
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (August 4, 2015)
What's the difference between puppy love and dogged devotion?
When Sara Renault fired Rory O'Connor from his part-time job at a Boston art museum, and in response, Rory—Irishman, actor, musician, reformed party-boy— impulsively leaned over and kissed her . . . she kissed him back. Now, as Rory's visa runs out on the cusp of his big Hollywood break, Sara insists that he marry her to get a green card. In a matter of weeks they've gone from being friendly work colleagues to a live-in couple, and it's all grand . . . except for Cody, Sara's beloved dog from her troubled previous relationship. Sara's overattachment to her dog is the only thing she and Rory fight about.
When Rory scores both his green card and the lead role in an upcoming TV pilot, he and Sara (and Cody) prepare to move to Los Angeles. But just before their departure, Cody is kidnapped—and it is entirely Rory's fault. Desperate to get back into Sara's good graces, Rory tracks Cody and the sociopathic dognapper to North Carolina. Can Rory rescue Cody and convince Sara that they belong together—with Cody—as a family? First they'll need to survive a madcap adventure that takes them through the heart of America.
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Review:
Everything changes for Rory O’Connor the day his funding is pulled for his position as guest lecturer at the Boston Art Museum. To begin with, he immediately starts dating his boss, Sara. Their whirlwind romance develops into something serious pretty quickly, even if Rory doesn’t understand Sara’s American obsession with her dog, Cody. Rory’s work visa is also expiring; he has set up a sham marriage to his cousin’s widow to receive his green card. However, when he hatches his plan to Sara, Sara simply insists that they get married instead. Now with a marriage and a green card, Rory also lands a role in a new TV series- in L.A. A move across country is in the works, but is made a lot more difficult with a neurotic dog mom. When Rory gives Cody to a new friend to watch while they clean out their old apartment, Sara quickly realizes that he has made a huge mistake. Cody has been dog-napped. Now, Rory must get Cody back and mend bridges with Sara on their way across the country.
Stepdog is a humorous and fun book not only about how dogs can change your life, but how a new relationship can change and grow. The concept of a stepdog was cute; Rory would continuously say "it's not my dog, it's my wife's dog." his stepdog. A full, lively and diverse set of characters made this book entertaining throughout. Rory was awesome, an Irishman who played the fiddle, quoted Shakespeare and gave everyone a personal playlist in his head. As an avid dog lover myself, I was a little confused about his aversion to dogs, but I guess I never knew there was such a difference between the way American's treat dogs and the Irish. Sara seemed like someone who was perfect in every way and had her life together, but when it came to her dog, she would stop the world. Many of the side characters made the story for me, Alto, Marie, Danny and especially Alex made the story very real and charming. My only complaint was that it seemed like the story could have ended after part two; however part three was entertaining as well. Overall, a rollicking story fit for any dog lover or contemporary romantic comedy crowd.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Nicole Galland's five previous novels are The Fool's Tale; Revenge of the Rose; Crossed; I, Iago, and Godiva. She writes a cheeky etiquette column for the Martha's Vineyard Times. She is married to actor Billy Meleady and owns Leuco, a dog of splendid qualities.
Find out more about Nicole at her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.