3.5✨
Thank you NetGalley, Farrah Rochon and Hachette Audio for providing an ALC in exchange for my honest review - Pugs and Kisses publishes July 15th.

This book starts with vet Evie finding her (ex)fiancé in bed with another woman before her college crush and fellow vet Bryson returns to town. When they learn the animal shelter they used to volunteer at is in danger of closing they must work together to save it, can they save their old friendship and have more?

Pugs and kisses was such a cute, short & sweet read. It’s a light hearted second chance, friends to lovers romance with lots of animals! It starts off with a bang with the scene with her ex, but as soon as Bryson arrives it was clear that he was still down bad for Evie!!

The romance was well done, they had good chemistry together, were easy to root for and I enjoyed the banter between them. I loved the extra touch Farrah added with Waffles and Bella!! They’re the real stars of the show!

Evie’s friends Ashanti and Ridley are hilarious, they’re such a great trio together and I really enjoyed their scenes together.

The pacing did seem slightly off, with the ending feeling quite rush which was a shame. I don’t often say romances could be longer, but I would have enjoyed another 40-50 pages!

Overall, I really enjoyed Pugs and Kisses! It was lighthearted, fun and enjoyable. It’s unlikely it’ll stick with me forever but I had a great time with it!

Narration: I listened to Pugs and Kisses on 2x speed and Marissa Hampton did a fab job at narrating Evie. I really enjoyed her expressions and the way Marissa conveyed Evie’s emotions, she did a wonderful job bringing her to life. Marissa did deliver Bryson’s chapters very well, there was a clear distinction between them, but my preference with dual POV is dual narration.

Thank you, Hachette Audio, for the gifted copy of this audiobook!

Pugs & Kisses by Farrah Rochon had me hooked from the very first pages, I loved it so much that I finished it in a day! You don’t have to be a dog lover to enjoy this charming second-chance romance, filled with witty banter, heartfelt moments, and unmistakable Louisiana flair.

Evie and Bryson’s love story is both sweet and emotionally grounded. As they reconnect, both are forced to confront the gap between how they’re perceived and what they truly want for themselves. Their internal growth is handled with honesty and care, making their eventual connection feel all the more earned and satisfying.

Fans of Pardon My Frenchie will enjoy the cameo appearances and the little hints sprinkled throughout about what might be coming next in the series. Rochon does a great job of building a lighthearted, interconnected world that makes you want to stay a little longer.

Audiobook Commentary:
Marissa Hampton brings the story to life with warmth and nuance. She perfectly captures each character’s personality, striking the right balance between humor and heartfelt emotion. Her delivery of the Louisiana accents and inflections feels authentic and adds a layer of richness to Rochon’s writing. I stayed fully immersed and finished the audiobook in a day; it was that good.

If you’re looking for a feel-good romance that blends humor and heart, Pugs & Kisses is the perfect read!

⭐ Rating: 4.5
🌶️ Level: 2

Pugs and Kisses by Farrah Rochon
Narrated by Marissa Hampton
I picked this book on a whim having never read this author and not knowing about the previous book, Pardon My Frenchie, which is Ashanti’s story. But that was really not necessary and this book can easily be read as a standalone.
I liked the premise of a veterinarian love story especially with the amount of focus on the animals. Evie is a bit long suffering (she stayed with Cam the rat for ten years after all), and Bryson is a little immature and insecure and at one point, insensitive but they are both just human. There are parental issues at least partly resolved. There is the obligatory third act upset but it is not extremely prolonged. There are trigger warnings and for a person, like me, who has lost a beloved animal companion to cancer, that scene was tough. Sex scenes are well done and sensitive. I loved the New Orleans setting.
The narrator is good but not fabulous. She does a perfectly good job, just did’t grab me.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the advance listener copy of Pugs and Kisses by Farrah Rochon.

Dr. Evie Williams discovers at the beginning of the book that her fiancé is cheating on her. Following this revelation, she leaves the practice where they worked together. Then her college crush, Bryson Mitchell, someone who Evie has never really forgotten, returns to town. Both maintained connections to an animal shelter where they used to volunteer and both are determined to not let it close when they learn it’s at risk.

I really enjoyed this book! As soon as I started it I didn’t want to put it down. Evie and Bryson are so good together!!! Reading these two as they navigate reuniting with each other drew me in. I loved how they were brought back together and the story of these two reconnecting is so sweet. I enjoyed getting to see how both Evie and Bryson grow throughout this story. There were a few moments toward the end of the book related to Evie’s story that are highlights for me. And we get to be reunited with characters from Pardon My Frenchie!

I loved getting to review both a reader and listener copy of this book prior to release. The narrator was lovely and I enjoyed how the characters were brought to life through the narration! I enjoyed this book even more during my second read/listen and I’m so excited for the next book in the series.

If you enjoy a second chance romance, this is one to check out!!

I started this book while in the grocery store this morning, and it starts off so unhinged, but in the most amazing way, ‘I’m team Evie' way possible. I have never loved a set of fictional characters so much, and I might just be talking about the dogs. So many moments, I screamed & laughed so loudly with this book! The way Farrah transformed not only New Orleans, but also other cities along the way in LA, was perfection. Farrah knows how to make characters loveable and she knows how to make characters you want to punch in the face, but you know their purpose.

This was a delightful low-angst, second chance romance between veterinarians Evie and Bryson. Add in sweet puppies and a race to save an animal rescue sanctuary, and this book did not disappoint

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Marissa Hampton. I'm familiar with her narration from other books I've read and I didn't realize she narrated this book until I fired it up. As always, she did a great job bringing Rochon's story to life.

I also enjoy the way Rochon injects her obvious love for New Orleans and Louisiana into this book. Her descriptions of the city and surrounding areas were insightful without being distracting from the plot.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for and advanced listening copy of this book.

I really enjoyed the audiobook of this romance featuring main characters who are veterinarians. The characters are well developed. Lots of romance tropes and family dynamics. Love the title. The narration was spot on.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you to Forever Pub and Hachette Audio for the gifted eBook and audiobook!

Pugs and Kisses is a standalone follow-up to Farrah Raton’s 2024 rom com, Pardon My Frenchie. Both books are set in New Orleans and center around dogs, which is as delightful as it sounds! While Pardon My Frenchie focused on a doggy daycare, this one follows two veterinarians trying to save the beloved free clinic where they volunteered as students. It’s got elements of a second chance romance, with an “almost” romance from their college days, but the story takes place entirely in the present.

This is my third vet MMC this year and I’m not mad about it. As a dog lover, I enjoyed how central the animals were to the plot and how committed and compassionate everyone (even the ex!) was to doing right by the pets and their humans. In addition to the vet clinic drama, the book also explores inter-class relationships and the weight of parental expectations, which gave this charming story some real depth.

Read for:
* Second chance romance
* Dogs everywhere
* New Orleans setting
* VILF (iykyk)

Audio: The story alternates between Evie and Bryson’s 3rd person POV, both narrated by Marissa Hampton. While I tend to prefer 1st party POVs and dual narration, Marissa uses just enough variation in tone to distinguish the characters. She brings a lot of energy to the performance and kept my attention from the first minute to the last — definitely a solid pick for fellow audiobook lovers!

Content Warnings: Heads up on a few common triggers. Both were handled with care and didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story (even though they’re topics I usually avoid).
* Death of a pet (on page, not MCs)
* Infidelity (on page and in the past)

I really like that both of the main characters are veterinarians. Usually, that is the males role in a story, so it was nice to see that the FMC was also a veterinarian. I'm a veterinary technician, so I have a super soft spot for this book and all of the medical references. I can relate to Evie, I also dislike when dogs have human names, and I think Waffles is a great name. The first dog I got as a child was a pug due to my dad finding her on a construction site he worked at during the time. When Evie adopted a pug mix, I was so excited and happy for it, and it made me remember the dog I had as a child.

Bryson is a very attractive veterinarian who just so happened to be Evie's college crush. He is back in town and is now a well-known surgeon. Bryson pulling a Hot Wheel's wheel out of a six month old German Shepherd is such a realistic experience. I can name some crazy things that I've seen veterinarians take out of a dog's stomach.

Evie's parents, mainly her mother, are insufferable. Parents should always choose their children over their children's significant others/exes. Evie is absolutely valid for the decisions she makes and for her feelings also. It's a shame that her mother isn't able to see things from her point of view.

This was such a lovely read, and I'm so excited to meet the author next month at The New Romantics! Marissa Hampton did a wonderful job narrating this audiobook. She gave the characters so much personality! I enjoyed the epilogue and the clinic's name they chose. Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio, and Farrah Rochon for an ARC of this audiobook. This review is my own honest opinion.

First Evie finds her fiance in bed with another woman, then she is jobless. Can things get any worse? When her old crush Bryson returns to town, the two agree to work together to save the animal shelter they both volunteered at, which is in danger of closing down. 

This second chance romance between Evie and Bryson was just so cute! The way the two bonded over animals was just adorable and once I got to know their backstory, I just knew they were meant to be together. I appreciated the way the author had them rebuild their friendship prior to them taking the next step too. This one was truly fantastic on audio too! If you're after a romcom with cute animal sidekicks, look no further!

4/4.5 ⭐️

I love a romance that just makes you feel good. It’s like a warm hug on a chilly day or steaming hot chocolate on a winter night or a cold lemonade on a summer day… you get it! Pugs & Kisses was just as cozy and cute as book 1 in the series!

I truly love the setting, plot and overall vibes of this book! It really just is the perfect balance of romance, cozy vibes, and PUPPIES.

I really loved revisiting the characters we saw in book 1 as well as getting deeper with the MCs book 2 focused on! 😊

The audio was outstanding. The narration added to the overall vibes of the book and made me so engaged i couldn’t put it down!

The vibes:
-Second Chance Romance
-Opposites Attract
-Slow Burn
-COZY
-PUPPPIESSSS 🐶

My only critique is that i felt the ending / reuniting was a bit rushed. I wanted more of them finally together, but it didn’t really take away from the overall enjoyment of the book!

Evie, a veterinarian, and Bryson, a vet surgeon, who happens to be her college crush, have to come together to save an animal shelter in this cute second chance romance. It was a fun read, but I felt like the whole parents storyline was a bit off. This was too cozy to getnon depth into these issues, I get it - then, why include them at all and just glaze over them? The pacing also felt a bit off, lkke the first 60% was way too fleshed put for what it was. I did appreciate the narrator in the audio book.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Hachette Audio for a copy of the audiobook!

Pugs and Kisses opens on Evie Williams walking in on her fiance, Cameron, in her bed, on her favorite sheets, with another woman. Rightfully, she breaks up with him, but can't go back to her job as a veterinarian because her former fiance owns the practice! After gaining support from her friends, she realizes there hasn't been much in her life that she hasn't accomplished on her own. She's always had a safety net, either falling back on her wealthy parents or Cameron. But when she learns that the animal sanctuary she volunteered at in vet school is going under, she teams up with vet surgeon Bryson (whom she had a tryst with 8 summers ago) to save it.

This audiobook was a super cute, bingeable read! I was first drawn to it from the adorable title, cover, and promise of lots of animals to love, and it delivered! The main couple's dogs, Waffles and Bella, were super sweet. Additionally, I thought the supporting cast was very colorful, particularly Evie's friends Ashanti and Ridley. Usually I prefer a slower burn with my books, with a little more tension and yearning between the two. Unfortunately, both Bryson and Evie were pretty enamored with each other from the moment they reconnected, and Bryson told Evie very plainly he didn't want to just be friends. However, the second chance was very sweet and showed that the two characters, despite their differences and because of their similarities, make a great match.

As an animal lover, I was really excited to read this book because 1. The title, 2. Dogs + romance? Yes please!! That being said, I didn't really connect with any of the characters and I was not even halfway through when I started feeling disinterested in the story.

The reason why Evie and Bryson’s relationship didn't work out in the first place felt kinda silly to me and I really didn't feel the chemistry between them. It felt really slow at times and then incredibly fast in others. The pacing was just not consistent. There are also so many things that I didn't really love? I wasn't a big fan of Bryson as an MMC. I found his character to be childish and some of his comments literally made my eyes roll because he came across as a jerk to me and even annoying. The journey of how they reconnect felt flat to me, and to be truly honest I wasn't a fan either. Evie is talking about how Bryce- the guy who broke her heart is back in town and homegirl is over here inviting him out to the dog park and dinner. It just didn't feel genuine to me, at all.
I also felt the relationship between Bryson and his parents was never developed. It was mentioned a few times and I thought something was gonna happen there and then…nothing lol. We’ll never know.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC 💖

Cute story. Lots of references to covid and pop culture, really brought me out of the story repeatedly. Cam can get lost, he sucks. Bryson could use therapy.

Single narrator, she has a very smooth voice. 3rd person narration

⭐️ 3.5 stars rounded up ⭐️
Some books just have that special something - an innate charm in the writing. "Pugs and Kisses" is one of those such books. There is nothing groundbreaking here- the stakes are low, but the lead chatacter, Evie so strong and good natured that it's a pleasure to be in her company. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was incredibly easy to listen to, shifting her voice for the MMC in a way that few people in the same field manage.

Evie suffers a double blow when she catches her fiancé cheating on her. She ends her relationship and leaves the veterinary clinic he owns. Bryson went to vet school with both of them and, to Evie’s surprise, suddenly moved back to town. Evie and Bryson had a fling. Any hopes of it moving to something more disappeared when he ghosted her. Now they must work together to save the pet shelter they both love.

The premise of the book is great, and it starts out really well. There’s drama and tension, but then the book goes downhill. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likable. Evie jumps from an engagement back into Bryson’s bed. She and Bryson hardly talk about their past. It’s like she just completely forgets that he ghosted her. Bryson is immature and a jerk. He says terrible things to Evie and talks a lot about how he’s God’s gift to veterinary practice. He moves back and suddenly expects his parents to constantly be around despite knowing they spend a lot of time on cruises. How dare they travel and enjoy their lives!! Cameron is a selfish nepo baby. Beyond all of this, there doesn’t seem to be a connection between Evie and Bryson. I assume much of the relationship building is during the closed door moments. They lack the flirty witty banter or affection you’d hope to see in a romance book.

I did not like the pace of the book. It took a while to get into why the shelter was struggling and needed their help. Then in the last couple chapters, everything happened at once quickly and suddenly ended.

I didn’t really like the narrator. She was fine, but she seemed monotone and uninterested in some parts of the book- especially in the sparse open door scene.

Overall, this one can be skipped.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for this advanced listening of Pugs and Kisses in exchange for my honest opinion. Pugs and Kisses will be released on July 15th, 2025.

I listened to this book in less than 24 hours (I did listen at 2.0 speed). I usually don’t like audiobooks in 3rd person with one narrator, but this narrator was great and just made the listening experience a treat.

A second chance romance, Evie and Bryson were easy to cheer for. Even though they grew up in different circumstances; they both overcame a lot to get where they are now professionally and personally. They connected 8 years ago at vet school at LSU, and it ended suddenly; when Bryson just stopped communicating with Evie. Evie gets back with her on again off again boyfriend, they get engaged, and she thinks everything is okay. But….she comes home early and her fiance is home, naked and not alone. After kicking him out, she decides to go to the animal rescue she volunteered at in college. She sees Bryson again (who has moved back from North Carolina), and sparks start to fly.

A second chance romance, I really really enjoyed this book. I didn’t like the brief third period breakup, which prevented me from giving it 5 ⭐️. There was a bit of miscommunication too, which led to the 3rd period breakup. Overall, this was a great book about 2 vets reconnecting, the city of New Orleans, and some adorable dogs. It’s worth the read or listen!

QOTD: I’ve never been to New Orleans but so want to visit. Have you ever been to New Orleans?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and HachetteAudio for the audiobook production.

Picking up after “ Pardon My Frenchie” we follow Shante’s friend Evie after a breakup. Unfortunately her previous relationship was not the only thing tied to that man but also her job. Evie now has to figure out where her life and career will start over. Will it include a sexy man from the past who may have also done wrong?

As always there’s little spicy, this is a slow burn leading up to the climax if you know what mean. But I enjoyed that the spicy was placed where it made sense with the pace of the book.
I absolutely loved the book, which explored the toxic family dynamics of mother and daughter relationships. The toxic notion to stay in a relationship for the status it brings when the man or woman only brings you pain. The important ace on fighting for yourself and well being even when no one else speaks up on your behalf. The relationship between Evie and her friends is hilarious and made me want to keep listening.

this was so cute and swoon worthy. i don’t typically gravitate towards second chance but this one sounded so good and featured dogs?? sign me up. i actually really enjoyed this one a lot. i enjoyed the main characters and story line. i listened to this via audio and it did not disappoint. the pacing was great and the narrator was great. it was a short and sweet romance i’d recommend! (do check the content warnings)

evie finds her fiancé in bed with another woman which ends their relationship. she is now without a job and a fiancé which leads her confused to her next step in life. next thing you know, her college crush returns to town who is a nationally recognized veterinary surgeon. once they learn the animal shelter they used to volunteer for is in danger of shutting down, they decide to work together to save it.