Love, Chocolate, And A Dog Named Al Capone

Pride, Prejudice, and a Puppy 

I am determined not to be a blogger, I am firmly a Bookstagrammer. Yet, some books can't be talked about even in the generous space that is an Instagram post... This for me was one such book. 


How I got hold of this book? 

I review audiobooks in collaboration with @audiobookwormpromos, and I got an email looking for reviewers for this book. One look at the book's cover, and title... I was sold... I'm a dog mom, so I was even more thrilled when I read the blurb, and was given the code to download the book... A narrative from a puppy's POV... cuteness overload! 

Why I didn't post my review initially? 

I work as the internal quality assurer for @bharcs_education... which is a canine biosociopsychology and ethology school. I started my association with BHARCS a few months after I was adopted by Batty, and I love the Turid/BHARCS Way of parenting dogs... which involves empathy, kindness, and treating dogs as cognitive/sapient beings capable of making choices. So about half way through the book, I decided to write to AudioBookwormTours outlining my conundrum... 

On the one hand, I was enjoying the book... it was adorable to say the least. On the other hand, some of the practices around dog parenting that the book was 'normalising', for lack of a better word, goes against what I know is kind, empathetic parenting of a dog.. such as obedience training, crating... (these are some of the practices that negatively impact the emotional and physical health of a dog.) 

I decided not to review the book, because I wondered if I was going to be sharing a mixed message to fellow dog parents, because I was enjoying this book. Overthinking much? Hell, yeah! 

What happened next? 

I continued listening to the book, because I was enjoying it so much... I missed my review deadline, and eventually finished the book... and from a purely fiction perspective, this book was a 5 star read for me... the highest rating on Goodreads. 

After some mental deliberation, and bouncing my thoughts off my human... I got in touch with the author @abigaildrakeauthor. I shared my opinions with her, and she was absolutely fantastic in her response to my dilemma. She told me to write that review. 

So what do I feel about this book? 

I loved this book purely from a fiction / romance story POV...

As a dog mom I can't agree with some of what is normalised here. I don't feel it has anything to do with the author, who comes across as kind and empathetic to animals. It is to do with what is being practiced because people don't know any different. So if you are a dog parent, read this book because you will enjoy it... Please do your due diligence before adopting any puppy or dog advice from any book of fiction though.

Moving on to why I L O V E D this book...

  • the narrator did a fantastic job of representing Capone... As if labradors (and all other dogs) are not already illegally cute, the narrator makes Capone and his sheer adorableness (is that a word) come alive
  • not only was the book's main protagonist a dog, the book was set in a book shop, and revolved around the Liz who owned that book shop... And she loves Pride and Prejudice, and Darcy... Totally my kind of girl she...
  • the gazillion Pride And Prejudice references from the beginning of the book till the end... The tagline of the book is actually Pride Prejudice And A Puppy...
  • the story is all things sweet and funny... and had a lovely HEA ending 

So should you read this book? 

Yes, especially if you are a dog person... 

Do I also have a non fiction book recommendation for Dog Parents? 

This book will tell you why and how certain practices impact a dog. 

Dog Knows by Sindhoor Pangal... 

Why this book? 

  • non fiction , explains Turid's / the BHARCS Way
  • beautifully narrated from the bottom of Sindhoor's heart 
  • a lovely mix of personal anecdotes and sound dog sense 
  • an ode to Sindhoor's Nishi and Uttam 
  • it is an absolute eye opener that gives one an insight into a dog's world

Here's an extract of my chat with Abigail: 

Me: A question I have is, how much do you think a dog parent might take away from your book as acceptable or normal based on what you've written?

Abigail: ...many things in my Capone book actually happened. Capone is the first and only dog we’ve had as a family. I had dogs as a child, but was as clueless as Josie when it came to Capone. We listened to advice and eventually found our way.

I guess what I’m saying is that we evolved as we learned...

So the message I hope dog owners will learn? We all make mistakes, but we love our dogs, and we’re trying our best.

...and no one should take dog advice from my book!! It’s definitely fiction, and it was about being a clueless dog mama!!

And finally... 

Abigail kindly shared the e-ARC of the next Capone book with me... I am more than half way through it, and I love it... My only peeve is that it is not an audiobook too... Hearing 'the voice' of Capone enhances the 'reading' experience. 

This book releases on 31 May 2022. 

Do dogs feel guilt?

Capone experiences a lot of guilt in this book... And yet the answer is NO, dogs don't feel guilt... Here's an article that debunks guilt in dogs and explains what the dog is really feeling.., 


If you'd like to follow Capone on Instagram, you will find him at @caponethewonderdog...