What woman has never said the words Never Send a Dog to do a Woman's Job? This title in itself just draws your attention, and despite the fact that I haven't read a lot of science fiction, I had to take the chance on this one. Shelley Munro has written a book that is pure reading enjoyment.

Alexandre Bellangere, second in line to the throne of Dalcon, is sick of being a pampered prince. Tired of having his chest and ego stroked by palace groupies, Alex refuses to go with the flow of the palace rules. Instead, he intends to go into the trade business and become a productive citizen: one with purpose to his existence. Determined to change his life, he sneaks off planet disguised as plain Alex Bell. So now he's on the run from the palace, his father, the king, and the Imperial bodyguards.

Being a chubby divorced travel agent, Lily Morgan starts wondering "what if" when she sees a tall golden stranger walking near her store. But when he walks in and offers her money to help him start his business, she decides to take the chance she is given. But will he overlook her clumsiness, dimpled thighs, and cellulite? And can she get over her insecurities to find love?

Even though Alex has a letter of introduction, Lily's family is not happy about leaving her with someone they know nothing about. So they decide to leave Killer, the talking dog, to keep an eye on the situation. But when things start to go wrong, Lily finds that she needs to look deeper than the pretty face and muscular body of Alex to find the real man.

This could be a stand-alone book, but I would recommend reading the first one as we get to revisit all the characters from Shelley's previous book. Never Send a Dog to do a Woman's Job is a funny sequel to Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters. You can't miss these books; the whole setup kept me laughing all the way through. I hope Shelley Munro writes another book to this series. I'm ready to see more.

Reviewed by Tammy Adams
© January 2005