Pardon My Frenchie is the utterly delightful new novel from Farah Rochon. Filled with cute dogs, hot guys, and fun friends, this is a perfect summertime read.

Ashanti Wright is used to making the best of a bad situation. When her parents died, leaving her as the guardian of twin sisters, she quit training as a veterinarian, went home to raise them, and opened her own business. Barkingham Palace is a total success due in no small part to the charm of Ashanti’s pet French bulldog, Duchess, and her bestie, a poodle named Puddin’. Thanks to them, Ashanti is busy and only getting busier – not only is her daycare consistently filled up, but Duchess Delights, her line of canine treats, has taken off because of a viral video of Duchess and Puddin’ devouring one of the snacks. Then, Thad Sims walks through the door and throws a wrench into the already hectic workings of her life.

Thad spent years in the military and is finding civilian life not quite to his liking. Being stuck with his grandmother’s dog Puddin’ now that Mrs. Frances has to be in a senior living facility is just one of the many things making his days stressful. Finding the money to open The PX, a bar that will cater to service personnel looking to spend their downtime somewhere that really understands their needs, is the other. Which is why he pulls Puddin’ out of daycare. It’s outrageous what people charge to watch a dog. He figures he’ll just keep the critter with him while he refurbishes the perfect location he and his business partner just purchased.

Duchess is bereft when Puddin’ stops coming to Barkingham Palace, and social media, where the duo has quite the following, is putting pressure on Ashanit to provide more content about the cute couple. Meanwhile, Thad finds that his gran’s dog is always underfoot, impeding his progress, not to mention seriously messing with his zen. He’d get rid of the poodle if he could, but Mrs. Frances makes it clear that if Thad wants to keep a good relationship with her, keeping Puddin’ happy is part of the deal. Then fate intervenes, and in spite of the animosity between Thad and the incredibly hot Ashanti, they figure out a way to make things work for both of them. Puddin’ goes back to daycare and being a social media star so Thad can work in peace again. Now Ashanti and Thad are seeing way more of each other but rather than the old saying proving true, instead of contempt, familiarity is breeding respect. And desire. Now, the struggle isn’t keeping from hating each other but keeping from falling in love.

One of the things I love most about Ms. Rochon’s work is that she doesn’t just write for grown-ups but about grown-ups. All too often in contemporary romance, you will encounter heroes and heroines who are emotionally immature or handle problems with less finesse than we would expect of a teen in real life. Ashanti and Thad are functional adults. They have jobs, they have goals they work toward, they know how to control their own desires, and they know how to behave around people they don’t like. They are courteous, if a bit snarly, with each other at the start. They have differing opinions, which they express clearly, but they also have the ability to listen and learn. I adored that they are able to really get to know and understand each other because they have the maturity to give each other a chance.

Ashanti is a positive person without being a Pollyanna. She does make the best of things, but she’s not a pushover, and she recognizes that life rarely hands us perfect solutions. Ashanti is smart, caring, and competent – I could gush all day because, honestly, she’s my ideal heroine.

I liked her besties, too. Ridley is an outspoken, take-no-prisoners, in-charge kind of woman who adds some bite to a friendship group that could easily have been too saccharine, and Evie is who Ashanti might have been had life not thrown her quite so many curves. They feature in the story the perfect amount. We get a sense of how close and supportive they all are without having too much page space taken away from our hero and heroine. Ms. Rochon does a great job with all the secondary characters, from Von (Thad’s partner in The PX) to Ashanti’s sisters Kendra and Kara, and Ashanti’s co-workers at Barkingham Palace.

Thad is a lovely hero. I liked that he isn’t initially a prisoner to canine charms. It takes him some time to fall for Puddin’ and also some time to fall for Ashanti. He is mindful of life choices having consequences and that comes across beautifully in his careful way of interacting with the world. He is brave, strong, and smart, too, but his caution and his willingness to change and adapt as needed are what convinced me he is perfect for Ashanti.

They have great chemistry from the start as a couple. My only complaint is that it takes over half the book for that to happen. Like many novels today, this one is a hybrid of women’s fiction and romance which, for romance purists, might be a bit of a negative, but the author does a nice job of making it work.

Pardon My Frenchie is undoubtedly going to be on my top-ten list this year. It’s a perfect read for summer and just a wonderful story for anyone who enjoys love stories. I recommend it to all romance fans.