Housebroke by Jaci Burton

After her ex took all their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It's the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she's sold the house!

 

Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating, he agrees she can stay while he's renovating the place. Linc tells Hazel he's an investor who renovates homes for fun-but having been burned in the past by women who have only wanted his money, he leaves out that he's also extremely wealthy...

 

Hazel's intrigued by sweet, funny Linc. But her track record with men isn't great, and trust doesn't come easy. Linc's never met anyone like the quirky beauty who puts everyone's needs before her own. But can he figure out how to tell Hazel the truth without losing her?

Publisher: Berkley |Genre: Contemporary Romance  | Source: Publisher  | Rating: 3.5

After her ex took all their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It's the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she's sold the house!

 

Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating, he agrees she can stay while he's renovating the place. Linc tells Hazel he's an investor who renovates homes for fun-but having been burned in the past by women who have only wanted his money, he leaves out that he's also extremely wealthy...

 

Hazel's intrigued by sweet, funny Linc. But her track record with men isn't great, and trust doesn't come easy. Linc's never met anyone like the quirky beauty who puts everyone's needs before her own. But can he figure out how to tell Hazel the truth without losing her?

 

It’s been a minute since I read a Jaci Burton romance and I completely forgot how much fun I have with them. This one was cute, fast, and filled with the most adorable little rescue dogs.

 

Here’s a quick recap: Hazel’s a bit down on her luck and staying at a friend’s house while it’s on the market although unbeknownst to her, the house sold and she accosted the new owner, Linc, with a cast iron skillet. While Linc doesn’t want a houseguest, or her pups, staying with him in the house he’s fixing up he finds himself asking her to stay. While there’s an attraction, there’s also hesitation as they’ve been hurt before. Now they have to decide if it’s worth the risk.

 

Let me just tell you, the cute rescue dogs will steal your heart. Linc and Hazel do a pretty good job at that as well. I liked both Hazel and Linc. They’ve both been hurt, they have some issues they need to work through, and they need to learn to let people in instead of keeping them at arm’s length. While I liked both, they both had their trying moments. Hazel was rude at times, lashing out at Linc for no real reason. Linc held on to something that he should have shared early in their messing about.

 

I’m a little on the fence about what to rate this. I’ve been bouncing between a 3.5 and 4 since I read finished the book and, I think I’m settling on a 3.5. There were a few issues. The fact that the blowup could have been avoided if they just sat down and had a conversation. I’m not a fan of that type of catalyst for the conflict. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending. I would have liked to have had more of Linc and Hazel’s relationship on the page.

 

Overall, I did enjoy this one. Linc and Hazel made a fun pair, there was healing both personal and familial, and it was just a fun time. I highly recommend this one.