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Chasing Dreams at Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home–Christmas at the Dog Rescue
Chasing Dreams at Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home
by Sarah Hope
This author seems to specialize in romances set in Cornwall. Chasing Dreams at Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home is a sweet, clean romance. If you like dogs in general or rescue animals in particular, you will be attracted to this book. Poppy had bought a city home with Ben, but they are ending the relationship, and Poppy’s job as a supply teacher is on a holiday break. So, she packs a bag and heads to West Par where her beloved Aunt Flora has a dog shelter.
Poppy eventually realizes she has just been existing in her life with Ben. She has even gotten grouchy over the very idea of the Christmas spirit. She soon meets Mack, the new veterinarian in town. He is very nice to both people and animals. He buys expensive things, but says he is unable to keep up the former vet’s policy of only charging for medicines. Of course shelter animals often require medical assistance, and the shelter depends on donations and volunteers for its existence. Mack and Poppy are attracted to each other, but they both have childhood and more recent baggage to overcome.
There are lots of likable characters, and the community spirit is outstanding from sing-a-longs at the town center to visits to the local Christmas Market. There are lots of fundraisers for the shelter that are also fun for the community. Percy is a special friend of Flora’s who helps at the shelter and repairs various things as breakdowns arise and Flora is too frugal to hire the work out. The money needs to go to the dogs. Included in the story is a dog hoarder: Mr. Thomas has taken in many animals over the years, but he is too old now to take care of them or clean up after them. Flora spends a lot of time trying to convince him to put them in her shelter. Mack has two younger siblings that he has raised. The younger one, Spencer, is convinced that Percy, who has a white beard, is Santa Claus. It’s easy to see why—he looks like Santa and is always helping someone. Spencer is an enthusiastic Christmas lover and cute too. The story behind Mack and his brothers helps Poppy and the reader understand his attitude towards money.
The Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home is in serious trouble. Read this gentle romance to see if the shelter can survive and what happens to certain special dogs. Also, you’ll want to see what develops between Mack and Poppy and how Poppy manages her house sale. The shelter’s future as well as Poppy’s and Flora’s are all tied up in the finances.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Fiction, Romance
Notes: #2 in the Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home Series. I read it as a standalone. Although I enjoyed it, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first in the series as there are many delightful characters, but it is hard to jump in with the community spirit that they share without knowing more about them.
Publication: October 25, 2023—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
Ralph was a complete softie with them, but was terrified of other dogs and reacted when scared, so it was best he was walked at times when the likelihood of running into another dog was low.
“She’s the miniature poodle, isn’t she?” “Oh yes, although she may be miniature, she has the personality of a young boisterous Labrador.”
This was what Wagging Tails was all about, community, the coming together of like-minded people for the greater good. It sounded deep, but it was true. Each and every person here, staff members and volunteers alike, turned up each day or once or twice a week to give their time to the dogs. She’d missed this feeling of belonging.
Christmas: The Season of Life and Light
Christmas: The Season of Life and Light
by Emily Hunter McGowan
In reading the book Advent (reviewed here) by Trish Harrison Warren, I learned much about liturgical Protestant churches (typically Lutheran, Anglican, and Episcopalian) that follow a structured, participatory format with foundations in practices of the early Christian church. The church calendar begins with the season of Advent focusing on repentance and the anticipated coming of the Messiah, which is celebrated on December 25th at the commencement of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
I decided to follow up my reading of Advent with the book entitled Christmas: The Season of Life and Lightwhich is also in the Fullness of Time series, but is written by a different author, Emily Hunter McGowin. I was pleased that Christmas held many of the same qualities that are found in Advent. Both are short books and very readable, but are packed with theological truths. McGowan did a lot of research, as witnessed by her footnotes, and she includes a brief list of books for further reading at the end of each chapter. After a fairly personal introduction, she very appropriately begins with the origins of the celebration focusing on the debates about when Christ was actually born. Much of the book discusses God in relationship to people. God’s gift of His Son can be related to the gifts we give at Christmas. Jesus was born in a poor family, and He was concerned about the poor all through his three year ministry. He leaves Christians with the mandate to give sacrificially to the poor. Decorations are an important part of our Christmas customs in the West, and her analysis of their role is found in the chapter “God of Creation and Re-Creation.” McGowan does not gloss over the tragedy of Herod’s slaying children in an attempt to ensure his throne from the threat of this newborn King. Singing and lighting candles are highlighted in her discussion of life and light.
Christmas ends with an appendix listing the “appointed Scriptures and collects” or prayers for Christmas found in the 1979 Lectionary and the Book of Common Prayer. I look forward to reading the other books in the series, all by different authors: Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.
Christmas permeates our society in cultural as well as religious ways. Therefore, this series has benefits of instruction and understanding for all—Christians who use the Book of Common Prayer and those who don’t, as well as those who aren’t followers of Jesus. I invite you to read this book to examine the truths behind our customs and the reasons Jesus Christ is the focus of this season named after Him.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology
Notes: part of the Fullness of Time series which can be read in any order
Publication: 2023—InterVarsity Press
Memorable Lines:
Profligate shopping sprees and conspicuous consumption notwithstanding, the practice of gift-giving in itself remains evocative of the central mystery of Christmas: the incarnation of God in Christ. Christmas is about God’s great gift to us, which is God’s own self in the person of Jesus Christ.
In fact, children are among those people with whom Jesus so closely identifies that they become a sacramental sign. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the unclothed, the sick, the imprisoned, children—Jesus says of all these that to welcome and serve them is to welcome and serve him (see Matthew 18:5; 25:40; Mark 9:37). So we separate ourselves from the poor, needy, and vulnerable at our collective peril.
A Room With a Roux–all-round, feel-good, Christmas mystery
A Room With a Roux
by Sarah Fox
For anyone still enjoying the lingering spirit of Christmas, I heartily recommend Sarah Fox’s A Room with a Roux. Although nothing about the cover or title suggest a holiday tale, it emits wintery, Christmas vibes from its beginning. The scene is set as our main characters Marley and Brett travel from their beach home to Holly Lodge nestled in the mountains. It is a small, quiet, isolated, snowy retreat that makes the perfect backdrop for a Christmas murder mystery.
Marley, owner of the Flip Side restaurant, and Brett, summer landscaper and winter construction worker, have only been married three months so there is a lot of sweet romance in their interactions. Their weekend getaway gets cut short by a murder. They leave as soon as they can, but Marley’s penchant for getting to the truth is activated when other Holly Lodge guests retreat to her town of Wildwood Cove. Then most of them return to Holly Lodge for a memorial service where they are snowed in for a “locked room” type of scenario.
Marley works hard to uncover the murderer before she or someone else becomes a second victim. There are many possibilities, but none seem to have a strong enough motivation to provoke murder.
Along the way, we get to know the characters. Brett and Marley are nice, generous, and community minded. There is a side story that demonstrates this spirit well when a mini-mystery emerges as ornaments disappear repeatedly at the Festival of Trees. Join Marley and Brett as they enjoy each other’s company along with lots of cups of hot chocolate in a wintry atmosphere. The author has a talented touch in stopping the chapters at just the right point to make the reader shout “one more chapter.”
Read a few days after Christmas, A Room With a Roux, is probably my favorite read of this Christmas season—likable characters, wonderful atmosphere, just the right touch of adventure, and a well-plotted mystery. This cozy mystery is a winner!
I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #7 in the Pancake House Mystery Series, but you would have absolutely no problems reading it as a standalone!
2. Tempting recipes end the book: Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze, Cinnamon Pancakes, and Gingerbread Muffins.
Publication: January 12, 2021—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
I suspected he enjoyed stirring up trouble for his own amusement, and I couldn’t help but dislike him for it.
I tore off the paper, already knowing that the best present was having the company of my husband and two closest friends.
Time seemed to pass at an excruciatingly slow pace. At first I watched everyone by the light of the fire and candles, searching their faces for any sign of guilt, even as I pretended not to be studying them. After a while, it became more and more difficult to keep my eyes open, despite my worries about a killer being among us.
Finding Christmas–a holiday romance
Finding Christmas
by Karen Schaler
The beginning of this Christmas romance is overly sugar sweet—or I was a tad “Grinchy” at that particular time. It isn’t long, however, before the conflict is presented and the interest level ramps up. Emma Sanders (aka Miss Christmas) loves Christmas as did her parents whose memory she tries to honor in her devotion to all things Christmas. The other thing she is devoted to is the community center she runs and the people it serves. The story centers around Emmie, her boyfriend Grant who is a lawyer, and Sam, a writer who mistakenly follows clues for a scavenger hunt intended to inspire Grant with the Christmas spirit.
Although the reader can quickly predict the outcome, the rest of the story is quite engaging as you watch the conflicts and misunderstandings of the romance play out. All of the characters are altruistic, but you’ll soon pick your favorites. Yours might even be Dasher, a border collie mix who adds fun to the story.
Finding Christmas has a beautiful Christmasy setting. Author Karen Schaler will lead you through a wonderland of snow, twinkling white lights, and evergreen decorations to a satisfying conclusion as the characters find Christmas.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to HarperCollins (William Morrow) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance
Publication: October 15, 2019—HarperCollins (William Morrow)
Memorable Lines:
Grant gave her a look. “Emmie, this is where I work. I don’t need…decorations.” Emmie’s eyes grew huge, and she looked at him like he’d just said he didn’t like puppies.
She loved seeing firsthand how even the smallest gift of kindness could make such a difference in someone’s life. She had seen over and over again the power of reaching out to someone, offering comfort when they needed it the most—how even the simplest gesture could connect people and give them hope.
After her parents passed away, Emmie had promised herself never to put off doing the things she really wanted to do, knowing tomorrows are never guaranteed. She had learned that saving something to do “someday” meant you were risking never having that special experience happen at all.
October Kiss–Love Amongst the Pumpkins
October Kiss
by Kristen Ethridge
Seriously, you can’t start a book made from a Hallmark movie without knowing how it is going to end. October Kiss has all the requisites: a smart, attractive twenty-nine year old woman who has commitment issues in work, relationships, and most other areas of her life. She becomes a temporary nanny for a handsome, workaholic widower with two kids. It’s no spoiler to predict a happy ending, but like a good motorcycle ride, reading this book is not about the destination, but the journey. Even though you know what the conclusion will bring, it is just so much fun watching the story of Poppy, Ryan, and the children, Zoe and Zack, play out.
Kristen Ethridge, the author, reveals the worst faults of the four main characters in the beginning of the book, but pretty soon their true and more positive characteristics shine. They are all likable, and you will be rooting for that inevitable successful ending. A quick read with a beautiful fall setting will convince even the most adamant naysayer of Halloween that fun and whimsy can still be found through the eyes of children.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Hallmark Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: The movie October Kiss premiered in 2015.
Publication: August 2, 2019—Hallmark Publishing
Memorable Lines:
These kids weren’t complicated. They just needed a little undivided attention and unconditional love.
The mere acknowledgement of the other woman tasted like black licorice on Poppy’s tongue as she spoke. Poppy hated black licorice.
The truth hurt like rug burn on her soul.
The Christmas Company–modern-day Scrooge
The Christmas Company
by Alys Murray
I really wanted to like The Christmas Company by Alys Murray. I anticipated a spectacular Christmas read. This book is a modern day version of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, the quintessential Christmas tale for many. It is published by Hallmark; how could it be less than a really good Christmas romance?
A whole town’s livelihood is built around Christmas until its benefactor passes away leaving his company in the hands of a Scrooge-like nephew. Kate has volunteered or worked for the Christmas Company since she was seven years old. With no mother and an alcoholic father, the Christmas Company became Kate’s family, and Christmas became part of her being. When Clark Woodward shuts down the festivities the day before Christmas Eve, Kate makes it her mission to get him to change his mind.
Alys Murray has a good setup for her plot. This book never captured my imagination, however. I didn’t find the characters particularly appealing. The timeline of events was confusing, as was the way the decorations were taken down, moved, and put back up by people who had just been told they were fired. Why didn’t anyone appeal to Clark’s business sense? The town had spent a year and a lot of money preparing for the Christmas events. This was their opportunity to make at least some of it back for the company. Why waste the time and money already put into the event when there could be some return on the investment if the festivities could proceed for three more days? What happened to visitors who were surely expected to participate?
Clark and Kate fall in and out of love several times during the three days we observe them. Kate’s best friends, Emily and Michael, make efforts to help her, but they seem half-hearted and not very effective. My favorite scene involves an accident at the river. It is an action scene and helps develop the characters.
The Christmas Company is a satisfactory read if you are a fan of A Christmas Carol and are looking for a Christmasy diversion. If you are expecting a world changing book or the next classic to share around the tree each year, you will be disappointed.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Hallmark Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Romance
Notes: Usually the book is better than the movie, but I wonder if a good producer/director might be able to turn this around with a visual production that improves on the characters and has a good timeline.
Publication: October 16, 2018—Hallmark Publishing
Memorable Lines:
It was clear He’d fallen out of love with Christmas—Kate didn’t believe anyone naturally disliked the holiday—because it’d been too long since he’d had a wonderful one.
Christmas was there to celebrate the birth of Christ, of course. The name said as much, but because of that, not in spite of it, Christmas had to also embody all of the goodness of humanity.
“I keep Christmas with me all year long. It’s the one time of year when I find it impossible to think the worst in people. If I pretend every day is Christmas, it makes life so much easier to live. And people so much easier to love.”
education pathways 