Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Sawyer Bennett

Sep 2017 · The Sex and Sweet Tea Series Book 3 · Big Dog Books, LLC

About this ebook

Things in Whynot, NC have gone to the dogs, and that’s just the way the town’s only veterinarian, Laken Mancinkus, likes it. No matter if she’s up when the rooster crows, or working until the cows come home, Laken never leaves an animal in need. So when a gorgeous Yankee comes begging for help herding some wily goats, Laken is up to the task.

Jake McDaniel is looking for a tax break, and what better way than to take up…farming? This ex-football player turned businessman turned unwitting goat farmer is up to his knees in goat drama. Runaway goats, dehydrated goats, and a baby goat that wants no one other than him, Jake needs more help than he cares to admit. Good thing the sexy veterinarian is right there to coach him on how to be a farmer. The only problem is, Laken’s not looking for anything more than a good time, while Jake is looking for his forever girl.

Will the baby goat, and Laken, be enough to get Jake to stay? Or will he take his tax break and hoof it back to Chicago? One thing is for certain…what happens on the farm doesn’t always stay on the farm. 

Ratings and reviews

** Received ARC for a fair and honest review** Barking Up the Wrong Tree is book #3 in the Sex and Sweet Tea series-- this is Laken's book. This book can be read as a standalone but for maximum benefit I would read in order so you know who the other characters are. Though the author does let you know the relation of each if you don't read the others. This is a fun series, and I really enjoyed this book. It's a fun, fast read. If you are looking for a book with a lot of hot and steamy scenes, this book is not for you. The sex in these books, to include this book is alluded to only. Though it is alluded to more in this book then the first two. Laken Mancinkus has been hurt in the past, and now she only has room for hook ups. When she meets Jake McDaniels, he turns her nice compartmentalized world upside down. Jake is a city boy comes to WhyNot supposedly looking for a tax write off for his company and knows nothing about farming. So when he goes to visit his place, he finds his foreman has quit and his goats are running amok and he has no idea how to get them back on his property. He heads to Chesty's her pap's bar to locate the vet and things get a little heated between them. Laken does help Jake but only because she isn't going to allow harm to the animals but she is going to make him pay, and the cost isn't going to be monetary. As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed this book, the characters feel fun, and real to me and I enjoyed the chemistry between them. I lived in NC for 7 years and when the author talks about Raleigh and Pinehurst areas I was frequently in it definitely caused me some nostalgia... The only complaint I have is I wish the author gave you a little more story at the ending, an epilogue or something. I know the characters will come up in the upcoming books, but it really left me wanting more and not ready to end the story. But it doesn't detract from the story in any way. Hope this helps! Happy Reading!!!

***4 ‘MG & Herman’ Stars*** This may be my favorite of the series (so far anyways since there are two more Mancinkus siblings to go) I loved Laken and Jake and their journey was all kinds of cute, funny, sweet sexyness and filled with heart. Jake and Laken were a lot of fun to get to know. Laken is all kinds of focused and yet gentle. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and take charge when the situation calls for it. She’s a little snarky, a little sassy but filled with a lot of heart. Jake is the kind of man who sees what he wants and goes for it, but doesn’t intentionally step on others toes to get it. He’s a good man who isn’t afraid to admit when he is in the wrong and wants to ensure that those he calls his own are happy and well take cared of. Though Jake and Laken’s relationship started off extremely rocky, but things even out and I really enjoyed watching as they got to know each other and find that they have more of a connection than they thought. Their interactions were fun and flirty and though this is very much on the sweet side, the sexual chemistry was definitely strong between them. As for the big bump in their road, it’s all laid out from the start, but I really liked how it all played out in the end for both Jake and Laken. This chapter in the series was a fun quick read, especially with the introduction of MG and her antics and Herman’s perspective being added to the mix. As always, I loved hanging out with Pap, as well as the rest of the Mancinkus clan. If you’re looking for a quick, sweet read with a lot of heart then this is the read for you! ~ Copy provided by InkSlingerPR & voluntarily reviewed ~

3.5 stars-- BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE is the third installment in Juliette Poe’s (Sawyer Bennett) contemporary, adult SEX AND SWEET TEA romance series focusing on the Mancinkus siblings. This is veterinarian Laken Mancinkus, and former pro football player Jake McDaniel’s story line. BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Told from four first person points of view (Laken, Jake, Pap and Herman- the dog) BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE follows the building relationship between veterinarian and hometown girl Lake Mancinkus, and businessman and former professional football player Jake McDaniel. Jake McDaniel lives and works in Chicago but a business opportunity and potential tax write-off presented itself in Whynot, NC with the purchase of a local goat farm. But Jake McDaniel knows nothing about farming including the raising of baby goats. Enter Whynot’s veterinarian Laken Mancinkus, the woman with whom Jake will fall in love but a woman determined to never leave Whynot again. What ensues is the building love between two people whose relationship is destined to fail when neither one is willing to compromise about the future. BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE is a sweet story of romance, family, and small town sensibilities for one woman who has been there, done that and came back with her tail tucked between her legs. Laken has been burned by a previous relationship and struggles with the possibility of a happily ever after. Jake McDaniel is a former football star whose time in the pros was cut short by a career ending injury. Investments and the potential to help out his family find our hero investing in a farm he knows nothing about. The relationship between Jake and Laken is one of immediate attraction although neither one is impressed upon their first meeting. Jake is a man willing to give a long distance relationship a try; Laken believes there is no happy ending when neither one is willing to concede or talk about their possible futures. The $ex scenes are all implied and fade to black. Most of the previous story line characters play secondary and supporting characters including Laken’s siblings: Colt, Trixie, Laken’s twin Larken, Lowe and Melinda, as well as their grandfather Pap. Although I am probably in the minority, I have difficulty with the ‘animal point of view’-it’s just me, but the child-like perspective doesn’t belong in an adult story line. BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE is another endearing story of romance; a sweet and simple story about love, family and a happily ever after. The premise is charming; the characters are colorful; the romance is comfortable and sweet. The story line conflict comes in the wake of two stubborn people refusing to look at the bigger picture.