Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers by Julia Dumont

Title: Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers

Author: Julia Dumont

Publisher: BroadLit

Published Date: April 24, 2012

Format: Paperback & Kindle
Buy on Amazon: Paperback or Kindle

Synopsis from Back Cover:

Cynthia Amas has her hands full. In the middle of launching a boutique matchmaking service- Second Acts- amid the sun, surf, and celebrities of Southern California, her own romantic life gets a whole lot more complicated...and steamy. While expertly juggling the needs of her exclusive clients, her own maddeningly irresistible bad-boy, sometime lover unexpectedly returns for a hot and heavy reunion. Meanwhile, her high-maintenance mother busily concocts harebrained schemes for meddling in Cynthia’s affairs. And her new best girlfriend—the sexy proprietress of a chic Beverly Hills dog-grooming salon—just happens to roll with a purebred entourage of curiously gifted canines.

Before long, Cynthia’s personal, professional, and amorous lives begin crashing hilariously into one another.

Join Cynthia as she begins her own "Second Act " and find out who accidentally slips into bed with whom, who has a penchant for low-cut lederhosen, and who winds up naked and alone on a beautiful beach in Malibu!

My Thoughts:

Julia Dumont's Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers, is a steamy, laugh out loud funny book for ladies looking for a novel with romance, sex, and comedy all in one package.  Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers is a very quick read, perfect for a weekend filled with your man watching football (can you tell I'm speaking from experience?)  This is the first book in the Second Acts series.  Be warned that Dumont's novel is sexually graphic in language and scenes!  If you like more of a vanilla read then you probably shouldn't pick up Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers.  However, if you are ready to be sucked into a hilarious contemporary romance about dating, friendships, and meddling mothers then this is for you!         

Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers begins on the first day that Cynthia's new dating business, Second Acts, opens up to the public.  Always gifted at matchmaking, Cynthia realizes that California has the cream of the crop clientele that will make her new venture soar.  Deciding to put her own failing love life on the back burner, Cynthia is ready to play cupid to those in need.  However, before she can focus all of her energy on Second Acts, Cynthia's ex-lover, Max, pops back up in town and is determined to pick up where they left off.  What follows is a funny story with crazy escapades and shocking situations.    

Dumont has great characters in Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers.  I believe my favorite has to be Cynthia's mother, Margie.  A lonely widow, she makes it her life's work to annoy Cythnia and try to find her the 'perfect man.'  After multiple visits to her gynecologist to check for suspicious lumps (that of course aren't there, she is the queen of stalking) Margie decides he happens to be perfect for her daughter.  Dumont wrote, "Earlier in life, Margie never would have pulled shenanigans like this, but she had officially entered the WTF stage...She was grabbing for all the gusto she could get and if eliciting cheap thrills from a handsome unmarried gynecologist was her greatest sin, she was still going to heaven." (Dumot, 42.)  Who wouldn't love a character like this!

I had a little more trouble warming to the character of Lolita, Cynthia's first and most focused upon client.  Lolita is a dog groomer in Beverly Hills and works with A List celebrities.  She is pretty self involved but quickly becomes Cynthia's new friend.  I think what felt strange to me about Lolita was her relationship with her three dogs.  At first I thought she was just quirky, but the more I read, the more I came to realize that her dogs have special powers.  King, her Great Dane, is able to magically appear where he wants to and seems to be able to communicate with Lolita.  There is definitely more to this story and I'm eager to see what Dumont has up her sleeve in the next book!       

I recommend Julia Dumont's, Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers, to any woman looking for a fun escape from reality.  The next book in Julia Dumont's Second Acts series is Starstruck Romance and Other Hollywood Tails.  I'm excited to see what Cynthia gets herself into next and I'm definitely hoping that there is some love in the cards for Margie!  As for Lolita and her special dogs, I believe the title gives us a hint that they will be present as well! 

BroadLit has provided me with a complimentary copy of the book, Sleeping with Dogs and Other Lovers, for the purpose of review.