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    Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel
    Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel
    Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel

    Written by Annie England Noblin

    Narrated by Amy McFadden

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Sit! Stay! Speak! author Annie England Noblin’s novel takes one woman starting over, adds an aging pug named Teddy Roosevelt, and proves the power of a well-baked dog treat.

    All she wants is a settled-down life.

    What she gets is a dog—and a whole new normal . . .

    There he stood in the doorway: overweight, depressed and nearly homeless—a pug named Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy was Brydie Benson’s latest problem, arriving on top of her messy divorce and sudden move. Brydie needed a place to start over, so this rent-free home seemed a great idea. She just never counted on Teddy, or his owner, the Germantown Retirement Village’s toughest customer, Pauline Neumann.

    And because rent-free doesn’t mean bills-free, Brydie gets a night-shift job at a big-box grocery. Whoever guessed there were so many people who wanted baked goods after midnight?

    Then, she gets an idea—why not combine her baking skills with her new-found dog knowledge? And so her store Pupcakes is born. Along with a new start comes a possible new love, in the form of Nathan Reid, a local doctor with a sassy Irish Wolfhound named Sasha. And as fall turns to winter, and then to Christmas, Brydie begins to realize that life is a little bit like learning a new recipe for puff pastry—it takes a few tries to get it just right!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 10, 2017
    ISBN9780062791085
    Author

    Annie England Noblin

    Annie England Noblin lives with her son, husband, and three dogs in the Missouri Ozarks. She graduated with an M.A. in creative writing from Missouri State University and currently teaches English and communications for Arkansas State University in Mountain Home, Arkansas. She spends her free time playing make-believe, feeding stray cats, and working with animal shelters across the country to save homeless dogs.

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    Reviews for Pupcakes

    4/5

    55 ratings17 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Cute, Teddy and Brydie make a cute couple.
    • 4/5
      Pupcakes by Annie England Noblin is a charming novel about new beginnings and coming to terms with a painful past.

      Brydie Benson was blindsided by her divorce and she is starting over in Memphis, TN where her best friend Elliot Jones lives. Brydie is struggling to let go of the future she expected to have with her ex and with a little nudging from Elliott, she finally manages to become more engaged in life. Her progress in moving on does not really begin until she moves into a house where she receives free rent in exchange for taking care of home owner Pauline Neumann's laconic but lovable pug, Teddy Roosevelt. When she and Teddy visit the local dog park, Brydie is surprised by her interest in another dog lover, Nathan Reid. After their rather memorable first meeting, she hopes to avoid him for the foreseeable future but as luck would have, she runs into him when she goes to the nursing home where she and Teddy are visiting Pauline. When their paths continue to cross, Brydie reluctantly agrees to go on a date with him, but will her unresolved issues from her divorce derail their chance at happiness?

      Brydie is a bit of a contradiction due to the vast difference in her behavior personally and professionally. In her personal life, she is an avoider who ignores problems and she runs away from confrontation instead of dealing with it head on. She and her mother have a somewhat troubled relationship which has worsened in the years since her father passed away.

      In sharp contrast to her personal life, Brydie is quite confident when it comes to her chosen career as a baker. Before she and her ex divorced and sold their bakery, she had a strong work ethic and put in long hours to ensure their business thrived. Since their divorce, she has avoided anything do with baking. However, her new job renews her zeal for baking but instead of creating delicious desserts, Brydie now focuses on making dog treats.

      Brydie's relationship with Nathan moves in fits and starts as she overreacts and runs away at the slightest provocation. She is aware that she is deliberately sabotaging their slow moving romance but she finds it difficult to risk her heart again. When everything is going well between them, she and Nathan are a well-matched couple who have a surprising amount of interests in common despite their very different careers. When trouble arises, Brydie continues her frustrating pattern of running away then avoiding any contact with Nathan. While her fears are understandable, Brydie's continual overreaction to minor difficulties becomes extremely irritating.

      Brydie's friendship with Pauline is absolutely heartwarming and the older woman remains quite feisty despite her failing health. With a wealth of experience and more than a few regrets about some areas of her life, Pauline offers sage advice to her young friend, but will Brydie be open to the her well-meaning suggestions?

      Featuring an adorable pup, a thought-provoking storyline and a colorful cast of eclectic characters, Pupcakes is an uplifting journey of healing. Despite the sometimes uneven pacing of the storyline and Brydie's tendency to self-sabotage when she feels threatened, this latest novel by Annie England Noblin is an enjoyable tale that fans of the genre are sure to love!
    • 5/5
      This book was a pleasant surprise. If you are a fan of the late, great Maeve Binchy, you might want to give this book a try. Yes, it plays in the US and not in England, but the writing style was very nice and even though it has a very predictable end I still enjoyed reading it all the way to the last line. Having a cute, elderly Pug as a "main character" surely helped, too!
    • 4/5
      I love to read Christmas/holiday themed books during the month of December. The books are usually " lighter reads" with a positive and uplifting story line. Pupcakes was just that kind of story. Brydie is at a rough point in her life and a new living arrangement is just what she needs .Her new roommate is not a human being but a pug named Teddy Roosevelt. Brydie is able to live rent free on one condition, she must care for Teddy. Along with caring for him she is responsible for taking Teddy to visit Pauline, his master and owner of the home. This was a sweet, cozy story and I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      This was a charming book that was so much more than a Christmas story. Actually, Christmas is just a very small part of the story that you could read this anytime. The story has more to do with baking and dogs and the lives of some very fun characters.
    • 2/5
      ARC; Women's Fiction book. Does need a bit more editing. Some things linked in later, but when they occurred, I was startled. Divorced 30 something gal starts over in a new town, dog & house sitting for a woman who is now in a retirement home. Pupcakes refers to the bakery product that she finally concocts for humans and dogs. Like another reviewer noted, light on the plot in favor of the romance.
    • 3/5
      3 stars...what a cozy comfort of a read! especially with a warm beverage, the wrapping of a down comforter, and my snuggle reading partner dog by my side. This was my first time reading with this author; it will not be my last. Favorite character(s): Pauline Newman, Teddy Roosevelt, and Rosa.Thank you Early Reviewers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
    • 5/5
      Loved this sweet story. Teddy Roosevelt was adorable and I so wanted Brydie to be happy again. Annie England Noblin's stories are at the top of my TBR list.
    • 5/5
      After a divorce, Byrdie Benson is struggling to get her life back on track. Both cooks/bakers by trade, she and her cheating husband Allen sold the bakery they operated together in their small town. Now, Byrdie has moved to Memphis, TN. Her best friend and real estate agent, Elliot Jones, has helped her find a great place to live free, except that she must take care of Teddy Roosevelt, the owner’s older but lovable pug, in return for living in the house. Teddys owner, Pauline Neumann, loves Teddy but cannot keep him in the rest home where she has moved. As part of her rental agreement, Byrdie is responsible for bringing Teddy for a visit with Pauline once a week. Once settled into the house, Byrdie and Teddy go to a dog park in the area, where they meet Nathan Reid and his Irish wolfhound, Shasta. Nathan, another dog lover, is an ER doctor by profession. He is also spending some time at Pauline’s home as part of the hospital doctor rotation. Thus, though she figured she would never see him again, Byrdie bumps into him again when she goes to visit Pauline. When their paths continue to cross, Byrdie agrees to a date with Nathan. However, remember, Byrdie is still smarting from her divorce from Allen. Can she now open herself up to someone else? In addition, can Nathan finally find someone he wants to settle down with? How can Teddy Roosevelt and his fascinating owner help—or can they even help?This is a really good story, set in the holiday timeframe. However, the holidays do not overpower the tale. I loved the main characters, Byrdie, Nathan, Pauline. And, of course, the laconic Teddy Roosevelt, who stole the show with his difficult but ever lovable personality. This is a good book for anyone who loves dogs. Teddy is one heck of a pug, set in his ways, demanding, almost too obstinate and spoiled for words, but nevertheless loyal and loving and full of life and interesting antics. I love dogs, and this was a good book for me—and will be for anyone who also loves dogs and/or is looking for a heart-warming, lovable romance filled with great side plots. The story is also about how Pauline helps Byrdie find her way and get her life back on track. Pauline is a feisty old woman, with lots of experience and wisdom, who generously doles it out to Byrdie, who, because of her cold, distant mother, has no one to help her get her life back on track. I do not see how anyone will not like this book. It deserves five stars and more, if I could only give it more. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.
    • 5/5
      What a great book! Take Brydie, really not having a great year after getting divorced - and a grumpy looking Pug named Teddy Roosevelt, and you get this really feel good book. It's a great read for Christmas time. This is a really cute book that I would recommend!
    • 4/5
      Pup cakes is about Brydie, a recent divorcée, who is restarting her life. She really has no where to go, so her realtor friend sets her up with a live in dog-sitting gig. The dog is Teddy Roosevelt and Brydie is hesitant about this dog thing, at first, but soon Brydie adores Teddy and her owner, Pauline. She gets a job, makes some friends, and even meets a guy.All in all, a very sweet story, especially if you are a dog lover!
    • 3/5
      Let me state that I am a cat lover, and barely tolerate dogs. But who can help falling in love with an older pug named Teddy Roosevelt? Many stories deal with women in bad relationships or in the process of leaving a cheating husband. What is going on with these unfaithful men? Brydie Benson divorces her cheating husband and moves into a home that belongs to a lady now living in a retirement center. Brydie must cohabitate the house with the old lady's dog, Teddy Roosevelt. The story begins in fall and escalates to Christmas and all the wonderful and magical events that happen at Christmas. Life displays ups and downs, and a golden future enters very seldom. Brydie, Pauline Neumann, and Nathan Reid represent worthy and enjoyable characters.
    • 5/5
      Even though this book has a holiday theme, I read it just as soon as it arrived in the mail! It is a lovely story about new beginnings, friendship, and coping with loss. The star of the story is Teddy Roosevelt, the beloved pet of an elderly neighbor now confined to a nursing home. Teddy becomes the ward of Brydie Benson, who is beginning again after a messy divorce. She takes a late shift job at a big box store and soon discovers that her talents as a baker (her previous career, with her former husband) can be put to use and her store Pupcakes is borne. A new home, a new business, and a new romance await Brydie! If you like this genre, this is a must read!
    • 5/5
      Imagine being given the chance to live in a lovely house rent-free, with just a couple of conditions. First, you have to care for a pug whose owner recently entered a nursing home. And you have to take said pug for weekly Sunday visits to his owner in that facility. Alas, Brydie has little hope for a better offer. Newly divorced and jobless, she agrees to the conditions. A baker by trade, she has never owned a dog, and it takes a bit of time for both dog and woman to adjust to the new living arrangements. But adjust they do. Brydie learns to care for the dog, Teddy Roosevelt, and she develops a true affection for Pauline, his owner. And meeting a personable and handsome doctor in the dog park was just icing on the cake, so to speak. Humor is sprinkled throughout this delightful novel, but the author also raises some serious issues. What happens to pets and homes when the owner must enter a nursing home? How do you pick up the pieces of your life when your husband leaves you for another woman and takes your livelihood with him? Theses are just some of the problems explored in this well-written novel. Peopled with a wonderful cast of characters, this tale was a joy to read from beginning to end. Certainly a stand-alone, it could be the start of a great series.
    • 4/5
      Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel by Annie England Noblin is a great holiday read about newly divorced Brydie Benson. Brydie, who once owned a bakery with her now-ex-husband, is struggling to start over, as a house-sitter for a nursing home patient, and dog sitter for the lady's old pug, Teddy. She finds work at a big box store bakery and along with that, a new circle of unconventional friends as well as unexpected romance in her temporary neighborhood. The characters are rich and the story, meaningful.
    • 4/5
      A nice story about loss, growth, new friends, repairing relationships, romance and a dog. Byrdie (newly divorced) has to make a new life for herself and with the help of friends, old and new. she finds her way to happiness and fulfillment. story is a little drawn out and predictable, but overall, pleasant.
    • 5/5
      Pupcakes is not only for the dogs but for dog lovers as well! I could not put this book down. I was having such a grand time reading this book. Literally, I finished this book in a matter of a couple of hours. Everyone that I was introduced to in this book I fell in love with. Brydie, Nathan aka Dr. Sexy, Pauline (Teddy's owner), Teddy, and Sasha. I have never owned a pug but after reading this book, my next dog may have to be a pug. Brydie needed Teddy just as much as Teddy needed her. Plus, you could not ask for a better taste tester than Teddy. Pauline is such a sweetheart. She may have been moved to a facility but the lady she had spunk. You could say that Brydie and Teddy made quite the impression on Nathan at their first visit. Teddy puked all over Nathan's shoes with Brydie and Teddy doing a "hit and run". There are so many enjoyable moments in this book like the moment when one of the residents ate a dog treat or the moment involving the dog birthday.