Review: "Love and Leashes" by Julia Jarrett

Love and Leashes by Julia Jarrett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Love and Leashes" by Julia Jarrett is part of the ongoing Dogwood Cove series, but works well as a standalone.

Kelly Erickson and Jensen Porter met and became best friends when she was assigned as his lab partner their junior year of high school. Jensen developed a crush on Kelly immediately, but she had a boyfriend back at her old school. They shared a kiss after her cheating boyfriend dumped her, but she was scared to mess up their friendship, so it didn't go any further at the time. Years later, Kelly has become the manager and head cookie baker at The Nutty Muffin in the small town of Dogwood Cove on Vancouver Island, while Jensen is a recently divorced middle school English teacher. He's planning a move to Vancouver Island with his dog, Oliver, and will be staying with Kelly for the first month or so while he searches for an apartment. Kelly has secretly been in love with Jensen for a long time but thinks that he doesn't reciprocate her feelings. Determined to hide her attraction from her best friend, she signs him up for a dating app, but the only person Jensen wants to date is Kelly. Can he finally convince her to take a chance on him?

This fast-paced, funny, and sweet novella was exactly what I needed to read right now. Jensen and Kelly were so cute together! I loved their witty banter and genuine friendship, which transitioned so naturally into romance. They really were perfect for each other, and I loved cheering them on to their HEA.

I highly recommend this story for all contemporary/small town romance fans and look forward to whatever Julia Jarrett writes next.

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

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