This Rec League was submitted by Kris Bock and we thought the cuteness of pets in romance would be most welcome:
Romances where animals have a strong role, beyond simply someone who happens to have a pet. There’s a fair number with dogs, but what about cats, ferrets, rabbits etc? (I’m talking about pets here, not shifters or animals as heroes.)
Sarah: Wild on my Mind by Laurel Kerr ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) takes place at a zoo with a rehab program, and the animals play massive roles, including a honey badger and a capybara.
And Charlie All Night ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ) has the adorable puppy who likes Billy Joel.
Amanda: Not necessarily a “pet” but who can forget about the lobster in When a Scot Ties the Knot.
Elyse: Ah the lobster.
Claudia: Oldie but goodie — Laura Kinsale’s Lessons in French has a pet bull (not a typo, it’s the heroine’s prized bull and her ticket to financial independence if I remember correctly.)
It’s a low-angst, sweet Kinsale and one that stood the test of time better, in my opinion.
Sarah: Oh, and the Kinsale with the hedgehog – Midsummer Moon. ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au )
Tara: Spindrift by Anna Burke is an f/f romance that has two veterinarians falling love.
Georgia Beers wrote an f/f trilogy called Puppy Love that all centers around an animal shelter. Rescued Heart, Run To You, and Dare to Stay are the three books in that series. ( A | BN )
Catherine: Her Magical Pet edited by Rachel Manija Brown, is an anthology of low-angst short stories featuring f/f couples and their pets. The stories are either romances or feature a romantic couple living their happy ever after, with magical pet. Very low stress to read!
Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas, ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ) features a heroine with a pet ferret. And I think a hedgehog, and other assorted critters.
Oh! I’ve been trying to remember this one! What about The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare? The heroine has many, many, many rescue animals…
Claudia: Yes she does!
Sneezy: Hahahahaha Fluffy and Rex!! Tessa Dare had me loving on those lobsters.
The Beast of Blackmoor, ( A | BN | K | AB ) and A Touch of Stone and Snow by Milla Vane both have animals with strong roles. I simp horsie and kitty very much.
Who wouldn’t a horsie liable to kick in the skull of your enemies, and a kitty who’d snuggle and cuddle you, then rip your other enemies limb from limb?
All of the books set in the Tortall universe by Tamora Pierce that I’ve read all fit the bill.
I haven’t read the Beka Cooper series, or the Numair Chronicles, though I know the Beka Cooper series features a very opinionated cat you’ll meet in the Song of the Lioness as well, and Numair Chronicles just started.
Plus it’s known from The Immortal series that Numair’s friend and teacher is an animal lover and researcher (I don’t remember if he’s also a vet) and he married a woman who could commune with animals and heal them.
Maya: Oh yes, big cosign on Faithful/Pounce in the Tortall universe!
What about the cat in Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert? It is central to getting the two main characters together!!
EllenM: Second the Milla Vane animal recs!! Those were the first ones I thought of.
Which romances would you recommend?
The dust bunnies from the Jayne Castle books were already mentioned, but I want to add another vote for them. They are among my favorite book animals. They all have their own interests and hobbies. One of them has a set of paints he plays with, but he has to be supervised because if no one stops him he paints floors and furniture along with canvas.
I loved the ferzels in Linnea Sinclar’s sci-fi rom Games of Command. They are cat-like creatures who bond with their person and have special abilities, and are very protective. To this day I am full of sad that she did not write a sequel for that book.
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler. Besides a blind rescue border collie called Jake, who the hero dresses up in matching outfits, there is also, the Moose.
The kittens in A Civil Campaign by Bujold are responsible for one of the best dinner parties in all of fiction.
Hex the mouse from Nalini Singh’s Ocean Light!
This is a HABO, but I remember a historical where the hero had a cat that slept in his room every night. The heroine is staying in the same house, and at a certain point the cat abandons him and starts sleeping in her room, which annoys the H. I wish I could remember the book because it was very funny.
Oh, and this is not a romance, but the cat is so great I have to mention it. “Metzger’s Dog” by Thomas Perry is a Carl Hiassen style comic criminal heist story. The cat’s name is Dr. Henry Metzger, and he also has a dog friend, and they walk away with the story.
@AMB – OMG that darned dog in Linda Howard’s Troublemaker series was such a special snowflake. LOL. I actually did a word count and the dog’s name appeared more times than the hero and heroine’s.
Oh, yay! Even though I write a sweet romance series set around a cat cafe, I’m terribly allergic to cats so we have two adorable ferrets. I’m looking forward to reading more books featuring them. Plus hedgehogs, goats, and lobsters, oh my!
My series starts with Coffee And Crushes at the Cat Cafe (currently a Kindle Monthly Deal for 99 cents) and the most recent one is Christmas Cookies at the Cat Cafe. As you might guess from the titles, they have a lot of cats.
I know Jill Shalvis had a series that revolved around a Vet practice in I believe Colorado. I could be wrong…I need to reread. I do know there was a diva type cat at the reception desk and I loved how adored she was.
@Teev The cat’s name is Miss Thing, and I love Christina C. Jones! Just re-downloaded I Think I might Love You from KU for a future lunchtime break.
Not that it truly matters, but Numair’s friend/teacher’s name is Lindhall Reed.
@Dee, you’re probably thinking about the Animal Magnetism series by Shalvis. Many of the books have animal characters, but in other books animals don’t play much of a part, such as Rumor Has It. I really enjoyed the first few books in the series, but Shalvis started having MCs that just won’t sit down and have conversations like adults, and it got really old.
My favorite holiday story this year so far has been The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane. Aside from the romance, the plot centers around an animal shelter that has lost its funding and the attempts to find 12 really adorable (and hard to place) dogs new homes.
I’d also recommend Pippa Grant who includes unusual (and funny) pets in just about every book she writes.
Finally, I’d highly recommend the Pets In Space 5 anthology. A portion of the first month’s sales each year are donated to a Hero dog nonprofit, and past anthologies have included all kinds of alien pets, not just somewhat familiar dogs/cats but intelligent lizards, birds, dragons, plant based creatures, you name it, there’s probably a story about it.
Totally agree that all Jennifer Crusie, Tamora Pierce, and Love in the Afternoon by Kleypas fit the bill perfectly. Would also add Robbin McKinley (great horses) and:
– Romeo Romeo by Robin Kaye – ginormous dog in this one
– All Creatures Great and Small by Kasper Quill- a short holiday mm with fun animals (can be found on Hoopla)
– Dex in Blue by Amy Lane – mm with reptiles!
– Second Hand by Marie Sexton – another mm
Would the historical romance with the scruffy dog rescued by the heroine (who names him Ulysses, I think) , which is then taken in by the hero be Arabella by Georgette Heyer?
@Karin,
Was heroine a companion/guest of the hero’s grandmother/aunt, and the big orange cat was named Manegold? I think that was a Barbara Metzger book but I don’t remember the title.
A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James is a Cinderella-esque story, but she has to go to the ball in place of her sister because her sister’s spoiled dog bit her… and the prince owns a sad lion among some other creatures, IIRC.
Check out the Nothing Girl, the Something Girl and short story the Donkey Story by Jodi Taylor The heroine has a golden horse only she can see. There are also a failed race horse, an ugly cat she rescues and a miniature donkey named Marilyn Monroe. I love these books
@SusanE, thank you for that great clue! Manegold rang a bell so I googled it and it looks like there is a cat by that name, but it’s in a Diane Farr book called “Once Upon a Christmas”. However Barbara Metzger has lots of pets in her books, so she may have another Manegold. I’ve read a few books by both authors.
And I stumbled onto this great list of book pets: https://allaboutromance.com/special-title-listings-amazing-animals/
@SusanE, checking the reviews of “Once Upon a Christmas”, that looks like the one. I remember the story, now I have to reread it!
@Karin, that list was great! Yes, Manegold was in the Farr book. I was mixing up details from two books and attributing them to a third author.
Metzger’s books usually have lots of humor. My favorite animal is Fitz, the dog in A Loyal Companion, who narrates parts of the book.
I also like Diablo, the cantankerous horse in A Debt to Delia, who has to be managed with bribes of hard candy.
Working Stiff by Blair Babylon features three ugly shelter cats as an integral part of the story. Currently free on Amazon.