Pardon My Frenchie

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

Thank goodness she had an iron-clad list of reasons why men were off the table, because Mrs. Frances’s grandson had her reconsidering her life choices.

Pardon My Frenchie was a story about two leads that had a million and one things on their plate. Ashanti is the caregiver for her two highschool twin sisters, her parents both died from separate incidents six years ago, trying to expand her doggy daycare business, and get her newly popular homemade dog treats side business going. Ever since her ex jeopardized her having custody of the twins, her father's aunt is constantly a stress as she wants to get custody of the twins, Ashanti has sworn off men. I get it, with her schedule, I don't see how she would really fit anyone in. However, this was marketed as romance, so the readers have to be thrown a bone, enter Thad, the grandson of one of Ashanti's regular customers and the new caretaker of his gram's poodle, Puddin'.

It was the freckles. A smattering of freckles on a woman’s nose and cheeks got him every damn time.

Thad is fresh out of a fifteen year military career and has a business plan with his friend to open up a bar that would cater to active, former, and retired military. He's not a fan of his gram's poodle and really not a fan of how much doggy daycare costs, causing him and Ashanti to oil and water in the beginning, and especially when Thad ends up buying the house Ashanti had planned on buying to expand her business to. However, they get forced together when Puddin' and Ashanti's dog Duchess, go viral for their cute antics on the live daycare feed. Both need the publicity coverage to drum up interest, which will hopefully lead to money, Ashanti's trying to win a business loan venture contest and Thad's trying to get his new business name out there.

“He’s so annoying,” she said, setting the phone on the counter. Ashanti caught herself grinning and immediately stopped.

There's slow burn and then there is me checking to make sure this was tagged as romance. The first fifty-percent of this you will get next to zero romance, it's all introducing and hanging on for the ride that is Ashanti and Thad's busy lives. I happen to gel with this author's writing, it's so smooth, draw you in, naturalness between character interactions, and my kind of readable, that I still flew through this first half, but still, where was the romance? There's some thinking the other is hot and a little back and forth, but you won't get much more than that. At the halfway point, Ashanti and Thad finally spend time together as they travel to New York City for a press junket about their dogs and promote their businesses. There we get a kiss and bedroom scenes but I'm not sure I truly felt the connection between these two to really enjoy them. Their talking to get to know one another was a good amount of Ashanti laying out her troubles/trauma from her parents dying, stress of aunt trying to take twins, and one of the twins not talking to her when something is obviously wrong. There was just so much going on in these characters lives that the romance was like number ten on the going to get to list.

She found him attractive enough when he was being a surly curmudgeon. She would not be able to handle funny and charming. And gorgeous. She couldn’t forget gorgeous.

When they come back from NY, Thad doesn't let Ashanti have all the other issues cutting in front of the romance fun, the house he and his friend/business partner bought has a slew of issues that is threatening to push back the opening date they wanted and a seemingly innocuous issue that was brought up earlier, really comes into play with Thad learning something about his beloved grandfather, causing some emotional turmoil. You'd think this would all be enough, but oh no, Ashanti comes back in and that drama that was brewing with one of her sisters, bewildering blows up at around the ninety percent mark. Why was there so much added, taking away the vast majority of room for the romance to build and develop?

She let herself into the room and closed the door, pressing the back of her head against it like the lead actress in a sappy rom-com.

A last second drama with Ashanti's business has her realizing that she must get things in order and we get a great happily ever after with her business life and then finally a little bit of time with Thad for a good happily for now (the epilogue does expand on this some). If you're someone who wants the romance immediately, you'd probably struggle to hang in there with this one but you do get some payoff in beginning second half, before these two get busy (not the good kind unfortunately) again with their businesses and life issues.