Love is a Four-Legged Word by Kandy Shepherd

Maddy Cartwright inherits her landlord, Walter's dog. No one knew that Walter was a millionaire and he bequeathes everything to his dog, Brutus and his guardian. Everyone, including, their lawyer, tom O'Brien assumes the worst about Maddy and Walter's relationship, but he was like a grandfather to her, and she a granddaughter. There is a 21 day clause in the will that forces Tom and Maddy to work together; and of course the will is contested by a distant, money hungry relative. Through this process a romance begins...

This is not a Christian book. I had forgotten how much secular books differed from Christian ones, and not in all obvious ways. There were some cute moments in the book as the main characters shared adventures with a dog in mourning. Unfortunately there was some bad language, and although, when I signed up to judge this contest, I agreed to read only mild romances, there was still a little too much in this one. Apparently "mild" does not mean moral; it definitely does not mean Christian. The entire focus of the book was very superficial. There was so much about appearances and "how he makes her feel" or vice versa. What about who he is? I skimmed through most of this book in order to fulfill my duties, and I have learned my lesson: I will stick with books that are clearly labeled Christian.

As far as writing goes, the characters were well-developed; the heroine was cute, and the villain was horrible. The story progressed quickly and smoothly. Again, there were some cute moments; it could have been a fun story, but it did not work for me. I would not recommend this book.