When I heard that the heroine of Against His Will was a dog psychologist, I was afraid she would be one of those ditzy new-age characters whom I do not like at all. This book is by Trish Jensen. Silly me to have worried.

Jake Donnelly is an FBI agent. When his beloved Aunt Sophie dies she leaves him her most precious posession – Muffin the bulldog. Jake is not happy, an emotion he shares with the lawyer in choice and colorful language. He has no time for dogs, he doesn’t like dogs, and as far as he’s concerned, Muffin can take a hike. Then he finds out that if he doesn’t take Muffin – the dog and all of Aunt Sophie’s money and property will go to Dr. LeAnne Crosby, a dog psychologist. Jake isn’t interested in money, but there’s a cabin of Aunt Sophie’s where he used to spend summers and he simply can’t let that go to some new-age nutburger, so he and Muffin pack up and head for the Happy Hounds Health Spa.

Jake expects to find a rip-off establishment, but what he does find is something else indeed. The Happy Hounds Health Spa is sort of a cross between a resort and a dog obedience school and LeAnne Crosby is no ditz. She is intelligent, charming, loves animals and knows what she is talking about. Soon Jack is enjoying himself, despite some obligatory grumbling. He’s also learning how to become friendly with Muffin. Pretty soon soon he decides he wants to become very friendly with LeAnne.

This part of the book crackles with sexual tension and is filled with funny dialogue. Muffin and Jack’s relationship moves from antagonism to bonding as a couple of fellow guys who are trying to make time with their respective girls – Muffin has his doggy eye on a cute little Shih-Tsu and Jack’s relationship with LeAnne is moving from confrontational to cuddling.

But just as Jake and LeAnne are about to take their relationship to the next level, in comes Jake’s FBI partner with a beautiful woman who throws herself in his arms and declares that she is his fiancee. That certainly puts a damper on things. The beautiful woman is a witness in a very important case that Jake and his partner are putting together and Jake’s partner feels that she would be safer at the doggie spa.

But the bad boys have traced her to the spa. They mistake LeAnne for the witness and begin to shoot. Luckily, no one is hurt but to keep things safe, Jake takes LeAnne and Muffin off to a hideaway while Jake’s partner takes the witness off to a safe house. Once in the cabin, things begin to heat up in Jake and LeAnne’s relationship and things really get serious, until the bad guys come after them with guns a-blazing. Will Muffin and Jake get their happily ever afters?

Against His Will had two totally charming characters in Jake and LeAnne and some of the funniest dialogue I’ve read in a long time. The action was fast, and while I’m sure author didn’t follow FBI SOP (stand operating procedure), I had too much fun to stop and analyze it. A few exerpts do not do justice to how fast, funny and witty the dialogue is in this book, you really have to read it yourself. This book is a wonderful romantic comedy and only serves to reinforce what I felt when I read Trish Jensen’s first book The Harder They Fall – she is one talented and funny lady.