Love In The Headlines by Penny Zeller

 

All Carleigh Adams wants is a relaxing evening. But Sullivan Theodore IV, her wayward Shih Tzu, has other plans. After escaping from home, Sullivan Theodore unlawfully enters what Carleigh assumes is a stranger’s house via a doggy door. Much to Carleigh’s horror, it is actually the home of her coworker and nemesis, Trey “The Irritating” Montgomery.

Trey Montgomery has had to work with “Quirky Carleigh,” his top competitor for the best articles at The Oakville Daily, for the past two years. It’s safe to say that she and her criminally-minded pet are his adversaries. Trey’s attempts to keep his distance from her are demolished when their boss thrusts them together as The Oakville Daily Duo, forcing them to work as a team on every. Single. Article.

Petty crimes and crazy shenanigans in Oakville soon draw Carleigh and Trey into doubling as detectives. When dogs, including their own pets, begin to mysteriously disappear, Carleigh and Trey join forces to uncover the culprit. As they work to report the daily news and solve the crimes in Oakville, can these two stubborn reporters find love in the headlines?

What a FUN read!!!! I don't know about YOU, but I NEEDED something a bit more lighthearted and fun to read. This was perfect! These two main characters don't like each other because they are always competing for the stories in this small town paper. There isn't THAT much happening so there aren't an abundance of things to write about. They aren't MEAN to each other, yet sometimes they can be a little snarky. That is part of the charm, they feed off each others smart remarks and seem to enjoy it, though they tend deny it. Right from the beginning, you get a very good look at their personalities and likes and dislikes. The other characters in the book are very well done, too. It felt like I was sitting right there in the newspaper office with them discussing the days assignments.

The town is an "everybody knows everybody" place where secrets don't stay secret for long. I enjoyed the bit of mystery that was woven into the book. There were actually TWO mysteries to solve. 

And if you have a love for animals, specifically dogs, this will be a fun adventure for you. We get to see all sorts of dogs and their owners, the main two are Carliegh's and Trey's dogs. Penny's character development is so wonderful, as always, that the dog's characters even draw you in. 

It is not a small book, but it is a faster read than I would expect from a book this big. The words just flowed in a way that you could read a bit faster and not lose any of the important details. My time is limited so I was glad that there were plenty of stopping points so I could pick it up and read a few pages and put it back down without being in the middle of something I felt drawn to keep reading past the time I could spare at the moment. I did end up reading in huge chunks over the weekend and finished quickly once I had a stretch of time to read. I didn't want to put it down.

I love Penny's historicals but her contemporaries are so fun to read! I am passing this one down to my daughter, who is 21 because I know she will love it! She loves dogs (and cats). My oldest daughter will love it, too, but right now she doesn't have time to read! This book is great any age, even early teens would enjoy this fun book! Highly recommend!

As Always,

~A Simple Texas Girl living life on the Jesus Way!