Tim McIntosh has avoided Bitter Bark for forty-five years. But when the international business executive returns to his home town to fulfill his father’s dying wish, seeing Colleen again is inevitable. Determined to deliver a decades-old apology, he visits the dog treat store she runs, where a couple of sweet old ladies persuade him to participate in Peppermint Bark, a holiday dog fostering program. They even have the perfect dog for him to foster, an impish Westie named Bucky. There’s just one problem...someone else has already claimed that dog. Someone Tim remembers quite well.
As Colleen and Tim rekindle their friendship and co-foster a dog that seems to only be happy when they’re together, old sparks ignite. But they only have the month of December together before he returns to his life of world travel…and she returns to what suddenly seems like a mundane existence. Their relationship deepens while they set out on an impossible holiday mission to fulfill his father’s deathbed request, uncovering life-changing secrets. It’ll take one clever Westie, two scheming grannies, and a whole lot of Christmas magic for Colleen and Tim to finally get a second chance at a dance that just might last forever.
Release date: November 16, 2021
South Street Publishing
Contemporary Romance
The Dogmothers #7
Review copy provided by publisher
Liza’s review:
Peppermint Bark is the newest release by Roxanne St. Claire in her wonderful Dogmothers series. I’ve come to look forward to the annual Christmas story from Ms. St. Claire, and have to say Peppermint Bark pulled me in from page one, and I didn’t want to put the book down. I actually was so hooked, I literally read it as I was flying to New York City for the weekend.
We’ve seen Colleen Kilcannon Mahoney in both the Dogfather series and the Dogmothers series, but really didn’t know her full history until now. I loved getting her back story so much! Colleen was already widowed when we first met her, so it was lovely to see how she and Joseph Mahoney met all those years ago, and how her life changed in a moment. Colleen had always had dreams of traveling the world and leaving Bitter Bark, but those dreams changed once she was with Joe.
Tim McIntosh is back in Bitter Bark after 45 years to make amends with a few people for his father, who has recently passed away. Tim isn't overly excited to return to Bitter Bark, but is very happy to be able to finally apologize to Colleen for standing her up for prom all those years ago. The Dogmothers are once again up to their old tricks and even get Tim to help foster a sweet Westie named Bucky, who Colleen is already caring for, so they decide to co-foster together.
I loved the journey Tim and Colleen took in Peppermint Bark. They were each able to share all they had experienced over the last 45 years, and grew closer the more time they spent together. I totally fell in love with them more and more with each turn of the page. I also fell in love with Bucky pretty much from the moment he appeared on the page. I swear with each new installment in this series, I fall in love with the dogs every bit as much as I fall in love with the couples.
Peppermint Bark was a beautiful second chance romance with older characters, and I loved it from start to finish. The discoveries both Tim and Colleen made along the way had me both laughing and crying, and I was filled with absolute joy over and over while reading this story. Roxanne St. Claire absolutely gave me the perfect early Christmas present with Peppermint Bark this year.
Rating: 5 Stars (A+)
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