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Bad Dog
When serial womanizer Jack Banks hits on the wrong beauty, a Spanish witch who’s been turning thoughtless men into dogs since one broke her teenage heart over three hundred years ago, he wakes up as a Labrador retriever. As if that and navigating a far from stray dog-friendly city weren’t frustrating enough, he falls in love for the first time with Karen, the young woman with an outsized heart for animals who adopts him. She clearly loves him too, as a dog. But even if he can break the spell, will she love him as a man?
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2016
62 people want to read
About the author
Obren Bokich
4 books12 followersInterview with Obren Bokich on ChickLit Goddess:
http://chicklitgoddess.com/2012/11/01...
http://chicklitgoddess.com/2012/11/01...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 20, 2016
As an extremely avid reader, I have been frustrated as of late to realize that I am apparently out-of-step with what mainstream publishing thinks I should be reading. Before I read *Bad Dog*, it was two years ago that I last read a book I loved (*Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore*), and not for lack of trying. Even though I love fiction, I rarely like what’s well-reviewed or “book club fiction.” I find that, currently, for my taste, mainstream publishing seems to define three-dimensional characters as unlikeable, unsympathetic, and oddly opaque (enough with the objective third person! One of the only mediums that allows us to get inside a character’s head without artifice is literature. If I want to restrict my insight into a character to only their actions and dialogue, I’ll watch a movie.)
At first, I thought I was the only person to feel this way about contemporary fiction offerings, but in talking to many of my friends, also avid readers, they feel the same way. They are desperate for a good read. I’ve begun and tossed aside more titles than I can count now, ones festooned with breathlessly positive reviews, and forced myself to finish a handful of others, only to be annoyed that I wasted my time. In fact, whereas I used to pride myself on buying books in order to support authors and the industry, I’ve been so disappointed of late that I’ve gone back to checking most of my books out of the library. And I would have thought that I, someone who would normally buy a dozen books a year or more, would be a market that mainstream publishing would want to woo. Apparently not.
That’s why I was thrilled to read *Bad Dog.* It has everything in it that I like in a good novel: interesting, sympathetic characters, growth in the main character, a satisfying ending, good prose, excellent pacing, a fresh take, and an engaging plot. Bokich uses the omniscient voice gracefully and artfully (which is not easy), and—my favorite aspect—he thoroughly plumbs the depths of his very clever premise. There is humor, there is heart, there is substance. A message, even! What a concept! It’s highly entertaining but not merely entertaining. This book demonstrates why independent publishing is so very important. I’m delighted to have spent my money on this book. And I highly recommend it.
At first, I thought I was the only person to feel this way about contemporary fiction offerings, but in talking to many of my friends, also avid readers, they feel the same way. They are desperate for a good read. I’ve begun and tossed aside more titles than I can count now, ones festooned with breathlessly positive reviews, and forced myself to finish a handful of others, only to be annoyed that I wasted my time. In fact, whereas I used to pride myself on buying books in order to support authors and the industry, I’ve been so disappointed of late that I’ve gone back to checking most of my books out of the library. And I would have thought that I, someone who would normally buy a dozen books a year or more, would be a market that mainstream publishing would want to woo. Apparently not.
That’s why I was thrilled to read *Bad Dog.* It has everything in it that I like in a good novel: interesting, sympathetic characters, growth in the main character, a satisfying ending, good prose, excellent pacing, a fresh take, and an engaging plot. Bokich uses the omniscient voice gracefully and artfully (which is not easy), and—my favorite aspect—he thoroughly plumbs the depths of his very clever premise. There is humor, there is heart, there is substance. A message, even! What a concept! It’s highly entertaining but not merely entertaining. This book demonstrates why independent publishing is so very important. I’m delighted to have spent my money on this book. And I highly recommend it.
October 5, 2016
Title: Bad Dog
Author: Obren Bokich
Publisher: West Hills Publishing
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating; Four
Review:
"Bad Dog" by Obren Bokich
My Thoughts....
Now this was quite some fantasy read. I would imagine this one mounts right up there with some men who have cheated and have been thought of as mire dogs in one way or another. However, this 'Spanish witch' takes it to another level. Now, why was that? It looks like Jack and his friend Charlie have been 'womanizing' so much that someone was definitely fed up and what better way than to put a stop to it by turning them into ..well this is where I don't want to give too much away other than to say you must pick this one up for yourself because it had me smiling all the way through the read. I will say that this author really has a imagination in how the story was put together to give the reader quite one interesting read. In the end will Jack finally have a better view of how he wants his life after be meets the woman who had adopted him before he turned back to a ? Will they be able to get together for a HFN ending?
Thank you for the early read of 'Bad Dog' for my honest opinion.
Author: Obren Bokich
Publisher: West Hills Publishing
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating; Four
Review:
"Bad Dog" by Obren Bokich
My Thoughts....
Now this was quite some fantasy read. I would imagine this one mounts right up there with some men who have cheated and have been thought of as mire dogs in one way or another. However, this 'Spanish witch' takes it to another level. Now, why was that? It looks like Jack and his friend Charlie have been 'womanizing' so much that someone was definitely fed up and what better way than to put a stop to it by turning them into ..well this is where I don't want to give too much away other than to say you must pick this one up for yourself because it had me smiling all the way through the read. I will say that this author really has a imagination in how the story was put together to give the reader quite one interesting read. In the end will Jack finally have a better view of how he wants his life after be meets the woman who had adopted him before he turned back to a ? Will they be able to get together for a HFN ending?
Thank you for the early read of 'Bad Dog' for my honest opinion.
September 8, 2016
I read this because the author's first book The Cinderella Blues was hilarious. Bad Dog is quite a different animal. It’s funny, but not as broadly. It’s darker in the beginning, this is a seriously screwed up guy, but opens up as the character does. I think I liked it a little more than his first book, maybe because the romance felt more real. Which I know is a weird thing to say about a story about a guy who’s turned into a dog by a witch.
October 26, 2020
I was looking for a book with a magical element and stumbled across this one. It had a simple premise. A man whore who gets changed into an actual dog until he learns better. Not angsty, not just played for laughs. Clearly written and well plotted. I really liked the hero and believed in his journey. I liked the secondary characters, some of whom were animals.
If you’re looking for something a little different give this one a try.
If you’re looking for something a little different give this one a try.
November 5, 2016
This book took me a minute to get into - the intense womanizing and rather unlikable main characters in the first few chapters had me struggling. But, as we got more into the book Jake seemed more like a real person, with redeeming qualities. As we follow the story of Jakes redemption, you start to realize he might not be totally bad. I will say, we never did find out much about his back story and I wish we had.
It was a wonderful story of learning about yourself in hard times. Jake becomes a much better version of himself as a dog - which makes sense because dogs are awesome!
I enjoyed the story, although I would have liked to know what became of Charlie. Would recommend it if you enjoyed slightly cheesy happy books! I received this book for free.
It was a wonderful story of learning about yourself in hard times. Jake becomes a much better version of himself as a dog - which makes sense because dogs are awesome!
I enjoyed the story, although I would have liked to know what became of Charlie. Would recommend it if you enjoyed slightly cheesy happy books! I received this book for free.
August 22, 2017
Loved this! Very fun read, and not just because in the first few chapters Jack totally reminded me of my dickhead ex-boyfriend who I would love to see turned into a dog. Hey, if this "therapy" really worked we might get back together! Funny, sad, sweet, magical. And a great witch, "one part Snow White, one part Evil Queen". Poor guy didn't have a chance.
I received a copy of Bad Dog from West Hills Books (thanks, Austine!) in exchange for my honest review.
I received a copy of Bad Dog from West Hills Books (thanks, Austine!) in exchange for my honest review.
December 30, 2021
If I had to sum it up in a few words, it's a modern fairy tale. The frog prince if you like, but told from the perspective of the frog. Except the frog is not much of a prince, and the "princess"a somewhat less than organised owner of a canine rescue shelter. Oh, and there is a possibly immortal, but definitely hundreds of years old, Spanish witch. I have to say, she looked pretty good for her age.
Jack is a "playah" I believe the modern urban argot would label him. A casting agent in the most superficial business in the most superficial civilisation. Everything in Jack's life is a throwaway commodity, except perhaps his car, but most especially his relationships. Then he meets Isabelle and falls under her spell, and not in a figurative or metaphorical sense.
It's not a deep novel but, as with all fairy tales, there is a moral.
Over the next few hundred pages, Jack charts his path to redemption through a series of unexpected and undignified events and encounters which gives a whole new meaning to the player's exhortation "you dawg, you!"
It's an easy read, and funny; not in a way that would cause you to fall into embarrassing fits of giggles while reading it on the train, but wry, and ironic in places, with a cast of characters which I, as a bit of a film buff, couldn't resist casting in my mind. It would be a great light hearted rom-com. I suppose this was a hidden irony, as the action is set in LA, with the movie and entertainment industry as a backdrop.
Were I to level a criticism, it would be at the deus ex machina in the final act. It's not a literary or dramatic mechanism I've ever cared for as it's often used as a shortcut to a conclusion when the author has painted theirself into a corner and can't see a way to tie things up ("with one bound, Batman was free!"). That may not have been the case here, but I would have preferred a more elegant conclusion; one which tied up a few more loose ends, maybe with some foreshadowing, so that Jack's final metamorphosis made a little more sense. I would have liked a more sympathetic treatment of the emotionally wounded Isabelle as well who's two-hundred years of pent up frustrated fury showed no signs of abating.
Jack is a "playah" I believe the modern urban argot would label him. A casting agent in the most superficial business in the most superficial civilisation. Everything in Jack's life is a throwaway commodity, except perhaps his car, but most especially his relationships. Then he meets Isabelle and falls under her spell, and not in a figurative or metaphorical sense.
It's not a deep novel but, as with all fairy tales, there is a moral.
Over the next few hundred pages, Jack charts his path to redemption through a series of unexpected and undignified events and encounters which gives a whole new meaning to the player's exhortation "you dawg, you!"
It's an easy read, and funny; not in a way that would cause you to fall into embarrassing fits of giggles while reading it on the train, but wry, and ironic in places, with a cast of characters which I, as a bit of a film buff, couldn't resist casting in my mind. It would be a great light hearted rom-com. I suppose this was a hidden irony, as the action is set in LA, with the movie and entertainment industry as a backdrop.
Were I to level a criticism, it would be at the deus ex machina in the final act. It's not a literary or dramatic mechanism I've ever cared for as it's often used as a shortcut to a conclusion when the author has painted theirself into a corner and can't see a way to tie things up ("with one bound, Batman was free!"). That may not have been the case here, but I would have preferred a more elegant conclusion; one which tied up a few more loose ends, maybe with some foreshadowing, so that Jack's final metamorphosis made a little more sense. I would have liked a more sympathetic treatment of the emotionally wounded Isabelle as well who's two-hundred years of pent up frustrated fury showed no signs of abating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2017
If you're going into this book with expectations of romance, you'll be disappointed. Or maybe not. Because, well, I did (get into this book expecting romance) but I found something equally beautiful.
This is not a romance novel.
This is a coming-of-age book where we see the protagonist grow emotionally albeit in a hilarious way.
It made me view the world and our daily monotonous interactions with a completely different view.
And, of course, there's the love for dogs.
This is not a romance novel.
This is a coming-of-age book where we see the protagonist grow emotionally albeit in a hilarious way.
It made me view the world and our daily monotonous interactions with a completely different view.
And, of course, there's the love for dogs.
December 6, 2019
Obren Bokich’s “Bad Dog” is a riveting book with a unique premise. The well written characters come to life and carry the story through its twists and turns and victorious resolution. Obren’s courage to write about a man who had to face its own machoism and dared to change, is very commanding. Bokich is a gifted writer who is able to keep the readers’ interest with his masterfully crafted characters and a perfectly paced interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews