This was a cute story about a young women, Serena, that has had a difficult family life. Father left and her mother was an alcoholic. Serena gives up going to college in order to bring up her younger sister, Faith. So she struggles financially in unpleasant and unfulfilling jobs.
And then, Voila....she wins the lottery. And she does what????? She decides to design and run a Pet Posh Hotel. That....is...her....dream.....come...true?? (Well it's Kris Bryant' s story not mine. ) So Serena hires an woman architect to design it. The remainder of the story is the attraction between the architect and Serena, the architects aversion to dogs, and the back and forth on the design. There is a little angst almost at the end of the book, that really stretched my patients with Serena. But there are wonderful family and friends to support and shake some sense into her. And all ends well.

This has been quite an interesting story, although I think the two protagonists have been somewhat undefined and some of the plot lines have not been developed well or at least I think if the author was not going to use them to create some drama and tension that completed the whole story, I don't know why she hinted at them.

<spoiler> I mean Gabrielle's phobia and especially Serena's mother. The first has been liquidated quite briefly in the end and the second, although it goes in and out briefly in the course of the story, has not made much sense to me.</spoiler>

But, anyway, that wasn't enough to spoil the story for me.

Because Serena has seemed to me a really positive, sweet character and despite her past, she is not spiteful or revengeful. And Gabrielle, although at first she appears to be a cold woman and only focused on her professional career, then it has not been so much.

And also this story has the bonus of showing us the protagonist couple of the book Falling written by this same author, it is always a joy for me to find characters from previous books.

In short it has been a pretty good romance.

What would you do if you won the lottery? Would you give some charity or family? Or would you build a posh pet hotel? Serena always loved pets, but never was able to have one due to her mother moving her and her sister from place to place. This will be her dream of having animals around her all the time and allowing visitors to Vail to bring their pets with them and have them stay at a hotel while they are skiing. Serena enlists the help of an architectural firm. Her architect is Gabrielle. Unfortunately, Gabrielle does not understand why someone would want to spend their lottery winnings on a pet hotel. Not to mention that Gabrielle is scared to death of dogs due to being attacked when she was young. Gabrielle is a professional and will do what it takes to give Serena her dream hotel because her being made a partner depends on this job. What Gabrielle and Serena do not expect is be drawn to each other because of the project.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've always been a big fan of Kris Bryant and with my Covid Reader's Block, I knew she wouldn't fail me!

Serena has had a tough life, that suddenly is about to change with her impulsive decision to buy a lottery ticket, that makes her instantly extremely rich! Gabrielle on the other hand is a workaholic trying to prove herself as a partner in her architect firm, and the project she works on is Serena's dream project..

Kris Bryant really knows how to develop very likable characters, and this book is no different! Serena and Gabrielle are 2 wonderful characters, they have a very strong connection, and 2 very different family dynamics that I really liked. Serena's family is the complete opposite of Gabrielle's. With Bryant, the supporting characters (including pets and their INCREDIBLY SMART NAMES) make a big difference to the overall story, so the dynamics between the parents added a lot to the plot. For bonus points, you also Come across Piper and Shaylie from FALLING :)

This is a book that I recommend reading on the beach, or on a pool because it is so smooth, so entertaining and full of wonderful characters and you will sit there getting all kinds of smiles and warm from inside :)

A very solid 4 Stars!

"I received and ARC for an honest review."

This is very sweet romance and I would say second chance at life. Sometimes all you need is a little luck, nothing more. In this book one person was lucky enough. She got the fortune, which she handled very well as responsible human would and got the girl. I iked the bit of drama, it made this book interesting. All concluded in happy ending.

Serena lives paycheck to paycheck. Her life as a kid wasn't the best either (as she basically raised herself as well as her little sister). Then, she wins a big lottery jackpot. The thing she decides to do is build an Inn for pets. That's where Gabrielle comes in. She's the architect that's assigned to make Serena's vision come true.

It's a rocky relationship here and there with a bunch of push and pull because of the two characters' issues.

There were also a lot of friends characters that gave the novel a really cool richness too. That was awesome.

I will say that Serena and Serena's mom (and Faith in there too) was interesting as a plot to me, and while I liked how it was explored a little, I would have loved it if it was explored even more.

But, it was a fun read. Oh, and it actually acknowledged that not every person in the world has to be a dog lover (Well, acknowledged it for a bit at least, it's a start).

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

This book has two main characters Gabrielle and Serena, however there are several secondary characters that enhance the understanding of each of the main characters and adds so much more to the entire story. Gabriella is an architect and works extremely hard in an all boys network to Prove her worth. She’s a workaholic and doesn’t let people see the real her except for her closest friends and her mother. She doesn’t date but does do one night hook ups with no attachment.
Serena is a down and out hard worker who takes care of everyone including her dysfunctional mother and younger sister. Often she doesn’t have money for food herself and one of her good friends make sure that she is fed. When she’s down to her last four dollars she goes to a store to buy her usual hotdog and A soda but changes her mind and doesn’t get the soda but buys a lottery ticket. For somebody who has been down and out on her luck her entire life moving from place to place never having anything permanent, never having money, she finally finds her self in a position to fulfill her lifelong dream which was building A plush dog spa. That is when our two main characters come together, and while there’s a spark , both women have such little belief that they are lovable and worthy of love that they keep pushing back on what could be a beautiful relationship. The two women are very different in most ways, Gabrielle has a wonderful and loving relationship with her mother, and Serena has a mother who is extremely dysfunctional.
This book is so well written and what I would expect from the fabulous author that Kris Bryant is. Because of the way she develops a story and includes the secondary characters as important parts of the build up for the main characters The end result is always a fabulous read. I highly recommend this book, be aware once you pick it up it’s hard to put down.

This book might be the best thing Kris Bryant has ever written. I fell in love with both Serena and Gabrielle. I would love a follow up with them in the future. If you are a fan of Kris Bryant, you will want to read this, ASAP.

You know all those stereotypical romcoms? That’s exactly what this book was like for me.

Serena has always struggled to get by, she never had a chance to go to college with an alcoholic mom and a sister 10 years her junior to look after. She buys a state lottery ticket on a whim with her last money. She completely forgets about the ticket, btu when she does the laundry she finds out she has won it. Not one for a life in the limelight and to just make it rain she invests in realising her dream of owning a pet day care centre. She lives in Vail, the rich and famous come to holiday there,most place don’t allow pest, so it’s a solid business plan. She contracts a firm in Denver to do the work. Gabrielle works at the firm and is n track to become the new partner, if only she can get the next big assignment right. Tasked with the daycare Gabrielle sets off to Vail. Let’s just say the ladies don’t instantly like each other, they notice some good independent woman qualities about each other. When Serena and Gabrielle start to connect outside of work is when they find each other and a better understanding of the other.

It’s a real slow burner this one, but I liked it, it seems authentic. The secondary characters are great, Kris Bryant always knows how to write great characters and amazing secondary characters. But form me it was a bit too cliched, like all the romcoms these days, nothing wrong with them, I enjoy those from time to time as well. However in books I like to see a bit more, there was some angst in the book but it was slightly rushed and forced, in a book I expect a bit more than what I got from this one from Bryant, I still liked it, but I expected more.

I got an ARC of this book.

I love dogs and having a cute dog on the cover was really nice. I decided, what the hell, and followed my grandmother’s general way of picking a book. Her way is literally any book with a dog on the cover. I do have an issue with the cover. The dog on the cover is not the dogs that were described in the book. There also was no cat in the MC’s homes (unless you count the one cat a friend had that was in one scene). So the cover doesn’t really make any sense to me.

So fun fact: asexual is a sexual identity label like gay or straight. It is not something you “appear” to be at work. It is not something you strive to pass as. It does NOT mean that you are not sexually attractive or that you don’t want sex. I am so annoyed. One of the main characters tried to “appear as asexual as possible at work”. I really shouldn’t have to read bad usage of a queer term in a queer romance novel.

Near the end there is a misunderstanding that leads the women to break up. This is not surprising or a spoiler, this is literal just romance novel pacing stuff. One of the MC confides to someone who convinces them to do whatever it takes to fix things. The chapter changes, it is weeks later. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. They accidentally run into each other and things are magically fixed without anything being done. There was no resolution. There was no moving forward. Just “I miss you” and bam back together. It was so anti-climatic and such a let down.

By the end of the book I could not tell the two MC apart. There were so many friends mentioned in passing and that played small roles that I had no idea who was who. None of the characters were really distinct. They all blended together. There were a lot of cute queer families which I liked, but I couldn’t tell you who was in each one.

Overall, the book was bland and really wasn’t all the exciting. It wasn’t terrible, but there is really nothing here for me to recommend to someone.

3.5 stars. This is my first time reading a book by this author. The writing is good, well-edited. The story does take a bit of time to get off the ground, but then moves along at a fair pace.

I don't do spoilers, so never fear. The two main characters meet after one wins the lottery and decides to build a pet lodging place, albeit a fancy one; the architect is the other main character. There are some bumps in the road for this pair, all building up to a sweet HEA ending.

There were good lessons to be had in the book, don't be afraid to keep trying; hope is a good thing and love wins. The only thing that stuck me as unusual is that there is very little reference to any male characters, only in passing. The architect's boss and her nephew popped up more often, but that was about it. I get that this is a lesbian romance novel, but shouldn't there be more men in their circle? All their friends were also gay, her lawyer was female, etc. Not a show stopper for me, but also fairly limiting.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Serena Evans, a lowly ex-book store employee and now newly independently wealthy, decides to open a pet hotel, "Pet Posh Inn".

Gabrielle Barnes is an architect, hired to design the Inn.

(There is a tie-in to a couple of the characters from Bryant's "Falling", but one need not read "Falling" first to get the tie-in, although I highly recommend reading it!)

Serena wins the lottery and predictably, her life changes. She isn't used to having money, but she is very accustomed to having the dream of opening a pet hotel for people who can't take their pets with them on vacation, and/or for those who just want to pamper their pets for the day. A doggy day care and spa.

All she needs is an architect to help her design it. Enter Gabrielle Barnes, who gets her chance to make partner in the architect firm where she works if the plans for Pet Posh Inn are acceptable to Serena.

(I have to confess I had a bit of a problem with Gabrielle's fear of animals and the way that Serena left her dog, L.B. in the car or with her sister when Gabrielle was around, but that's my feeling about people who don't like animals. If you don't like my dogs or can't be around them, it's time for you to find someone who doesn't have pets. I will never put my dogs second to anyone.)

But I digress. It took me a little while to get to where I liked Gabrielle. It took awhile to really like both of the main characters, but I understood Serena and her reticence to embrace her new life and her new love. The two characters didn't seem like they were in the relationship for the right reasons. Serena didn't want to ever be told what to do, but she wanted Gabrielle to tell her what to do. This was confusing.

But, this book is a romance with all the ingredients you would expect and it works well.

Serena Evans, in a thirty-year old, who works in bookstore and just scrapes by each month. She has been helping pay for her sister, Faith, to attend culinary school. Their mother has been unreliable throughout the years due to alcoholism and relationship issues. One day on a lunch break from the bookstore, Serena buys a hot dog and a lottery ticket at the local convenience store with her last four dollars. She miraculously wins the Colorado state lottery for $42 million dollars (half that for lump sum) She considers for a while want to do with her lottery winnings and how to spend her time after she quits her job at the bookstore. She rescues a sweet dog, L.B. (Lucky Baxter) from the pound. Then Serena decides to build a exclusive pet daycare center in Vail, where she lives. A lot of rich people vacation in Vail who would like to bring their pets along. The pets could be pampered while their owners are out on the slopes or hiking. Serena decides this would be a lucrative business and she loves animals. She hires an architectural firm to help her get started on her dream.

Gabrielle is the lead architect assigned to the project. She is vying for a partner position at Arnest & Max Architecture. She has been told that her next project, Pet Posh Inn, will be the deciding factor if she is to become a partner or not. Gabrielle doesn't reveal to her firm or to Serena that she is afraid of dogs due to an incident that happened in childhood.

The story details how their attraction builds during the design phase of the project. I liked both characters in this story as well as the secondary characters. Piper and Shaylie from "Falling" are a part of the story as a couple of Gabrielle's friends in Denver.

Positives about the book include character chemistry, the dogs, the setting in Colorado, and the slow-burn evolution to love. 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars. Serena Evans never expected to win the lottery. Before winning the lottery, she was living paycheck to paycheck trying to support her sister and herself. Serena has had a pretty rough life with an alcoholic mother who never really was there for her and her sister. When she wins the lottery, she wants to build her dream, a pet daycare center. Her architect, Gabrielle Barnes, cannot understand Serena's vision at first. Gabrielle cannot help but try to understand as Serena has a big heart and seems to really care about animals. They also cannot help the attraction that was forming between them.

This book was pretty good. I enjoyed the relationship between Serena and Gabrielle. Gabrielle and Serena's interactions get better over time and I enjoyed watching their attraction grow. The drama in this novel made sense and it did not seem as dumb as in other novels. It was only given three stars as I wish I could see their relationship grow a little bit more and sometimes I thought the characters were not as well written as they should.

Warm romance with some angst in which a down on her luck woman wins the lottery and gets to start living her life on her own terms.

Serena: Serena had to grow up early to care for her younger sister as they grew up with an alcoholic mother. Caring for her sister has been her core motivation in life, and she has worked several jobs simultaneously to be able to provide and care for her.

Gabrielle: Gabrielle grew up with a supporting family, and have always been career driven. She's at the stage in her career where she's close to reaching her career goals.

Pro:
Hilarious secondary characters which made me laugh out loud.
Dogs!
Likeable characters with good chemistry

Con:
A tad abrupt in the end.
I didn't really get the big gesture.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

It's more a 3 1/2 book for me, but I rounded up since the writing is still good. I just didn't like the story all that much.

It's pretty tame for a Kris Bryant book. That was my thought about 75% through the book, so I'll start with that. The better sex scenes are between one of the leads and someone else. Which leads me to...I kinda found the two main characters together rather boring. Serena in particular was just a nice person. Nice is well...nice, but it doesn't lead to dynamic scenes.

I will say that Piper and Shaylie from "Falling" are back, so fans of that book may really enjoy seeing them again.

Overall, it was an ok book. I personally like more action happening, other than business meetings and talking about a pet hotel. Maybe others will like the slowness more than I.

I'll still read the next Kris Bryant book since I'm normally more of a fan. Can't win them all!

Serena has had a rough life. She had to practically raise her little sister, Faith, because her mother was busy being an alcoholic. A spur of the moment decision to buy a lottery ticket and her luck changes instantly. As the newest lottery winner in Vail, Colorado, she decides to open a pet hotel for rich vacationers the town attracts.

Gabrielle is an architect on the fast track to making partner. Her life has been filled with family, love, a great friend group, and wealth. She is put up against a peer for the partner position and now she must knock her next project out of the park to ensure she secures the job. Why did that next project have to be a animal daycare of all things?

I really enjoyed this story. There were a lot of fun things and situations happening. Hiking, waterfalls, quaint coffee shops, fancy restaurants, rich estates, backyard bbqs, etc. It was fun to not have the same backdrop for every interaction that happens in so many books that I read. I felt like I wanted to be in Vail, Colorado with them.

I wasn't so sure about Serena and Gabrielle at first. They seemed a little bit too opposite for each other. Gabrielle's reaction toward animals alone seemed like a neon sign flashing 'STOP.' But as the story progressed, I could see the chemistry and the mutual want to grow and compromise in order to pursue things further.

I love the 80% drama, and this delivered. There was a reveal that I wasn't expecting which elevated this book up a notch. It is so fun to get surprised in a story when you are not expecting it. And while I wasn't a big fan of how the conflict resolved so easily, I have to admit that it seemed appropriate for the character.

I recommend this to people who like to read romance, winning the lottery, difficult families, opposites attract, animals, and spin class hookups.

Lucky is a sweet story about hitting the jackpot in money and love. Serena has had a hard time in life. When she finds herself struggling to make ends meet, she impulsively buys a lottery ticket that changes her life. And because of her new fortune, she decides to start her own business. When Serena hires Gabrielle's architecture firm to help design her business, sparks between the two of them. As they try to pursue a relationship, can they trust each other?
I absolutely like Kris Brant's writing. I am never disappointed whenever I read any of her books. This was a good read.

Serena is a down on her luck woman who had hopes and dreams but since has all but raised her sister and put her through school, putting her dreams on hold. One day quite unlike herself she buys a lotto ticket then forgets about it until she is doing laundry days later only to find it and discover she has won. Suddenly her whole world opens up and she decides on a plan… Gabrielle is an architect who is desperately trying to make partner at her firm. She has been given a pet daycare to design. She can’t understand why someone is willing to sink tons of money into such a thing but who is she to question… When the two of these women meet things get interesting quickly. Will Gabrielle be able to envision Serena’s desires or will everything be left on the drawing board?

This is such a sweet and wonderful story. I really enjoy the way Ms Bryant writes. Her style is more relaxed and easy to read, it’s great if you need to put the novel down for a bit, even if you really, really don’t want to. Spoiler alert, I wasn’t able to put it down!! I loved all the characters in this story! The leads were complex and so different but that works for them. The secondary characters… I wish I had such wonderful friends! I loved how there was such a sense of family in this book. All the friends got along well and they accepted the other set and love interests into the fold naturally and seamlessly. I adored how Serena and Gabrielle had such chemistry from the start but had such turmoil over the project they were working on. The angst in the book was good although I would have liked to see more of Gabrielle overcoming her fears. The romance was so lovely. I got the mushy awwws while watching them get to know each other, the nervous blushes, the eye glances, the tentative hand holding and hugs…Huge happy sighs!! This tale is just another of Ms Bryant’s brilliant stories and not to be missed!

Serena Evans struggled to keep her life afloat. Never did she ever dream of actually winning the lottery when she purchased one ticket on a whim. Suddenly with millions at her disposal, she decided to build Pet Posh Inn to fulfill her dreams of running a pet daycare. When dog-averting Gabrielle Barnes landed the job of designing the inn, she had to stay professional and suck it up if she wanted to make partner at her firm. But to understand her client more, she needed to learn to get closer to dogs. The side effect? She found herself falling for this dog-loving client.

What stood out to me at first was that Bryant only switched POVs at chapter breaks, alternating between Serena and Gabrielle. Having read many books with unclear POV alternations, "Lucky" had never once made me wonder whose thoughts I was reading at any given moment. It did not read like someone who had never published a third-person narrative novel. I'd say Bryant nailed it on the first try.

I really liked that there were many extremely lovable characters in "Lucky." Or maybe they were especially lovable because they were all wonderful lesbian couples. Serena's besties Chloe and Jackie were always there for her, before, during, and after she won the lottery. Gabrielle's besties Rosie and Anne and their three kids and pets were very supportive of and helpful to her. Her close friends Piper and Shaylie and their daughter and pets were adorably friendly. This last pair was from "Falling," and though I have not read their story yet, I am definitely intrigued after meeting them in "Lucky."

Serena and Gabrielle were an unlikely pairing. I did not feel their initial chemistry but along the way I was convinced that they needed to be together. We got to know our mains as they tried to understand each other, and Bryant delivered a great relationship building. The sex scenes were surprisingly sexy. Their emotions and thoughts bounced off the pages and I could feel nothing but trust and love.

As most romances, there were fallouts. While the timelines post-fallout were a little off but still acceptable. I guess everything went too fast after the lottery win and they both just needed some time. All their disastrous situations were very understandable, and I think we also got a glimpse of their power balance. Their relationship felt sufficiently balanced with Gabrielle trying to appease Serena a little more than the other way around, but it worked and very reasonably so. Serena was done putting everyone else before her in life after her difficult childhood and ongoing strained relationship with her mother Diane. I was glad that her mom did not do anything too horrible to take away the pleasure of this reading as I was definitely anxious over the possibility.

One slightly odd thing was that Serena's family plot line gradually disappeared as the story progressed. Even though her relationship with her mother was bad, the fact that Diane sort of vanished after their last encounter without much explanation felt a little incomplete. The secondary romance going on with Serena's sister Faith also faded away, leaving me wondering how everything was going for her.

Apart from the actual story, I have so many questions about the cover of this book. And also the synopsis. I don't think Gabrielle couldn't figure out why anyone would spend a fortune on a pet project. She was just terrified of the idea of dogs. And I am not even going to start on the cover aesthetics.

Lucky, a cute story between a down-to-earth lottery winner and a relatively privileged architect, is worth reading. It is impossible not to feel drawn toward Serena and Gabrielle, and all the fur babies involved.