The female relationships in this book are the best part of the novel; not the romance itself. Four dysfunctional friends whose dogs mimic their neuroses. They have witty banter and the heroine of the book has a great personality. The thoughts inside her head kept me laughing. However, I didn't feel the connection between the male and female protagonists. Of course the author wrote about there being one... but I didn't buy it. I found myself skipping the parts about the relationship to find out what was going on with the friends. This is the first of the "dog-walker" series, so I will definitely check out the next one.... but not for romantic inspiration.