It Started with a Dog, the second installment of Julia London's cheerful Lucky Dog rom-com series, is set in Austin, Tex., during the Christmas season. London cleverly brings together two 30-something dog lovers with personalities and agendas as different as caffeinated versus decaffeinated coffee.
Aeronautical engineer Jonah Rogers leaves his job to help out at the Lucky Star, a charmingly humble--however lagging--coffee shop run by his parents, his aunt and uncle. With his father ill, Jonah--reliable and devoted, sacrificing and loyal--steps in to assist the longstanding family business that offers no frills, old-school coffee and desserts. Matters become complicated when he accidentally swaps his phone with Chicagoan Harper Thompson, in town to launch Deja Brew--a trendy, two-story coffee house accented with gleaming chrome coffee makers that serves upscale coffee and vegan food choices. The driven, only-child overachiever is up for a promotion riding on the success of Deja Brew. However, can she contend with Lucky Star, a local fixture in town, and a Starbucks situated in the very same neighborhood?
Along the way, Jonah and Harper and their swapped phones lead them to romance as they discover they are business rivals. The local King Mutt dog competition ups the ante, pitting the couple--and their dogs, the lovable three-legged Dachshund mascot of Lucky Star versus Harper's mean old bulldog--against each other.
A perfect blend of coffee, dogs and romance permeates London's (You Lucky Dog; Charmer in Chaps) frothy rom-com that will leave readers thirsty for a third helping in this sweet, enjoyable series. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines