Unleashed Holiday | Victoria Schade | Contemporary Romance Book Review

I needed something cozy and uplifting and Unleashed Holiday by Victoria Schade delivered everything and more! If you are new to Victoria Schade, she writes the best blend of contemporary fiction and romance always centered around an animal lover, their furry friends, and a love interest. This is a must read for the dog-lovers out there!

As for the title, this book truly delivers on holidays unleashed. Don’t let the Christmas-tree cover fool you, this book is a holiday bonanza, starting with the lead up to Halloween, then covering Thanksgiving in the middle third, and bringing it home with Christmas. The perfect book to get you excited for the holidays ahead!

About the Book | Unleashed Holiday

Dog trainer Chelsea Higgins is doing fine—her business is thriving, while her personal life is a bit stalled. When her former nemesis (and once brief fling) Andrew moves back to town and opens his gym in the same building as her dog training business, Chelsea is furious. How dare he come into her space and life after everything that has happened between them?

With a new puppy unexpectedly adopted into her home, a trio of skittish goats that she is working to train, and her grief over losing her father, Chelsea has enough going on without Andrew and his unleashed dog, Dude running around. After Dude injures her wrist, Andrew and Chelsea work out a deal—three dog training sessions in exchange for three rehabilitation sessions.

Despite her best efforts to hate him, things start to thaw between Chelsea and Andrew. Has he changed or did she misjudge him all along? Chelsea works to process her grief and focus on her family with the holidays upcoming, but is it possible she’ll get the gift of love as well?

My Thoughts | Unleashed Holiday

Victoria Schade has a gift with writing the most heartwarming stories. They are funny, engaging, and I always fall for the characters and the dogs. I look forward to each book of hers because the stories sing to the soul, healing me and giving me my warm and fuzzies back.

Chelsea is another fantastic character. She’s a blend of so many things, but she has a great heart and she cares so much for the animals and people in her life. Her grief over losing her father has made her retreat some from those in her life. Part of Chelsea’s story is about how she processes and moves on. How she welcomes the family she has and is able to continue with their beloved family traditions even though her dad won’t be there.

Chelsea and Andrew have instant chemistry, but they don’t immediately jump into their attraction. This isn’t your average enemies-to-lovers book, though it has some elements of that. There are a lot of feelings and history between Andrew and Chelsea that need to be resolved. I loved how Schade put healing before their chemistry. The relationship thawed in a slow and realistic manner as they both realize they may have grown and also misjudged one another.

The animals are a constant delight! The goat training is a funny addition that warmed my heart. I also found many of the dog scenarios so realistic. The challenges of a new puppy, no matter how experience you are with dog training. The dog who doesn’t like to be on his leash (not unlike my own dog…) and wants to chase that cat at all costs. The animals who bond instantly with certain people but take longer to get to know other dogs.

I also thought the family elements for both Chelsea and Andrew were a wonderful addition and added to the cozy holiday themes. Things aren’t perfect—particularly for Chelsea—but everyone is trying to heal in their own way and respecting that you can nudge others, but you can’t force them to heal sooner than they are ready.

Each holiday was introduced at just the right point and they felt organic to the story, not forced. I loved that this wasn’t a whirlwind Christmas story, but it spread over months and different holidays. The themes of those holidays came at just the right points, from learning to have fun and be a little wild at Halloween, to appreciating those in your life (whether friends or family) at Thanksgiving, to the magic of Christmas that also comes with the pressure to have it be a certain way.

Absolutely charming and full of heart!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author | Victoria Schade

Victoria Schade has been a dog trainer and writer for over twenty years. During that time her dog duties have included working behind the scenes on Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl as the lead animal wrangler, appearing on two seasons of the Animal Planet show Faithful Friends, writing dog training content and appearing in educational videos for pet websites like Great Pet Care and PetMD, and writing two dog training books, Bonding With Your Dog and Secrets of a Dog Trainer in addition to her novels. 

Victoria shares her 1850’s always-in-need-of renovations home with Millie the Smooth Brussels Griffon (who wants you to know that she’s not a skinny pug), Olive the mixed breed dog, the occasional foster pup, and her incredibly tolerant husband, Tom.

Check out her authors site for more about Victoria!

Other books by Victoria Schade

Who Rescued Who features a social media influencer and HR manager who loses her job after an ill-thought-out joke in an interview, making her realize that maybe sharing her entire life online has some drawbacks. When her father passes, her life is shaken to the core but she finds healing in England visiting their homestead–and maybe a bit more. Touching on themes of grief, loss, healing, stumbling, getting back up, and finding what truly makes us happy, this book is like a warm bowl of soup for the soul!

Lost, Found, and Forever features a dog trainer whose rescue pup was cast in a major film, but things turn sour when his former owner shows up to make claim to take his dog back. How can things ever work out when each wants to keep the pup they love and they both have ownership of him? A sweet story of the love for your pets and learning to open your heart up.