Long and Short Reviews welcomes Andi Lee who is visiting with us to celebrate today’s release of Mischief Maker, an Animal Lark novel. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate from Dreamspinner Press.
Thank you, Long and Short Reviews for having me on the first stop of my blog tour. I’m so excited to be here. My name is Andi Lee, I’m from the UK and Mischief Maker is my debut novel. I love romance novels that feature adorable pets that bring their owners together, but I’ve never read a love story that featured a pet rat (or twenty!). So I knew I needed to write my own. I’ve owned pet rats on and off for over twenty years, so it was so much fun to add my own experiences into the novel. When I was trying to decide what subject I should do for my Top Five it was a no brainer! It just had to be the top five reasons I love pet rats. What was difficult was sticking to just five. There are probably hundreds of reasons why I love these amazing creatures, but I’ve managed to wrangle the reasons down. It was difficult to choose, though!
1 Sociable
They are inquisitive, affectionate and love to be with other rats as well as humans. If they’re out of their cage then they want to play with you. They’re so fun and love attention. When I first got them I used to have long hair and they’d sit on my shoulders with just a tail or a nose poking out. No one would even notice they were there—this was especially amusing when I took them on the bus! (Only very short stops, and I’d always have the carrier too)
2 Bruxing and eye boggling
Either of these things alone means your rat is happy. Together? Then they’re super duper happy! If you see a rat wiggle its eyes and hear it grinding its teeth, this is what it’s doing. I had a rat who would do this whenever she was snuggled with her sisters in a hammock—they’d all be piled on top of her and she’d look squished, but she loved it! My latest rat, Asher would sit on the sofa next to me happily bruxing away. You know that feeling when you hear a cat purring? That’s the same feeling I get when I see a rat do either of these things.
3 Cuteness
They are adorable. From to their tiny human-like paws to the tips of their tails. There are so many varieties and colours. I’ve had Dumbo rats, top-eared, Russian Blue and Himalayan. I’ve rescued rats, brought them from pet stores and breeders, and they all have one thing in common. They’re all just so darn cute. Not only are they cute, they do cute things. When I see them groom each other it always melts my heart. I had a rat called Ferret (just to confuse everyone) and she would carry the youngest rat around the cage as if she was her baby.
4 Clever
They’re incredibly smart! You can teach them to do tricks, they learn their names, they can be potty trained. My rat Asher learned ‘do you want a nana?’ very quickly! It was safe to say he always wanted a banana chip! I did try and train him to stand on his hind legs by holding a banana chip above his head, but he was so greedy he’d just grab and run (or waddle). They also knew when I got up for work and would be awake waiting for a treat, then go back to their hammocks. I never trained mine to do tricks, but I’ve seen some fantastic YouTube videos!
5 Love
They’re so affectionate that it’s easy to love them. I’ve had friends who were scared of rats, but once meeting mine, they quickly changed their minds. Rats love people, and love to be with you. They’re much more social than other rodents and much easier to tame. They are more like puppies than rodents in how they act. They’re always happy to see you, and they can be grumpy if you go on holiday and don’t see them for a week or two! They’re perfect pets for those who don’t have space for dogs and they never fail to put a smile on my face. If you’ve had a stressful day, then a rat cuddle will make you feel so much better.
What to expect when your pet rat is expecting, or how to fall in love at a pet show.
Jamie Hewett rescues and breeds prize-winning fancy rats. While he’s surrounded by supportive, animal-loving friends, his ex-boyfriend has never been one of them. One embarrassing breakup later, he definitely isn’t looking for love again, but perhaps a rebound relationship might ease his broken heart.
Liam Donnelly’s quirky dating life is the subject of a popular vlog, and his viewers have interesting ideas on where he might find romance. When they suggest he take Mabel, his new rat, to a pet show, he’s up for the adventure.
Although they can’t deny their growing interest in each other, neither Jamie nor Liam believes in love at first sight. They’ve both had bad luck with men, and Jamie isn’t pleased that Liam makes a living as a serial dater. On top of that, others are conspiring to keep them apart, and Jamie is left holding the baby—or twenty-plus babies—when their fur children have no trouble making a connection. Will a YouTube ukulele serenade convince Liam that Jamie’s love for him—and their unborn rat children—is for real?
About the Author: Andi Lee lives in the UK, close enough to Birmingham city to be considered a ‘Brummie’, but far enough away to enjoy the Staffordshire countryside. She enjoys writing in many different genres as long as they contain a large dose of cute guys falling in love. She’s a sucker for a happy ending.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys making junk journals, and also jewellery out of polymer clay and resin. She has kept pet rats on and off for twenty years and fell in love with her first ferret when she found him on her way to work one day. She’s kept them ever since.
(And she apparently has an obsession with Vans—the shoes not the vehicles!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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