Book ~ "Pre-Meditated Murder" (2018) Tracy Weber

From Goodreads ~ Yoga instructor Kate Davidson is ready to marry her boyfriend Michael, so she's disappointed when a special dinner doesn't end with a proposal. But disappointment turns to dismay and outrage as she learns the real problem: Michael is already married and his estranged wife is blackmailing him. 

When his wife's body is found - by Kate and her dog, no less - Michael is strangely unable to remember where he was the night she died. Since Michael has no alibi, Kate steps up to uncover what happened. What she walks into is a tangled web of deceit, obsession, and immigration fraud  ... with Michael trapped in the middle.

Kate owns a yoga studio (the author had a yoga studio in Seattle).  She is living with Michael, the owner of a pet store, and her special needs German Shepherd, Bella (based on the author's own dog, Tasha, who passed away in 2016).  On her birthday, Kate thinks Michael is going to pop "the question" but he doesn't.  It turns out that Michael is already married.  A couple years ago, he had married Gabriella, a girl he was dating, so she wouldn't be deported back to Mexico, with the agreement that they would stay married until she attained her U.S. citizenship. 

Michael had recently contacted her to ask for a divorce but Gabriella had responded that it would come at a cost ... $50,000 cash.  As a small business owner and just recently renovating their house, Michael can't afford to pay her.  Michael, Kate and Bella, along with Kate's best friend, Rene, and Rene's family (which includes her husband, twin babies and two puppies) travel to Michael's hometown to discuss the situation with Gabriella.  It doesn't go well and Gabriella is discovered murdered the next day.

With Kate's mother's boyfriend, Dean, as Michael's lawyer and Shannon, Michael's sister, and Rene helping, Kate starts to investigate to find out who really killed Gabriella.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is the fifth in the Downward Dog series (I've read the first one and fourth one).   Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone ... I haven't read #2 or #3 and I never felt lost.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective from Kate's point of view.

Book ~ "A Fatal Twist" (2017) Tracy Weber

From Goodreads ~ Yoga instructor Kate Davidson’s life takes a chaotic turn once she agrees to not only be the doula for her pregnant best friend but also play foster mother to two puppies. The chaos only gets worse when Kate finds the dead body of a philandering fertility doctor and Rachel, one of her yoga students, fleeing the scene. 

Kate is convinced her student is innocent and she sets out to find the real killer before her testimony condemns Rachel to a life behind bars. But her hands are full with caring for three dogs, teaching yoga classes and gaining an unexpected crime-solving partner. If she’s not careful, Kate’s next yoga pose may be a fatal one.

Kate owns a yoga studio.  She is living with Michael, the owner of a pet store, and her German Shepherd, Bella.  Michael finds a couple young pups abandoned outside his store and brings them home until he can find a home for them and finds himself getting attached to them.  Since they are pups, they are wrecking havoc in their home ... chewing on things, not being housetrained and somehow getting out of their crate.

Plus Kate's friend, Rene, is about to give birth to twins and Kate is her doula, something she is just learning how to do.

In the meantime, Kate's friend, Rachel, has been arrested for murdering her husband and Kate doesn't think she did it.  So she sets out to find the real murderer and there are many who could have done it ... the husband's mistress, his ex-mistress, his business partner, his stepdaughter (Rachel's daughter), the husband of a former patient and more.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is the fourth in the Downward Dog series (I read and liked the first one a couple years ago).   Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone ... I haven't read #2 or #3 and I never felt lost.  It's obvious the author writes from experience ... she has a yoga studio in Seattle and a German Shepherd named Ana (Bella is based on Tasha, her German Shepherd who passed away in 2016).  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective from Kate's point of view.

Book ~ "Murder Strikes a Pose" (2014) Tracy Weber

From Goodreads ~ Yoga instructor Kate Davidson tries to live up to yoga's Zen-like expectations, but it's not easy while struggling to keep her small business afloat or dodging her best friend's matchmaking efforts. 

When George, a homeless alcoholic, and his loud, horse-sized German shepherd, Bella, start hawking newspapers outside her studio, Kate attempts to convince them to leave. Instead, the three strike up an unlikely friendship. 

Then Kate finds George's dead body. The police dismiss it as a drug-related street crime, but Kate knows he was no drug dealer. Now she must solve George's murder and find someone willing to adopt his intimidating companion before Bella is sent to the big dog park in the sky. With the murderer on her trail, Kate has to work fast or her next Corpse Pose may be for real.

Kate has recently opened a yoga studio and is barely getting by.  It doesn't help when a homeless man and his large German Shepherd, which doesn't like other dogs, starts selling newspapers outside her door.  Instead of freaking out, Kate does the Zen thing and befriends George and Bella.

When George is killed, the police assume it was during a fight among the homeless and don't put a lot of effort into finding out who the killer is.  But Kate can't let it go and starts investigating on her own and comes up with a list of people who could have done it.  In the meantime, to save Bella from going to the pound (and probably put down), she takes her in until she can find her a home.  But who is going to want a large German Shepherd with behavior problems and health issues?

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.   It's obvious the author wrote from experience ... she has a yoga studio and a German Shepherd named Tasha.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective from Kate's point of view.

I liked Kate.  She's still struggling with the death of her father a couple years ago.  Despite the fact that she is a self-professed crazy cat lady, she takes Bella in and tries to find her a home ... with patience, she does eventually find Bella the best home.  Kate has a good heart ... though she only has $4,000 left to her name, she doesn't hesitate to juggle her needs with those of Bella so Bella can have the medicine, food, training, etc. she needs.  And I love a story that has a dog!  Bella sounds like a great dog!  Other supporting characters include her best friend, a new love interest (a pet store owner) and a slimy landlord.

This is the first of the series and I look forward to reading others.