Book Review: A Christmas Tail by Cressida McLaughlin

Blurb: This book was first published as an e-serial Primrose Terrace Parts 1-4. Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Lucy Dillon and Debbie Johnson.

Catherine ‘Cat’ Palmer realizes that bringing an adorable puppy into work is a bad idea, especially when it gets her the sack. Deciding it’s the perfect opportunity to launch her dog-walking business, Cat enlists the help of flatmates Polly and Joe. After all Primrose Terrace, the street where they live, is full of home-alone hounds.

Getting to know the owners and their precious pooches isn’t all plain sailing, but soon Cat is making friends, particularly with sexy Mark and his Collie, Chips. But is he the right man for her?

With her talent for misadventure, Cat’s new life starts to show some cracks, and when one of the street’s loveable schnauzers gets ill, it looks like this Christmas could be turning into a dog’s dinner. But Cat has never given up on anything in her life – and this is one Christmas that’s definitely worth saving…

Review: A Christmas Tail was first published as a serialised enovel earlier this year. I read the first part and enjoyed it a lot but, when it was announced that it was going to be published as a whole in paperback, I decided to wait and enjoy it all at once. I am glad that I did because, first, the paperback is gorgeous with its glittery cover and, second, because the story is just great. 

The idea behind the book is really original. Cat, our heroine, after losing her job decides to build her own business as a dog walker. Soon she starts meeting all the dogs and their owners in the beautiful neighbourhood around Primrose Terrace. I really enjoyed reading about all the dogs, they were fantastic characters on their own and each one of them had its own treats and unique personality. And then, there were their owners, who all had their own problems and complications and made for a really fun and varied story.

The story takes place during almost a whole year and as the seasons pass, Cat keeps gaining confidence on her new business. However, her curiousity makes her be a tiny bit too interested in her clients' lives. This creates some problems in the community but soon we realise that Cat always acts from her heart and just wants to help whenever she can. She really is a fantastic character.

Also very interesting is the love triangle between Cat, her sexy but mysterious neighbour and dog owner, and her new roommate. I had a favourite from the beginning and I was glad to read how the triangle ended how I hoped!

As I said, the story takes place during the year but as Christmas approaches, the story builds up for a great ending. The last part of the book, that cover the festive period, was definitely my favourite one. The whole community work together to make this time special and it left me in the perfect festive mood.

A Christmas Tail is a fantastic that I can only recommend. It's perfect for the holidays but also for any time of the year as the story is full of surprises and great characters. All dog lovers will absolutely love it and I'm sure that anyone else will also enjoy it greatly. 

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