Karen Booth
Hey there!
I’m Karen, a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on ’80s music and way too many readings of “Forever” by Judy Blume. I spent my twenties working my way from intern to executive in the music industry. Somewhere in there, I married my real life Jake Ryan, had two amazing kids, and started getting up before dawn to write romance. With sparks.
‘Too Fast to Fall’ out 5/26/26!
This story about TOO FAST TO FALL starts with my dear friend, Piper Trace. Piper’s a fellow author, hilarious and smart, sweet and kind. The best.
I do a lot of book brainstorming with Piper. If I get stuck, she helps dig me out of the ditch. So, when I was trying to come up with a premise for the book to follow NOT SO FAST, I called Piper and begged her for a brainstorming session.
Now, these phone calls have varying degrees of success. Sometimes life gets in the way or we get sidetracked and don’t make much progress. This call, however, was like lightning in a bottle.
Let’s cut to the transcript:
Me: “I’d love to come up with a twist on a classic romance trope. Like a nanny story.”
Piper: “Dog nanny.”
Me: (brain whirring at one million miles a minute) “Yes. OMG, yes.”
That was all it took. It was just too perfect. Not only because I am animal lover to the NTH degree, but also because F1 fans (including me) are obsessed with the drivers’ pets, especially their dogs.
So that’s the story of how I came up with the premise for TOO FAST TO FALL, and that’s also the story of how my dog nanny got her name–Piper.
TOO FAST TO FALL comes out May 26, 2026. I’ll have a sneak preview of it way before then. Until then, here’s the blurb:
So what if she’s crushing on a race car driver? That doesn’t mean it’s love at first lap.
But maybe it’s love at first lap dog?
Yesterday, Piper Murphy was just another dog sitter helping her sister with wedding prep while pretending she’s over her own broken engagement.
Today, she’s the fill-in dog sitter for Formula One driver Emilio Baquero. Brooding, gorgeous driver + naughty, cute Lab? Woof, down boy.
When Emilio offers her a five-week gig as his live-in dog nanny in London, Piper can’t help but say yes. It’s out of her comfort zone, sure, but it’s also a ticket to travel, racing, and caring for a dog she already adores. All while escaping the wedding planning that’s put her failures front and center.
Only being under the same roof means there’s no escaping Emilio’s intensity, or grumpiness. Piper tries to be a sunny presence, but their clashes just fuel the slow-burn tension to something near combustible.
Because falling for your boss is risky when you have a broken heart. Falling for your famous boss and his adorable dog? That’s a crash waiting to happen.
You can preorder TOO FAST TO FALL from your favorite retailer!