Freckles

By: Amy Lane

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Carter Embree has always hoped to be rescued from his productive, tragically boring, and (slightly) ethically compromised life. But when an urchin at a grocery store shoves a bundle of fluff into his hands, Carter goes from rescuee to rescuer - and he needs a little help.

Sandy Corrigan, the vet tech who helps ease Carter into the world of dog ownership, first assumes that Carter is a crazy-pants client who just needs to relax. But as Sandy gets a glimpse into the funny, kind, sexy man under Carter’s mild-mannered exterior, he sees that with a little care and feeding, Carter might be "Super-Pet Owner" - and decent boyfriend material to boot.

But Carter needs to see himself as a hero first. As he says good-bye to his pristine house and hello to carpet treatments and dog walkers, he finds that there really is more to himself than a researching drudge without a backbone. A Carter Embree can rate a Sandy Corrigan. He can be supportive, he can be a hero, he can be a man who stands up for his principles!

He can be the owner of a small dog.

©2016 Amy Lane (P)2017 Riptide Publishing

Funny

I toughly enjoyed this book, I found it to be extremely funny. Carter is an extremely caring lawyer while Sandy is a helpful vet assistant who is in school to become a vet. Freckles is an unfortunate puppy who brings the two together after she is suddenly thrust into Charters life by a little boy at the supermarket with fleas and all. From Freckles coming into his life Carter life starts to change drastically for the better.

So cute!

Freckles is a really cute, relatable, romance between two 33 year old guys who bring out the best in one another. Dual POV, low angst, new beginnings, and a HEA.

Nick J. Russo really nails the character voices and personalities, his timing and pacing are great, and he makes this a very pleasurable listen. Would recommend.

Adorable Dog Brings a Christmas Romance

Cute, fun, and light-hearted holiday romance! Whether one loves animals or not, this is cute, but being an animal lover, made it more poignant and funny. Amy Lane tells this sort of story so well. I was glad to get a chance to re-experience Freckles in audio format where even more nuances to the story came out under the narrator's care.

A fastidious, organized workaholic lawyer is out of his depth the second a kid cons him into the tiny white fluff ball in his hands. This is a dog?
In blind terror, he races to the veterinary office attached to the local Pet Smart because his new white fluff ball has, erm, fleas.
Carter can't even keep a boyfriend happy or a plant alive. What is he going to do with a sweet little innocent thing like this, well whatever she is.

Sandy Corrigan is the vet tech on duty when the crazy guy comes in babbling and incoherent, but oh so sweet with his little dog. Seeing the average-looking guy settle into new pet ownership and love on his little Freckles attracts Sandy to up his game and go for this guy.

Carter is a contract lawyer and working for a boss who is amoral at best and many times crosses the lines. His soul is starving in his lackless existence until Freckles. While dealing with a puppy, he now has Sandy, the great guy who is in his thirties and still in school to be a vet, Sandy's perky and fun niece who is Freckle's dogwalker, and a chance to step out of his rut.

As Christmas approaches, will both these guys who have been burned by relationships be able to reach out for something special? Can Sandy stay interested in an average guy? Carter wonders. And Sandy wonders if Carter will soon figure out that he is way out of slow-plodding Sandy's league. Only Freckles might know the answer to that.

Long favorite narrator, Nick J. Russo adds just the right amount of sparkle and shine to this heartwarming and sweet Christmas story. He captured the tone and these characters so well. I could see and feel what was going on as if I was right there witnessing it all happening.

Freckles was a light and adorable holiday story. Average joes with average lives that it was great to see them find their chance at happiness. Definitely recommend it to M/M Contemporary Romance fans who want a bit of spice, but an easy afternoon heartwarming read.

Like the approach to life do-over

Very much enjoyed reading about this puppy's tale and romance while not noticing the angsty need of this main character to find himself. Highly recommend. Must love dogs!

Such a cute story!

OMG – I loved this so much. I am a huge dog lover even though I am currently without one. So many of the things in this book reminded me of my first Toy Poodle; she was such an imp. Freckles destroys a door trying to get to something in Carter’s bedroom. My dog did the same thing trying to get OUT of a room. (It was a huge room with everything she needed but a storm frightened her while I was at work.)

Carter has never owned a pet but when a young kid shoves a cute little ball of fur at him, he doesn’t know what else to do other than take it. Carter meets Sandy when he takes Freckles to the vet and that meeting didn’t go all that well; Sandy wasn’t impressed with Carter at all.

This story is just an all-around feel-good one with Carter and Sandy getting to know each other through Freckles. There’s a lot of humor with some serious stuff thrown in and Nick J. Russo did a fantastic job with his performance of this audiobook.

Cute and fluffy holiday read!

This book was all fluff and cuteness. And just what you need when it's cold and dark outside. It will bring a smile to your face, melt your heart and it will make you wish for a puppy of your very own. Preferably housebroken though ;)

Freckles is the perfect read when you are looking for that über-sweet and light hearted read. No muss, no fuss. There is absolutely no angst or much drama to speak of.

No, let me amend that, there is some drama. You can hardly expect a guy who hasn't had much interest in animals, much less owned one, to handle a puppy without some drama. Carter was just so adorable clueless when it came to Freckles and I had so much fun listening to how he muddled through things bathing, walking, setting limits (he wasn't good at setting limits), and trying to housebreak a puppy. It was a lot of fun, and went as well as you might imagine it did.

Luckily he had Sandy, the local vet technician, to help him out. to explain all things dog to him. Now Sandy had plans of his own, just not for Freckles per se. From the first time they met, Sandy decided to play knight in shining armour, and he's just what the doctor (vet) ordered for Carter.

Nick J. Russo did a fantastic job narrating this book, I mean, when doesn't he? When I pick up a book he's narrated, I know it will be good. He makes the book and characters come alive. And he truly made this a fun book listening to while baking this year's batch of gingerbread.

A copy of this book was generously provided in exchange for an honest review

Loved it so much!

Would you listen to Freckles again? Why?

I've already listened to Freckles twice, back to back.

Any additional comments?

The audio was as good as the ebook, I've been waiting for the audio since the ebooks release, I'm so very happy with it.

So good!

I love Amy Lane and her books. As always, Nick J Russo does a perfect job narrating. Such a fantastic story, I highly recommend it.

You need not love dogs to love this story

First, a confession. I've never had a pet, and I don't want to sound like a horrible person, but I'm not really an animal lover. I don't hate them, but the cover and the blurb made me wonder whether I would really enjoy the story or not. I did win a copy of the audiobook and I am very glad I did, because I really enjoyed the story. It is a sweet and fairly short romance with very little angst. It was a story about really finding happiness and not just in the form of a love interest but in changing life to make it better. And there is a bonus because the Petsmart that this story takes place in is the one that Tommy and Jonah from the Johnnies series work at. It was so neat to see these characters that I had to go back and relisten to the Johnnies books. Even if you are like me and don't really desire pets, I think this is a romance that can be enjoyed by everyone. The icing on the cake is the narration by Nick J. Russo. He is a great narrator and brought the story to life.

Great book

i loved it this is a great book one of this author book that i love