When I stumbled upon “Like Cats & Dogs,” I was drawn to it because of its endearing portrayal of two animal lovers entangled in a delightful dispute. The allure of small-town romance stories further captivated me. At that time, I wasn’t quite prepared to immerse myself fully in my fiction list of the 24 books to read in 2024.
About Like Cats & Dogs Book
A small-town baker faces off against her longtime nemesis on a reality TV competition in this delightful romantic comedy.
Magda Miller’s feud with rival baker Mackenzie Newton is so old, folks in tiny Pine Hollow, Vermont forgot how it started. But Magda remembers: Ten years ago, she offered Mac her heart—instead, he ran off with her grandmother’s maple cake recipe. Now, Mac traipses all over Magda’s baking territory, just like his oversized tabby keeps sneaking into her house to claim her dog’s favorite bed. So, when Magda gets the call to compete on The Great American Cake-Off, she’s thrilled to finally shine in a Mac-free zone. But when she arrives on set, her devilishly handsome nemesis is already there . . .
It turns out, Mac and Magda’s story has inspired the first ever Arch Rivals edition of Cake-Off, and of course Mac has to raise the stakes with a wager. The winner takes all—the Cake-Off title, the contested recipe, and control of the narrative. Magda is more than ready to kick Mac’s Bundt. But as they spar, on-screen and off, Mac and Magda reveal the best in each other…and the sizzling attraction fueling their rivalry. Only one of them can win, so why does it suddenly feel like they both stand to lose?
Disclosure: I’d like to thank NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My Review of Like Cats & Dogs Book
Once I started reading Like Cats & Dogs, I was eager to read it as much as possible. It was a cute small-town romance that had me chuckling from the first page. When you live in a small town, everyone knows your business, sometimes even before you do.
I liked reading how the Cake-Off TV show pulled them out of their bubbles, helped them reconnect, and revealed what was really between them. I was pulled into the storyline of how a TV show was created too.
I did expect to read about the animals more than we did, but I wasn’t as disappointed as I expected to be once I started reading about Mac and Magda. Their love story was one I could relate to in a small way. It took me 16 years to get my act together and appreciate the love my husband and I have together. So, I know all too well about time lost and missed opportunities.
But I like how the author didn’t dwell on the time lost or how the past damaged their relationship. Instead, she made it have a positive spin. She also made the characters worth getting to know.
I didn’t know about the other stories in the Pine Hollow series, but now I’m curious to read them too. She made this book easy to read as a standalone.
Meet the Author
Lizzie Shane is an award-winning author of light-hearted contemporary romance. Her books have been translated into seven languages, and her sweet rom-com Sweeter Than Chocolate was recently made into a Hallmark Channel Original movie.
Born in Alaska, to a pair of Hawaii transplants, Lizzie grew up with the extremes of the 49th and 50th States. After graduating from Northwestern University (Go Cats!), she began trying to “make it” as a fiction writer while also exploring the world. She has written her way through all fifty states and over fifty countries.
In 2009, Lizzie began writing paranormal romance for a small independent press under the pen name Vivi Andrews. Though she also won Romance Writers of America’s® Golden Heart Award that year for contemporary romance, it would be several more years before she published her first contemporary release, Marrying Mister Perfect, featuring love behind the scenes in reality television.
In 2016 she was honored to be a double finalist for the Romance Writers of America® RITA Award for both Romancing Miss Right and Falling for Mister Wrong. She was honored again when Always a Bridesmaid was named as a 2017 RITA® finalist, and when All He Wants for Christmas was awarded VRW’s 2018 Holt Medallion–but her favorite claim to “fame” is that she lost on Jeopardy!
Lizzie now writes the Pine Hollow small-town rom-com series with Grand Central/Forever Publishing – where every happily-ever-after begins with adopting an adorable rescue dog. She also writes sweet romance for Hallmark Publishing, the publishing arm of the Hallmark Channel.
She is currently based in Alaska and can (occasionally) be found on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Talk to us in the comments:
Have you read any of Lizzie’s books? If so, which one is your favorite?
Other Posts That May Interest You
The Book Review Linky
Bookish Bliss, Musings & More Link-Up Party
Dancing In The Rain Book Review: Devotions For When Life Gets Messy
For She Had Eyes Book Review
Lies to Forever Book Review
Crystal, this sounds like an excellent read. I’m going to have to check this out.
Visiting today from Will Blog For Comments 45 #42&43.
It is a cute romance story for sure. I believe you will like it.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.
Aw, what a fun story! I enjoyed reading your review. I’ll have to put it on my list. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #45 linkup. Hope you’ll share more posts with us at #46 which starts Monday.
It’s a cute book for sure.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.
I really loved your review. I was drwan to your post because of the book title, so it’s a bit sad that we don’t learn much about the animals involved. Nevertheless, this sounds like a cute book to read.
I was too originally because gosh knows I love my dogs. But the book was fun to read and I couldn’t wait to see the ending.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.
This sounds like an adorable story that I’d love!
It is a fun read for sure.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.
What a cute book and thanks for linking up with us!
You’re welcome. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.
I love books centering around baking, and the reality show part does sound fun! I’m intrigued by Mac and Magda’s story, and I want to read the book now!
It’s a very good book. I hope you get the chance to read it.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.
This sounds like a fun read. I’m a huge fan of The Great British Bake Off, which was no doubt the inspiration behind the TV baking show in the book, so that would definitely make an interesting backdrop for a story.
Popping over from Book Worms Monthly.
I believe you may be correct on your theory. I truly enjoyed this book a good bit!
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.