Carla's Book Crush

Their Inseparable Bond by Jill Weatherholt
Series: K-9 Companions – Book 17
Publisher: Love Inspired
Publication Date: January 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance | Christian Romance
Pages: ‎ 368
Format: ebook
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They’re a mismatched family…

But their hearts line up just right

Training service dogs is single dad Jake Beckett’s calling. He’s determined to train rambunctious puppy Callie to help his ailing friend Myrna live independently with her growing blindness. Myrna’s granddaughter, Olivia Hart, isn’t easily convinced, but Jake, his twins and Callie are an incredibly persuasive team. If Olivia agrees to give Callie a chance, will working with Jake risk her lifelong dreams?

Jake Beckett is a 50-year-old single father to twins, Kyle and Kayla. He lost his wife when she was giving birth to their son. After their mother’s passing, Kyle and Kayla became attached to a local grandmother figure, Myrna. Myrna has been there for the children through thick and thin, as have other people in Bluebell Canyon, Colorado. Myrna has macular degeneration and is slowly losing her eyesight, which has been worsening more rapidly over the past year. The townspeople have been helping Myrna update her home with accommodations for her disability. Additionally, Jake, a service dog trainer, has been training a golden retriever puppy named Callie, whom Myrna adores, to be her service dog.

Myrna’s granddaughter, Olivia, an ER doctor from Miami, Florida, has taken a sabbatical to stay with her grandmother and convince her that moving to Miami would be best. However, Jake and the twins, along with the entire town, do not want Myrna to leave Bluebell Canyon. Olivia volunteers to be Callie’s foster parent during the training, suggesting that if everything goes well with the training and home repairs, she might allow Myrna to stay in Bluebell Canyon.

As Olivia spends more time in Bluebell, she starts to have mixed feelings. In Miami, she worked non-stop, picking up extra shifts and covering for co-workers to honor her deceased father’s memory. Olivia carries lingering guilt from finding her father in their home too late to save him when she was eight years old; she believes that if she had come straight home after school, it might not have been too late. This guilt has driven her to delay having children, something she desperately wants but never realized with her now ex-husband.

In Bluebell, Olivia finds herself slowing down, appreciating life, and becoming attached to the lifestyle, the twins, and even Jake.

Okay, I am not a fan of city living—no offense to those of you who love it. Well, maybe Miami; I could do that, but on a normal day, my town of 13,000 feels suffocating. Also, I’m not a fan of “convince the woman to leave her high-powered, well-paying city job to live in the country” books. Why? Mostly because I find it bothersome and worrisome that women writers think this is an okay route to take. I wouldn’t say I’m a feminist; I just think that the man should have to give up something every once in a while.

With all that being said, this worked. Perhaps it was the dialogue going on in Olivia’s head about her current situation, the fact that I loved all the characters, or that the book featured animals, or maybe it was something else entirely. At any rate, I adored this book. I felt that the romance between Jake and Olivia was believable, especially since it was a slow build. And, as usual, the epilogue got me. Happy.

This was a quick read and easy to keep moving forward. Both Jake and Olivia had issues that they had to grapple with, but their main focus was Myrna. While Myrna did meddle just a little, it wasn’t too much—just the right amount you’d want from your grandma. The book also had me thinking about my own work situation: what is making me happy and what isn’t. However, the book forgets to mention that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Choices all have pros and cons. Nothing is going to lead to a life of perfect contentment without trials.

I especially loved the relationship between Olivia and Kayla. Jake often thought that he should be cautious about allowing Kayla to become so close to Olivia, which I agree with, sometimes those things just have a way of happening on their own. People just click and go together and there’s not much that can be done.

Readers who love single father/widower tropes, falling in love with pets, and small town romances will enjoy this book. You may also like Fa-La-La-La Faking It which also combines small town romance and comfort animals.

What have you read recently that feature animals?

Thank you to Jill Weatherholt for providing this book for review consideration via BookSirens All opinions are my own.