The Foxe and the Hound

ROMANTIC COMEDY
 
Title: The Foxe & the Hound
Author: RS Grey
Publication date: 06/01/2017
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 5 out of 5
 
Amazon blurb
When your life is a hot mess at twenty, it’s cute. At twenty-seven…well, not so much.

It’s just that my lofty dreams—making it as a real estate agent, paying rent on time, showering daily—have stayed just that: dreams. Oh, and love? I’ve decided love might be a little ambitious for me at the moment. Instead, I’ve settled for the two guys who will never leave me: Ben & Jerry.

That is, until Dr. Adam Foxe takes up residence as the town’s new vet.

With his strong jaw, easy confidence, and form-fitting scrubs, it’s not long before every housewife in Hamilton is dragging neglected tomcats in for weekly checkups.

Like everyone else, I’m intrigued. Even after I spoil my chance at a good first impression, he still offers me a proposition I can’t refuse: play his girlfriend at a family function and he’ll hire me as his real estate agent. Welcome to love in the 21st century.

It’s too bad I underestimated Adam’s irresistible charm and the undeniable attraction that burns between us. The day he pins me to the wall and silences me with a kiss, the line between reality and ruse begins to blur. Every teasing touch brings me to my knees. Every kiss promises more. 

It looks like my hot mess of a life is about to get a little hotter.

My Review
First of all, this book is not to be confused with the old Disney movie The Fox and the Hound, which made me cry until I threw up when I was 7 years old. (It was sooooo sad when the old lady let the fox go in the woods and he was all by himself in the rain, OK? Don’t judge.) In contrast, this was a light and fun read that I enjoyed immensely. (I still haven’t totally forgiven Walt Disney for The Fox and the Hound, though. But I digress…)

The best part of this story, in my opinion, is the heroine, Madeline. She’s so real and relatable that you could easily imagine yourself being friends with someone like her. (And if you can’t, that means YOU’RE the Madeline of your inner circle of friends. Congrats.) She’s a great “everywoman”, in other words. Her witty internal dialogue really spoke to my inner snarky smartass, too. (Yeah, I know. It’s hard to believe that I have an inner snarky smartass when I’m so outwardly snarktastic. Just IMAGINE some of the stuff I keep to myself. Scary, huh? But I digress again…)
 
Adam is a decent hero, too, if a bit hot and cold for my liking. But the author did a good job of explaining some of his insecurities and the very good reasons behind them. That kept me from wanting to punch him in the nuts at any point in the story.

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I’m also a big fan of dogs in books. Not just any dogs, though. I prefer that the dog serve a purpose in the story and have a distinct personality all his own (like all dogs do in real life). Mouse, Madeline’s dog, is the perfect example of a romance novel pet done well. Big kudos to the author for that.   
 
I will warn readers looking for lots of sexy times that this is a slow-burn romance, and there’s not a ton of description in the sex scenes. It all worked very well for me personally, but if you’re looking for romantic erotica, this ain’t it. For everyone else, though, there’s plenty of sexual tension and sweet, romantic times between Madeline and Adam.
 
Long-story-short, this is a fun, light-hearted, romantic comedy that I highly recommend. It’s highly one-clickable, folks.  
     
Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Crushes it! This one is clean and sober. No rehab needed.  
 
Other reading suggestions
For another light, hilarious read about a super-relatable heroine and her cute little dog, try Too Good to be True by Kristan Higgins. And for another read about a sexy vet, try Jill Shalvis’s Animal Attraction. Note: both Too Good to be True and Animal Attraction can be read as standalones. ​

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