BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE
The Sex and Sweet Tea Series
by Juliette Poe
Big Dog Books, LLC
Release Day – SEPTEMBER 14th
Things in Whynot, NC have gone to the dogs, and that’s just the way the town’s only veterinarian, Laken Mancinkus, likes it. No matter if she’s up when the rooster crows, or working until the cows come home, Laken never leaves an animal in need. So when a gorgeous Yankee comes begging for help herding some wily goats, Laken is up to the task.
Jake McDaniel is looking for a tax break, and what better way than to take up…farming? This ex-football player turned businessman turned unwitting goat farmer is up to his knees in goat drama. Runaway goats, dehydrated goats, and a baby goat that wants no one other than him, Jake needs more help than he cares to admit. Good thing the sexy veterinarian is right there to coach him on how to be a farmer. The only problem is, Laken’s not looking for anything more than a good time, while Jake is looking for his forever girl.
Will the baby goat, and Laken, be enough to get Jake to stay? Or will he take his tax break and hoof it back to Chicago? One thing is for certain…what happens on the farm doesn’t always stay on the farm.
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SASCHA DARLINGTON’S REVIEW
Call me slow, but I’ve finally realized that when publicity says that so-and-so is writing sweet romances what they are saying essentially is that because the sex scenes are not described down to the last detail that the novel actually has room for a real story and not just a hint of one. Yay, because I happen to be a fan of reading real stories! So glad to have finally figured that out. 😉
Which leads me to Juliette Poe aka Sawyer Bennett’s latest installment in her Sex and Sweet Tea series, Barking Up the Wrong Tree. The first installment, Ain’t He Sweet, was reviewed on this blog back in April (but feels so, so much longer ago). And, somehow I missed the second installment. I don’t know how that keeps happening. 🙁
I haven’t read any of Sawyer Bennett’s novels, but I love what she/Juliette Poe is doing with this series. I’m sure I’ve mentioned dozens of times that I am a fan of quirky and the town of Whynot, North Carolina is exactly that.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree centers on Laken Mancinkus, a veterinarian and one of the twin Mancinkus girls. She had a bad relationship back in Raleigh and has decided that her taste in men can’t be trusted so she likes to keep things casual. Except, Jake McDaniel, a guy with a similar pedigree to the guy who hurt Laken, doesn’t really do casual, and he’s very much into Laken.
Told from multiple povs, which work and don’t distract, Barking Up the Wrong Tree blends sweet and sad and funny well. For you animal lovers, dwarf goats are added to the mix, which is entertaining.
Having said that, I felt that there was a little something missing from this installment. Perhaps because it felt like Laken didn’t take her work seriously because she seemed to ditch it a lot? I have such a high regard for vets and their dedication that this felt a little off. I don’t know. Anyway, Barking Up the Wrong Tree is still well above average and well worth reading if funny, quirky romances are your thing.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
rating: 
4 butterflies out of 5 butterflies
Juliette Poe is the sweet and swoony alter ego of New York Times Best Selling author, Sawyer Bennett.
A fun-loving southern girl, Juliette knows the allure of sweet tea, small towns, and long summer nights, that some of the best dates end sitting on the front porch swing, and that family is top priority. She brings love in the south to life in her debut series, Sex & Sweet Tea.
When Juliette isn’t delivering the sweetest kind of romance, she’s teaching her southern belle daughter the fine art of fishing, the importance of wearing Chucks, and the endless possibilities of a vivid imagination.