Genre Fiction
![Julia London - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B001IODD9M.jpg)
It Started with a Dog (Lucky Dog)
Thanks to an accidental phone swap, two adorable rescue pups, and a coffeehouse clash, a holiday flirtation goes to the dogs and hilarity ensues, from New York Times bestselling author Julia London.
All Harper Thompson wants for Christmas is the huge promotion she's worked so hard for-which she should get, as long as her launch of the hip new coffeehouse, Deja Brew, goes according to plan. Jonah Rogers is trying to save his family's coffee shop, Lucky Star, from going out of business, which will be tough with the brand-new Deja Brew opening across the street.
When Jonah and Harper meet for the first time after accidentally swapping phones, their chemistry is as electric as a strand of Christmas lights. He's a tall, handsome, compassionate hunk of engineer, and she's an entrepreneur whose zest for life is very sexy. They love all the same things, like scary movies, greasy food-and most of all, dogs. It's a match made in heaven...until Jonah finds out that Harper's the one about to put him out of business.
Only one coffee shop likely can survive, and a competition of one-upmanship ensues in a battle of the brews. The paws really come out when the local rescue shelter has a fundraiser where local businesses foster dogs, and patrons vote with their dollars for their favorite pup. Harper takes in an adorable old bulldog on behalf of Deja Brew, while Jonah fosters a perky three-legged dachshund for Lucky Star. As the excitement builds for who will be crowned King Mutt and king of the coffee hill, Harper and Jonah must decide if their connection was all steam or if they are the perfect blend.
All Harper Thompson wants for Christmas is the huge promotion she's worked so hard for-which she should get, as long as her launch of the hip new coffeehouse, Deja Brew, goes according to plan. Jonah Rogers is trying to save his family's coffee shop, Lucky Star, from going out of business, which will be tough with the brand-new Deja Brew opening across the street.
When Jonah and Harper meet for the first time after accidentally swapping phones, their chemistry is as electric as a strand of Christmas lights. He's a tall, handsome, compassionate hunk of engineer, and she's an entrepreneur whose zest for life is very sexy. They love all the same things, like scary movies, greasy food-and most of all, dogs. It's a match made in heaven...until Jonah finds out that Harper's the one about to put him out of business.
Only one coffee shop likely can survive, and a competition of one-upmanship ensues in a battle of the brews. The paws really come out when the local rescue shelter has a fundraiser where local businesses foster dogs, and patrons vote with their dollars for their favorite pup. Harper takes in an adorable old bulldog on behalf of Deja Brew, while Jonah fosters a perky three-legged dachshund for Lucky Star. As the excitement builds for who will be crowned King Mutt and king of the coffee hill, Harper and Jonah must decide if their connection was all steam or if they are the perfect blend.
Editorial Reviews
"Adorable....Sparkling chemistry, fancy frappés, and a host of quirky characters keep the rivalry light and lively....The couple's palpable attraction and adorable pets accentuate the charm of this lovable riff on You've Got Mail."
-Publishers Weekly
"A perfect blend of coffee, dogs and romance permeates London's frothy rom-com that will leave readers thirsty for a third helping in this sweet, enjoyable series."
-Shelf Awareness
Praise for You Lucky Dog
"Full of laugh out loud charm."
-Woman's World
"Julia London's hilarious and sweet romance You Lucky Dog begins with an accidental dog-swapping which quickly leads to puppy love between two very different dog owners. Trust us, even if you're a cat person, you won't be able to resist this story's charms."
-PopSugar
"I laughed, I teared up, and I rooted for these characters every misstep of the way… a perfect choice this summer."
-Fresh Fiction
"Comedic and fast paced. It is filled with an offbeat cast, zany coincidences and romantic moments and mishaps that will leave readers giggling in amusement."
-Shelf Awareness
"A canine mix-up leads to unexpected love in this bright, bubbly rom-com….There's heady chemistry between the optimistic Carly and the slightly nerdy Max as they stumble into co-parenting the pooches, with the fabulous, four-legged supporting characters providing both laugh-out-loud hilarity and some touching moments. Readers will be in doggie heaven."
-Publishers Weekly
"Once again, London proves she is a master of deliciously snarky dialogue and delectable sexual chemistry, both of which are expertly infused in a delightful love story that not only joyfully celebrates the special bond between humans and dogs but also doesn't shy away from exploring some of life's more serious challenges..."
-Booklist (starred review)
"[An] affecting and ebullient romantic comedy… London's loose and limber comedic writing amplifies Max and Carly's appeal, filling each voice with a unique perspective and personality."
-BookPage
Praise for the novels of Julia London
"A passionate, arresting story that you wish would never end."
-Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author
"Julia London writes vibrant, emotional stories and sexy, richly-drawn characters."
-Madeline Hunter, New York Times bestselling author
"London's characters come alive on every page and will steal your heart."
-Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A novelist at the top of her game."
-Booklist
"London's wri...
-Publishers Weekly
"A perfect blend of coffee, dogs and romance permeates London's frothy rom-com that will leave readers thirsty for a third helping in this sweet, enjoyable series."
-Shelf Awareness
Praise for You Lucky Dog
"Full of laugh out loud charm."
-Woman's World
"Julia London's hilarious and sweet romance You Lucky Dog begins with an accidental dog-swapping which quickly leads to puppy love between two very different dog owners. Trust us, even if you're a cat person, you won't be able to resist this story's charms."
-PopSugar
"I laughed, I teared up, and I rooted for these characters every misstep of the way… a perfect choice this summer."
-Fresh Fiction
"Comedic and fast paced. It is filled with an offbeat cast, zany coincidences and romantic moments and mishaps that will leave readers giggling in amusement."
-Shelf Awareness
"A canine mix-up leads to unexpected love in this bright, bubbly rom-com….There's heady chemistry between the optimistic Carly and the slightly nerdy Max as they stumble into co-parenting the pooches, with the fabulous, four-legged supporting characters providing both laugh-out-loud hilarity and some touching moments. Readers will be in doggie heaven."
-Publishers Weekly
"Once again, London proves she is a master of deliciously snarky dialogue and delectable sexual chemistry, both of which are expertly infused in a delightful love story that not only joyfully celebrates the special bond between humans and dogs but also doesn't shy away from exploring some of life's more serious challenges..."
-Booklist (starred review)
"[An] affecting and ebullient romantic comedy… London's loose and limber comedic writing amplifies Max and Carly's appeal, filling each voice with a unique perspective and personality."
-BookPage
Praise for the novels of Julia London
"A passionate, arresting story that you wish would never end."
-Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author
"Julia London writes vibrant, emotional stories and sexy, richly-drawn characters."
-Madeline Hunter, New York Times bestselling author
"London's characters come alive on every page and will steal your heart."
-Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A novelist at the top of her game."
-Booklist
"London's wri...
Readers Top Reviews
Barb
It Started with a Dog by Julia London is the 2nd book in her fun and charming Lucky Dog series. We meet our heroine, Harper Thompson, and our hero, Jonah Rogers as they shared a cab together, with each traveling during the holidays. Jonah notices when he is on a plane for business close to Christmas that he has a different phone. He then realizes that when in the cab, things fell, and the other women (Harper) picked up the wrong phone. They begin to text each other, but Jonah will not be back until after the holidays, and they each have to deal with using the others phone. This leads to them sending hilarious texts received from others, and it was a laugh a minute watching them begin to bond. Both are determined to meet each other after the holiday, but most important, Harper loved the dog on Jonah’s phone screensaver. Harper is in Austin, TX, launching a new coffeehouse, Deja Brew, and determined to make it the best one yet, as she is hoping for a promotion, but her boss and his new assistant make things difficult for her, which causes her to worry about the promotion. Jonas is an engineer, who has taken a leave of absence to help his sick father run the Lucky Star coffee shop. When Harper and Jonas finally meet, neither knows that the new Deja Brew (which Harper is handling) is competition for the old fashion Lucky Star, which could put Jonas’s family out of business. In a short time, their relationship heats up, as they have amazing chemistry together, not to mention that Harper loves Jonas’s big dog, Truck, who is wild and adorable. Even when they learn about their competitive coffee shops, both Harper and Jonas continue their relationship, as they are falling hard for each other. Harper gives Jonas tips about fixing up the old coffee house with some of her contacts, she also gets to meet his family, who are a fun group, and she has a homey feeling when around them. But she is still determined to make Deja Brew a great place, with high class and amazing features. The competition between coffee houses will include a dog contest ‘King Mutt’. What follows is a heartwarming fun romantic romp, with a great couple, wonderful characters, and I absolutely loved the dogs. London has a way to bring wonderful romances and add fantastic dogs. I loved Jonah and Harper, as they were very steamy together. Jonah’s family and Harper’s friend Olive were lots of fun. Most of all I loved the dogs, who were adorable; Truck (Jonas dog), Bob, a grumpy bulldog (that Harper will adopt), and three legged Lulu (part of Lucky star). It Started with a Dog was so very well written by Julia London. This was a fun cute story, with a fantastic group of characters and adorable dogs. What happens in the competition? You need to read the book to find out. I really enjoyed reading It Started With a Dog, and suggest you read this...
Bobbie
Another fabulous read by Julia London. I did not think she could top the first book in this series, but oh my gosh, Harper and Jonah. What a romance they had. And don’t get me started on the dogs…..I loved them all. Fun, funny and warm hearted!
Reese
After reading the first book in this series I was really excited about this book. I liked the first book, but I liked this one more. I really liked the meet cute, I loved the dogs, I enjoyed both MC and I liked seeing Carly from the first book. The first book was a little unrealistic once we got to the end, but I felt like this one was a little more grounded in reality. Just like the first book this is very instalovey (possible more so than the first book), which isn't usually my thing, but I enjoyed it. This book was full of funny moments, a fun cast of secondary characters, cute banter, a little steam and was just a cute story. I'm not sure if there will be another story set in this series, but if so I will definitely read it.
Short Excerpt Teaser
One
Ten months later
This shared ride had the distinct vibe of a horror movie, and Harper should know, because she had seen practically every horror movie ever made. Girl enters dark interior of nondescript van. Girl is smashed up against a guy with an uncompromising manspread, only slightly preferable to the other guy with the guitar case wedged between his legs. Girl is barked at by dog in pet carrier in front seat, held by a woman with a shower cap on her head. Girl is confused by driver, who is chatting like rain isn't coming down in torrents, like he can see just fine out the front windshield when they all know he can't, like it's a good idea to keep looking in the rearview mirror to gauge the effect of his speech on the passengers in back when road conditions are treacherous. Eyes on the road!
The only thing missing from this scene was the alien creature that should be splatting on the windshield any minute now.
This was a Rain Event to be sure, coming very inconveniently on the eve of Christmas Eve, which, Harper's driver informed them, was the busiest travel day of the year. She wished she'd known that before she'd purchased her ticket home for the holidays. She'd meant to leave a day or two earlier, but as usual, her boss, Soren Wilder (yes, his real name), threw some stuff at her last minute. And as usual, she didn't say no. Harper Thompson didn't turn away from a challenge, no matter how small or inconsiderate.
Plus, she'd wanted to pay a visit to Bob. Bob was old and crotchety and didn't have many friends, and she couldn't bear to think of him alone for the holidays. So she'd gone round to see him one last time, like she did every Saturday, and he'd sighed and looked away, and then she'd snagged what was possibly the last ticket out of town. On the Megabus, no less, a monstrosity of steel and rubber and cushy seats and decent Wi-Fi that would whisk her the three and some-odd hours to Houston.
Predictably, because it was raining, it stood to follow that she'd had to wait on a street corner for the Lyft van to inch toward her in the crazy traffic. Her cheap umbrella had turned inside out on the first strong gust of wind. When the van pulled up, she'd stepped off the curb and into a river of gutter water that filled her bootie. She'd had to stuff her suitcase into the back hatch with the other bags. And now she was squeezed between the van door and a large man, and rain was still trickling down her back and she was pretty sure she was not going to make her bus.
At least her seatmate smelled good. Spicy and a hint of evergreen. But his knee kept bumping her.
"First stop, Megabus!" Amal, the driver, announced cheerfully over the blast of his music.
The dog growled.
"Megabus?" the man next to Harper repeated under his breath in a tone that suggested he couldn't quite grasp the concept of a giant double-decker bus. What, was he taking a private jet or something? It happened to be a very quick way to get to Houston, thank you.
"Hush, Beanie," the woman in the shower cap said. Presumably to the dog. She reached into her pocket, then shoved something through the wires of the carrier. "Excuse me, can you turn that down?"
"We're going to be late, man!" the guy with the guitar shouted over the music. "Seriously, can you turn it down?"
"Your wish is my command," Amal said, and turned down the music. "I don't have a five-star rating by accident. I'm very good at my job," he said, jabbing a finger upward. "Everyone will get to their destinations on time, trust me." And then he turned left when he should have turned right. "You will not find another driver with ratings as high as mine. Five stars, every time. Trust."
No one said a word as they sat at a light, watching cars move at a snail's pace through the intersection.
Harper was increasingly aware of the press of her body against the long-limbed, hard-bodied man, mainly because he kept shifting, like he couldn't quite fit between her and Guitar Guy. His knee bumped against her leg again.
God, her feet were prunes. If she did make her bus, which she would bet one hundred bucks she would not, it would be a miserable ride to Houston.
"You sure you want to go this way?" Guitar Guy asked. "The Megabus station is over by the capitol, isn't it? If you go up Lamar, you can flip around to Gaudalupe."
"The app is telling me to go this way," Amal insisted, and pointed at the screen of his phone, perched like a lighthouse beacon squarely in the middle of the dash.
Harper managed to dislodge her arm from underneath the giant next to her and look at her...
Ten months later
This shared ride had the distinct vibe of a horror movie, and Harper should know, because she had seen practically every horror movie ever made. Girl enters dark interior of nondescript van. Girl is smashed up against a guy with an uncompromising manspread, only slightly preferable to the other guy with the guitar case wedged between his legs. Girl is barked at by dog in pet carrier in front seat, held by a woman with a shower cap on her head. Girl is confused by driver, who is chatting like rain isn't coming down in torrents, like he can see just fine out the front windshield when they all know he can't, like it's a good idea to keep looking in the rearview mirror to gauge the effect of his speech on the passengers in back when road conditions are treacherous. Eyes on the road!
The only thing missing from this scene was the alien creature that should be splatting on the windshield any minute now.
This was a Rain Event to be sure, coming very inconveniently on the eve of Christmas Eve, which, Harper's driver informed them, was the busiest travel day of the year. She wished she'd known that before she'd purchased her ticket home for the holidays. She'd meant to leave a day or two earlier, but as usual, her boss, Soren Wilder (yes, his real name), threw some stuff at her last minute. And as usual, she didn't say no. Harper Thompson didn't turn away from a challenge, no matter how small or inconsiderate.
Plus, she'd wanted to pay a visit to Bob. Bob was old and crotchety and didn't have many friends, and she couldn't bear to think of him alone for the holidays. So she'd gone round to see him one last time, like she did every Saturday, and he'd sighed and looked away, and then she'd snagged what was possibly the last ticket out of town. On the Megabus, no less, a monstrosity of steel and rubber and cushy seats and decent Wi-Fi that would whisk her the three and some-odd hours to Houston.
Predictably, because it was raining, it stood to follow that she'd had to wait on a street corner for the Lyft van to inch toward her in the crazy traffic. Her cheap umbrella had turned inside out on the first strong gust of wind. When the van pulled up, she'd stepped off the curb and into a river of gutter water that filled her bootie. She'd had to stuff her suitcase into the back hatch with the other bags. And now she was squeezed between the van door and a large man, and rain was still trickling down her back and she was pretty sure she was not going to make her bus.
At least her seatmate smelled good. Spicy and a hint of evergreen. But his knee kept bumping her.
"First stop, Megabus!" Amal, the driver, announced cheerfully over the blast of his music.
The dog growled.
"Megabus?" the man next to Harper repeated under his breath in a tone that suggested he couldn't quite grasp the concept of a giant double-decker bus. What, was he taking a private jet or something? It happened to be a very quick way to get to Houston, thank you.
"Hush, Beanie," the woman in the shower cap said. Presumably to the dog. She reached into her pocket, then shoved something through the wires of the carrier. "Excuse me, can you turn that down?"
"We're going to be late, man!" the guy with the guitar shouted over the music. "Seriously, can you turn it down?"
"Your wish is my command," Amal said, and turned down the music. "I don't have a five-star rating by accident. I'm very good at my job," he said, jabbing a finger upward. "Everyone will get to their destinations on time, trust me." And then he turned left when he should have turned right. "You will not find another driver with ratings as high as mine. Five stars, every time. Trust."
No one said a word as they sat at a light, watching cars move at a snail's pace through the intersection.
Harper was increasingly aware of the press of her body against the long-limbed, hard-bodied man, mainly because he kept shifting, like he couldn't quite fit between her and Guitar Guy. His knee bumped against her leg again.
God, her feet were prunes. If she did make her bus, which she would bet one hundred bucks she would not, it would be a miserable ride to Houston.
"You sure you want to go this way?" Guitar Guy asked. "The Megabus station is over by the capitol, isn't it? If you go up Lamar, you can flip around to Gaudalupe."
"The app is telling me to go this way," Amal insisted, and pointed at the screen of his phone, perched like a lighthouse beacon squarely in the middle of the dash.
Harper managed to dislodge her arm from underneath the giant next to her and look at her...
