Pet sitter turned entrepreneur, Jennifer Albright thinks she has it all: an expanding business, a new, blissful marriage to a very sexy husband, a dog named Rupert that people frequently think is a bear, and a parrot named Sugar that Jennifer’s pretty sure is psychic. But her idyllic life begins to unravel when a series of creepy incidents threatens to sabotage the launch of her doggie day care … care center, and the discovery of a hidden treasure thrusts her into the world of federal agents and international thievery. The chaos soon spills over onto her home life and Jennifer reluctantly begins to suspect that her seemingly perfect, unbelievably supportive husband is hiding something from her. There’s just so much that doesn’t add up.
Tech-mogul Ryan has found the love of his life in his adorable new bride, Jennifer. But trouble seems to follow her like a basset hound. When one strange twist of events offers Ryan an opportunity he feels he can’t pass up, he unknowingly launches himself down the road of suspicion and mistrust. But he’s got this covered. She doesn’t suspect a thing.
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Full review appeared at Reader’s Edyn on 04/06/20
Jennifer is a bit of an odd duck. Feeling much more comfortable with the 4-legged variety of companions, her husband has now encouraged her to expand her business to a building in which she will provide daycare services for furry friends as well as training and pet-friendly bakery items. Newly married and a bit unsure about her new business venture, Jennifer had reached her quota of unfamiliar. Top her worries about her life changes with suspicious happenings in her new building, which quickly morphs into a crazy dangerous situation involving stolen items of historic and intrinsic value, then throw both Ryan’s security firm, the FBI and DHS into the mix and you have one helluva a hot mess going on. Jennifer doesn’t necessarily handle everything well and when Ryan seems to be acting a bit suspicious, she suddenly worries he’s having an affair. But maybe it’s all in her mind and those pesky insecurities are once again rearing their ugly heads due to all of the stress she is suddenly under. Either way, there’s a whole lot of crazy going on and it isn’t necessarily all the good kind.
Ryan is one hundred percent devoted to his new bride; the love of his life. Sure, things are never boring with her around as she seems to regularly attract odd happenings, but together they can handle anything. When a letter shows up that puts their marriage on a bit of a shaky foundation, Ryan is sure he knows what he wants to do to make it up to Jen and give her the surprise of her life. Confident she suspects nothing, he sets forth to carry out his plans with a bit of assistance. However, Jen’s old insecurities set him reeling backward and suddenly he’s not sure if he even has a marriage left. Pair that with the dangerous situation they find themselves in regarding hidden stolen items and a deal they must complete to get the FBI out of their lives, and Ryan suddenly isn’t feeling as confident as he usually is. But deep down he knows that if they can weather this storm, they will come out on the other end stronger than ever. He’s just got to convince Jen to trust him and not give in to those old uncertainties perched on her shoulder.
This book was so freaking cute. Initially, it was a bit slow, but I attribute that to the fact that I have not read the first book in the Sugar Shack series. Had I read in order, I would have likely already been invested in these characters and jumped right back in. In fact, I am sure I would have given how much I adore them now. Packed full of adorable oddities, endearing characters, and tons of snark, I was in reader heaven my entire time within this book. I only wish I had read the first book in the series prior. With as fantastic as this book was, I can only assume the introduction to the series was just as fabulous. In the first book, Jennifer and Ryan meet and get together. There is enough information provided, including a flashback or two, to fully understand the basics of what occurred previously to keep the reader on track in the second story. Cut to the next installment and our couple is now newlyweds with Jennifer embarking on a new business venture and Ryan’s full support. In fact, he seems to believe in her more than she believes in herself. And so the Sugar Shack series, Jennifer’s nickname, is a series that follows our main couple through life’s ups and downs. And they have quite a few ups and downs in this installment alone.
Rounding out the adorable couple are the wonderful secondary characters and the amazing animals they love. Rupert was Ryan’s dog initially and is the one responsible for getting Ryan and Jen together in the first place. Sugar, the “freaky little bird”, is a parrot that seems to have the ability to discern things about other people. For example, Ryan has a head of security whom no one knows much about as far as his past, yet Sugar is able to identify John’s past. The scene is actually quite comical and one of the best in the book. In fact, several scenes involving the parrot darn near steal the book. The humor and snark are on point and help to keep this story light-heated and witty despite the underlying seriousness of what is actually occurring; from the FBI/DHS aspect to Ryan and Jen’s marriage seemingly on the rocks. Ryan’s security team members are quite entertaining as are the staff that Jennifer hires for the doggy daycare. Each has their own skillset which comes in handy as the seriousness of Jen’s predicament comes to light. A few of the guys are almost like guardian angels with their secretive pasts and tendencies to blend in with the shadows when necessary – even coming to Lily’s rescue when an unwanted visitor shows up, threatening her well-being. I also enjoyed the banter/animosity between Ryan and the FBI as well as DHS’s response to their interactions.
While the majority of this book takes place from Jennifer’s perspective, there were a few chapters that provided Ryan’s point of view, allowing a better understanding of where each of our main characters was coming from. What I disliked the most was Jennifer’s insecurities. From what I gather, this was an issue in the previous book and I suppose with so many added stressors, old habits can easily re-manifest. However, she didn’t really believe in herself and didn’t trust that the passion she and Ryan shared was real. Ryan very clearly loves her to distraction and would do anything for her, so her distrust of his intentions was sad and disheartening. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with these engaging and whimsical characters. While a bit odd and quirky, they were people I would love to know and would definitely hang out with in real life. I also very much want to read the first book in the series, as well as any other books that are added in the future. If you are a fan of romantic comedies with a ridiculously hot couple, mysterious and sexy former special-ops turned personal security and/or dog trainer guys, psychic parrots, bear dogs, and a few cagy aspects adding an element of suspense in the mix, then you are in the right place. Fill your next reading session with this unforgettable cast of remarkable characters found only in the Sugar Shack series.
Kindle version provided by Xpresso Book Tours/Author in exchange for an honest review.