The Little Dog Laughed

by Jackie Sonnenberg

The biggest secret in the Wellington house is not that they are a very wealthy family of vampires. The biggest secret is what is hiding upstairs...a fresh blood source always ready to be drained. Before Felicity married Conrad Wellington she was a struggling teenage mother, and when the family takes her in, she knows they would never do so if they knew of the irresponsible decision she had made. She hides her son Isaac away until she can think of a better solution...until she discovers that Isaac has a rare blood type that the family craves and can never find. Isaac is AB Negative, and that blood is the most delicious and nutritious of all. She makes the decision to keep Isaac hidden and raise him as a personal blood donor, collecting his blood and putting him on the best kind of diet to make sure he always provides what is good and tasteful. Yet, there are things brewing inside Isaac that might not be so good. His own poison spreads faster than anyone could see coming, developing its own taste for destruction to everyone and everything that comes in contact with him. And it feeds a part of him that enjoys it more than anyone else could. Sometimes good blood can go bad. The more Isaac grows the more this dangerous side does, and it does not want to remain locked up for long.

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2020

About the author

Jackie Sonnenberg has a background in journalism and creative writing. She wrote for local newspapers in both print and online before publishing books. She wrote and published three requested reference titles under Atlantic Publishing on business, housing, and pet care. She indie published her first novel ALL THAT GLITTERS before diving into the right genre for her...

"semhyR yresruN" is the name of her growing standalone collection writing horror stories based on, of course, the classic Nursery Rhymes.

She is an active member in the horror community as a haunted house actor thriving on every Halloween season, where she creates original characters to go with given themes and settings. She uses her knack for character development to bring them to life on paper, and in person, with original costuming. She is known for interacting with people in character at conventions at events to promote her books.
She lives in Orlando, FL where she is surrounded by creativity and imagination.

https://www.jackiesonnenberg.com

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Reviews

[Dana Holland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not at all what I was expecting! The main character Felicity is a teenage mom, who lives with her aunt and uncle because her parents didn't like her choices. She starts working at a private blood bank for the local vampires. Felicity catches the eye of a wealthy vampire family, the Wellingtons. The two start dating and later marry. While Felicity is living the high life, she has left her son in the care of the Wellington's housekeeper, locked away in a back wing of the mansion. She finds out that her son has rare blood that the family craves and starts to take it by the bags full. Issac starts to develop multiple personalities from being alone all the time. He has two stuffed animals he makes come alive in his mind with different voices. Felicity gets turned and starts sneaking to his room to gorge herself on his blood because she has blood lust that the family doesn't know about. This girl is one nasty piece of work. Needless to say, Issac becomes unhinged from being alone, fed nothing but junk food, until he is huge. He never leaves that room, she never bothers to buy him clothes as he grows so by the time he is 16, he is still wearing clothes for a 6-year-old. Issac finally starts climbing out his window and goes hunting because his mother fed from him so much, she had to give him some of her blood and he turns. Issac starts terrorizing the town, slaughtering anything in his path. She knows it's him as soon as the news reaches her, so she goes out hunting for him. Issac ends up back at the house and kills everybody! The only part of this book that I actually liked is the end! THEY KILL EACH OTHER!!!

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC
A mother who was more obsessed with her new life with a rich vampire husband and his family than she was about her own child. Felicity was a horrid person and her actions and behaviours towards not only her son Isaac but others too was disgusting. She found excuse after excuse to keep her son hidden then used him as her own personal supplier.
I felt sorry for Margaret who loved Isaac and tried to help him as much as possible but was bound by her duties to the family and ultimately Felicity.
However Isaac sought his own revenge on Felicity after she made a monumental mistake that would see Isaac become just like her.
I thought this was a great read and just a bit different from other vampire books. The story flowed easily although I felt myself really disliking Felicity and her sense of entitlement once she was married as well as the way she treated her son.

[Ron D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing and Pointless

I wish I had read some honest reviews; before I wasted my time. The whole storyline was unrealistic. The scenario of hiding someone in a house with others that have heightened senses is absurd. The plot is flat and so are the characters. Apparently all they do is sleep and eat. This novel is probably classified as Horror; but should be Fantasy. While it does have some gruesome scenes, they don’t make up for a poor story. Consider looking elsewhere for something to read.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was NOT what I expected. And that makes me HAPPY as a clam.

Sadly I'd be a snack for the family too, as I share the same blood type. Ok, onto the story

Being a single mom is hard, especially when you are trying to date a wealthy man. Don't want to introduce your dirty little secret too soon, do you?! That might ruin everything. Especially your chance at all that money and fame.

Felicity is won over by the Wellington family. They are everything she has always wanted. It's a dream come true, a prince charming that loves her. She'd do anything for that her new family. ANYTHING. Anything that she could. Felicity is willing to step up to the plate and go to the dark side. A side that will keep in good with the family. What happens when the dark side goes black?

Ok, I love, love, LOVED this book and this story. From page 1 I was hooked and couldn't put it down. The twists, the turns, and the ups and downs. You want a different vampire story. This is the one. This is the one that will make you think, what would I do?

[Sam Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLOOD THIRSTY HORROR -Sure to SHOCK !!

This story was so sadly gruesome and horrific !
I have to admit, I've never read anything like this story! At times I felt i couldnt / shouldn't continue, but, it's so riveting in it's horror. This is not a book for the timid. I also have to admit I will be looking for other books by this author. Genuinely shocking and original!

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a different kind of vampire book. It's hard to tell the bad guys from the really bad guys but....in the end....they all get their just desserts. A quick, entertaining, engrossing read that definitely sets the bar for the author's next book.

[Heather Bane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a good read. The story grabbed my interest from the store and had a good flow. I found the story and characters well written. I would recommend reading this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kitana Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got to buy this from the Author herself in Orlando very good dark tale but honestly didn't care for the sections from Isaac's perspective but I loved Felicity and thought she was a well written character.

[TBHONEST · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Dog Laughed is an extremely different Vampire Story. it has a very original plot, a great cast of characters, all that come together to make a very good read.

[Sammy Jackles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and twisted but enjoyed every page. Definitely a good read for those who love twists.

[Morgen]

DNF around 10%. Felicity is a terrible mother.