It Started With a Dog by Julia London – a Review

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Description:
All Harper Thompson wants for Christmas is the huge promotion she’s worked so hard for–which she should get, as long as her launch of the hip new coffeehouse, Deja Brew, goes according to plan. Jonah Rogers is trying to save his family’s coffee shop, Lucky Star, from going out of business, which will be tough with the brand-new Deja Brew opening across the street.

When Jonah and Harper meet for the first time after accidentally swapping phones, their chemistry is as electric as a strand of Christmas lights. He’s a tall, handsome, compassionate hunk of engineer, and she’s an entrepreneur whose zest for life is very sexy. They love all the same things, like scary movies, greasy food–and most of all, dogs. It’s a match made in heaven…until Jonah finds out that Harper’s the one about to put him out of business.

Only one coffee shop likely can survive, and a competition of one-upmanship ensues in a battle of the brews. The paws really come out when the local rescue shelter has a fundraiser where local businesses foster dogs, and patrons vote with their dollars for their favorite pup. Harper takes in an adorable old bulldog on behalf of Deja Brew, while Jonah fosters a perky three-legged dachshund for Lucky Star. As the excitement builds for who will be crowned King Mutt and king of the coffee hill, Harper and Jonah must decide if their connection was all steam or if they are the perfect blend.

Review:  

It Started with a Dog by Julia London is the 2^nd book in her fun and charming Lucky Dog series.  We meet our heroine, Harper Thompson, and our hero, Jonah Rogers as they shared a cab together, with each   traveling during the holidays.   Jonah notices when he is on a plane for business close to Christmas that he has a different phone.  He then realizes that when in the cab, things fell, and the other women (Harper) picked up the wrong phone.   They begin to text each other, but Jonah will not be back until after the holidays, and they each have to deal with using the others phone.  This leads to them sending hilarious texts received from others, and it was a laugh a minute watching them begin to bond. Both are determined to meet each other after the holiday, but most important, Harper loved the dog on Jonah’s phone screensaver.

Harper is in Austin, TX, launching a new coffeehouse, Deja Brew, and determined to make it the best one yet, as she is hoping for a promotion, but her boss and his new assistant make things difficult for her, which causes her to worry about the promotion.

Jonas is an engineer, who has taken a leave of absence to help his sick father run the Lucky Star coffee shop.  When Harper and Jonas finally meet, neither knows that the new Deja Brew (which Harper is handling) is competition for the old fashion Lucky Star, which could put Jonas’s family out of business.

In a short time, their relationship heats up, as they have amazing chemistry together, not to mention that Harper loves Jonas’s big dog, Truck, who is wild and adorable.  Even when they learn about their competitive coffee shops, both Harper and Jonas continue their relationship, as they are falling hard for each other. Harper gives Jonas tips about fixing up the old coffee house with some of her contacts, she also gets to meet his family, who are a fun group, and she has a homey feeling when around them. But she is still determined to make Deja Brew a great place, with high class and amazing features.  The competition between coffee houses will include a dog contest ‘King Mutt’.

What follows is a heartwarming fun romantic romp, with a great couple, wonderful characters, and I absolutely loved the dogs.  London has a way to bring wonderful romances and add fantastic dogs.  I loved Jonah and Harper, as they were very steamy together.  Jonah’s family and Harper’s friend Olive were lots of fun.  Most of all I loved the dogs, who were adorable; Truck (Jonas dog), Bob, a grumpy bulldog (that Harper will adopt), and three legged Lulu (part of Lucky star). 

It Started with a Dog was so very well written by Julia London.  This was a fun cute story, with a fantastic group of characters and adorable dogs. What happens in the competition? You need to read the book to find out.  I really enjoyed reading It Started With a Dog, and suggest you read this book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher