Tag Archives: novella

Book Review: The Dog Days of December, by Kim Fielding

Alone in a new town, psychology professor Shawn Daly has resigned himself to a quiet, solitary Christmas. Then he nearly runs over a stray dog. She’s not seriously injured—but it turns out she has other plans for Shawn’s winter break. And that cute guy down the block with the friendly Newfoundland dog? Turns out he’s a big part of those plans.

Dogs may bring shedding fur and a heap of responsibilities. But they may also be just the right thing to give the holidays—and a love life—some sparkle.

Rating: 5 our of 5!

The Dog Days of December, by Kim Fielding

As much as I love m/m romances, I admit I’m not a fan of the annual slew of Christmas/holiday-themed books that come out each year. Bah, humbug. I am, however, a big fan of Kim Fielding. She has written some of my favorite books, including Rattlesnake, the Bones series, and The Bureau series. I was looking for a light “palate cleanser” after my last read, and so I picked up this novella, which Fielding mentioned in her newsletter.

The story starts and ends with the POV of a dog, Abby. This sets the tone and suggests not to take things too seriously. Of course, I’m a dog person, so I was instantly won over. I’m also a sucker for stories where the main characters aren’t young, beautiful, and buff. Shawn is a psychology professor in his 40s; Austin is a bearish fellow of a similar age who works in the university’s IT department.

Even though the story is short, I really enjoyed seeing these two slowly getting to know each other and struggle to take the leap past friendship. It’s sweet, adorkable, and captures the spirit of season. I definitely enjoyed this one!