Writers figured out a long time ago now that adding a dog or cat (or other pet) to a book and particularly featuring that animal on the book jacket would bring in additional readers. Most also observe the cardinal rule...you can kill off humans but don't dare kill the animal! Many authors have a problem with that concept but most agree that it is because an animal is considered an "innocent" while the humans are not, except for small children, who are seldom harmed either.

I admit to picking up the book first that features a dog or cat on the jacket and often have been disappointed to find that the animal has only a tiny part in the book. Some authors use animals really well while not making them a primary character. Others, such as mystery writers, use them as an aid in solving crimes in one form or the other.

Some authors use their stories to put in a bit about the care and rescue of animals. Even authors who are not known for featuring animals will sometimes include something regarding the neglect of an animal or the acquisition of one for one of their characters. Fantasy writers do this a lot and while I do not read the Romance genre much, I feel certain they do the same thing because many are dedicated animal lovers.

I hope you will find these book reviews enjoyable. Not all are "new" books and most of these are the mystery and fantasy genres but I will be adding others as time goes by.