3 stars-- Beauty and the Wiener (A Rescue Dog Romance #2) by Casey Griffin

Beauty and the Wiener was pretty cute. A dog groomer who's found herself accused of dognapping show dogs weeks before a big competition. And the bartender who many think might be her accomplice. A little mystery as they try to find the pups, a little romance as they get closer. A whole lot of cute pups. Pretty cute, indeed.

So these two. I liked the hero--he's down to earth, cheeky and plays things close to the chest. He's more than he seems and was easy to like. The heroine a little less so. She's a bit of a dreamer, can go all emotional and could be a bit judgmental over social status which bothered me. She did love animals, though, and was a hard worker so I could get behind her on that part.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?"

"I'll show you feisty," she said, stomping past him.

One thing I found was that this one couldn't quite decide if it was a cozy mystery or a romance. Sort of straddled that line and suffered a bit because of it.

• The romance side. It was a little rough for me. They were fairly combative and were really good at annoying each other, having misunderstandings, getting feelings hurt. I really saw them more as an investigative team than I felt the romantic chemistry. Things do heat up just slightly but barely and overall felt like the startings of a romance instead of the actual romance.

• The mystery side. Well done. So many suspects, so many funny moments as they investigated and had some eye opening moments about the lives of the dog show competitors and their naughty shenanigans. Some things I figured out, some not so much. It was a good time and definitely a strength.

And the dogs were all adorable. From his mutt to her dachshund to the other show dogs and pups at the rescue she volunteered at. I did enjoy them.

Overall, it was a fun read and I'd probably pick up another from the author.

Addison Turner has scripted a perfect future for herself, complete with a fairytale ending. She will become the name in doggie fashion design and live happily ever after with the husband of her dreams—and her dachshund, Princess, by her side. Just when her plan is on track and she’s gaining recognition at the local dog show, Addison is hit with some Oscar-worthy drama. A group of prize-winning show dogs are stolen from under her nose, and she’s stuck asking for help from Felix Vaughn, an infuriatingly hot bartender who is the exact opposite of Prince Charming.

When more dogs go missing—and Felix becomes a suspect—the two team up to clear their names. Although Felix and Addison fight like cats and dogs, there’s an undeniable spark between them. And as the trail to the missing dogs heats up, so does their red-hot chemistry. Can Addison be persuaded to throw away her script to find an ending that just might be better than she ever expected?

Amazon | Goodreads

*covers link to Amazon

Daily Email | Weekly Email | Bloglovin | Facebook