In STEPDOG, Rory O'Connor is an Irish immigrant working part-time at the Boston Museum. He is a fiddle playing musician/actor. When his luscious boss, Sara Renault, fires him, he reacts by impulsively kissing her. They decide to have dinner together. After a romantic evening, Sara invites Rory back to her apartment and introduces him to her beloved dog, Cody. Rory and Cody accept each other except Rory refuses the allow Cody on the bed. Those rules are soon manipulated. A whirlwind romance begins for Rory and Sara. Rory quickly finds he is second in her affections, after Cody. A future problem, perhaps?

Rory is in danger of losing his visa. He plans to marry his cousin's widow to obtain a green card that would allow him to remain in America and continue to pursue his career. Quickly, Sara talks Rory into marrying her instead to continue their blossoming romance. When Rory receives a call from his friend, an agent in Hollywood, about a lead role in an upcoming TV pilot, he is questioned about his green card status. Rory fibs and says he has one. Sara and Rory travel to Rhode Island and are married. Rory gets the role, and his green card. However, they must move to LA. On the day before their departure, Rory convinces Sara to leave Cody with his new friend, Jay so they can finish packing the car and cleaning the apartment. When they go to pick up Cody, they discover the dog has been kidnapped. They learn, too late, that Jay is Sara's ex from a very troubled relationship. Jay has been watching Rory at the doggie playground with Cody. He made friends with him while waiting for the right moment to steal the dog he gave to Sara but wanted back. Rory is in big trouble. The dognapping is his fault. He will stop at nothing to get Cody back to his devastated wife.

The madcap adventure to find Cody takes us through the heart of America in a wild and humorous cross country chase. Until now, Rory has told everyone, "Cody is not my dog. She is my wife's dog. She is my stepdog." This has changed, and in a literal cliffhanger at the Grand Canyon, Rory realizes that he, too, loves that sweet dog.

The sweet face on the cover of STEPDOG reminds me of my own dog. Cody, an adorable character, steals my heart. A delightful, fun-filled story about human love and doggy love. I recommend it as a pick-me-up, feel-good story that you will enjoy. Nicole Galland is a great storyteller. I look forward to her next read. Kudos, Ms. Galland.

Book Summary

What's the difference between puppy love and dogged devotion?

When Sara Renault fired Rory O'Connor from his part-time job at a Boston art museum, and in response, Rory—Irishman, actor, musician, reformed party-boy— impulsively leaned over and kissed her . . . she kissed him back. Now, as Rory's visa runs out on the cusp of his big Hollywood break, Sara insists that he marry her to get a green card. In a matter of weeks they've gone from being friendly work colleagues to a live-in couple, and it's all grand . . . except for Cody, Sara's beloved dog from her troubled previous relationship. Sara's overattachment to her dog is the only thing she and Rory fight about.

When Rory scores both his green card and the lead role in an upcoming TV pilot, he and Sara (and Cody) prepare to move to Los Angeles. But just before their departure, Cody is kidnapped —and it is entirely Rory's fault. Desperate to get back into Sara's good graces, Rory tracks Cody and the sociopathic dognapper to North Carolina. Can Rory rescue Cody and convince Sara that they belong together—with Cody—as a family? First they'll need to survive a madcap adventure that takes them through the heart of America.