You don’t need to be a dog lover to appreciate Lizzie Shane’s The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, just someone who loves small town holiday books with all the feels. From grumpy, Scrooge-like Ben, the single guardian to his niece Astrid, a self-professed dog fanatic to photograph Ally, determined to save her grandparents dog rescue. These two opposites are fun to watch as they become friends after an accidental coffee mishap during their first meeting.
I appreciate so many aspects of this book. I love how Shane wrote Astrid as a well adjusted ten year old, still mourning her parents but not being that ultra bratty kid that I’ve read way too much of lately. I like how everyone in town is invested in a relationship between Ben and Ally, even as they themselves deny that romantic bond. And the dogs! Each dog has their own personality and the reader really gets to know each one, like we were looking for one to adopt.
This was a really great book for any time of year, not just at Christmas and not just for dog lovers.

This holiday tale has all the makings of a Hallmark Christmas movie – big-city girl Ally returns to charming small town to help her grandparents run their animal shelter. However, the funding for the shelter gets cut right before the holidays by the cute but grinchy city councilman Ben, who is a single insta-dad to his dog-obsessed niece. Cue the romance.

Overall, I found this book to be paws-itively charming. Like many contemporary romances, it dragged a bit in the middle as we all had to suffer through the inevitable misunderstandings and cold feet. But, in the end it’s a cute story with all the holiday feels. If you enjoy Christmas movies, I recommend you buy this book now and save it for your holiday TBR!

Book synopsis: Pine Hollow has everything Ally Gilmore could wish for in a holiday break: gently falling snow in a charming small town and time with her family. Then she learns some Grinch has pulled the funding for her family's rescue shelter, and now she has only four weeks to find new homes for a dozen dogs! But when she confronts her Scrooge-y councilman nemesis, Ally finds he's far more reasonable -- and handsome -- than she ever expected.

As the guardian of his dog-obsessed ten-year-old niece, Ben West doesn't have time to build a cuddly reputation. But he does feel guilty about the shelter closing. So he proposes a truce with Ally, agreeing to help her find homes for the dogs. As the two spend more time together, the town's gossip is spreading faster than Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve.

Throughout the book, we are introduced to many single characters, so I have no doubt that this will be the first book in a new series. The town was really cute (reminded me of Stars Hollow, actually, for you Gilmore Girls fans) with lots of quirky characters.

Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holiday romance at it’s best: small town, single dad, saving family from a Christmas disaster, dogs, a grinch-like hero!

Pine Hollow really sines at Christmas, and there is no place Ally would like to be then right here, helping her grandparents at their dog shelter while her grandmother recoups from an injury. But soon the mission to help run the seller becomes a rescue mission as the town pulls thier funding for other demands. Now she needs to find a way to keep the seller afloat and find homes for twelve special dogs!

Guilt and responsibility fuel town councillor Ben into action to help find homes for the displaced shelter dogs… he is already up to his ears in responsibilities and doesn’t have time for this, but he can’t resist Ally and the dogs!

This story was absolutely adorable and totally had me immersed in the Christmas spirit! I kept expecting to look up from my book and see my living room all trussed up like a Christmas goose!

As I mentioned above, this book had everything needed to make a perfect Christmas romance. It’s a sweet treat, perfect to get you in the holiday spirit!

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane is scheduled to release September 29th, 2020.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Forever Publishing and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Blog link: https://pinkcowlandreads.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-twelve-dogs-of-christmas.html

#TheTwelveDogsofChristmas #LizzieShane #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Pub for the early copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This was such a cute Christmas story! Felt like watching a Hallmark movie. Very much G rated but that works for me since I don't really want to read a lot of romance. A light hearted story about a young woman, Ally Gilmore, returning to her hometown to stay with her grandparents around the holidays. They run a dog only shelter (which I thought was weird, where are the cats?) and the shelter is going to lose money and not be able to operate at the end of the year.

Ben West is a young single dad who has his sister's daughter after her and her husband die. I thought it was weird that he automatically had to take on all their roles and jobs too, but I guess that's the story. He's the "town grinch" and of course he has a bad run in with Ally when she first gets there.

But it doesn't stay that way and they become fast friends, working to help the shelter. The setting of this reminded me a lot of Stars Hollow and Gilmore Girls. Just a cute holiday story.

Puppies, cute kid, Christmas, grumpy man, snow, cute small town, and oh yeah more puppies...what could be wrong with this at all...nothing! This is so cute and I just loved it! This is one you just want them to make into a movie- it's so feel good- warm fuzzies! New single dad who is the town grump but really loves it all but afraid to fail. Big town city girl comes home to help grandparents and run their dog rescue- runs into grump man and bingo it starts! This one will make you want a puppy! SUPER slow burn and almost no steam. Hope we get to come back to this super cute small town!

Overall, 5 holiday stars and .5 steam.


Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a perfect holiday romance to get you in the spirit! I adored this book about an animal shelter that has lost it's funding in the small town of Pine Hollow, VT. Following along a slow burn romance between lifelong resident Ben West and Ally West, a newcomer who's grandparents run the aforementioned shelter, this book tugs at the reader's heart strings in all the right ways. I absolutely adored both the back stories of the two main characters as well as the multiple minor characters that were built up around them, making way for future novels in the series.

I really appreciated the twist in the novel regarding Ben being the guardian of his late sister's pre-teen daughter. This added a lot to his character as a whole, providing solid reasoning behind his thoughts and actions. I also loved the multifaceted growth that occurred with him throughout the book. Even his growing relationship with the dogs was endearing.

I also LOVED how each of the dogs became strong characters in their own rights. They were provided such personality and they helped to really move the story and romance along. It was easy to see that the author did her research on the dog breeds and I loved that some of them had their own human character to reflect with.

This was a great book and I highly recommend it, especially if you are a fan of romance series that take place in small towns. This first book laid the groundwork for the novels that will follow without letting those plots overshadow the main one in this story. It was really hard to put down and just so heartwarming and entertaining from start to finish. I can't wait to return to Pine Hollow and have already preordered the next novel!

This book was so cute and the perfect book to get into the Chrismas spirit! I laughed out loud, I cried and experienced all the sweet cute feelings. I enjoyed Pine Hollow and the description of the community-centric small town. The snow falling, the tree lighting event, everyone knowing everyone gave me all the Stars Hollow and Virgin River feels. What I loved even more? All the dogs. While the romance was steam free, it was so sweet and cute that I was swooning over Ally and Ben. Definitely a go-to holiday read, you will be reading this drinking a Peppermint Mocha with a blanket around you sitting by the Christmas tree and/or fire.

Such a warm and fuzzy read. In The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, Ally Gilmore travels to Pine Hollow, Vermont to help her grandparents operate their dog rescue shelter. There, she meets Ben West, a crusty town council member. Sparks fly when Ally accidentally bumps into Ben causing his new cup of coffee to get splashed all over the front of his dress shirt. A rough start as accusations are thrown between Ben and Ally, with more insult to injury as the shelter is at risk of losing funding from the town -- the swing vote in the hands of Ben.

What will happen to all of the dogs at the shelter if funding is lost? Can Ally and Ben find it within themselves to forgive and forget, not only for the shelter but in the spirit of Christmas? The answer to these and other questions lie within the pages of this delightful novel.

If you are looking for a cozy romance novel for the holidays, look no further than The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. It is a wonderfully adorable read. Rating it 4.5 stars rounded up. The half point being deducted because I felt that it was a little too drawn out. Nevertheless, the novel did impress me.

I received a digital ARC from Forever/Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions. My review will be posted on Goodreads, Twitter, and my book blog within two weeks of the release date.

An entertaining and well written romance. Great plot and character development. Pet lovers will enjoy this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

This book just might be the most ADORABLE thing I've ever read 💕 Christmas + Dogs = A full heart. My heart is absolutely overflowing right now.

Astrid and her Uncle Ben have things all figured out. She wants a dog and won't be happy til she gets one. Uncle Ben is known for being the town Scrooge and he's very bah humbug about the idea.

Ally is in town, helping her grandparents run the animal shelter when they find out that the town has cut their funding and they have until December 31st to empty the shelter. She intends to stop this travesty and goes head to head with none other than the town Scrooge.

I love the descriptions of the town. Painted perfectly in my mind! And the dogs... my favorite part, obviously! So many breeds, all portrayed in their own perfectly flawed ways. The chemistry between Ally & Ben. The love you see between Ben and Astrid. If you love dogs, Christmas, adorable romance, you definitely need to read this one!

Absolutely an adorable Hallmark card of book. This book is about an uncle raising his nice, photographer visiting her grandparents for the holidays and what happens when they team up to save some dog.
The romance in this book was very sweet if you're looking for a wholesome read I'd recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a cute book. I loved all the dogs at the shelter. They all had such personality. Fred and Ginger such a cute old pair. And poor Partridge just want to snuggle with him.
Both protagonist were likeable, although you want to smack Been at first. Ally has such a big heart for her grandparents and the town.
A fun Christmas read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Pub for the e-arc of this book.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzy Shane is everything I want from a Christmas romance. The story itself is loosely based on of This is a Wonderful Life. In the book Ally moves in with her grandparents to help them with their dog rescue/shelter. Ben is a local city councilman who votes to cut city funding to the shelter. Ben agrees to help Ally find homes for the remaining shelter dogs with The Twelve Dog of Christmas campaign..

What did I enjoy about the book? A charismatic hero and heroine. Cute small town that turns into a winter wonderland. Lots of great side characters that you know will make for great follow up books. And finally - dogs! Seriously if you are a dog lover looking for a Christmas romance, this is your book.

If you are looking for the book equivalent of a holiday movie, this book would be a great choice. For those who like to spice to their romance - this one if most definitely rated G.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas was another request made mostly because of the cover, because of the cute dogs. The promise of a heartwarming story of finding shelter dogs homes also seemed promising to the dog lover in me.

And of course, the dogs steal the show. While I can’t say any one stood out over the others (although I was mildly disappointed to find out the one called Peanut was the Chihuahua, given I own a French Bulldog with the same name), I loved seeing them participating the shelter’s holiday events and eventually each get claimed by loving families.

The romance between Ally and Ben is also quite charming. While the circumstances bringing them together were less than auspicious, especially with Ben feeling responsible for the shelter’s impending closure, I like that he worked to make it right. I did feel that their relationship was in the “will-they-won’t-they” phase for a bit longer than necessary, and it’s more sweet than spicy and definitely a slow-burn. But it ultimately made things satisfying when they did end up together.

I also really liked Ben’s relationship with his niece, Astrid, as he navigates being her guardian. They have their issues, one of them being his reluctance to open their home to a dog, but I appreciated seeing them navigate it in a realistic way.

The town of Pine Hollow also feels really sweet and cozy, and I’m curious, given the Christmas motif for this book, what the future of the series is for the other town residents. And while this is not a particularly unique book, it has all the ingredients for a perfect comforting winter read.

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

Ally comes back to Pine Hollow to help her grandparents with their animal shelter but finds that the shelter is having funding taken away and given to the community center. Now she has to find homes for all the animals in a month.

And as always, there is a devil in the details and in this case it is Ben who was the deciding vote on being defunded and since he is already on her list she is not a happy camper. So off she goes to confront Ben.

But there is more to Ben then being the Grinch. He is raising his niece who happens to love dogs. So Ben says he will help Ally find homes for all of the dogs. And as expected romance begins to bloom.

Ally, Ben, Astrid and the pups make this story worth the read. Living in a very small town I could see this exact thing happening here.

By the end of this book I kept thinking how Hallmark HAS to make this book into a Christmas movie. Great way to start getting into the holiday spirit.

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

Thank you Forever for my review copy, all opinions are my own.
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Welp, that was freaking delightful. I mean, sigh. So stinkin cute.
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Let’s talk about what I loved...
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Dogs. All the dogs (I’m partial to the little old dachshunds Fred & Ginger tho).
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Small town
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Small town Christmas events.
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The small town square.
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Yes, small towns are my jam.
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How truly clean and lovely this novel was. I love some good steam. But some sweet sugar is also needed. This one was so sweet.
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The atmosphere was lovely, Pine Hollow is the perfect town to fall in love
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The Stars Hollow feel. I expected to see Luke and Loralei arguing on the town square.
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Knowing that there are so many characters that I can’t wait to meet in the next novels.
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I will absolutely recommend this one. If you love Hallmark Christmas movies....or Gilmore Girls....or even Virgin River....or Sweetwater Springs series by Annie Rains....this is for you.

This novel was the perfect antidote to a high stress week. Kids, dogs, and all the feels, it was exactly what I needed.

This book is what it would be like if Gilmore Girls and a Hallmark Christmas movie got together and had a batch of puppies. This is the sweetest, cutest, more festive book I've read in a while. It's just perfection!

Ben and Ally are both great characters. They're written with warmth, understanding, and the perfect mix of being well-developed from the beginning but also having room to grow as they get to know each other and learn a few things about themselves. I was genuinely rooting for them as a couple and as individuals from the beginning. I just wanted them to be happy!

The other characters in Ben and Ally's lives and in town are fantastic too. I adored Astrid and Deenie and Elinor. They're all so fun! I'm really hoping we see more Deenie soon! Ally's grandparents are also fantastic and are written as such loving and caring people.

And the dogs! They may be the best part of the book! Lizzie did such a great job writing about all the dogs, giving them their own personalities and fun quirks and really showing how the humans loved them and how dogs can bring people together.

This book is an instant holiday romance classic for me. I can definitely see this being one I return to next Christmas, and I'm sure I'll love it just as much then!

This was such a sweet, fun Christmas romance. It also had plenty of cute dogs and a wonderful romance.

This is such a cute read and the title is so perfect! I've only ever had one dog in my life and that was when I was a teen but after reading this story, I want to go adopt a whole bunch of them! lol Every one of them had such a character and I could just picture them all in my mind as I was reading. I love Christmas stories that take place in small towns with all the Christmas traditions!!

Ally is at loose ends in her life and decides to go help out her grandparents at their dog shelter and maybe even settle down there but then she learns the town will no longer fund the shelter and it will close down in the new year. When she literally runs into Ben, the councilman who is responsible for stopping funding the shelter, she vows to fight it and him!! As they get to know each other, Ally discovers that Ben is not the Scrooge everyone thinks he is. He has a lot of personal problems, though, and it might just take a Christmas miracle to make him realize he can't control every little thing in his life. Be ready for a slow burn romance, a dozen adorable dogs and a cast of characters that will have you entranced.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.