From the author of Once Upon a Wine, a new novel set in the charming seashore town of Black Dog Bay, Delaware.When everything has gone to the dogs . . . When Jocelyn Hillier is named legal guardian for the late Mr. Allardyce’s pack of pedigreed Labrador retrievers, her world is flipped upside down. She’s spent her entire life toiling in the tourism industry in Black Dog Bay and never expected to … Black Dog Bay and never expected to be living the pampered life of a seasonal resident in an ocean side mansion, complete with a generous stipend. But her new role isn’t without its challenges: The dogs (although lovable) are more high-maintenance than any Hollywood diva, the man she wants to marry breaks her heart, and she’s confronted at every turn by her late benefactor’s estranged son, Liam, who thinks he’s entitled to the inheritance left to the dogs.
Jocelyn has worked too hard to back down without a fight, and she’s determined to keep her new fur family together. As she strives to uphold the “Best in Show” standards her pack requires, Jocelyn finds love, family, and forgiveness in the most unexpected places.
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
Jocelyn Hillier and her mom do tons of laundry each week for the guest houses rented out in Black Dog Bay. Due to a freak almost accident, she finds herself with a part-time job too. Dog sitter for a group of show dogs owned by Mr. Allardyce. She doesn’t care much for him but she loves his dogs. When Allardyce passes away Jocelyn is stunned to find he not only named her legal guardian for his dogs but entrusted her with the house they live in and plenty of cash to see to their every need.
Shortly after the reading of the will, her new boyfriend breaks up with her and Allardyce’s son files a lawsuit to overturn the will. He is not happy to lose his inheritance to a pack of dogs. Jocelyn also needs to deal with the dog’s trainer and their dog show schedule all while one of the dogs is due to deliver a litter of pups any day. With a lawyer trying to advise her of ways to make everyone happy, she decides to take them all on and do everything she can to keep the canines together and with her.
I was thrilled to be back in Black Dog Bay – “the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup. Home to Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single.” While the books in this series all take place in the same Delaware town, they can all be read as stand-alone and in any order.
I really liked Jocelyn. She had her hands full not only with the dogs but with the laundry business as well, because her mother is recovering from back surgery. My husband had back surgery right before Christmas so I can totally relate to the care and recovery and the efforts of those helping with that recovery. At first, this character didn’t really show her strength by as the story continued the fight inside her really emerged. She fought for the dogs and she fought for herself. After a while, she even opened her heart to someone new. Her best friend Bree was there every step of the way, encouraging her on. Friends their whole lives and always there for each other.
Like any great Romantic Comedy, there is a love interest for Jocelyn, in fact, there are two. I wanted to jump right into the pages and punch the first guy right in the nose. He put on a great front at first, but his true colors were soon out for all to see. The second guy was the complete reverse, a jerk to start with, but then he came to his senses.
This is a wonderful lighthearted story. Life, family, romance, dogs, and humor fill these pages. It would make an excellent Hallmark Movie. The ending is a happily ever after as expected, but it is told in a delightful way. I really enjoy the way Ms. Kendrick tells a story.
I loved this story. It was a fun read, a perfect escape for me!
My Review
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “In Dog We Trust” by Beth Kendrick, Berkley Books, January 8, 2019
Beth Kendrick, Author of “In Dog We Trust” has written an enjoyable, amusing, entertaining, lovable story. If you love animals, this book will definitely make you smile. The Genres for this book are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and Romance. The timeline for this story is in the present, and only goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The colorful characters in the story each have their own personalities, and problems, including the dogs.
Jocelyn Hillier is an ambitious, honest young women, who is extremely hardworking, and loves animals. Jocelyn helps her Mom do the laundry for the renters of the community. These would be the wealthy seasonable visitors that reside in the seaside community. Joscelyn’s mother has warned her to stay away from any possible romantic entanglements with the wealthy visitors.
Jocelyn finds herself helping wealthy and obnoxious Mr. Allardyce with his highly pedigreed dogs. She walks them and gives them love. When Mr. Allardyce dies, Jocelyn finds herself in the position of being legal guardian of his dogs, and living in his mansion with a tremendous amount of money that she is able to spend. Instead of being a seasonal resident, Jocelyn is now living in the wealthy tourist style, which she is not used to at all. Of course this new arrangement has irritated some people who believe that Jocelyn has no right to anything Mr. Allardyce’s will stated. One of those who will fight her is Liam, Mr. Allardyce’s son.
In addition to possibly fighting the will, can it be possible that Liam is cute and a nice guy as well? Of course, Jocelyn takes note that her dogs require a tremendous amount of maintenance, and some of the most lovable moments center around the dogs. The most important stipulation of the will is that Jocelyn must be guardian of the dogs. Yet, there are some people who question that as well. What does one do? Is it love or money? Which is more important?
I had a good time reading this book, and had some chuckles. This is a heartwarming story, and I highly recommend this to readers who love animal stories with romance. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review. Happy Reading!!
I have loved every Black Dog Bay book Beth Kendrick has put out and In Dog We Trust, is no different.
Beth has a way of writing beautiful stories about love, friendship, and life in the Bay. I love how characters from previous novels are woven into this story – because they are all so great!
I would recommend to all my friends!!! Beth Kendrick – please keep writing novels about the Bay!!
Overall, I thought this book was an ok read. When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was totally intrigued. The story-line sounded really unique and refreshing. I loved the idea of the eccentric, rich pet owner leaving his fortune to his pets and was intrigued by how much this situation would change Jocelyn’s life.
For the most part, I liked the story. I thought it started out really well and had a great pace to it. I loved the friendship between Jocelyn & Bree. Their bond was very sister like and I couldn’t wait to see what kind of trouble they would get in to. I loved the addition of Liam to the story-line. He added some great drama to the story and really challenged Jocelyn. I thought their relationship had a lot of potential in the beginning. Jocelyn & Liam had some great chemistry and I enjoyed their banter. They definitely had the whole hate to love vibe going on. However, I felt like even though their relationship was supposed to progress and be romantic, it never got there for me. As the story progressed, I never really felt the romance between them. Honestly, it felt more platonic to me. Don’t get me wrong. I did enjoy them and thought they had a great friendship, but their romance just didn’t work for me.
I did have a few issues with this book. I loved the pacing in the beginning, but somewhere along the 60% mark, the story started to drag. It felt like the story was taking forever to move on, and not a whole lot was happening. Also, I felt like there was a lot and I mean a lot going on in this book. So much that there still feels like a lot of the book was left unresolved. And the lawsuits….there was just too many of them. It just felt very over the top to me.
In Dog We Trust was a cute and lighthearted read. The characters were fun and the story-line was unique. There were some parts of the book that left me wanting more, but I still had a good time getting lost in Jocelyn’s story. Even though this book wasn’t a 100% hit for me, I’m still glad to have checked it out.
I thought that In Dog We Trust was delightful! I enjoyed the characters and the humor found throughout the story. The main character Jocelyn helps her mother run a laundry rental business in a beach town. And Jocelyn hangs out with her close friend Bree in her downtime. These two always have an enjoyable and interesting time when they are together. Then one day Beth has a run in with a wealthy man and his three pedigree Labradors and her life will never be the same. After the dogs’ owner passes away, she ends up the guardian of the dogs and living in their fancy home. After this, it seems as if there is never a dull moment in her life. Jocelyn finds herself in some interesting situations as not everyone is happy with what was in the final will. This story is full of fun characters and dogs if you are looking for a fun read with a little romance in it!
ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review
Dogs are often the best people, and I would often trust my dog’s instincts rather than my own. Plus, they are normally a lot nicer than people!
This is my first Beth Kendrick read, and it was sweet and cute and fluffy. I needed something uplifting after some darker reads, and In Dog We Trust was just the ticket.
It goes to show that one chance encounter can change your life, and that is what happens for Jocelyn.
Is it for the good? Is it for the bad? For that you will need to read for yourself.
Wonderful characters that had me laughing, had my cursing, had me smiling to the end.
I did kind of feel that the end was just… meh. There was all this build up and then… nothing – however this could just be me.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is part of the Black Dog Bay series, but can be read as a stand-alone and not be lost while reading it. This is the story of Jocelyn and a pack of pedigreed dogs that she inherited from Mr. Allardyce. She has to deal with Mr. Allardyce’s son who decides to sue her for the house and almost everything that she has inherited to take care of the dogs. But, sparks are flying, and well….. This is a great book that I enjoyed reading and am looking forward to the next one in the series.
This book was a 5 star delight! This was my first by Ms. Kendrick. Her characters were very interesting and varied. The whole basis of the book was unexpected in that the main character, Jocelyn who has been dog walking some pure bred Labs for an older curmudgeon of a man, is named as heir to the dogs and their extravagant home on the beach upon the man’s death. You can just imagine the uproar from his kin! No one was more upset than Liam, the man’s estranged son.
Jocelyn’s new lifestyle is a shock to her and everyone who knows her. She struggles to maintain the show status of the dogs and deal with the law suits that keep springing up. She’s attracted to Liam, but what should she do about it when he has her served by the courts? Is he really a good guy or is he just money hungry? There was a very unexpected but totally satisfying end to the story. You won’t be disappointed!
I received a copy of this book via First to Read in return for my honest thoughts.