was all the Christmas feels mixed with all the cute dog feels, it was literal happiness in a book. Will definitely be buying a physical copy to read again in December... it was that good of a fluffy romance that I'm immediately planning when I'll read it again.

Ben, an overwhelmed single dad (Uncle to his orphaned niece) has a meet cute with Ally Gilmore, a photographer who heads to her small hometown to take care of her aging grandparents and to help save their animal shelter of misfit canines after funding is cut off right before Christmas.

This book was just adorable and heartwarming. Ally and Ben get off on the wrong foot but end up having this slow burn friendship/romance while both learn to put their trust in community, friends, family and each other. It was just the sweetest but also had a lot of great life messages. And puppies!!

This seriously needs to be made into a Hallmark movie!

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a wonderful book that will put you in the Christmas spirit. Ben and Ally are wonderful characters that will keep you entertained and not wanting to put the book down. If you need a book that helps you escape the crazy of the world then this is the book for you. Truly loved this book.

Ben isn't your typical single guy, he's the guardian for his niece after her parents have passed away, deciding vote on the city council, IT guy for the city and resident Grinch/Scrooge. Ally is a photgrapher from the big city who needs a change and comes home to help her grandparents run their dog rescue after finding out her grandmother was injured. It's weeks before Christmas and Pine Hollow is trying to fund some projects only to have to cut the funding for the animal shelter. To lessen his guilt, he decides to help the shelter find homes for the dogs that are at there before the end of the year. Ally and Ben are attracted to each other but Ally believes Ben to still be engaged and Ben is committed to his niece and making a good life for her, also afraid if he gets in a relationship and it doesn't work then that's more loss to deal with. The town has decided that Ally and Ben are a great couple as they work together and start getting the dogs adopted. Unable to truly deny their feelings for each other or stay away from the other, they need to come to some understandings and figure out how they can make the relationship work and may even get some help from the people in town. Very quick and great read by Ms. Shane. She always has great characters in her books and she succeeded again with the ones in this story. I received an ARC from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This was a fun book to read. It really showed how small town life really is. Not only did it bring the spirit of Christmas to life but also how the holiday spirit really is. I felt the relationship between Ben and Ally was fun to watch as it grew. This was an all-around feel good book.


** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**

I received an advance copy of, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, by Lizzie Shane. This is a cute love story about dogs and people. I loved the characters, and the setting. This is a great Christmas read.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Lizzie Shane offers readers a delightful Christmastime story with lots of fun happenings and a sweet romance that will leave you cheering.

Stories that happen at Christmas usually fall into one of two categories for me – too mushy/sticky sweet or hilarious good fun. This was thankfully one of the latter and I really enjoyed reading it. It begins with Ben West, who is having a very bad morning, compounded by the fact that his Keurig coffeemaker is on the fritz. He’s the guardian for his niece and everyone’s favorite town council member to bring their complaints to. Keeping everything balanced and attended to is really starting to take its toll but if he can make it through the holidays, maybe he can slow down. Ally Gilmore has come to Pine Hollow to help her grandparents run the dog shelter. A professional fashion photographer, she has spent the last few years traveling the globe to capture the best the industry has to offer. But when she finds out that her grandmother has suffered an injury that requires time off to heal, she is happy to take a breather and help out. When she literally runs into Ben in the town square, his volatile reaction gives her reason to label him both “grump” and “Scrooge”, regardless of how handsome he is. Also finding out he is partially responsible for the funding being cut for the dog shelter makes her dislike him even more. Too bad he has very good reasons for cutting that money off and for being so grumpy. Realizing he has created a real problem for Ally and her grandparents, Ben offers to help Ally find homes for the dogs that are still at the shelter – all twelve of them. So begins a race for finding good homes and people for the hilariously adorable fur friends. The time spent together will bring an unexpected friendship for Ally and Ben but the idea of something more depends on them moving beyond their fears and hurts. If only they can let go of them, they could find everything they’ve been searching for all along. I really enjoyed reading this wonderful book. From the hilarious dogs to the interesting people in Pine Hollow, it was a blast to read. The story was very well crafted with real situations and happenings that could happen to anyone. I loved how nosy yet kind everyone in town was in Ally and Ben’s lives and while it might have been frustrating, it was so nice to see. Each dog had a very clear personality and I really liked seeing how they found their way into people’s hearts. I also liked that Ms. Shane made her characters very honest and raw when dealing with situations that many of us have faced before in our lives. And she finished everything with a lovely conclusion that was just perfect. My only slight issue with the story was the addition of unnecessary curse words but the rest of the story and the characters definitely saved the story from that problem. It was otherwise a very clean and delightful story that I will certainly recommend (with a warning about the language). Hallmark would do well do snap this one up and make it into a movie ASAP.

I received this temporary complimentary E-Book from Forever/Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Four shining puppy dog stars

This one’s for the dog lovers, the Hallmark Christmas movie watchers, the Gilmore Girls followers, the small-town dreamers and anyone who loves a feel-good Christmas tale.  

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas has all the makings of a charming Hallmark Christmas movie.  New York City traveling photographer Ally returns to her charming Vermont small town to help save her grandparents’ dog shelter.  Enter the ruggedly handsome but grumpy Ebenezer Scrooge city councilman responsible for the loss of the shelter’s funding.  Cue the romance.  

This was the perfect book to get me out of my 2020 blues and into the (albeit early) Christmas spirit.  It gave me all the warm and fuzzy Christmas feels.  I definitely recommend it as a cozy read to usher in the season.  Just add hot chocolate and a snuggle with your favorite dog.  

My thanks to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for a complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Just Read: “The Twelve Dogs of Christmas” by Lizzie Shane
Read October 2, 2020 – October 4, 2020
NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) gave me access to this adorable Christmas romance just before it officially released on September 29th and I am so thankful! At some point last month I realized a ton of Christmas novels were likely to publish soon so I figured I would scroll through and see what interested me. This one is not only about my favorite time of year but it involves rescue dogs… yeah, obviously I was requesting it right away. How can you say no to doggies and holiday magic?
What is it about?
Think: small town Vermont enchants big city girl. Ally is in town from New York City to help her grandparents save their modest animal rescue shelter. She’s lost her way and is uncertain what she wants to do with her life but she knows that being in Pine Hollow is where she belongs for now. Ally is the type of girl who believes in signs and at the moment, all signs point here. She’s a photographer by trade and seems to find most comfort hiding behind the lens of her camera but hiding gets her in a bit of trouble when she bumps into the Grinch himself.
He’s more than a Grinch. His bad attitude may be tolerable at times but the fact that he is (mostly) to blame for the funding being cut from the city to the shelter makes him my own nemesis. He tries to make up for it but continuously falls short because his heart seems to have iced over. Ally kind of likes him, though. Mr. Grinch kind of likes her, too. It’s more than complicated as they both try to find their way in life and in each other’s lives. Sometimes feelings can seem very one-sided.
What does it have?
• PUPPIES!
• Budding Romance
• Christmas Festivities
• Small Town Charm
There’s nothing more heartwarming to me than a Christmastime romance. Successful or not, the prospect of love during the holidays is such a thrill to read. Shane does a great job at delivering a charming story while giving the reader an opportunity to consider how they handle different situations in their life, especially involving family. I love how she was able to point right to some of the most obvious, yet ignored, human weaknesses while showing how to solve them. Home is where you want it to be; home is where you make it.
Is it worth reading?
I really enjoyed it! This book is a cute Christmas read and if you love dogs, it’s kind of impossible to pass up on. Every pup deserves the right home.. and so do we.
I hope you’re ready for the ride this month because I have three more upcoming/new releases to talk to you about… and yes, it’s all Christmas all the time in my heart so get a cup of hot cocoa and stay a while.

The book blurb will tell you about the story and I won’t redo that in this review. What I WILL do is tell you what I liked about this book: To me, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas starts out with two people who are lost…in heart and spirit. Ally Gilmore comes “home” to her grandparents’ place in Pine Hollow – wondering if her life in New York City may be at an end. She loves her photography but she doesn’t have any roots there and it is starting to wear on her. She tries to use her time to get her head on straight and decide what to do with her life…AND help her grandparents with their animal shelter.

Ben West feels he is a fish out of water. He has become a single dad, almost overnight, to his ten-year-old niece when his sister and her husband pass away unexpectedly. He is trying SO hard to be all that he can be and to give his niece all that she loves and deserves. Along the way, he loses sight of his own inner heart while trying to be everything to his family and his town and his friends. And then he runs into Ally…literally!

I loved how these two went thru their days and learned how to just…be…a little more each day. There were missteps for both of them, that’s for sure! Some of them were funny: like when Ally was startled by Ben thinking it was actually a moose sneaking up on her. His response? “I get that a lot.” It’s funnier when you read it in the story but it made me smile. And don’t get me started on the dogs. Let me just say, Partridge. He’ll steal your heart.

Reading about Ben and Ally was fun and heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. People need to learn to take care of themselves, too. And once these two figure that out, they work together and become a wonderful team. Especially with the dogs. The twelve days in the town’s newsletter made me laugh out loud. Really enjoyed the story!

I loved the premise! I loved the town! I loved the dogs! I was even already predicting who book 2 in this series would be about, but there are two things about the Twelve Dogs of Christmas that drove me absolutely bonkers.

Twelve Dogs of Christmas has a major case of "kissus interruptus," so bad that by 80% it wasn't just delayed gratification, I was questioning whether these two wanted to get together at all.

Second, Ben is single-parenting his niece after the death of his sister and brother-in-law, and he uses Astrid as the main excuse for why he can't date Ally. Ok, fine, You don't want to introduce someone into your life who may not be around for long and create unrealistic expectations. Totally makes sense. But it's more than that with Ben. He uses Astrid as a shield for the entire book. And there's not nearly enough runway for his a-ha moment to be believable. By the time it happened, I was already wanting to tell Ally to quit trying to make her case and move on.

The meeting between Ally and Ben is not cute and their relationship appears as if it will worsen when it becomes clear to all the Ben’s was the deciding vote on the town council to pull town funding from the Gilmore dog shelter. For Ally it’s not much better when she learns the reason (it’s a good one). Feeling bad, Ben takes on yet another commitment in helping Ally place the twelve dogs currently in the shelter before Christmas and the end of the year shut down.

Then something amazing happens. Ben truly does help and he and Ally begin to spend time together. Their friendship rapidly blossoms as the town throws itself into noticing everything they do then spreading rumors (good ones). There are hiccups along the way but I was enjoying watching Ben’s devotion to his niece, how Astrid and Ally talk and bond a bit over shared feelings of loss (see above car crashes), and lots of people step up to help place these dogs – most of whom have issues but are lovable nonetheless. Ben’s friendship with his poker buddies is a hoot, too.

It does seem as if Ben and Ally feel the spark between them but doggone it (pun intended) I did get tired of Ben continuing to recoil from any hint of romance due to “putting Astrid first.” I can’t fault his determination to be there for his niece and think of her welfare before his own but after a while I began to think that he was hiding himself behind a wall and naming that wall “Astrid.” Finally Ally started to catch on, too. Just when I thought there would be a breakthrough, everything crashes. It’s the final conflict, I thought. It will be worked through. Only then something else happens and information is revealed (or maybe reinforced?) about Ben. I started to doubt whether he was truly ready for a relationship. Could he change that much and that quickly before the book ended?

Well, it’s a romance so there is a HEA but it felt more rushed and obligatory than totally worked out and finalized. Suddenly Ben has “seen the light” and the “error of his (all his life) ways” and is ready to commit? Um, I’m not totally convinced. For over 3/4 of the book, I loved it. But the important part – buying into the romance dream – didn’t win me over. B-

✦Review: THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS (Pine Hollow Book 1) by Lizzie Shane https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-bzY
Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 5 Stars

This book was just what I needed. A heartwarming story about finding something you forgot you needed. Yes, it is based on a tried and true storyline, but it was told in a way that felt new. I fell into Ben’s spell from page one, he did frustrate me from time to time, but I still loved and understood him. Ally was also easy to like. She was open and so full of hope, that she pulled me into her journey as well. I couldn’t help but yearn for them to get together. The dogs, family and townspeople added just the right small-town holiday spirit that makes this a perfect Christmas book. This light romance made me tear up a few times as well as smile long after I read the last page. I’m now looking forward to book two in the Pine Hollow Series.

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

Kindle https://amzn.to/3j7rxwS

A really sweet holiday story. Ally Gilmore has taken a break to come to Pine Hollow to see and help her grandparents. Little did she know that the rescue shelter has just had its funding cut and they have four weeks to find homes for twelve dogs before it closes its door. Ben West feels bad as he was the deciding vote as it was the only place they could cut funding to make major repairs left by a huge snowstorm. Because of this he has offered to help by posting pictures of the pups they needed to find homes for. Ben feels he is in over his head and because of that, he sometimes gets grumpy hence they call him Scrooge but know he has a heart of gold. Two years ago his sister and husband were killed in an accident and they had asked him to raise their daughter Astrid should anything ever happen to them. The story is clean and located in a small town where everyone knew everyone else’s business but also was there when you needed them, you just had to ask. If you like dogs, you will enjoy the pups in this story too. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

A Christmas with fur babies and precocious 10 year olds, winner, winner here!
I hadn't read a book by Lizzie Shane before and this was awesome.
A great Christmas time read melded with the seriousness of pets needing furever homes just tugs your heart.
Poor Ben known as Scrooge really wasn't a scrooge at all. Just afraid of loss and control.
Ally was amazing and just what scrooge needed, but didn't know it. She made everything better in Ben's mind. He just had to get past one big obstacle, himself!
Recommended read from me to put on an awww smile and a lighter heart.
I received an advance reader copy via Net Galley. I am giving my thoughts voluntarily.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas is a total hallmark movie! If they haven't optioned this yet, they are missing out! City girl uprooted to small town? Check! Town grump trying to raise his niece? Check!

Dog lovers will delight in the plot for sure. Ally and Ben are trying to find homes for 12 dogs. I LOVED that the author put a positive spin on pit bulls. The dogs are some of the sweetest but they get such a bad rap in the mainstream media. Adding to the delight of the dogs is the endearing townspeople. They are your mix of campy gossip mongers, loving family, and zany characters. They really make the town feel real and I wanted to visit.

Ally and Ben have a slow burn relationship; this would normally not be my thing, but I was so charmed by the story, I wasn't bothered by it! Their romance is the main point of the story, but it isn't the ONLY thing in the story. I think readers who don't want a sexy romance will enjoy this because it's very low flame. At the same time, regular romance readers who enjoy all heat levels will be charmed by the story and romance! The Twelve Dogs of Christmas is sweet, lovable small town romance that will provide an escape for readers!

A sweet and charming holiday romance!

Ally is in town helping her grandparent's with their dog rescue shelter. Christmas is approaching when she finds out the city is cutting the funding that keeps the doors open. The deciding vote to cut the funding came from Ben, an over-worked councilman who is guardian to his niece.

As the two of them work to get all the shelter dogs adopted love is definitely in the air. This story felt like the best Hallmark movie or small town tv show. It had a nice mix of the struggles that both Ben and Ally face and humorous and sweet moments.

I really enjoyed the writing and storytelling. I flew through the story and am already looking forward to more!

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas was a really cute story about dogs, love, family, responsibility, and opening your heart. The activities to hep place the shelter dogs were so cute and clever, almost as cute as the dogs.

Poor Ebenezer Ben had a lot on his plate trying to fulfill his sister and brother-in-law's shoes after they died and he became a guardian to Astrid, his adorable niece. He was always overwhelmed until Ally showed up in his life. It was fun to watch the two of them and to see the small town speculate that they were dating.

I really liked how the small town willingly came together to help each other when it was really needed. It gave the reader that wonderful Christmas spirit of hope.

This story will have your heart pulling for Ben, that he can somehow open his heart and let others in to help. It will also have you hoping Ally can find her place, her home and not return back to New York City where she does not want to be. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.