Hello, Doggy!

by Elaine Fox

Keenan James has made a career out of teaching women what men really want. He hosts a weekly roundtable, where he offers advice to the love-lorn, and now he's even been tapped to write a book--though he's never been able to commit to just one girl. Unfortunately, he's recently been saddled with his mom's irrepressible pooch, a golden doodle named Barbra Streisand, and his publisher has saddled him with a co-writer--a shy psychologist named Tory Hoffstra,...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061175692
• ISBN13: 9780061175695
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Hello, Doggy!

Tory Hoffstar arrives at publisher Franklin Fender's office hopeful that he likes her book proposal. Instead, Mr. Fender informs her that he isn't interested in her book; he wants Tory to help Keenan James write his. Keenan helps women with their relationships but he has no credentials and Tory is a psychologist. Franklin thinks with Tory's brains and Keenan's good looks and charm he'll have a bestseller. Keenan is a busy guy and when his brother refuses to take their mother's dog Barbara Streisand off his hands, things get even crazier. Tory is skeptical about Keenan's ethics so she disguises herself and attends Keenan's Just-Dump-Him Round Table meetings to see what he's all about. Tory ends up learning a thing or two about herself and Keenan does too. They can't seem to get along but they can't stay away from each other either. I liked Tory and Keenan and I really wanted them to be together in Hello Doggy, but there is a lack of chemistry between them. There are some sexual sparks and they burn pretty hot, but they never quite click. The women who attend the Just-Dump-Him Round Table are like a group of old friends who welcome Tory with open arms. It's really nice and Barbara Streisand is a funny name for a sweet doggy. While Tory's sister has her nice moments, she makes Tory feel bad often. Hello doggy is a fun story and the ending is great. I just wish there was more of a connection between Tory and Keenan. Nannette reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Romance, doggy style

When called to the office of a publisher, Dr. Tory Hoffstra thinks that this might be the break she was hoping for - to publish her case studies. But instead, she learns that they want her to co-write a book with a charismatic TV writer turned pop-psychologist who she slammed in an article in a highbrow psych magazine. She decides the only way to insure he isn't just a charlatan is to go incognito to one of his round table discussions, so its off to Sak's for a makeover. Keenan James doesn't know what hit him when the new gal in his lunch group takes an antagonistic stance against his theories (think "He's Just Not that Into You"). He assumes she's a plant when she starts citing case studies and doesn't realize they've already met when he moved into his new building and she was accosted by his labradoodle, Barbra Streisand. He also doesn't understand his attraction to the hot head. When he learns of her deception and the two start to work in the book, their pent up attraction explodes. Can they be co-authors with benefits? Elaine Fox is known for her romantic comedies featuring quirky four-legged characters who manage to steal the show. Secondary characters include Keenan's brother Brady, who was had his own canine to contend with in the hysterical "Beware of Doug" and Alicia, a lesbian who attends the roundtables but has a secret of her own. It's a cute and funny romantic comedy that will have readers giggling at everyone's antics, despite the trite use of a makeover to "hide" her identity. And a small nitpick - the cover features the wrong dog breed - it's a poodle instead of a 60 pound labradoodle.

strong contemporary romance

Adviser to women on what men want from them, Keenan James is extremely popular; his weekly roundtable discussion show is a hit. However, he is unhappy that he must work with a co-author, some reticent idiotic shrink on his next book. Almost as bad is that his mom dumped her mutt pampered Barbra Streisand on him. Dr. Tory Hoffstra is despondent that her publisher demands she work with Keenan James if she wants her book printed. She thinks the handsome host is a fake who takes advantage of insecure females. To determine whether she wants to work with him or forget publication, Tory gets a seat at his table. They are instantly attracted to one another, but she realizes she is the fraud while he cannot believe he has fallen in love and worse asks Barbra for advice. Although the author is a Fox, no one does canine matchmaking romances as affectionately and amusingly as Elaine Fox does (see BEWARE OF DOUG). HELLO, DOGGY is a lighthearted romp starring a strong lead couple, and solid support cast, and Barbra. As the lead couple's relationship changes, there interest in helping lonely females continues unabated; this serious undertone makes this overall jocular frolic into a strong contemporary romance. Harriet Klausner