Pugs and Kisses is listed as a standalone at Amazon and Fantastic Fiction, but fans of the author will quickly recognize it as the second story about three friends living in New Orleans. You don’t have to read the first book, Pardon My Frenchie, to enjoy this one.

Within days of ditching her pet-hating fiancé, veterinarian Evie Williams adopts an adorable pug-mix, names him Waffles, and starts to rebuild her life from the ground up. Her first step should be a new job. The practice she shared with her cheating ex is no longer an employment option; her part-time job at Barkingham Palace doesn’t pay much, and she refuses to be financially dependent on her wealthy parents. Especially since they hate her career and adore her former squeeze. Until she can find a permanent position, she decides to volunteer her services at The Sanctuary, the charitable veterinary hospital/shelter where she adopted Waffles. She’d interned there during her student days and believes strongly in their mission. Fortunately, she has some savings to carry her through the next few months, so she can take her time finding a new job.

Once she starts, she learns a few key things have changed since her last visit. The mentorship program between LSU Veterinary College and the animal refuge has been discontinued. Moreover, the facility is financially unstable. Without The Sanctuary, and its founder, Doc Landry, Evie isn’t sure she would have been able to get her own degree. She is determined to give other young people the chance to learn there and save the animals re-homed through its services. She’s never done fundraising before, but how hard can it be?

Bryson Mitchell is a nationally recognized veterinary surgeon and popular public speaker. He’s avoided Louisiana for years since bad memories from his childhood and collegiate career tainted his attitude towards it. But he’s finally decided to stop running from his feelings and trying to escape his past. He hopes this move home will let him spend more time with family and old friends, but there is one previous connection he plans to stay far away from: his long-lost crush, Evie. It should be easy; New Orleans is a big city, so the odds of their running in to each other must be huge. Then Doc Landry, his former mentor, asks him to help Evie save The Sanctuary. Bryson had walked away from Evie without even a goodbye, so he’s not sure she will be willing to work cordially with him on a long-shot project, but he reluctantly agrees to try for Doc’s sake.

Evie is willing to do anything to save her beloved pet rescue facility, even work with Bryson. But she is determined to lay down some ground rules first. That summer in college when they’d both worked at the shelter, they’d been unable to keep their hands off each other; this time around, they will for sure be keeping all body parts to themselves. She’s just got out of a relationship where she had given a man multiple chances to get things right, and all he’d done was make things more wrong. She’s using a new one-and-done policy, and Bryson has already had his ‘one’. But Evie’s rules may just go out the window once Bryson and his precious papillon, Bella, start ingratiating themselves into her and Waffle’s lives.

Ms. Rochon’s work is always infused with light and laughter, even when tackling tough subjects. While the book starts with Evie walking in on her man while he is with another woman, she doesn’t stay down in the dumps for long. (I mourned guys I had dated for months longer than she does this ten-year relationship.) She is assured by good friends Ashanti (heroine of Pardon My Frenchie) and Ridley that she always deserved better, has her new pup Waffles to keep her company, and quickly gets involved in a will-they-or won’t-they relationship with Bryson as she throws all her energy into fundraising for The Sanctuary. I’m not much in the mood for angst, getting plenty of that from the news, so I appreciated the bright tone of the book, even as I doubted that a real human could rebound quite so quickly from Evie’s situation.

But I’m not the only one who enjoys Evie’s sunny, sweet personality. Bryson isn’t in her company for long before he realizes that she is exactly everything he and Bella need to make their lives complete. He’d ghosted her back in the day because he’d been intimidated by just how rich and successful her parents are, but having achieved success of his own, he feels more confident pursuing her. (If you’re thinking the ghosting and insecurity are relationship red flags, know that I am right there with you.)

They have terrific dates. From the delectable canine-friendly eateries they frequent to the beauties of the bayou areas, the author does a terrific job of giving us a good sense of time and place. I enjoyed tagging along with these two as they explore their city and get reacquainted. Bryson and Evie make a good team; whether they are taking care of the critters at The Sanctuary or brainstorming fundraising ideas, they work effectively as a unit and have fun while doing it.

The story does have its flaws, keeping it from a higher grade. Bella and Waffles don’t have much personality. Given the roles they play in the book and how gung-ho their owners are about having pets, it would have been nice to see a bit more of just what makes them unique and charming. Bryson attended a private school and had been made to feel he was ‘less’ by the rich kids who made up the bulk of its population, but while I certainly agree that what they did was wrong, I found it disconcerting that he didn’t realize how lucky his middle-class self was compared to many others. That resentment is still a (quiet) factor in his relationship with Evie for the bulk of the book. He’s a good guy – funny, kind, sexy, attentive, successful – but I feared his insecurity and tendency to bail would keep rearing their ugly heads the longer they are together.

Additionally, while I was grateful that the first portion of the story isn’t weighed down with Evie’s sorrow over the end of her previous relationship, I wish more time had passed between that messy ending and her getting together with Bryson.

Those are mostly quibbles, though. Pugs and Kisses is, despite a few hiccups, a fun, breezy story about finding the right path after taking a few wrong ones. I recommend it to readers looking for a light, cute summer read and to fans of the author.