LoveSpell, $5.99, ISBN 0-505-52377-9
Contemporary Romance, 2000

When I realized that heroine Dr LeAnne Crosby is a dog shrink, I almost dropped Against His Will like burning charcoals. Not that I have anything against dog shrinks, but most of the time, jobs like these are excuses for contemporary heroines to act like Minnie Mouse high on drugs.

Thankfully, Dr LeAnne Crosby is neither on drugs nor is she a loony bin fresh from the University of Idiotic Kookiness. She is, in fact, a very funny heroine. And the hero, despite unfortunately being yet another FBI spy, is one cool dude. Jake Donnelly can call me chick anytime.

When Jake’s Aunt Sophie kicks the bucket, he is quite saddened, especially since he feels that he has been neglecting her in his bid for glory and heroism up the FBI rung. But when he realizes that not only is he not getting the nice cabin he wants from dear Sophie, her entire fortune is going to her dog, he sees red. When he realizes that his auntie may be cheated by this dog shrink woman – what kind of stupid job is that anyway? – he becomes one of those red-eyed smoky-nostril bull-in-a-matador ring lookalike. He smells C-O-N and he decides to take the lady down a peg or two.

Especially since if Jake, not exactly a dog fellow, sends poor dog Kendee’s King of Stanton (Muffin for short) packing, all of Sophie’s money would go to that dog shrink. Definitely C-O-N. So our hero and his adoring bulldog go off to LeAnne’s Happy Hounds Health Spa, where Jake realizes that he and Muffin definitely share something in common. Both want to pounce on LeAnne and place their grubby paws on her chest. Or something.

No, Against His Will is not one of those kooky, illogical romances where emotional development and romance are sacrificed in the names of kook and weirdness. Okay, so the romance is a bit on the light side, but still, I have no complains there. Jake is such a cute hottie, especially when he’s all hot and bothered over LeAnne. Things get even more fun when Jake’s “fiancée” (actually a witness on lam from bad guys) drops by. And the party starts crackling when the bad guys drop in.

And the dog lover in me can’t help but to go “Ooh cute!” over Muffin’s love affair with a dear Shih-Tzu poochie. And Jake turns out to be a dog fellow after all – how nice. The humor is excellent, LeAnne may be a typical I-don’t-trust-man sort but she isn’t that annoying, and ooh, there are doggies!

I find this book funny and yeah, it’s romantic too. Time of my life is what this book offers indeed.