From the publisher:
The ultimate holiday gift from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs: a delightful novel about a Christmas transport of rescue puppies that’s guaranteed to warm readers’ hearts.
Brenda Malloy wants nothing to do with Christmas ever again. Last year, Brenda and her husband rushed their beloved dog Tim to the emergency vet on Christmas eve. The good news: Tim survived after the vet cleared the obstruction–a pair of women’s lace undies. The bad news: the undies were not Brenda’s.
A year after the breakup, Brenda has put her life back together. She’s trained for a marathon, is writing a children’s novel, and she’s found purpose and healing as a volunteer with a dog rescue organization in Houston, Texas. The rescue partners with a program in Avalon, New York–a small, snowy town deep in the Catskills. Now Brenda is arranging the transport of rescued dogs from Houston to Avalon—just in time for a merry Christmas with their forever families. Brenda’s friends worry about her driving a van two thousand miles with twelve dogs in crates, but she shrugs off their concern. How hard can it be? She knows the way, and she’s just looking to escape the Christmas overload for a while.
But a blinding snowstorm, an escaped mutt, and a life-saving encounter with Adam Bellamy—a single dad and paramedic—means Brenda has to stay in Avalon longer than she planned. As she drops off each precious pup at their new homes, some of the comfort and joy of the season begins to creep up on Brenda despite her determination to avoid the holidays. Perhaps you can bring Christmas into your heart after all…if you have the right furry friends to guide the way.
“When it comes to celebrating Christmas, Brenda Malloy has two words: bah humbug. But when she reluctantly volunteers to help transport a dozen rescue dogs to their new homes, she discovers the true meaning of the holidays. No one knows how to tug at readers’ hearts quite like Wiggs, and her latest canine-centered charmer brims with good cheer.” —Booklist
“Readers looking for a quick and satisfying Christmas novel, with the bonus of uplifting dog rescues, will love every page.” —Library Journal
https://amzn.to/3tHiNI5
This was a sweet treat from one of my favorite authors. Brenda works for a dog rescue operation that prides itself on finding forever homes for their fur babies. Located in Houston, they have partnered with a small town in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. Brenda processes the applications and matches their homeless dogs with families who want them. That’s usually the extent of her involvement, but this year, Brenda gets roped into a road trip from Houston to New York with a dozen dogs ready to be rehomed.
When they narrowly miss hitting some deer on the icy, snowy mountainous road, Brenda is fine but the driver, not so much. And their van is on its side, dogs safe in their crates but scared. When the paramedic, Adam, arrives, he helps Brenda get the dogs out of the topsy-turvy van and ensures the driver is taken care of. Then, he offers to help her deliver the dogs.
As Brenda and Adam spend time together on this doggie project, they realize how much they enjoy each other; their only problem is geography. Adam has a young son and really can’t leave the area, but is Brenda willing to make a move for love?
This is a heartwarming romance full of love, puppies, charity, and Christmas cheer – all the good stuff. I loved it!
10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS by Susan Wiggs. William Morrow (October 17, 2023). ISBN: 978-0063253513. 256p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 
On my holiday book reading list.
Hope you love it!