Kat Stevens is a slightly insecure, mostly bored technical writer who likes her cat a lot more than her boss. When she inherits her great aunt Abigail's house in the small town of Alpine Grove, Kat's life gets a lot more complicated because the inheritance comes with some hairy conditions: four dogs and five cats. After coping with out-of-control dogs, cat fights, dust dinosaurs, massive spiders and serious roof problems, things get even more interesting when Kat meets Joel, an unemployed techie type with an enigmatic past.
Get the first four Alpine Grove romantic comedies in one collection at a discount! Four full-length feel-good novels that include a little bit of humor and a whole lot of fur. Each novel stands alone, but Alpine Grove is a small town, so many characters do tend to reappear. After a while, you'll start to feel like you're a member of the community. The Love, Laughter, and Fur collection from Susan C. Daffron is 1200 pages of romantic comedy fun that readers say literally has them laughing out loud. If you like a little light romance, quirky animal stories, and tales of small town life, or you're just someone who is looking for a light read to help escape the daily grind, you won't be disappointed. Books in this collection: CHEZ STINKY Kat Stevens is a slightly insecure, mostly bored tech writer who likes her cat a lot more than her boss. When she inherits her great aunt’s house, she finds it's filled with pets and complications. After coping with out-of-control dogs, cat fights, dust dinosaurs, massive spiders and roof problems, things get more interesting when Kat meets Joel, an unemployed techie type with an enigmatic past. FUZZY LOGIC Librarian Jan Carpenter likes things just so. Nestled in her tidy little cottage on the outskirts of the small hamlet of Alpine Grove, she enjoys her quiet life with her friendly, rotund black lab, Rosa. Jan's orderly life is turned upside down when she attends her mother's latest wedding in San Diego where she encounters Michael Lawson, the obnoxious neighbor kid from twenty years ago. He's still irritating, but not as annoying as his dog who has a habit of eating...everything. THE ART OF WAG With the exception of a few failed forays into higher education, Tracy Sullivan has lived her entire life in the small town of Alpine Grove. When she is fired from her hostess job, Tracy hits a new all-time career low. Now she's officially a repeat underachiever and almost completely broke. Desperate for a change of scene, Tracy splurges on a digital art class in the city where she meets Rob Thompson, a geeky computer networking guy who wants a new career as much as she does. After seeing her illustrations, he offers Tracy a temporary job, but adding "starving artist" to her dubious list of achievements doesn't seem wise. SNOW FURRIES After a life-altering setback destroys Rebecca Mackenzie's career, she starts over as a real estate appraisal trainee in her uncle's office. Map reading has never been her strong suit, and on a trip to Alpine Grove, Becca's navigational skills are pushed to the limit in a town that doesn't believe in road signs. When the supposed-to-be flurries turn out to be a record-setting blizzard, the trip literally goes downhill after Becca's car slides off the road into a ditch. Accompanied by his huge mountain dog, a scruffy stranger wearing a massive coat with dozens of pockets drags Becca to safety.
Hollywood burgler Junior Bender finds himself caught in a revenge plot epic enough for the silver screen. Los Angeles’s most talented burglar, Junior Bender, is in the middle of stealing one of the world’s rarest stamps from a professional killer when his luck suddenly turns sour. It takes an unexpected assist to get him out alive, but his escape sets off a chain reaction of blackmail, strong-arming, and escalating crime. By the time Junior is forced to commit his third burglary of the week—in the impregnable fortress that’s home to the ruthless studio mogul called King Maybe—he’s beginning to wish he’d just let the killer take a crack at him.
Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are ready for action -- again! Whether it's a case of missing cheese or trouble on Outback Island, Judy and Nick go above and beyond to solve a crime -- and sometimes find a lot more than they bargained for. Join them as they sprint into action on four new cases!
Librarian Jan Carpenter likes things just so. Nestled in her tidy little cottage on the outskirts of the small hamlet of Alpine Grove, she enjoys her quiet life with her friendly, rotund black lab, Rosa. Jan's orderly life is turned upside down when she attends her mother's latest wedding in San Diego. (Number six...or maybe seven, but who's counting?) There, Jan encounters Michael Lawson, the obnoxious neighbor kid from twenty years ago. He's still irritating, but not as annoying as his dog who has a habit of eating...everything. The last thing Jan wants to do is risk heartache on a vacation fling with a smooth-talking serial dater, even if he is sinfully gorgeous and finds her unusual ability to remember obscure facts fascinating. Amidst wardrobe destruction, canine digestive indiscretions, and episodes of extreme mortification, Jan's desire to avoid drama may put the brakes on her fiery attraction to Michael. But maybe being cautious and responsible isn't all it's cracked up to be.
After a freak shopping cart accident, Brigid Fitzpatrick takes stock of her life and wonders what happened. Determined to reinvent herself, Brigid sells off everything and rents a cottage in the small town of Alpine Grove. Thanks to her military widow's pension, she can take a much-needed summer vacation. Armed with piles of self-improvement books, Brigid sets out to rebuild her life. When she adopts a sweet little dog named Gypsy, Brigid finds out Gypsy isn't the only homeless dog in Alpine Grove. Compelled to help animals with nowhere to go, Brigid forges a plan when compassionate horse trainer, Clayton Hadley agrees to help. Forced to face deep-seated fears, Brigid finds herself intrigued by Clay's uncanny insights. Plus, how often do you get to meet a real life cowboy?
Tess Mitchell would love to give her regards to Broadway, but so far that plan isn't working out. After bungling countless auditions, Tess returns to her home town of Alpine Grove where her only fans are her cats: John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Although selling advertising may not satisfy her thespian aspirations, it pays the rent--if only she could find a place willing to accept the Fab Four. While careening down a dirt road, Tess almost slams into a massive road grader. The driver is none other than Luke Bennett with his dog Barney riding shotgun. Tess hasn't spoken to Luke since he broke her best friend's heart, but in a small town, you always seem to run into the last person you want to see. Luke has a solution to her housing problem if Tess is willing to put up with a few inconveniences like squirrel-obsessed squatters who have cut holes in the walls. When Tess learns that the beloved Grove Theater is destined for the wrecking ball, she joins the crusade to preserve the historic icon. While working to save the theater, Tess learns more about Luke and the talents he's forsaken. Could saving the theater salvage both of their dreams for the future?
Tori Merrill detests Halloween. All the fake blood, creepy crawlies, and ghastly ghoulies make her squeamish. But as a partner in a new candy business, Halloween is a holiday she can't ignore. When her partners encourage her to attend the local Haunted Barn event and hand out candy samples to trick-or-treaters, against her better judgment, she agrees. But first, she has to convince someone to care for her spoiled, cranky dog, Ginny--preferably someone who has never heard Ginny bark. Scarred by long-ago events, Dale Holbrook has made a point of avoiding anything to do with his family's toy business with two exceptions: he voices the company mascot, Harvey the Penguin, and he helps with the Haunted Barn because it benefits his family's charitable foundation. Decked out in a grotesquely pink Little Bo Peep outfit at the Haunted Barn, Tori crashes headlong into Robin Hood, Zorro, and Holbrook family dramas. Amid grisly gnomes, creepy clowns, chainsaw-wielding zombies, and barfing dragons, Tori confronts her long-held beliefs about Halloween, hoop skirts, truth, and love.
BOOK 4 The worst thing about vacations? They end. Meg Jennings, Riley O'Shea, and their fluffy dog Zelda are enjoying a much-deserved vacation on an idyllic private island until their tropical respite is disrupted by a suspicious fire nearby. An even more suspicious case of food poisoning compels them to flee to the mainland. The retreat where Meg and Riley went undercover is now a refuge for people having difficulty adapting to their abnormal sensory abilities. When manager Shannon Soloman disappears, Meg and Riley succumb to parental pressure and return to the retreat to help find her. There they meet two secretive agents aiding in the search for Shannon. The agents have no sense of humor and even less fashion sense. They also are inexplicably fixated on the necklace Meg is wearing and have a disturbing habit of turning up everywhere. From rain-soaked forests to the sun-drenched deserts of the southwest, following the clues to finding Shannon and clearing her name takes Meg and Riley from roller rinks to rodeos. Ferreting out the truth will require trusting their instincts and special skills, along with more than a little luck. Sensing Others is a full-length novel (280 pages/70,000 words) that is Book 4 of Jennings & O'Shea series. The correct reading order is: 1. Sensing Trouble 2. Sensing Secrets 3. Sensing Truth 4. Sensing Others
Carly Buchanan's "happily ever after" takes a nosedive when, after fifteen years of un-wedded devotion to the man now nicknamed "Captain Prickard," he boots her from their home so his new girlfriend can move in. At least Carly still has her sweet dog, Trixie. In need of moral support, Carly invites her sister and two college friends to join her at a lake house near the small town of Alpine Grove. The tranquil escape turns complex when Carly and her friends discover a stray dog that's just had puppies. After enlisting the help of reluctant next-door neighbor, Brent Michaelson, the women set out to rescue the pups. Brent has retreated to his family's lake cabin to overcome a creative block that threatens to derail his art career. The last thing he needs is his refuge to be overrun by a rambunctious litter of noisy, spotted puppies. But who can resist puppies in need? As secrets are revealed, Carly's summer vacation might not be the self-reflective interlude she expected, but maybe a little furry chaos, intrigue, and romance is exactly what she needs.
