Cold Nose, Warm Heart by Mara Wells – a Review

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository / Google Play / Apple

Description:
A poodle, a black lab and a Chihuahua walk into a dog park…

All Caleb Donovan has to do to redeem his family name is take a rundown Miami Beach apartment building and turn it into luxury condos. Easy, right?

Unfortunately, that would also turn the local dog park into a parking lot and the neighbors aren’t having it. Caleb is faced with outright revolt, led by smart, beautiful building manager Riley Carson and her poodle, LouLou.

For Caleb, this project should have been a slam dunk. But even more challenging than the neighborhood resistance is the mutual attraction between him and Riley. It would be so much easier just to stay enemies.

Can Riley and her canine sidekick convince Caleb that what’s best for business isn’t always best for the heart?

Review:

Cold Nose, Warm Heart by Mara Wells is the 1^st book in her new Fur Haven Dog Park series.  This is the first time I have read this author, and I really enjoyed this light sweet romance story line and the wonderful addition of dogs.

Riley Carson, our heroine, is the building manager for the run-down apartment building, The Dorothy, which her grandmother lives in and owns.  Riley is constantly called to help fix things within the apartments, which is made up of mostly senior citizens, but due to barely making ends meet, they have no money to fix up the place. 

Caleb Donovan, our hero, has been given a mission by his grandfather to devise a plan to tear down The Dorothy and replace it with luxury condos, and a huge parking area, which is currently a dog park for the local residents.  He meets Riley, and to his surprise, the beautiful young girl is the manager, and she has no idea that his grandfather owns the building, not her grandmother.  Both Caleb and Riley get off on the wrong foot, especially since it was Caleb’s family that cost Riley her job as a hotel assistant.  Though they are on opposite sides, in a short time a friendship and romance will develop between them.  Riley and her friends work to fight the Donovan’s from taking over the building, and leaving everyone with no homes.  Caleb feels bad, and knows his father and grandfather are doing an injustice to these long-term residents.

While all this is going on, Riley, who has a cute dog, Lou Lou, whom she takes to the dog park next door a few times a day, and we get to meet some of her friends, who also have dogs.  Caleb will get to know some of them, and he will help plan to redesign and create a nice dog park for them; but he still needs to get his grandfather to change his mind about tearing down The Dorothy.

What follows is a cute, fun enjoyable adventure, as we watch Caleb and Riley’s romance heat up, even as they both are on different sides. As Caleb meets most of residents, and all Riley’s friends, he is determined to come up with a viable solution for all.  There are some comical moments, especially with the dogs, as well as when Riley’s grandmother joins in the fight, and comes face to face with her ex (Caleb’s grandfather).  I loved Riley, as she was a wonderful heroine, who was always there for everyone; I liked Caleb, and rooted hard for them to get together. Wells also has created a wonderful group of secondary characters.

Cold Nose, Warm Heart was a heartwarming story about family, division, senior citizens, dogs, dog parks, and doing the right thing.   Mara Wells did an excellent job in writing this story.  I suggest you read Cold Nose, Warm Heart.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher