Freckles – Amy Lane

Carter Embree has always hoped to be rescued from his productive, tragically boring, and (slightly) ethically compromised life. But when an urchin at a grocery store shoves a bundle of fluff into his hands, Carter goes from rescuee to rescuer—and he needs a little help.

Sandy Corrigan, the vet tech who helps ease Carter into the world of dog ownership, first assumes that Carter is a crazy-pants client who just needs to relax. But as Sandy gets a glimpse into the funny, kind, sexy man under Carter’s mild-mannered exterior, he sees that with a little care and feeding, Carter might be Super-Pet Owner—and decent boyfriend material to boot.

But Carter needs to see himself as a hero first. As he says good-bye to his pristine house and hello to carpet treatments and dog walkers, he finds that there really is more to himself than a researching drudge without a backbone. A Carter Embree can rate a Sandy Corrigan. He can be supportive, he can be a hero, he can be a man who stands up for his principles!

He can be the owner of a small dog.

---

Freckles was a tiny fluff of a pup when she was thrust into the hands of Carter Embree who fell in love at first sight and became her human. Carter was a nervous wreck of a dog owner. She was his first dog and he immediately sought the aid of professionals like Sandy Corrigan.

Thus begins this adorkable tale written by a dog lover for dog lovers. Freckles is undoubtedly the star of the show and everybody loved her, poop bombs and all. The humans were not so far behind.

Carter is an introverted, average-looking in a good way lawyer whose do-gooding, right-the-wrong ways were too good for his asshat boss. His superpowers were drawing airtight contracts and fighting for oppressed pet owners. It’s just, he hasn’t fully grown into them yet. He was unlucky in love but he lucked out on Freckles. She rescued him from the soul-sucking corporate life and gave him something to look forward to at the end of the day.

Sandy was a vet tech who went back to college in his late 20s to earn his degree as a veterinarian. When he first met Carter, he thought he was well-dressed. And crazy. But he could tell right away that the man loved the little puppy and decided to help him through the process of dog ownership. Along the way, he discovered the brilliant, passionate person hiding behind the unassuming lawyer. Wisely, he grabbed on and didn’t let go.

The blurb delivered everything it promised. The story is about how these two humans came together because of a tiny dog. It had a nice warm, laid-back feel with humor-laced writing that makes reading a breeze. It is a short book, around 170 pages, and I liked how everything was paced just right. A major part of the story happened in the span of a few days, most of it involving Carter’s struggles and triumphs as a dog owner while struggling with his job and his boss from hell.

The romance was insta-attraction but its development didn’t feel rushed to me. The two men started with friendship. They discovered they liked hanging out with each other. I loved how Sandy smoothly turned a simple dog walk into a real date. Which turned into study dates, movies dates and cuddling. It was an easy, comfortable companionship that blossomed into something more deep and permanent.

What I’m really trying to say in a such a roundabout way is that, they were so cute together!

Freckles was beyond cute!

The entire thing was fluff and cute!!!

But in no way shallow or superficial because Amy Lane was able to give the story substance. There were some interesting points that I would love to see on more books. I totally loved the idea of a lawyer with a pure heart or one dedicated to animal advocacy.

While not exactly exactly the blow-me-away away variety, Freckles the story won me over same way Freckles the dog won everyone else, including Carter’s very intelligent, very organized, no-nonsense mother. Even if this is a holiday read, it’s a good book to pick up anytime your soul needs a dose of cute.

P.S.

Amy Lane books here

Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Soundtrack: The World is Watching
Artist: Two Door Cinema Club
Album: Beacon