Stepdog audiobook

With a change from her usual genre, Nicole Galland has written the most delightful rollicking comedy of a book that will have you laughing...and, at the end, your heart pounding as her feckless, yet charming, protagonist redeems himself in the wildest of cross country chases ever written.

When Rory gets fired, it should be a bad thing. But instead it turns out to be quite a pleasant ordeal. It is, after all, the reason he gets to kiss Sara, his boss. And it's also the reason they start dating. But when Rory is offered a shot at a series lead, his immigration status presents some problematic issues. In other words: no green card, no job!Rory has a marriage offer already on the table courtesy of his cousin's widow. It would be a paper marriage, but it would definitely hinder his burgeoning relationship with Sara. So Sara offers to marry him instead. And Rory finds that being married to Sara isn't all that bad except for the fact that a relationship with Sara comes with one big, hairy, attention-hogging dog. It's not that Rory doesn't get along with Cody, but living life around the dog grates on the former bachelor. And when Cody is kidnapped, thanks to Rory, it's all he can do to get her back and save his relationship with Sara. Sooo, first off this is a very cute book and, I might add, a successful change of pace for Galland. I should actually point out that it's a change in setting only, though. Rory, Sara, and Cody might all be in the here and now but Galland's wit, charm, and poetic prose are all present regardless of the fact that this isn't an historical novel. Rory even has a penchant for picking Shakespearean roles, as a little nod to Galland's backlist!I felt for Rory. I've never quite experienced the feeling of being second to my husband's dog (yes, I have a stepdog and she did treat me as such for the first few years! We get along perfectly now.) but I've certainly known people who seemed just a bit... hm... Sara like. I've also been accused of loving my cats more than a boyfriend (I didn't, until he said it. Being with a person who's jealous of your pet is not pleasant.) So you can see, I sympathize with Sara, too! There's a bit more to the story but Stepdog is basically about a new couple trying to figure out their relationship under atypical circumstances. And of course every new relationship comes with hurdles, which is why Rory and Sara are so relatable and likable. It probably helps to some degree that this was a bit of a personal story for Galland as she herself did go through SOME of the same things Rory and Sara did. Stepdog is great fun, readers. Seriously, great fun! Galland, as always, is a pro and I think Cody and her humans are going to win over even the most anti dog readers out there!

Well now, I wish I had taken notes to be a more detailed reviewer but I didn't because I flew through Nicole Galland's new release, Stepdog. There are a few things that made it a little gem of a novel and the most impressive is, Nicole Galland writes Rory O' Connor's POV...an Irish male, and for that I give her huge kudos, she got me. I was cheering Rory all the way. I'm from Dublin so I found all the other reviews who didn't love Rory, like I did, irritating. I think he should run for President. Nicole captures Rory perfectly, I was fine with him not loving the dog the minute after he married his Mrs, it all happened very quickly, and let's face it, we don't all love our affectionate rivals. So that's why the cross-country adventure worked so well, an exciting chase, a villain in pursuit and a whole lot to lose, including his newly minted wife, and soon to have job-of-a lifetime, made their bonding of top priority. The first half of the book was funny, clever and all things Boston. The second half was an amazing cross-country trip, well-paced and so well described you felt like you were actually driving the MINI with Rory and Cody. I'm still thinking of the some of the scenery and sound tracks, (LOVED the music choices to each character) The ending was excellent and my only wish is that my favorite new character, Rory O' Connor, didn't do what he did, sooner. But he is a more patient man than I and I understand he had a lot to lose, so I give him a big shout out for keeping the head together.Well done Nicole and team, Rory's playlist and Tikka Masala Recipe were like little gifts at the end. Nice way to stage left.If you have any interest in Irish/american relationships, dogs, and adventure/humor of life, well, this novel is for you.

Five stars on this one in part because it is so out-of-genre for me, and yet I loved it completely. In general I read pretty broadly, but I don't often find myself in pert domestic comedies, with or without green card issues and prior-pet complications. And yet Stepdog. I went to college with Nicole Galland, so there's that; I'm not a disinterested reader, then, and we're still friends. Overall I'm behind in her books, which I enjoy. I was very surprised by this current-age story, which basically catches hold right at the start with a sudden sultry exuberant meet-hot fall-hard mutual seduction, and then hangs on for the rest of the ride. It all unfolds so easily and naturally that I don't really want to talk plot, except to say that the conflict, when it comes, arrives unexpectedly and caught me completely off guard; the adventure it drives is completely nutty and compelling. This was a real pleasure.

Dogs are my life so that had me biased from the beginning. While already knowing there would be some reason to track this dog across country, I did not foresee the reason and it was an interesting trick. It is well-written, a huge plus for me. bBut I really consider it a 3.5 rating for a couple of reasons. First, I suspect a few readers leave early because this book is at least 50 pages too long. I found myself repeatedly looking to see how many pages remained in a quest to just get on with it. Second, I really, really did not like Sara. (Hername is Sara, right, I can't remember. Certainly, though, I remember Rory and Cody!) She is a control freak who is very good to her dog but does she really love her? How much time did she spend dictating to Rory while she could have met him at any number if places alo g the route? Nope, not a person I liked at sll.

Stepdog is a novel that almost reads like a memoir. I picked it off the top of my TBR pile. And once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I could identify with the totally dog-centric Sara, Cody (the dog's) owner, but I could also realize what Rory O'Connor had to contend with.And then there was the breathless part of the book where everything hung in the balance....not giving away any spoilers here, but I absolutely could not put the book down. I had to keep reading. In fact, I read the book in one sitting. Kudos to Nicole Galland for getting out of her historical novel comfort zone and taking the reader on a dog-centric journey, on which we not only learn about dogs, but the people that love - and come to love - them.

Absolutely loved it! A fictional but more than true story about how we treat our dogs -- talking to them, giving them treats, allowing them into our beds and making sure they are well taken care of. And that's the key to the story as a man enters a relationship with this dog's owner and finds that he often takes second place to the dog. He's clever and his love grows for the dog after a crazy cross-country trip to save the dog. Funny but the dog parts might bring a tear to your eye. (It did for me.) I know several people I would recommend this book to...

I found a code at the back of this book to listen to Spotify when I couldn’t be reading the book ! It confirms my respect for this author she’s really good her story was exciting and unique I loved the characters honestly portrayed without a lot of unrealistic perfection I will be looking for more books by her. It’s an adventure. It isn’t often that I make comments out loud to a book , or flip out! …but this was one of those! really well done.

Oh my goodness!! I didn’t like the main male character in the beginning. He wasn’t a dog person and I feel like if Sara had kicked him to the curb she could’ve avoided the mess she and her dog got into. But then we wouldn’t have had a story! I couldn’t put this book down. It got really intense at moments and I just HAD to know what happened!! I highly recommend this book if you’re a dog lover!

This gave me such anxiety because I had an ex who threatened to take my sweet sheltie...but it did allow me to see how my fiance feels with 2 stepdogs.

Funny book about how Americans are crazy about dogs and told by a funny Irishman

This book was equal parts funny and just plain silly. A fun read!

What a super fun book! As a dog lover/ owner, this was right up my alley! So enjoyable. Brought a smile to my face and I actually laughed out loud!!