The Twelve Dogs of Christmas

Shane (A Royal Christmas Wish) gets her Pine Hollow series off to a strong start with this quaint, Christmassy contemporary. Picturesque Pine Hollow, Vt., relies on the hard work of town council members, including hyper-responsible Ben West, to cultivate its “practically perfect” small-town charm. This charm ramps up even further for the Christmas season, though this year it’s slightly marred by Ben’s Scrooge-like vote to balance the town’s budget by cutting funds to the local dog shelter. The shelter—managed by octogenarians Rita and Hal Gilmore, with the assistance of their granddaughter, photographer Ally, who’s recently returned to Pine Hollow from New York City—must now spend the holiday season scrambling to find homes for a dozen dogs before they’re forced to shut down. Ally and Ben’s first interactions are understandably disastrous, but when Ben’s dog-loving 10-year-old niece, Astrid, whom Ben is raising, finagles a volunteer job at the shelter, Ally and Ben grow closer. Shane integrates Ben’s control issues and Ally’s feelings of perpetual displacement smoothly while also introducing the town at large via cute holiday events and dog adoptions. The mix will be just right for animal lovers seeking a seasonal happily ever after. Agent: Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary. (Oct.)