Chasing Tail

Sadie Hartman’s heart has been broken and what better place to go heal than her hometown of Better Bark, North Carolina, where her grandparents still live. Little did she know when she returned home things were about to get very interesting for her including running into a hunky firefighter she knew from high school, a very insecure dog, a rescued cat and an entire town pushing for her to get her happy ever after!

Conner Mahoney is a typical hometown kind of guy, who is blown over the minute he sets eyes on Sadie Hartman but she doesn’t want anything to do with him once she finds out who he is. So Conner sets out to change her mind and prove to her he is changed from the person he was in high school. With a little help from a couple of Dogmother’s these two they might have a chance after all.

Chasing Tail has a page turning plot, a wonderful family and townspeople as secondary characters along with a dog and cat who add such fun to the story. I can’t express how much I have enjoyed this series of a wonderful family with everyday ups and downs but are full of love and support for each other no matter what. With each story I fall more in love with the Kilcannon, Mahoney and Santorini families. Chasing Tail is a wonderful addition to this series.

I always look forward to a new Roxanne St Claire novel. This one was fun. Sadie Hartman is back in Bitter Bark. She left after high school and has been working in DC for years, but when she lost her boyfriend and her job in one fell swoop, she wanted to come home. She went to high school with EMT Connor Mahoney, and they were rivals for student council office. He won, and he made fun of her and embarrassed her. Fortunately, his social skills have improved but she is still leery of getting to know him better.
The Bitter Bark mayor’s job is up for election, and the only person who has signed up to run is a person of very bad morals. Each decides they must run against him, for the good of the town. Connor found and adopted a stray dog that saved a little boy’s life, literally pulling him from a fast-moving stream, and he puts the dog’s name up as the honorary mayor with himself as the actual worker. Sadie thinks Connor is no more serious now than he was in high school, so she runs against him so there will be a candidate who understands politics.
So there is lots of mayhem before the Happily Ever After. Some is caused by old town charter information. There are stolen man-made diamonds, and prowlers around Sadie’s house. Her grandfather chases them off with his gun. Frank is frightened by everyone except Connor and Sadie’s cat, with whom he falls in love.
All in all, a very fun story with people acting like real people.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This is another fantastic book in the series. Not only is there the human couple that are so cute together, there is also a dog and cat couple!
At the very beginning, Connor and Sadie were kind of thrown together without much development of the relationship and I was skeptical that it was going to work in a way that would meet the standards I have come to expect from St. Claire. Let me tell you, I was worried for nothing. Things developed in a sort of backwards way, but the relationship was just as believable and as satisfying as all the others in the Dogfather and the Dogmother books. I absolutely loved Connor and Sadie together!
The bit of intrigue added to the book was a wonderful bonus and was totally unexpected on my part. St. Claire has produced another great story of family, love, dogs and cats!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the characters or the plot for ‘Chasing Tail‘, the fourth title in ‘The Dogmothers‘ series. Connor and Sadie are quite formidable people, each with strengths and baggage to deal with… but most of all a unique solution to an intriguing old bylaw that sets up their faltering romance to a place that allows each to shine, get to know the real people and convince a town full of doubters that either of them (or one special dog) would make the best Mayor of Bitter Bark.

While I loved Connor and Sadie, both individually and together as a couple it was the furry four-legged characters who really stole my heart – Frank, one dog who has lived on his own for far too long with a few unique habits, and one stray cat with a mind of her own.

There are some twists within ‘Chasing Tail‘ that gave me pause while thinking of a person’s motivation for doing the wrong thing for what they perceive as the right reason. Not that I agree with the villains’ actions or reasons, it just gave me something to think about as Connor and Sadie’s romance wound down to the ending. This time around the lovely Gramma Finnie and Yiayia, otherwise known as the Dogmothers, aren’t as central to the story but their presence is never completely out of sight or influence. I had fun with this story, ran into a lot of book friends and I’m definitely ready for the next story in this series (which just happens to be on my Kindle waiting for me). If you love a really good romance, a slightly unusual courtship, and furry friends then you’ll want to pick up this addition to ‘The Dogmothers‘ series as soon as possible.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Another sweet romantic read in the Dogfather/Dog Mother series!

Loved all the books in the dog series!

Chasing Tail is the fourth book in Roxanne St. Claire’s Dogmothers series and my favorite so far. Lt Connor Mahoney, the always joking, no long-term relationship, Bitter Bark’s history junkie met his match in DC campaign manager Mercedes “Sadie” Hartman. Sadie is a Bitter Bark native who left as soon as she graduated from High School and have history with Connor but he doesn’t recognized her their path crossed again at the local bar. Most readers could think this is an insta-love story, or a frenemies story or (gasp) an insta-love story but it is all of the above and so much more.

After their first encounter, both parties continued with their lives. Sadie is trying to find what is really her calling and moving on with her life while Connor rescued a little boy with the help of the most resourceful but anxious dog. Since the dog is a true hero, and with a extended family who specialized in all things canine, Connor adopted Frankendog aka Frank who will soon be in the running for major of Bitter Bark with his human as his chief of staff. Meanwhile, Sadie is invited to meet her nana’s girlfriends, Grandma Finnie and Yiayia who as expected presented Sadie with a reason to get involved with the politics of her town while helping Connor and Frank (classic Dogmother’s move). But what it was supposed to be easy soon gets complicated with long buried secrets, political baggage and mystery. Sadie and Connor are actually cats and dogs person, but will the reformed cocky, HS cool guy and the introvert beauty patch the bumps in their history and forged a brilliant future? Will the Dogmothers continue their 100% success ratio or will it be a temporary win? Will the adorable Frank conquer his fears and befriend an orange cat, a Demi-cat?

In typical St. Claire’s fashion, there are plenty of cameos from our favorite characters from previous books; it is always satisfying to find that missing link that ties a book with the entire series and am sure I read and probably missed new breadcrumbs that will be vital in following tittles. Chasing Tail reads as a stand alone book but I’ll recommend you to read the previous books for maximum enjoyment and seek and play over those “what-if”.

I’ll also like to add that this book cover is my favorite in the Dogmothers series so far, only surpassed by Bad to the Bone from the Dogfather series. Meatball and Frank are plain adorable. <3

Roxanne St Claire, you did it again. Five shinning stars!

I received an Advanced Reader Copy but these are my own opinions and most sincere thoughts.

The dogmother grandma’s are at it again with their matchmaking skills . This time with Sadie and Connor, who are both running for mayor of their hometown, Bitter Bark. Sadie has just returned from Washington DC where she was involved in politics and just broke up with her boyfriend. Connor is a local firefighter/EMT. who has a new sidekick, Frank. Frank is a canine, who helped rescue a small child. Soon a law is uncovered that might change the whole campaign.

This is a book that I had a hard time putting down. Many happy tears and laugh out moments that will keep you turning the pages. Is it instalove?? One of my favorite couples, including Frank!! This book can be read as a stand alone. Enjoy!!

Lieutenant Connor Mahoney is a firefighter and EMT for Bitter Bark, North Carolina. He is the Dogfather’s nephew. On a search-and-rescue, he finds a stray dog who helps him locate a missing child. Connor decides his new canine friend is the perfect gimmick to win the mayor position. However, he never imagines the beautiful woman he encounters in town to be his competition. To qualify as candidates, Connor and Sadie Hartman fake an engagement. Will Connor and Sadie’s engagement become real?
Mercedes “Sadie” Hartman is a former deputy chief of staff for a DC congresswoman. She returns to her hometown to lick her wounds and find a new career path. Sadie and Connor share a past. To keep an unscrupulous man from winning the mayoral election, she decides to become a candidate. However, a two hundred-year-old rule stands in Sadie and Connor’s way. Can Sadie and Connor overcome their differences to become a real couple? Who will become the next mayor?
Connor is a total doll. I adore how active he is in the community. Connor may come across as a flirt and comedian, yet he still pays attention to the town and its people. I like how he and Sadie share a mutual dislike for their competition. The two settle their differences and band together to make sure the third candidate does not win the mayor position. What I love the most about Connor is how easily he adopted Frankendog. He recognizes the canine’s potential and handicaps.
Sadie is the type of heroine I enjoy reading. She is the perfect fit for the flirtatious Connor Mahoney. I adore Sadie’s code of ethics. She may have worked in the immoral world of politics; however, she never allowed it to corrupt her. It takes a strong soul to stand firm against such corruption. What I like the most about Sadie is how she starts to see the real Connor hidden beneath the jokes. It does take her a while to truly see that side of him he rarely shows.
CHASING TAIL is book three in Roxanne St. Claire’s canine contemporary series, THE DOGMOTHERS, a spinoff from her DOGFATHER series. I noticed that Gramma Finnie and Yiayia do not have many scenes in this story like they did in the previous books. I miss their antics. The two women never fail to amuse me, especially with their matchmaking and Gramma Finnie’s Irish proverbs. I love how the couples from the prior books show up throughout the story.
CHASING TAIL is a touching tale of two people overcoming their emotional and mental handicaps to be together. Roxanne St. Claire never disappoints me with her feel-good stories, and this book is no exception. I cannot wait to see what kind of woman the Dogmothers’ plan for John Santorini.
Review Courtesy of Romance Junkies

EMT Firefighter Connor Mahoney may be the laid back, always joking around, love ’em and leave ’em type but one thing he knows for sure, he wants to be the next mayor of Bitter Bark. When one of his rescues includes a child and a stray dog, Connor decides to adopt and use the dog “Frank” as his campaign sidekick. Life is going well until Mercedes “Sadie” Hartman rolls back into town and throws a wrench into his plans. Sadie also decides to run for mayor because she will do anything to prevent Mitch Easterbrook, the man who broke up her family, from winning the election.

When Connor and Sadie find out about a certain rule that any mayor must adhere to, they decide to join forces in order to defeat Mitch. While Connor would like nothing more than spending more time Sadie, she is very reluctant because of recently being burned while she was in Washington, D.C. Of course the more time these two spend together, the more they realize that there may be more to this alliance than they originally thought.

In true Roxanne St. Claire storytelling you will fall in love with this couple, a dog and even a cat this time! All of our favorite Mahoney’s, Kilcannon’s and Santorini’s make a showing. I just adore this series and can’t wait for John Santorini’s story which is next!