Author’s Note: This edition has been extensively revised.
When Aaron finds Mavis, an emaciated and shy Boston terrier, at a pet adoption fair, his heart goes out to her—completely.
When Christian, manning the adoption fair for the Humane Society that autumn Saturday, finds Aaron, his heart goes out to him—completely.
This is a story about embracing love, whether it’s for someone who walks on four legs or on two. Mavis’s journey back to wholeness and finding her forever home parallels the story of two men discovering each other at the perfect moment—a moment that defies logic, propriety, and common sense. But when did love ever follow a rational course?
First edition published by Amber Allure, January 2012.
Title: I Heart Boston Terriers
Author: Rick R. Reed
Release Date: September 20, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 54
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Dreamspinner Press
Kobo Books
This is a quick read. A short story you can read while waiting in line, or while dinner is in the oven. I do like those kinds of reads. Then you add in an animal? Well, you have me wanting to read it right away. 🙂
We could talk about Aaron and Christian, and the fact that Aaron was a little put off initially by Christian’s forwardness. Or about Aaron’s sister, who, honestly as an animal lover, and a shelter volunteer myself, I wanted to…well, let’s just say I didn’t want to take her to dinner.
But let’s talk about Mavis. Because…poor abused Mavis, she needed love more than anyone else in the story! What a sweet thing (take a look at the cover, that is a picture of the author’s own dog, Lily, being a star!) she was. Mavis was a challenge, for sure, especially for a man who had never owned a dog. She acted in ways that were difficult to understand, and which, if you are unfamiliar with animals, would be a challenge to try to figure out how to deal with. However, I loved that Aaron stood up for his dog, and his choices, and said that she was staying, period, and yet went looking for help with a situation he had no idea how to solve.
The approach the author took to the ending was actually perfect for this short story. Mavis was taken care of, and there wasn’t an impossible situation for the two men to deal with, as they worked through whether or not they wanted to pursue a relationship with each other. Sometimes in short stories, the insta-love leads to what would not be a realistic, long term relationship, which can make the reader feel like, it is an HFN, but will later be a “we are done”. And with a romance, we want to KNOW that they will get their HEA.
3.5 pieces of eye candy
