Sit. Stay. Love. by Karis Walsh was my first book from this author, and I do not regret picking this up. Not only is the cover adorable, but the story is just as fluffy and sweet! It’s the perfect book to read by the pool or on the beach.

City lover Alana has no choice but to move to small country town Yakima in Washington after getting fired from her previous job for a “mistake” she wasn’t entirely responsible for. The hotel industry being what it is, Alana’s reputation is shot, and nobody wants to hire her. Determined to do what it takes to rebuild her name, she fudges her resume just enough to get hired as the activity coordinator at a soon-to-be-opened ranch. Upon arriving in Yakima though, Alana realizes just how out of her depth she is when she learns she will not only have to plan activities but also lead them. She hates the outdoors and knows nothing about horses or fishing, but she’s willing to learn if it means she can go back to her regular life. But is her old life really worth it if it means leaving behind Tegan, the beautiful veterinarian and the litter of puppies?

I loved this book. It reads like a rom-com and if this was ever turned into a movie, it would be hilarious. I mean, the book was funny enough, but the visual of Alana trying to get on her horse without the helping block and then trying to open the gate… LOL!

The romance between Alana and Tegan develops pretty quickly, but not unnaturally. It’s sweet with very little angst. Even though the ending is predictable, I didn’t find the story to be cheesy or overly cliché-ed. I really appreciated the maturity and honesty between the two MCs. From the start, Tegan was aware that Alana had every intention of leaving Yakima as soon as an opportunity presented itself. There was no bitterness or resentment toward each other at any point in the story, and that was honestly really refreshing for a story with this trope.

The writing is good. The prose and dialogue are fluent, and Walsh descriptions of the ranch and the trails are detailed enough for the reader to be immersed in the story, but not to the point where it’s endless and distracting from the characters and what they’re doing.

I particularly liked Fitz, the horse, just because I have a cat named Fitz and I’m biased to the name. It made me smile every time he was mentioned 💕

If you’re in the mood for a sweet romance with a bit of humour and a handful of puppies, I definitely recommend you give this one a chance! It was everything I needed when I picked it up.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books for providing me with a free copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alana Brendt's career prospects have stalled due to a self serving boss protecting her own career to the detriment of Alana's career. Alana decides to take a sidestep and may have slightly exaggerated her skill set on her resume and finds herself in an adventure resort in remote Yakima. Her expected role as event coordinator, in reality, seems to be trail leader, leading horse rides and white water rafting of which she has no experience. Local vet, gorgeous Tegan Evans, is checking up on the horses at Yakima and quickly realises Alana has no experience with horses and decides to call her out but when Alana turns up at Tegan's clinic with a box full of abandoned puppies Alana has found under her house, Tegan sees a determination in Alana and decides to help her out and an unlikely relationship soon develops.
I've read many of Karis Walsh's books and she just knows how to write lesbian fiction so well. There's plenty of angst and loads of chemistry between Alana and Tegan. The dialogue is witty, the characters of Alana and Tegan are strong and independent....what's not to like? Just another great read by Walsh.

After being fired from her job in Philidelphia, Alana moves to Yakima, Washington to take the only job she can find as an activity planning at a soon to open new hotel/ranch. She soon realizes that she has bitten off more than she can chew when she realizes she must lead Horse trail rides which she has never done before. She wants to tell her new boss that she padded her resume but after she realizes he needs her she keeps her mouth shut. In come Tegan. She is the local veterinarian and she quickly realizes that Alana has no experience with horses. She knows she has to tell the owner of the ranch who is her friend but first wants to talk to Alana about it. To make matters worse, Alana discovers a mother and it's litter of puppies under her porch. And so goes the story of Tegan helping Alana with the pups and giving her riding lessons.

This romance is one of the better ones I have read in the last few months. The chemistry between Alana and Tegan is obvious and they get to know each other with the help of the riding lessons and the new pups Alana is caring for. There is even a host of supporting cast who add to the story. The author does a great job bring in all the pieces to the puzzle and not making the story overly complicated. IMHO, the angst in the story is perfect - just a tad bit. Also, I liked that both MCs were likable. There is also just enough steaminess in this one to keep me interested.

I give this one 4 stars.

Oh, I loved it! Just loved it! This book is such romance gem! It should be saved and re-read whenever you feel down, just so it can up your mood! I loved the banter between Tegan and Alana, and their whole relationship. There's a certain warmth surround every single character in this book, and it makes you feel so good while reading it! Definitely goes into highly recommended category!

Moving to Yakima, Washington for work may not be a dream come true for Alana Brandt, but it may turn out to be the adventure of a lifetime.

This book had me laughing out loud. A wonderful romantic comedy full of horses, dogs, puppy breath and life’s twists and turns. A definite weekend read for any animal lover.

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

I could imagine myself lying in one of the hammocks on the wraparound porch, but I wasn’t convinced that anyone could learn to ride a horse and then become competent to lead trail rides that quickly. Suspending my disbelief about that aspect of the story (which is sort of addressed) the rest of the book is rather charming. A bad reference can ruin your chances, but if you can find a new person or two to trust you, or even better one of them to fall in love with you, then you can turn your life around. That’s a broad summary of the plot. Add in horses, dogs, the great outdoors and a sexy vet and you have the makings of a decent romance. I want the puppy on the front cover!

I absolutely adored this book! It's a perfect light summer read. It's a city girl/country girl, fish out of water story that's executed in a completely new way. The pacing was perfect and I couldn't wait to get back to the story whenever I had to break away for real life. Tegan and Alana were both such interesting, well rounded characters and I also really enjoyed Chip, Jennifer, and Dez. The cover is so simple but also unusual that it really drew me in. I thought last year's Set the Stage was my favorite Karis Walsh book but this one has become my new favorite.

This story isn't really original or extraordinary, but the followers of this author will not be disappointed.

With a calmed and smooth rhythm, the book describes the arrival of Alana to her new job in a rural area of the state of Washington. Alana, who is used to living in big cities, is forced to accept this job in a small town because of an issue in her previous job. She's convincet that this will be temporary, only a step back to take two steps forward. But then she meets her new boss Chip, an enterpreneur who wants to open a rural hotel without much knowledge in the matter. Alana can't help herself taking charge of the mess he's doing, for selfish purposes of course. And then appear Lace and the puppies. And finally Tegan comes. Tegan, the veterinarian with bad experience in relationships, who does not want to be delusional this time.

This group, along with Tegan’s grandparents, Rosie and Dez, are the main protagonists of the story. In my opinion, the story is too well resolved, given the little real time that elapses between the arrival of Alana and the end of the story everything happens too fast and without excessive dramas, although there are some complications, of course.

It isn’t a very complex story and it has been quite entertaining and quick to read. It is a sweet story recommended for those who like soft romances.

3 stars. I enjoyed this book but it had some negatives. This book was about Alana, a city girl who gets fired from her event coordinator job in Philly. She takes a job in Yakima, Washington. She lies on her resume to get this job, including lying about how she can ride horses and that she can fish. She learns her new job at Chip's farmhouse she has to learn trail rides and white water rafting adventures. She is desperate to keep this job and takes lessons in horse riding from the local vet, Tegan Evans. Tegan takes care of the horses at the farmhouse and helps Alana when she finds a litter of puppies under the house she is staying in. Alana and Tegan get close quick but Tegan does not want to get her heart broken.

This book was okay, but they knew each other a month and their relationship evolved so quickly. They start to think about dating and boom, it happened. I liked the characters in this book and even the drama made sense so it was a decent novel. I just didn't like how quickly everything evolved. Tegan and Alana have great chemistry that evolves throughout the novel. The only thing I did not like is that some of the book seemed the be not that descriptive. I felt like there sometimes needed to be more added to the novel. It was a very quick read. I would maybe recommend this novel. It was not my favorite book, but it was not the worst.

I'm Intrigued!
Ok, I was intrigued as to how Alana would pull off leading trails being that she had no idea on how to ride horses (minor detail!). In this story, Alana, who has spent her entire life in the city accepts a job as an even planner in a remote and rural town in Washington. Upon arrival, she quickly discovers that the job requires more than "event planning" behind the desk but entails leading trail rides (on horses) and white-water rafting trips - things she has no idea how to do! Enter Tegan, a local vet, who discovers that Alana does not have the qualifications she claimed to have when accepting the job, but is willing to work with her to teach her how to ride horses. As they spend more time together, their attraction to each other grows but they are faced with a few challenges the biggest being whether Alana will stay in Yakima once her contract is over.

Karis Walsh does a great job of helping the reader get insight into how great small-town life can be and also picture the beautiful landscape with how she describes the vivid colors. I couldn't help but feel transported to this tranquil, family oriented town. Lace and the puppies were also a plus!

Alana Brendt is an event coordinator working with top hotels. She is ambitious and loves her city+hotel life. There is a mix-up between two events in the hotel Alana is with and her boss throws Alana under the bus blaming the disaster on her. Alana loses her job plus loses face and other job prospects in near future. So she applies for and lands a one-year contract in remote Yakima, Washington. She arrives in Yakima and knows that she, the new job and Yakima are NOT a match. However, she meets the local vet Tegan Evans and there is someone she wants to make a match with, albeit only for the year she plans to stay in Yakima.

The whole fish-out-of-water cum in-over-her-head situations created around Alana are entertaining. The way she buckles up and deals with the unexpected is adorable. There is insta-attraction, which is okay, but we couldn’t quite get what was attractive about Tegan. Alana yes…we get what makes her attractive. Tegan is not bad but there is really nothing to her. In fact, as the book progresses, Alana becomes more and more likeable and her emotions spill out of the pages – but Tegan, *shrug*.

There is a little bit of angst but thankfully it is not dragged out or extended. In any case, this is a fluffy, light read.

4 Stars for this pleasant romance by Karis Walsh. First off – how can anybody resist that cover? Walsh has become a favorite author and she doesn’t disappoint in this book. This is one of her fluffier romances, with minimal angst. Which was fine by me.

Once again, she blends a romance with animals. She has horses in her Tacoma Mounted Patrol series and dogs in You Make Me Tremble and Blindsided and now in Sit. Stay. Love., there are horses and puppies.

Alana Brendt literally grew up in the hotel business, living in the hotels her parents managed. She doesn’t want to be a hotel manager like her parents, but she enjoys and excels at event planning. Unfortunately, her boss at a large hotel, laid all the blame on Alana for an unfortunate mix-up which leaves Alana searching for a new job. She accepts a one-year contract as an Activity Coordinator at a soon to be opened lodge/ranch in Yakima, Washington. She assumed she would just be planning events from her desk but when she arrives, she learns that the job also entails leading trail rides, care of the horses plus accompanying guests on rafting trips. Alana explains to Tegan “I didn’t lie, I fudged.” about her qualifications on her application.

Alana meets the local vet Tegan Evans on her first day. Tegan arrives to give the horses vaccinations and was expecting help from Alana. She quickly surmises that Alana has zero experience with horses but agrees to teach Alana as much as she can about riding and care before the first guests arrive in a month. They become friends then more than friends but with the specter that Alana would be leaving at the end of her contract.

Alana is very likable (as is Tegan) and she has an amazing work ethic, in spite of her initial deceit. She helps ranch owner, Chip manage the grand opening, taking care of details, contractors and the like, on top of her regular duties. But at the end of her contract - will she stay or return to the city to work in large hotels?

Did I mention cute puppies??

So.. this book is total, 100%, complete and unashamed fluff, and I loved every single second of it! If you're looking for your next non-angsty vacation / beach read, this is it!

As a newbie to the lesfic scene, Karis Walsh was one of the first authors that I branched out to. I hungrily devoured her earlier novels, and loved every minute! Unfortunately, I've found that I haven't enjoyed her last few books quite as much as her earlier ones, mainly because they felt long on the prose and not quite as believable on the character chemistry. Thankfully, this books seems to put her right back on track!

First off, how can you not like that cover? It's totally simple, yet absolutely perfect! This cover grabbed my attention MONTHS ago, making me put this book on my want to read list well before it was time. Once I stopped cooing like a baby at the dog on the cover and actually started in on the book... that's when the magic started.

I'll admit it - the troupe that Walsh used is totally overdone. MC Alana is a total city girl and she only took a job in the country temporarily because of circumstances. She's planning to leave at the first chance. Of course, she meets our other MC, country vet Teagan, and all plans go out the window. It's a commonly overdone plotline that everyone and their mother can figure out what's going to happen next, but it's Walsh's perfect execution that made this so perfect and memorable. She took characters that should have felt repetitive and redundant and made me fall in love with them right from their first introduction on the page. I absolutely adored both MCs and was fully invested in their relationship. I could have personally stood for a bit more heat to the overall read, but that's just my personal preference. This book is a perfect light and fluffy read!

And then Walsh went and added in puppies, ranch life with beautiful scenery, wide open spaces, and horses, and I was a goner.

Just read the book. Yes, it's complete fluff with super little angst other than obligatory 80% scene (that actually didn't bother me for once because it was a completely believable!), but I'm willing to bet that you're going to love this read too if you pick it up. It's adorable, funny in just the right places, and exactly what I needed just now. 4.5 stars from me.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Sit. Stay. Love is a refreshing and inclusive romance that hits all the right notes from author Karis Walsh.

In an attempt to revive her failing career, Alana signs a one-year contract, on the premise of her fabricated resume, in Washington as an activities coordinator at an outdoorsy BnB. While she thinks she will be actually coordinating the activities, her boss actually wants her to guide the doors. Cue her panic, as she is a bonafide city girl. As she tries to learn her way into horseback riding, she meets local vet and equestrian Tegan, who immediately recognizes Alana as a fraud.

This storyline as all the makings of a successful romance - enemies turned lovers through the help of an abandoned dog and her puppies, location angst and peripheral characters that shine a light on their chemistry.

This book was provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Enjoyable Read.

Alana takes a job that she really not qualify for because she got fire from her job and it's funny how she lost the job to begin with.

Tegan is the town vet who goes to the ranch to check on the horses realize that Alana is out of her element.

As Alana tries to do right by her new boss Chip who seems to be way over his head about running a ranch you could tell he loves his animals.

I like the romance between Alana and Tegan as they help each other out the dialogue between them was great I like that it wasn't a lot of angst that it was cute romance and the puppies were adorable.

This is another enjoyable read by Walsh even though the tropes are fairly common. Alana takes a job as an activities manager at a ranch having been fired from her city hotel job. She doesn’t really have any choice so she intends to make the best of it until she has restored her reputation. What she doesn’t count on is having to actually take part in the activities she organises like trail rides on horseback, kayaking and other very outdoorsy requirements. When Tegan, the local vet, comes to the ranch to do check-ups on the horses she realises immediately that Alana has no experience whatsoever. She has to figure out whether to tell the affable ranch owner or not.

I thought the title was a funny and clever reference and much more enticing, for me anyhow. The reason Alana lost her job is also really humorous and would have made a fantastic prologue to lead in with a bang. Even though the story line is not very unusual, the connection between the main characters made it worthwhile. I love it when characters talk about their pasts and the stuff they’ve had to deal with openly so that it’s not all shrouded in angst and mystery. The banter between Alana and Tegan was open and quick-witted.

Tegan and Alana are likeable characters and the secondary characters are entertaining too. ‘Sit. Stay. Love.’ is gentle, light and fun. Definitely a lazy Sunday read.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to read Sit, Stay, Love by Karis Walsh. The moment I saw that gorgeous furry face with the sad eyes, floppy ears, button nose, and cute little red eyebrows on the cover, I was hooked. Then I saw the author’s name, and I was even more hooked. I didn’t even read the blurb that went with the cover. This could have been a book of Ms. Walsh’s grocery lists for the past year, and I would have gotten it. I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for a cute furry face.

Thankfully, this is way better than a compendium of grocery lists. It’s actually a lovely, feel-good romance that will leave you smiling long after you close the cover. The main characters, Alana and Tegan, are likeable and well-developed, as are the secondary characters around them. The setting is beautiful and perfect for the story. And the animals…oh those adorable animals. We have horses, a cat named Charley, and lots of puppies with a poor, long suffering but attentive mama dog. The puppies and their mama play a major role in the tail…oops…tale since they help to bring Tegan and Alana together.

This is a sweet romance about two lovely people growing together and falling in love as they help the people and animals around them. There is very little angst, but a lot of friendship and love. If you are feeling down or having a bad day, this is a good story to read. If you are having a good day, this novel will make you feel even better. No matter what kind of day you are having, you should read this book…just buy the book. Trust me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Puppy love!

Alana 'fudges' her resume to get hired on as an activity planner for a yet-to-be-opened hotel in Yakima. Now she is expected to hop on a horse and do trail rides with guests. Only problem is that she has never been on a horse before.

Tegan is the local Yakima vet. She goes to the hotel to administer some shots to the horses and can sense something is off with Alana.

The writing had just the right amount of description to set the scenes.. I felt as if I was on the ranch with them.

The relationship between Alana and Tegan was sweet and grew naturally. The writer gave them valuable time and experiences together that made their connection believable.

The end seemed a little bit rushed to me. But it was sweet nonetheless.

I recommend this to those who want to read about romance, ranches, hospitality, horses, and puppies.

<i>I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.</i>

I definitely enjoyed this sweet, funny romance. I absolutely loved the author's last book and thought I'd like this one at least as much but, alas, not quite. While there was good chemistry and I liked all of the characters - even the secondary ones - it was a bit too predictable with the job situation and I felt like I was just waiting for it to happen because it seemed so obvious.

I'm glad there was no "is she or isn't she" or community issues with the f/f aspect of the story, and the angst was pretty low-level. Loved that the couple were upfront in their communication and expectations! With all of that out of the way, I could enjoy their relationship and love the doggies.

I'll be waiting for the next book by Ms. Walsh.

Thanks to Netgalley and BSB for the opportunity to read and review this one!

This is one of the cutest books I’ve read in a long time, and not just because there are animals (but also because, you know, puppies).

After being betrayed by her boss, which, according to her, is worse than being betrayed by a girlfriend, Alana ends up in Yakima, Washington, far from the deluxe hotels she’s always aimed to work for. Refusing to be bitter about the situation, she does her best to do right by her new boss, a sweet guy who’s way in over his head with his new dude ranch. Tegan is the town vet and understands right from the start that Alana is out of her element. At first wary of her, she soon realizes that Alana could very well be the one who will break her heart.

I liked Alana from the start. She’s smart, kind, sweet, open-minded. Tegan is also really nice and of course they are meant for each other. The romance is really sweet and as I’ve written before, I don’t mind the instalove. I’ve been there, I know it happens.

Another thing I like so much about this book is the way Karis Walsh describes the surroundings, the trails, the beauty of nature. It reminds me a little of Gerri Hill’s novels, another author who’s so good at sharing how much she loves nature. This book also reminded me in particular of one of my all-time favorite Hill novels, No Strings, as the characters in both enter a relationship knowing it has an expiration date and trying (and failing) not to mind. The impermanence makes for great angstsy moments.

This might not be as obvious a 5-stars book as others I’ve reviewed recently, but I can’t give any less to a novel that makes me laugh out loud in joy and brings tears to my eyes the way this one did. So sue me, I don’t care.