A poodle, a black lab and a Chihuahua walk into a dog park… All Caleb Donovan has to do to redeem his family name is take a rundown Miami Beach apartment building and turn it into luxury condos. Easy, right? Unfortunately, that would also turn the local dog park into a parking lot and the neighbors aren’t having it. Caleb is faced with outright revolt, led by smart, beautiful building manager … smart, beautiful building manager Riley Carson and her poodle, LouLou.
For Caleb, this project should have been a slam dunk. But even more challenging than the neighborhood resistance is the mutual attraction between him and Riley. It would be so much easier just to stay enemies.
Can Riley and her canine sidekick convince Caleb that what’s best for business isn’t always best for the heart?
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As manager of a Miami Beach apartment building well past it’s prime, Riley Carson has learned to squeeze pennies and be her own maintenance personnel. Aside from her grandmother, the joy of her life is her poodle plus the other owners and dogs at the informal neighborhood dog park.
Caleb Donovan has been given one chance by his grandfather — work with his two brothers and convert an old building into apartments. Aware of the zoning aspects of the project, he’s blindsided by Riley and the fierce opposition she organizes.
Ms. Wells tells a simple story with a multi-generation cast. The dogs add sparkle as romance enablers and tension relief.
Cold Nose, Warm Heart by Mara Wells is a heartwarming, delightful novel and I absolutely loved it from the very first page. Without giving away any spoilers, the author has done a wonderful job in creating the delightful, quirky characters as well as the very lovable, adorable supporting canine characters. For me, this book had all the elements of a really enjoyable novel that includes the characters, both human and canine, romance with a touch touch of mystery and suspense. As her debut romance novel, Mara Wells hit it out of the park with this novel that will make you smile, laugh, and touch your heart. At a time in society where everything is topsy turvy and we all need some laughter, love and hope, this book delivers that and more. I rated it a five.
Mara Wells’ Cold Nose, Warm Hearts is a heartwarming romance for dog lovers. It’s the first book of Fur Haven Dog Park series, and it is about a woman and her little pooch living in a run-down Miami Beach apartment building. When Riley Carson learns that Caleb Donovan plans to convert her building into condos and turn her beloved dog park next door into a parking lot, she rallies the neighbors to revolt. For Caleb, it should have been a slam dunk, but the mutual attraction between him and Riley is far more challenging than the neighborhood resistance. So much for staying enemies. Can Riley and her canine sidekick convince Caleb that what’s best for business isn’t always best for the heart?
I had a toy French poodle, a runt, while growing up, so I was delighted to learn that Riley’s faithful canine was a poodle name LouLou. One thing I like about Cold Nose, Warm Hearts is the way neighbors come together as a community and how the dog park plays a vital role in their community. Mara Wells’ style of writing is superb in creating a funny and sweet romance, featuring dogs, Miami, likeable characters, and even cantankerous grandparents. I have had the pleasure in meeting Mara Wells and receiving this book from her at a book signing event. I look forward in reading her books. This is my honest review.
Cold Nose Warm Heart is my first book by Mara Wells. I was drawn in by the cover-who can resist a cute furbaby??? Plus, I was missing my own who had recently passed, so I took a chance with this story.
Pet’s have a way of knowing if someone has a good heart and the furry characters in here certainly knew their stuff.
Riley and Caleb- the human element- were a lovely couple. They were drawn to one another, but they had some challenges to overcome. Caleb wanted to build an apartment complex where Riley and her friends had their dog park. It leads to some issues and confrontations.
This was an easy read, if a bit predictable. But still enjoyable all the same.
I received an ARC from #NetGalley and this is my honest and s voluntarily opinion.
I really enjoyed this sweet story. It’s a heartwarming and humorous romance with characters who are very likable in Caleb and Riley and that I enjoyed getting to know. Oh and of course DOGS!! All good things. What’s better than that? This is a new to me author and I will definitely be checking out more books by her.
This book had so much potential but I almost felt like I was missing the romance portion of it. Caleb is trying to redeem his family name and build luxury apartments but in order to do that the dog park would be gone. Riley is trying to stop so that she can keep the dog park where it is. While there are some good laughs and the story line was good, the romance fell flat. I couldn’t connect to these two and had a hard time believing they were even attracted to each other. Some people may love it as the writing itself was good. But I didn’t really care for it for me because I couldn’t connect to the characters.
What a cute read! This was my first book by Mara Wells and I really loved Riley and Caleb! Plus how can you resist a book full of cute dogs who steal your heart?
Riley Carson has been trying to hold down the fort at her grandmother’s art deco building that is a 55 plus residence on the Beach in Miami. After being laid off from the job that she loved with Donovan Resorts, being the building manager and super she at least gets to help her grandma and the makeshift dog park they put together next to the building is a great way to bring the community together. So imagine her surprise with the dashingly handsome Caleb Donovan shows up and says HE owns the building and will be tearing it down to erect a new and shinier condo in its place.
Caleb and Riley have this instant connection. But she can’t be playing with the enemy, can she? There are secrets all around and when the two have to bring the issue to the city commissioners, each will do what they can to get their vision moved forward. The only thing is Caleb and Riley can deny the chemistry and the magnetism they have for each other. With their grandparents involved, it gets to be an even bigger mess than they initially thought it would be.
I really loved not only the main characters but all of the neighborhood friends (that I’m hoping will get some matchmaking in the future.) This was a fun read and can’t wait for book two in the series.
I really loved this book. However, the puppy on the cover is not the cute little apricot poodle that stole the show within its pages. This puppy is Lady, who definitely plays a part. If you are in the mood to have your heart stolen by adorable furriness, this book is definitely for you.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.
A quirky, fun romantic comedy. Not really my genre pick but still a sweet story. I enjoyed the building and dogs more than the main characters though. I would have like to see their relationship evolve more, I couldn’t really see why the attraction when he was the enemy. It’s a feel good ‘enemies to lovers’ book if that is your thing, I came for the dogs.
Riley Carson knew her grandmother tended to exagerate at times but this one was a beyond-the-pale giant whopper. Grandma told her that she owned the Dorothy, an Art Deco apartment building where her grandmother lived for years, where Riley grew up staying with her grandmother while her mother was away doing her job on cruise ships. Now here she is apartment manager of the Dorothy after losing her job as assistant manager of the luxury resort, the Donovan, in downtown Miami after the CEO was incarcerated and the Donovan chain of resorts had to be sold off. Now she is being confronted by Caleb Donovan, son of the crooked ex-CEO, who claims he owns the Dorothy and plans to convert the building to condos and turn the lot everyone calls their dog park into a parking garage. Riley didn’t believe Caleb and she confronts her grandmother. Seems Grandma was once married to Caleb’s grandfather and got possession of the Dorothy in the divorce settlement. Too bad Grandma’s husband number three lost the Dorothy to Caleb’s Grandpa William in a poker game. How could she be attracted to Caleb when he is planning to take the Dorothy and their dog park away from her and all her friends?
At first Caleb Donovan didn’t realize that the Dorothy apartment manager he stopped in to meet, Riley Carson, was a beautiful woman. The pretty lady who frantically raced into the apartment lobby calling her poodle named LouLou caught his eye immediately. They were getting along just fine until he found out she was actually Riley Carson, Apartment Manager and announced he was going to fire her. Oops! She sure wasn’t going to go out to dinner with him now.
Cold Nose, Warm Heart by Mara Wells is the first book in this author’s Fur Haven Dog Park series. I seem to have picked up and read a number of books about dog parks and dog rescues recently and I have to say this is one of the best I have read. The storyline runs smoothly and the characters are very likeable. I found myself becoming quite invested in these characters and rooting for a good outcome for all. I especially liked the heroine Riley Carson. I saw her as a very strong, very resourceful woman who also had trust issues. In this case I understand why she didn’t trust hero Caleb Donovan throughout much of the story even though she was falling for him. At one point as I was reading I wanted her to kick him to the curb and never look back. But I also really liked Caleb. His grandfather put him in a difficult position. Plus he really is a nice guy. Things got rough between the two and I thoroughly enjoyed their back and forth and how they achieved their HEA. I love books with pets who play a significant role in the story. Riley’s rescued poodle LouLou is adorable. This is a super enemies to lovers story!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review. Love the cute and it’s a cute rom com with dogs! First time author for me and so I’m not familiar with the style & thoughts. The characters need more dimension & more relationship building. Overall it’s a fun and easy read.
Cute story but the relationship between Caleb and Riley wasn’t developed enough for me. It had so much potential. Their personalities were perfect but I just didn’t get the depth of their relationship outside the drama of the building. What I took from the book was the story of Dorothy and her residents plus the dog park.
This is a sweet romance with likable characters. Riley and Caleb are on opposite sides in a struggle over an apartment complex. LouLou, Riley’s poodle, is the catalyst that is the tie that seems to know what they really need. I look forward to reading more from this author.
This was a sweet romance where the two main characters are on opposite sides. Riley is determined to protect the apartment building her grandmother & friends have lived in for years. Caleb has been tasked with turning “The Dorothy” into a money making proposition. He wants to rehab it & turn it into condos which none of the current residents could afford. The neighborhood has been utilizing a vacant lot next door as an unofficial dog park but Caleb wants to turn that into a concrete parking ramp. He didn’t know what he’s come up against when he meets Riley but he knows he’s interested. Will their chemistry help them find a compromise or will the conflict drive them apart?
A Cute, Sweet Romance with Fur Babies
This did not start out as a romance, but fur babies have a way of knowing who’s good and who’s not. Riley’s poodle, LouLou (adopted) loved Caleb right off, not so much Riley though. She and Caleb were always battling about the apartment complex and the dog “park”, but the sparks weren’t always only in anger. Chemistry at work here!
The story base was good. Some of it, I felt, got a bit redundant, bringing up the past, over, done with, move on. I didn’t care for the lack of communication, Riley always seemed to be stomping off instead of really listening to Caleb, so willing to always doubt him, and I felt he was always trying to make it right for her. Except when Caleb has the rug pulled out from under him, then she texts him–of course no answer as he feels betrayed, by everyone! Then she just ignores him and ends up being mad at him? SMH I didn’t feel the flow, the give and take.
It was kind of funny that their Grandparents had been married to each other wbw, but I didn’t care for their characters that much either, both controlling, just by different means.
Tasked by his grandfather with taking an older building called the Dorothy and converting it into money-making condos, Caleb comes up against a force called Riley and it was game on! Caleb came from money but when his dad lost everything, including the family business, Caleb lost his investments as well and had to learn to pinch pennies. He has a better grasp of living in the real world, just not so much when it comes to the family business expectations. He still follows family dictates instead of trusting his own instincts. He’s full of doubt and hesitation, constantly questioning his decisions on what is the right thing to do. Alpha he was not, however, he was sweet, a little misguided, and charming, but what I enjoyed most about him was how much he grew into his own.
Riley is colorful and lively, yet sort of floating through life. After losing her job as hotel assistant, she takes over as building manger to the Dorothy where she spent her childhood and where her grandmother still lives. She’s learned to do repairs with DIY tutorials and has come to love the tenants and their furbabies in the time she’s lived there, even getting a pet of her own. Riley is resourceful and loyal, but lacks confidence in really going after what she wants. Possibly losing the her home spurs her in to action, and with the help of her poodle Lou Lou and the small community of loyal tenants, Riley has to learn how valuable she really is.
This book turned out to be a really cute read! Caleb and Riley were frenemies on a journey of self discovery, learning what they wanted versus really needed to be satisfied. The true magic of this book, however, revolved around precious, precocious fur babies and the neighborhood dog park! The effort Caleb and Riley put in was heartwarming and sometimes comical, but it also kept their romance on slow burn, giving each other time to learn one another. The colorful cast living in Dorothy also provided plenty of their own senior-minded amusement, especially with their matchmaking skills. Overall, I think this was a good start to what appears to be a new series.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley/Sourcebooks and this is my honest review.