There’s a message of hope riddled throughout the passages of Karina Halle’s latest novel. It’s titled The Play. From the dedication, “For Bruce, Pit Bulls, and other misunderstood beings who are rarely given a second chance in life,” to the final words, hope is infused into this book. Karina Halle and her husband rescued a Pit Bull mix named Bruce from an animal shelter with a high-kill rate, but she decided it wasn’t enough. Halle has devoted this contemporary romance to the plight of strays – unloved dogs, cats and other animals that have been abused and/or abandoned. She’s donating a portion of the proceeds from sales of The Play to animal charities that are in need of funding.

As you can probably imagine, The Play has a strong message about helping stray animals. This message fits well with our male main character, Lachlan McGregor, who considers himself no better than a stray dog who grew up on the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland. Abandoned by his mother at an orphanage on his fifth birthday, Lachlan grew up feeling hopeless – unloved, cast aside, and unworthy of a good home. Lachlan identifies with stray animals, and he has taken up their cause by starting a non-profit organization in Edinburgh that rescues animals and places them in loving homes.

Our female main character is Kayla Moore. Kayla is somewhat jealous of her best friends Stephanie and Nicola. Halle first introduced us to Stephanie in The Pact, and she is now married to Linden McGregor. We met Nicola in The Offer, where she paired up with Bram McGregor. Kayla recently decided to take a vow of celibacy. For the time being, she’s sworn off dating and flirting with men. She figures if she doesn’t make an effort, she can’t be disappointed with her love life.

Lachlan is in San Francisco to help his cousin Bram obtain additional funding for his apartment complex. Because Kayla works in advertising at a local magazine, Bram asks her to put in a good word about his non-profit housing complex. If they publish an article about his cause to help people who can’t afford housing, it could possibly generate more donations. Kayla’s vow of celibacy goes out the window when she interviews the rugby-playing beast (Lachlan) about fundraising for the apartments.

This story felt realistic in many ways. It’s difficult enough to find a person to connect with, who you are comfortable with, on so many different levels. Falling in love is never easy, but when it’s with someone who lives across the ocean, on a completely different continent, it can be a challenge to make a relationship work. When you add in the type of demons that Lachlan faces on a daily basis, you wonder how this couple could possibly survive. Halle did an excellent job of portraying what it’s like to suffer from addiction. I also found the actions of both characters to be believable toward the end of the book.

The Play is a long novel. It’s essentially two books in one, and Halle actually divided it into two parts. The strength of this story undoubtedly lies in the second half, where it steamrolls to its conclusion. The fluctuation of emotions that I felt while I was reading, ranging from heartbreak and anger to angst and joy, left a very positive impression on me. I personally connected with both of the main characters, and they each showed true character growth. The Play is also educational – I learned a whole lot about the plight of unloved animals, dogs and cats who fight for their lives every day. Karina Halle is creative and writes beautifully, and these characteristics are especially true in the last half of this novel. That’s why I am adding The Play to my list of 2015 favorites and assigning it a 5-star rating!