Dog Handling
A Novel
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A hilarious and hip novel for every girl who’s been desperate to find a way into her dream-man’s heart–and discovered that love is more finicky than a Chihuahua in a Prada handbag.
Yesterday, Liv Elliot had it all: a great flat in London’s Notting Hill, an actual career (okay, as an accountant), and a fiancé with whom she was only weeks away from wedded bliss. Every girl’s dream, right? But then Tim declared that the wedding was off–leaving Liv shell-shocked. Luckily, she’s got her best friend’s fab Australian beach house in which to recuperate.
The restorative powers of the Sydney sun, sand, and sea soon have Liv feeling wonderfully careless, wanton, and reckless. Things really couldn’t get any more anti-accountant when she runs into old flame Ben Parker. It’s been years since they fooled around on their summer vacation, but Liv never forgot that genetically-blessed face. Raring to help her land beautiful Ben, Liv’s friends teach her the Rules of Dog Handling: Treat a man like a dog, and he’ll be eating out of your hand. But surely this can’t actually work? Liv is about to find out that it can–but she’s hardly prepared for the unexpected results.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Londoner Naylor, author of Love: A User's Guide, gets off to a comically wicked start as spunky heroine Liv Elliott, flustered over her upcoming nuptials, writes her fantasy obituary and dreams of having "mad sex" with every man she encounters. When her fianc , Tim, calls off the wedding, a shocked Liv resolves to stop chasing her dreams and start living them. With her jet-setting best friend Alex at her side, Liv trades in dank London for sunny Sydney, Australia, and begins to cross goals off her list: sex with someone other than Tim, a panty-less lunch date, surf lessons and starting her own business (a lingerie line called Greta's Grundies). She makes some zany new friends, including Dave, a cross-dressing singer, and she also reacquaints herself with Ben Parker the boy she shared one dreamy night with as a teenager and has been thinking about ever since. Although Ben is attached to Amelia, a wealthy beauty, he is instantly enthralled with Liv. But Liv, tired of nursing broken hearts, dreads any kind of serious relationship. Dave explains that the only way to deal with men is to "dog handle" them: be the "girl with ball who doesn't want to play." Liv laps up the advice, and all goes according to plan until she falls hard for Ben and her man-handling methods are exposed. This is all reminiscent of Bridget Jones's Diary, of course, but amusing nonetheless.
