Like I said with my review for You Lucky Dog, I am a sucker for dogs and rom-coms. So once again, Julia London sucked me in with her cover. <3

To be honest, I found the opening of this book to be ridiculous. It might have just been my mood but I was so annoyed with it that I put the book down and didn't pick it back up for two months.

On my second attempt, I did get past the opening. Once again, London has written a light story that has all the elements of a fun rom-com. This would be a great "beach read". It is a quick read that took me only two days while I was traveling and had the time.

Three stars for me.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

The second book in the Lucky Dog series was a hit.
This romantic comedy was a funny and romantic read.
Who can't use a light,feel good book right about now to curl up with and get lost in?
It all starts with a Lyft ride that's equivalent to being on a roller coaster from your worst nightmares that entails an accidental cellphone mixup. This cellphone mix up just may be a good thing though as it connects Harper and Jonah in their real life whirlwind of a romance. Now what romcom would be complete with out a coffee shop or two,a few adorable rescue dogs and some wonderful adoptions of them? Hilarious,fun read!
#ItStartedwithaDog #NetGalley


Pub Date 05 Oct 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Harper's spent her whole life working towards goals - she sets them and she meets them without fail. So when she's in a competition for a promotion, and it seems like the competition is rigged, Harper is freaking out. The only bright spot in her life is her new man: Jonah. She and Jonah accidentally swapped phones and ended up falling for each other. Jonah is working for his family's struggling business while his dad recuperates from cancer treatments. Unfortunately, Lucky Star isn't doing well, and it's doesn't help that Deja Brew, a hip coffee house, is opening up across the street. What helps even less is that Harper is in charge of opening the new Deja Brew. Jonah and Harper struggle with intense feelings, family drama, and business rivalry.

It Started with a Dog goes hard on a lot of tropes, but everything is done fairly well. The book occasionally got bogged down in details that didn't matter to the plot, and I found myself skimming some sections. However, Jonah is adorable, and Harper's Type A personality is relatable, so I'd definitely recommend this if you're looking for a cute, easy read.

This is the second book I have read from Julia London and I liked it even better than the first! I love romances with pets in them and this was a great one.

I started reading Julia London's historical romance novels ages ago. Her writing and original plots and characters draw you in. She has begun writing modern romances that are funny and entertaining with characters while flawed are charming. The Lucky Dog series begins with You Lucky Dog featuring a hilarious basset hound mix up. It Started with a Dog begins with a crazy phone mix up in holiday travel rush.

Harper and Jonah find they have a lot in common during the holidays. They meet up to exchange phones in the new year and things keep getting better and better. Until they realize the company Harper works for is opening a massively trendy coffee house across the street from Jonah's family coffee shop. (head smack) Is it possible to set aside this tremendous obstacle? Can Jonah's family ever warm up to Harper?

When dogs are involved all things become clear, they are after all man's best friends. This charming series will have you wishing for the next book in the series right away!

This was a straight up love story, with likable characters, some fun animals, several rounds of hot sex but not much plot. The premise was intriguing, but the story got bogged down a bit in details.

Jonah and Harper meet when they accidently switch phones during a hair-raising Lyft ride. They don’t discover the mistake until they are at their destinations-half a country away. They start texting on each other’s phones and Harper is intrigued by Jonah-and his dog, Truck. Jonah, in turn, feels a connection with Harper he can’t explain.

It’s not they return to Austin and meet in person that they discover that Harper is opening an upscale coffee boutique across the street from the family coffee house Jonah is trying to save. But Jonah isn’t cut out for the marketing needed to turn the shop around-he’s an aerospace engineer and has been offered a huge promotion that will take him to Paris for six months. But his father’s cancer means Jonah is needed at home.

Can Jonah and Harper Actually have a relationship when circumstances seem destined to keep them apart? Both Jonah and Harper were sympathetic characters. The reader feels the pull between them, and roots for their happily ever after. But whether or not they can overcome their circumstances is the only mystery in the book.

It was great that the book was set in Austin-I knew the street names and areas mentioned. Overall, a good read but not a great one.

First of all, I love that I could read this book without reading the first book. Sometimes a series can be daunting, so it's nice to know when you can start at any book!

I love dogs so I was excited by the title alone.

I also love the predictable rom coms. This was just as cute as I expected. A little too instant-love for me, but I did still enjoy it. The writing style was simple and easy to read.

I can't wait to go back and read the first book!

Julia London gives readers another fun, breezy dog-based contemporary romance with the next piece of the Lucky Dog series, It Started with a Dog. It’s just as good an experience as the previous book, and is a darnn fun read.

Every year, Austin declares its Most Popular Rescue Dog in Austin, aka King Mutt, as part of its Mardi Gras festivities, and the King Mutt fundraiser comes with a lot of prestige for the winning dog. Both Harper Thompson and Jonah Rogers are aiming to get their dogs named King Mutt at this year’s festivities, but they didn’t count on one big problem – falling in love with each other.  Unfortunately, they’re also bitter business rivals as well as enemies in the competition.

Workaholic Harper plans on staking her career on the opening of the first branch of a (hopefully) mega coffee shop chain Déjà Brew. The VP of Development for their parent company, Street Sweets Inc., Harper is in pursuit of career advancement.  If the shop manages to take off, then it will spawn a chain, and Harper will likely finally get the promotion she’s worked her butt off for and as a result, she has no social life.  She doesn’t even have time to adopt the dog she regularly walks for the local shelter, an old bulldog named Bob.

Meanwhile, Jonah’s family business depends on him, even though he’s broken away and become an aerospace engineer, but he’s returned to the family fold to help them figure some things out.  Lucky Star Coffee Shop was established by Jonah’s grandparents back in the 1950s and has been a local institution for years, but with the new Deja Brew opening across the street from them, the shop’s days might be numbered.  But Jonah won’t give up that easily.

One day, Jonah and Harper find themselves sharing a tumultuous Lyft ride to the airport, which results in them accidentally swapping phones.  They’re on vacation, away from home, and get closer as they pass messages and pictures back and forth to each other until they can meet to swap the devices back. They have a lot of commonalities and appreciate each other. But soon enough Jonah learns that Harper is the woman who’s threatening his family business, and the gloves come off.

With the two shops in fierce competition, Jonah and Harper decide to enter the King Mutt festivities and each sponsor a dog.  The winning company usually lands accolades, which ought to be of huge benefit to their respective shops.  Harper chooses to champion Bob, while Jonah picks his three-legged Great Pyrenees, Truck.  Let the games begin.

It Started with a Dog is diverting, funny, warm and big-hearted in the best of ways.  It’s easygoing and fun, and it’s a smooth, quick read for anyone who likes dog romances.

I enjoyed what Jonah and Harper each brought to the table.  It’s clear that Jonah loves his family, but he also wants to do what he’s best at and be his own man.  Meanwhile Harper has put such stock in her career that the notion of losing a promotion is utterly horrifying to her.

The fact that they like each other a lot, enjoying greasy food, loving dogs and spending time with their families just provides further proof that they're meant for each other.  There’s never anything mean-spirited between them, and they handle their competition professionally, and they make a dynamic combination that works quite well.

The book uses their dogs perfectly, which is always to be expected in a London book.  Austin pops to life as a setting, and the dog competition is properly unusual (and based on a real-life one!).

If you like simple, lighthearted friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romances, then It Started with a Dog can’t be beat.

Buy it at Amazon, Audible or your local independent retailer

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I read my first Christmas book of 2021… ok it’s not really a Christmas book but the book does start on Christmas Eve. This was a fun story starting with a crazy ride share driver and switched phones. I enjoyed the fun, flirty, texting banter between the two characters to set up their relationship. Even though this was set in Austin, TX it had a small town feel with You’ve Got Mail vibes. I think fans of small town rom coms would enjoy this!

🥰 really liked || 💋some scenes
🤟rescue dogs, emojis, banter
📚Spot of Trouble by Teri Wilson
🎶Dreams by The Cranberries
📺You’ve Got Mail

Jonah and Harper's story was so funny and engaging. However, the real stars of this book are Bob the grumpy bulldog, Truck (no explanation needed), and Lulu. This book read like a romcom with a lot of laugh out loud moments with Jonah, Harper, and all the supporting family and friends. Of course, Jonah and Harper had some serious chemistry which made for some steamy moments. And to think it all started with a dog or a rideshare, depends on who you ask. Seriously well written, outstanding book. I got completely lost in the pages.

I read the first book in this series, so I was definitely looking forward to reading this one. I thought that this one was cute and fun, entertaining and fast-paced. It kind of reminded me of You've Got Mail, except instead of competing bookstores, there was competing coffee shops. Dogs, coffee, and romance- what more could you ask for?? Thank you to the publisher, Berkley Romance, for giving me a chance to read a digital ARC of this book and for my finished copy.

"It Started with a Dog" by Julia London is Book #2 in her 'Lucky Dog' series and once again, the dogs are adorable!

Harper Thompson is VP of Development with StreetSweets, Inc. and currently in charge of opening a Deja Brew Coffeehouse on South Congress Avenue, an up & coming neighborhood in Austin, TX. The plan to expand Deja Brew nationwide depends on the successful opening of this 'flagship' store. No pressure, right?

Jonah Rogers is on personal leave from his aerospace engineering job to lend support to his family's business. Lucky Star Coffee Shop is a South Congress Avenue business that has been in his family since the 1950's. Jonah's also discovered the business is failing. No stress here either!

Harper's and Jonah's paths keep crossing and connecting. First it's by accident when their phones are switched during a shared Lyft ride. Now it's completely purposeful! He's handsome, she's beautiful, with love of horror movies, fried food and dogs in common. The attraction is real!

Can an upscale coffeehouse coexist in the same neighborhood as a 1950's vintage coffee shop? Will Harper and Jonah's relationship survive their conflicting career paths? Will their rescue dogs Truck and Bob ever realize a HEA ending?

I read book #1 "You Lucky Dog" and liked it but didn't love it. I did want to give book #2 a try and I'm glad I did. This one has more depth of story and characters, a focused romance with main characters who care deeply about each other, tons of supportive family, no unnecessary drama and a lot more dogs! Oh, those dogs!

Both books in this series are standalone and this story has brief appearances of both main characters from Book #1. I enjoyed this story more than the first book and if there were to be a third book, I would read that one, too!

Warning: Beware of the very cute and adorable rescue dogs within this story! If you weren't a rescue dog owner or lover before reading this book, you will be afterwards!

3.5 stars rounded up for the doggies!

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for a widget of this ARC through NetGalley. It has been my pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.

This felt kind of boring. Everything was immediately amazing. It took too long to get to the conflict and it seemed forced. Jonah’s family bothered me with how they wouldn’t listen to him about selling. I read the first in this series and mostly liked it because of the dogs. This book was the same way.

This is such a sweet meet cute story that starts out with a hilariously awful shared Lyft ride. I love Harper's sparkling fun personality and hysterical inner monologue, and Jonah's wit and kindness were evident from the start. They had amazing chemistry, but they both had a few issues to work through and problems to solve. The scene stealers were the dogs and I enjoyed Jonah's family dynamic. I've loved the author's historical romances for years and I'm really enjoying this contemporary series too!

This is reminiscent of You’ve Got Mail without the need of that pesky dialup since we’re all available at a moment’s notice now. We’re moved from rival bookstores to the more updated scenario of coffee shops. But really it was a great book. The storyline was entertaining. The main characters of Jonah & Harper were fantastic. There are dogs running throughout the books and who doesn’t love dogs? This was just such a fun book to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved this book!

As I write this review, remembering certain dialogue/situations from the book, makes me smile. Julia London has a great way of incorporating every day occurrences into twists of fate that are relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to the two main characters and their families, work situations, their current challenges and past events that make them who they are. Julia put these together into a great story that centers around my most favorite animal, dogs! Dogs are awesome and the way the dogs are such a central focus and integral to this story was fun to read. Enjoy getting to know Jonah, Harper, Truck, Bob and their friends and families, I know I did.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/10/17/it-started-with-a-dog-by-julia-london/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I admit it took me forever to get started reading and I read over 2 weeks.  Normally, a book doesn't last me more than 1-2 days.  But I had a happening and since I normally read at bedtime, I was falling asleep instead of reading so it stretched out.  Once I got into the setting and characters though, <strong> It Started with a Dog</strong> didn't last a day.

I really like the main characters Harper and Jonah.  They are smart and talented.  Best of all, they act like adults.  I would have liked them to talk to each other a bit more but they were each used to going it alone.   They really enjoyed each other's company and had a great time talking about all the things that interested them.    The supporting cast was also great.  By that I mean the family, friends, coworkers and of course, the dogs.

The dogs did play a definite role in the story and each dog had a distinct personality.  I love that and how they were so much a part of their lives.  The rescue dogs were loved, flaws and all.

I felt the problems they had and were going to have were obvious from the beginning. It was weird neither of them accurately described their work when it was so much of their time commitment.  Equally, the solution was predictable from the beginning.

In the end, the higher rating is because of the humor and the support circle built by these caring people. I felt their love and care and it was heartwarming. I was rooting for them both, even when they seemed to be in competition.  Everything worked out because they could work together, something they weren't exactly used to doing, but they adapted very well.

I have been looking forward to this book ever since I read the first in the series (You Lucky Dog). This can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. The heroine from the first book does have a minor role in this one, but knowing her background won’t impact your reading.

Harper and Jonah have a meet-cute in a shared ride. They accidentally mix up their phones and get acquainted via text. It’s not until they are both back in Austin that they realize they are potential business competitors. They try not to let this disrupt their attraction, but of course it does. Harper and Jonah are definitely people I’d like to meet. Harpers an only child and values accomplishments. She works hard and is goal-oriented. Jonah has a career that he has put on hold so he can help out his family business. For him, family is a priority over how own wants and needs. And did I mention the dogs? They are both too busy for dogs of their own, so Harper is a dog walker at a local humane society (what a great opportunity)… but then there’s an adoption contest and she might foster her favorite dog…

The dogs defniyely@stole a piece of my heart! As did Jonah’s family! The side characters in Harper’s life are equally entertaining. This was a fun, feel-good weekend read!

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you mixed the movies 'You've Got Mail' with 'Must Love Dogs', It started With A Dog would be its baby.

This was a cute at times, but man oh man were the characters (besides the dogs) frustrating. I was fine as i was reading it, but the more I thought about it after the fact, the more I was scratching my head at them

One who doesn't mind throwing a mum and dad business under the bus to get what she wants in the world. One who leaves a job he loves to help his family who a) take advantage of his good heart and b) don't listen to a thing he says to help them. Walk away dude, walk away.

And then there is our leading lady's boss who I just wanted to throw my reader at his head. A horrible man who treats his staff so direspectfully ugh

Gah, I could go on. I am sure most people won't have these problems, but even now, days later as I write the review, they are bugging me.

I did like some somethings, but overall it was all a big meh to me.

But don't let this stop you from reading, these are my issues only

This was another cute contemporary romance by Julia London. I love how she is incorporating all the dog elements into these stories.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.