Recent Reads: A Spot of Trouble by Teri Wilson

Source: From Sourcebooks Early Reads Program in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

A Spot of Trouble by Teri Wilson
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date:  September 7, 2021

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Get ready to laugh out loud with this hilarious romantic comedy featuring:

• A grumpy firefighter who thinks his way is the only way

• A bubbly yoga teacher who prefers to go with the flow

• Adorable Dalmatians who swap places—and the chaos that ensues

• An opposites-attract romance that’ll warm your heart

Violet March and Sam Nash are as different as night and day and have been enemies ever since Violet accused Sam of dognapping her beloved Dalmatian. Sam knows that’s impossible—for one thing, his dog Cinder is a well-trained fire safety dog who never steps out of line. Violet’s dog Sprinkles, on the other hand, has never met a command that she didn’t ignore completely, much like her bubbly owner. So when Sprinkles and Cinder accidentally switch places during the annual police vs. fire department softball tournament, Violet is thrilled by her dog’s sudden perfect behavior, while stubborn-yet-charming Sam is horrified to find that his dog no longer listens.

But when the dogs are eventually switched back, Sam and Violet are shocked to find that not everything is as simple as it seems. And a little puppy love might be just the thing they’ve been missing...

Review: 

A rom-com with a focus on doggos was something that I thought I would love, and granted I read this one super quick but it was just OK. The story follows a town sweetheart, daughter of the police chief, and Dalmatian-owner Violet as she meets the new guy in town Sam. Sam is new to town and working with the fire department and also has a Dalmatian. Immediately these two butt heads when Violet accuses Sam of dognapping.

I expected this to be an enemies to lovers type of rom-com but it really wasn't. While there was some general animosity between the characters it wasn't really an enemies thing, it was a lot more flirting and playful banter than loathing. 

While I really liked the pets in the book, the characters were meh. Violet seems like an entitled princess with everything revolving around her and her dog. I found it odd that she doesn't think that another Dalmatian can exist in her town ever, especially when the plot states that this is a vacation/ tourist town. Someone has to have brought another Dalmatian into town at SOME point. I also found her dog-owner abilities to be lacking. I understand that some people don't train their dogs in some ways but she seemingly didn't care when her dog ran off on the beach and was not paying enough attention to it - which leads to her mistaking Sam's dog for her own (and that is chapter 1). 

The synopsis for this book plays up a lot of the dog-swap but realistically it played second-fiddle to Violet obsessing over weird things and Sam's focus on the softball tournament. As much as the synopsis talks about the dogs I wanted more of them (there was a lot, but that wasn't the conlfict). 

The real conflict of the story is actually this annual police vs. fire department softball tournament and how Violet has been scorned during it before. The whole town takes sides and it seemed a bit over the top. 

Overall if you are looking for a rom-com that has some funny elements, some dogs, and is very PG, this one could be for you. Like I said, it was a quick read, but it wasn't the best enemies to love that I have read.