Hot Under the Collar

Roxanne St. Claire

May 2019 · South Street Publishing

About this ebook

INTRODUCING…The Dogmothers – a brand new spinoff series by Roxanne St. Claire

Daniel Kilcannon, a widower with six unmarried kids, has not only orchestrated wonderfully happy endings for all his offspring…he’s found one of his own. That leaves his grown nieces and nephews plus his adult stepkids all in need of their own magical romances. Is The Dogfather too preoccupied with his new lady love to pull the strings and make the matches? Maybe. But never fear, fans, there’s a new team in town and these two might be polar opposites in life but they are lined up in love.  One grandmother has the steel spine of a Greek warrior, the other has the heart of an Irish poet. Together,  along with two darling dachshunds, these Dogmothers won’t stop until all nine of their grandchildren are hooked, hitched, and happy.

HOT UNDER THE COLLAR – Book One

Firefighter Braden Mahoney is devastated when his beloved Weimaraner, Jelly Bean, fails the canine arson investigator test. Faced with the challenge of raising the money for advanced training, it’s Braden’s sweet grandmother and her best friend who suggest he use the services of the new event planner in town. Not that he needs a push in Cassie Santorini’s direction. Ever since she arrived, Braden has had his eye on the sassy Greek goddess…and can’t stop thinking about getting the rest of him on her, too.

Cassie has spent years putting family first, even moving to Bitter Bark when her mother falls  in love with the local veterinarian. Having a huge new extended “family” is fun, especially when one smokeshow of a firefighter attends the gatherings, but Cassie has no plans to remain in this small town. She’s ready to pursue her big city dreams. But when Braden asks for an assist for his precious pup, Cassie agrees to help him set up a town-wide scavenger hunt. It isn’t exactly a hardship to be around those blue eyes and brawny shoulders, especially since they both agree everything – even the undeniable sparks that crackle between them – is temporary.

But when temporary gets complicated by feelings that might lead to forever, Braden and Cassie start to question the direction they're headed. Should they follow their dreams…or their hearts? It’ll take a dog with a bad nose and a sweet soul, two particularly meddlesome grandmas, and some help from the clan that loves them to make sure Cassie and Braden follow the clues and find their way to each other’s arms.

Ratings and reviews

5 Star review Hot Under The Collar (The Dogmothers #1) by Roxanne St Claire Not having read Roxanne St Claire before I had no idea what to expect. What a fun and entertaining read this book was. The story was well written and captivating. The characters were extremely likeable and easy to relate to and overall it left me with a smile on my face when I was finished. I fell hard and fast for Braden Mahoney, a firefighter who is heartbroken when his dog Jelly Bean (I just love the name) fails to pass is the canine arson investigator test. When his grandmother suggests he use the services of the new event planner in town Cassie Santorini to help him raise much needed funds for more advanced training for Jelly Bean, Braden jumps on board. Cassie has no intention of staying in Bitter Bark but as she gets to know Braden, she finds herself torn. The chemistry between them is intense but is this blossoming romance worth her throwing her dreams and plans away? I really loved the secondary characters, particularly the grandmothers, who had me in stitches with their meddling. Will Braden and Cassie take a leap of faith and in turn find the happily ever after that they deserve? One click and find out. I loved everything about Hot Under The Collar and cannot wait to read more in the series. --

Oh my heart is full with all the goodness now with this spin-off of the DogFather series since Daniel Kilcannon found his second chance at love and now Gramma Finnie and YaiYai Santorini have stepped up as the Dogmothers and have decided it is their duty to make sure their offspring find their happily ever afters. First up are Cassie Santorinin and Braden Mahoney. There have been sparks between these two since they first met and they are happy to fan the attraction but they are clear on there can be nothing long lasting since Cassie is not staying in town as the lights of the Big City are calling to her and Braden doesn't think firefighting and love match. It takes all three big families throwing these two together at every turn and add in, of course, a dog "Jelly Bean" along with all the sparks of chemistry for these two to find their way. This story is the perfect start to this spin-off and even if you haven't read The Dogfather series you will not be lost. I recommend this one and it will go to the top of the re-read list. **Received an ARC for review**

Hot Under the Collar is the first book in The Dogmothers series of books from Roxanne St. Claire. As it is a spin off of her amazing Dogfather series, I have to say I couldn't wait to devour this book as soon as it hit my kindle, and I was completely satisfied with everything about this story! Cassie Santorini and Braden Mahoney have been circling each other pretty much from the moment Cassie and her brothers arrived in Bitter Bark once their mom became engaged to Daniel Kilcannon, who is Braden's uncle. I have to say I was surprised that Gramma Finnie and Cassie's Yiayia were the ones to be the matchmakers, as I figured Daniel would continue as the master, yet have to say I loved Gramma and Yiayia becoming not only match makers, but best friends in this book. Cassie and Braden team up to help him raise $10,000 to get his dog Jelly Bean in advance training so he can be a canine arson investigator after he fails the initial testing, and Cassie needs Braden's helps to figure out what is going on with her Yiayia. As Braden has relationship issues after his father's death and Cassie wants to move to the big city, they both go in their pretend relationship never thinking feelings can become real. I loved that Cassie and Braden were actually friends first. I actually laughed out loud at how neither wanted a real relationship, yet both were extremely jealous of anyone else in their lives. Seeing them fall for one another gave me all the happy feels. I honestly was impressed with how long they held off from making love. They had amazing chemistry from the beginning and loved being together. I loved seeing Braden and Cassie explore their feelings about what was really important in their lives as they each realized their feelings for each other. Hot Under the Collar was a great start to the new Dogmothers series from Roxanne St. Claire. Rocki has been an auto-buy author for me since I read the very first book in The Bullet Catchers series. Her stories that surround families remain my favorites. I love with the spin-off series I get to see where all the Kilcannon clan is now as well as get new stories with the Mahoneys and the Santorinis. Ms. St. Claire has totally done it again with her newest series and I can't wait to read each of the books in this newest series. I highly recommend Rocki's books to readers who love contemporary romances filled with family and lots of love and laughter. Rating: 4.5 Stars (A-) Review copy provided by publisher

About the author

Published since 2003, Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty romance and suspense novels.  She has written several popular series, including The Dogfather, Barefoot Bay, the Guardian Angelinos, and the Bullet Catchers.

In addition to being an ten-time nominee and one-time winner of the prestigious RITA™ Award for the best in romance writing, Roxanne has won the National Reader’s Choice Award for best romantic suspense four times, as well as the Maggie, the Daphne du Maurier Award, the HOLT Medallion, Booksellers Best, Book Buyers Best, the Award of Excellence, and many others.

A mother of two but recent empty-nester, Roxanne lives in Florida with her husband.  She loves dogs, books, chocolate, and wine, especially all at the same time.