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theamyleblanc's review against another edition
3.0
Football AND puppies?! What's not to love? I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could.
The football was great. The puppies were adorable and I wanted to adopt each and every one of them (especially Rufus). The characters were interesting and distinct. The story kept me engaged. The reason I didn't give this more stars is because the romance seemed too easy. Everything seemed a bit too easy, which made it lose a little luster for me. It didn't build and grow but more just popped into being. It was a different cadence than most of Lucy's books that I've read.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and would happily recommend it. It's cute and heartwarming but it isn't my favorite Lucy Gilmore.
The football was great. The puppies were adorable and I wanted to adopt each and every one of them (especially Rufus). The characters were interesting and distinct. The story kept me engaged. The reason I didn't give this more stars is because the romance seemed too easy. Everything seemed a bit too easy, which made it lose a little luster for me. It didn't build and grow but more just popped into being. It was a different cadence than most of Lucy's books that I've read.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and would happily recommend it. It's cute and heartwarming but it isn't my favorite Lucy Gilmore.
transportedlfl's review
4.0
I was absolutely taken by a book called Ruff and Tumble with a dog on the cover. Hailey is the production assistant who runs the Puppy Cup, the show during the halftime of the football championship game. Cole, the Seattle quarterback, approaches her to get involved with the Puppy Cup as well in hopes that she and the puppies will prove to be a good luck charm. The book features so many shelter pups, as a key goal of the Puppy Cup is to find homes for dogs. I would love the book just for the descriptions of puppies playing.
But the book is sweet in so many other ways as well. I loved Cole's family, especially his sister and niece. And I loved just about everything about Hailey. Her connection with and understanding of shelter pups is deep, and it's a key driver behind her job and her choice to foster dogs. She is equally connected to Cole's team and always picks him in the first round of her fantasy football draft. The two of them together are great fun, especially as she can critique his play like no one else. This book made me smile throughout. It's a fun romance.
Thank you to Sourcebook Casablanca and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.
But the book is sweet in so many other ways as well. I loved Cole's family, especially his sister and niece. And I loved just about everything about Hailey. Her connection with and understanding of shelter pups is deep, and it's a key driver behind her job and her choice to foster dogs. She is equally connected to Cole's team and always picks him in the first round of her fantasy football draft. The two of them together are great fun, especially as she can critique his play like no one else. This book made me smile throughout. It's a fun romance.
Thank you to Sourcebook Casablanca and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.
jcmbank's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cseelson's review
4.0
I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of SEP’s Nobody’s Baby But Mine, without the pregnancy but plus lots of puppies. 4.5 stars.
thechristinereads's review
5.0
An adorable, sweet romance with football and dogs!
The characters went beyond what I normally read — they had compelling backstories. Well written, and character-driven story.
SourceBooks and Gilmore never disappoint. Thank you so much for this arc.
I received an arc of this book, and this is my honest opinion.`
The characters went beyond what I normally read — they had compelling backstories. Well written, and character-driven story.
SourceBooks and Gilmore never disappoint. Thank you so much for this arc.
I received an arc of this book, and this is my honest opinion.`
annarella's review
5.0
I love Lucy Gilmore's books and I loved this one.
This is another excellent addition and I loved this story about life, what you want and what are the priorities.
It made me smile, laugh and root for the characters.
The plot is well developed, the characters human/canine are fleshed out and I rooted for Halley and Cole.
It was an engrossing, heartwarming and entertaining story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
This is another excellent addition and I loved this story about life, what you want and what are the priorities.
It made me smile, laugh and root for the characters.
The plot is well developed, the characters human/canine are fleshed out and I rooted for Halley and Cole.
It was an engrossing, heartwarming and entertaining story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
musicalknitter's review
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of 2 people falling in love with all their baggage and while they are trying to do their work. This story was told with respect for the characters as well as a sense of humour which makes this fun to read. The puppies help Cole & Hailey get to know each other as well as grow together. I certainly look forward to reading another story about this family and the football team. I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
cpsouthworth's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cakt1991's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Ruff and Tumble is a cute, if not super substantial, contemporary romance. That’s not a bad thing, as what you see being what you get can be a good thing in this time of confusing romance marketing (and boy, is that discussion becoming more and more loaded…this cover itself got dragged into one such thread).
That said, I think the idea of this was more interesting than the execution. This book seems to fictionalize professional football, with the hero, Cole, playing in a fictional version of the Super Bowl, and Puppy Cup seems like a fictional event similar to the real-life Puppy Bowl. The event and the way the dogs are involved is super-cute, especially how it sets up Hailey’s involvement, as she’s shown to always be working with the winning team, and Cole finds himself reaching out to her for help when he’s in a bit of bad luck.
I wasn’t super invested in the romance, although I appreciated there was some depth and conflict to the relationship, even if the book was still more fluffy. I did feel like there was an easy way out for Hailey to explain the Lumberjacks memorabilia due to her dad being a fan, and Cole did primarily think of his own interests first, although not because he was a bad person, but because of his own lack of foresight.
This book is cute, and while it didn’t blow me away, I never go into these books expecting that. I’m just here for the cute puppies, and this one definitely offered a generous helping of cute puppy scenarios. If you love dogs, sports, or dogs involved in sports (especially if you tune into the Puppy Bowl every year!), you’ll like this one.
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