Customer Reviews

Guys & Dogs

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Given that the text in the book description field comes from the back of the book, I wasn't looking for something deep that would wring new depths of emotion from my tattered soul. The book was predictable, based on the back copy, and it was exactly what I was looking for. I enjoyed the character development, cared about what happened to them, and even knowing that things would have to turn out ok, I found myself crying over some of Megan's problems. I enjoyed Sutter's elderly aunt, who "seemed to have a great deal of trouble keeping things straight sometimes", but who cares about Sutter, and wants what she believes is best for him. I enjoyed the canine characters, and especially one of Megan's more exotic patients.

My only problem, and it's not uncommon for me, is that I'd really like to see some of the "happily ever after". Trouble is, there wouldn't be much plot at all. Maybe Fox could develop one or both of the supporting characters and I could peek in on how things are working out here while I enjoyed a new plot line.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because of the predictablility. I don't know why that should bother me, when it's just what I wanted. I suppose I'm just unreasonable.

I'm not ashamed of the fact that I like to read popular fiction instead of Proust, but still I only enjoy INTELLIGENT writing. Elaine Fox is VERY clever, very smart, and says things the way I only WISH I could. In short, she is one of a handful of my favorite popular fiction authors. I'd recommend Fox's work to anyone, with absolute confidence.

Guys and Dogs is a particularly fun book -- partly because I've spent a lot of time at my sister's house in Fredericksburg, VA and recognize most the places mentioned (right down to the walk-everywhere dog society...my sister is a dog freak!). What I like best is how Fox combines the coziness of a funny little group of women friends talking straight with each other about men and life AND the sexiness of a red-hot sexy romance between Sutter and Megan. In fact, as with all of Fox's books (and I stared with "Traveller"), the sexual tension crackles until you just can't wait for the hero and heroine to finally get together!!!!

If you like small-town settings and larger-than-life romances, woven together seamlessly by a master who creates realistic characters acting in realistic ways, this is the book for you! Whether you're on an isolated beach or a crowded bus, Guys and Dogs will take you away!

Megan Rose just took over the veterinary practice of her father - a man well known in the animal community as being pretty hands on with his clients. When she wakes up to find an errant golden retriever puppy in her bed she sets out to find the owner (at least according to the tag), who happens to be Sutter Foley, a reclusive billionaire software exec who thinks she is trying to spy on him. He knows it is not his, and probably belonged to a big mouthed gardener he fired recently. Then he realizes she doesn't plan to take the dog home with her.

After a couple run-ins at the local dog park, and some pretty steamy kisses, the two find themselves as tabloid fodder (particularly since he is supposedly nearly engaged to a privileged woman used to the media spotlight). And despite ever having been on a real date, the two have fallen for each other. But will Sutter's distrust and her on fears and inability to keep her mouth shut be the end of the relationship?

Fox manages to pen a contemporary love story with a pretty racy love scene that will have more than tails wagging. In a side story, Megan's father and her friend Georgia scheme to uncover the paternity of a litter of puppies in a dog sperm custody suit. It is a hilarious story and fun right to the last page.

The Golden retriever wakes up Fredericksburg, Virginia veterinarian Dr. Megan Ross. She manages to gain some control of the frisky dog and reads the tag on the collar. The canine's name is Baywatch and she lives at 17 Washington Avenue; her dad says that is the home of Sutter Foley, owner of Software Solutions, second perhaps to Microsoft on usage and profit.

Megan takes Baywatch to Sutter, but he denies having a dog though he recognizes that the mutt belonged to his former employee who he fired for selling things about him to the tabloids. Sutter wants Megan to leave with Baywatch, but instead she believes he needs a dog to warm up his sterile lifestyle; she leaves Baywatch behind. As they see one another due to the matchmaking Golden Retriever they fall in love. However, he has lived as a hermit in spite of the media attention. Can he adapt to having a woman in his life permanently, which also means her father too. On the other Megan has to adjust to suddenly becoming news worthy.

GUYS & DOGS is a fun contemporary romance starring two likable protagonists and a matchmaking canine. The support cast including her dog and "his" new pet add humor. An instance is her dad's observation about his modern day hometown in which SF characters have replaced Revolutionary War heroes like GW as the town hero seems upside down. Though the brilliant Sutter can be a bit thick when it comes to the heart, fans will be pleased with this fine romance between the vet and the internet.

Harriet Klausner

When people write about rich, eligible famous men they represent them as this clichéd lonely man looking for someone who will treat him "like normal person" (i.e. as though they're not "famous and incredibly wealthy") which for some reason invariably results in the "heroine" being impertinent and demonstrating a shocking lack of manners which she wouldn't display to any other person without millions in his bank account and a mug shot in the papers. Its such a old and tried and trite method which usually means a challenge for the rich guy to try and get the impertinent wench to fancy him and then move off to the next challenge.

Also how does a billionaire businessmen have so much time in his hands to play "happy families" with a dog if he's making millions every few seconds? Or does he change a habit of a life time within seconds of meeting our wilful heroine?

Additionally, why is the herione trying to convince us readers that she's not interested in his billions like the millions of gold diggers out there when her conversation and thoughts revolve around the dude's money?

And then there's Sutter (the hero) who is meant to be British (or rather English). He's apparently from a council estate (not that the author knows what "council" means but she mentions he's from a poor area of London). However, the man speaks so formerly you'd think English wasn't his first language. If the author demonstrated that Sutter conversed thus because he was hiding his disadvantaged background by elegant formal speech than perhaps that would make sense - but I think she represents him as a weird Mr Darcy because she thinks English people speak this way. Than there's how she uses English colloquial terms completely incorrectly. For example, first she represents Sutter as being utterly formal in speech and then he's thinking to himself by using terms like "Cor" (which I presume is part of "cor blimey") which again makes no sense (perhaps she's watched far too many re-runs of Oliver Twist??). Its ridiculous and its obvious a lack of research and lack of understanding of Britain and England is visible here.

This book is so "light" that it floats. It lacks details (we don't know the characters ages, or their hobbies apart from the pet peeves, or much about them to give them depth). If you've read "Man at Work" (a semi clichéd romance but sooooo much fun and lots of chemistry) or "Hot Stuff" (a very un-clichéd romance with sparks and fireworks and intelligent conversation) than you'd be forgiven for being baffled as to what the author was thinking when she wrote this is a vomit inducing, trite, tedious drivel. And what is it and dogs? The author seems obsessed with them as all her recent books seem to revolve around the canine species.

This book was easy to read, and it made me laugh. I would buy more books from the author.

A drunk father who is a total embarrassment, no friends or social life, financially near ruin... yeah our 'heroine' doesn't have much going for her. So why not have unprotected sex with a man you barely know? Yeah, that'll make it all better.

Ok, so I think you can guess I did not enjoy this book. The leading lady barely has face time with her would-be love, they meet up less than 10 times in the whole damn book, they go weeks/months without seeing each other, and they have unprotected sex while he's in a relationship with someone else. I'm sorry, not the stuff of my romance novel dreams. The level of detail is zip, same for level of believe-ability. Many of the issues (a father who sexually harasses women and is a chronic drunk whom she has CHOSEN to go live with despite not really knowing him???) are never properly addressed or resolved. Like- love walks in so they all poof away.

To give some credit- right after coming into town she makes two brand new friends who she instantly shares very big secrets with and totally trusts... I actually really liked both of her dog-loving friends.

If it had been more believable, had developed characters better, shown me the love, and shown any of the 'happily ever after' part I'd have rated higher. The dogs barely have face time in the book nor are they developed as canine characters. Know what? I'm thinking Elaine Fox is just not for me.

Fox spins a tale about love found on both ends of the leash, when veterinarian, Megan Rose, coaxes local billionaire bachelor, Sutter Foley, to rescue, "Baywatch", a part Golden retriever. Two humans learn that the walk toward bliss of the heart is better with a dog to lead you.

Dr.Rose comes to know Foley during steamy meetings at the local dog park. "Guys and Dogs" also takes the reader into the throes of a divorce between a saucy, plain spoken Southern woman who is devoted to her dog. This mad about dogs character, Georgia Darling, entertains the reader with her obsession to control all breeding rights to the estranged couple's Champion Great Dane, "Sage." From puppy napping to test for paternity, to hilarious conversations about surgical augmentation of `neuticles'(www.neuticles.com)to preserve the appearance of intact macho bravado, the antics of the divorcing Darlings as they wrangle over dog custody issues are truly witty and sure to lift every reader's spirits.

Fox's characters never fail to excite and entertain. There is a page blistering love scene--- that occurs on Sutter Foley's dining room table-- that would make any naive puppy blush.

Dog lovers must read the book in order to find out whether the paths of lovers in" Guys & Dogs" are interminably twisted in a tangled leash of relationship struggles, or whether Cupid graces them with ever blissful ardor with their canine pals at their sides. Buy copies of this book for everyone you know who has loved a good dog and enjoys a read that is torrid and non-stop entertainment. To put it bluntly: this book is hot;this book is just plain fun!

Maybe I hated this book because I am a native of Fredericksburg. And a dog lover. And a person who does not place strenuous demands on beach-bag fiction. But I was looking forward to a pleasant escapist romp, and instead found myself annoyed on almost every page. The writing is horrible. The plot, even by the most forgiving standards, tests your patience. (News flash: the CEO of a major corporation does not negotiate basic contracts, much less personally sign them. The lack of awareness or interest in getting right even the most basic facts about business life is a distraction. Why not make him a member of just the idle rich? Why Fredericksburg? Why not Middleburg?)

Ugh.

The whole book thing was clearly a necessary evil to sell a screenplay . . . but the day the camera crews show up on location in my town, I am grabbing my torch and pitchfork and storming City Hall!

Loved the book! It's a light read, but really holds your interest! I love dogs, so made it all the better!