I wanted to share this Christmas read before the New Year and send apologies for my absence during the last few months.
My mum has been very sick and sadly she passed away on Wednesday 23rd of December.
Thank you to everyone who has shared my posts on social media. I promise I will be back at some stage and become an active part of the blogging and writing community again as soon as I can.
Also apologies for the lack of doggy updates. The Waggy Tales family are fine and keeping me going through this horrible time.
I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas and wish everyone the very best for a healthy and hopeful New Year.
Now, on to the review:-
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas
Lizzie Shane
For fans of Holly Martin, Phillipa Ashley and Sarah Morgan, Lizzie Shane’s The Twelve Dogs of Christmas is the perfect read to curl up with this holiday season!
Pine Hollow has everything Ally Gilmore could wish for in a holiday break: gently falling snow in a charming small town and time with her family. Then she learns some Grinch has pulled the funding for her family’s rescue shelter, and now she has only four weeks to find new homes for a dozen dogs! But when she confronts her Scroogey councilman nemesis, Ally finds he’s far more reasonable – and handsome – than she ever expected.
As the guardian of his dog-obsessed ten-year-old niece, Ben West doesn’t have time to build a cuddly reputation. But he does feel guilty about the shelter closing. So he proposes a truce with Ally, agreeing to help her adopt out the pups. As the two spend more time together, the town’s gossip is spreading faster than Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. And soon Ben is hoping he can convince Ally that Pine Hollow is her home for the holidays…and the whole year through.
My Thoughts
This Christmas read is a dog lovers dream!
When Ally Gilmore returns to visit her grandparents rescue shelter she finds that the essential small town rescue is due to be closed by the council. Not willing to take this news lying down she approaches the grumpy counsellor responsible for the decision to give him a piece of her mind.
Ben West feels he is failing at everything. His job at the council means he has to make undesirable decisions and he has a reputation as the local Grinch. At home, he suddenly gained guardianship for his niece after the death of his sister and his parenting experience is absolutely zero. Ben desperately wants to do his best for his niece, but he is way out of his depth.
A plan is devised by the harrassed councillor and animal loving photographer. The Twelve Dogs of Christmas comes into place and Ben and Ally promise to get the twelve remaining dogs into their forever homes by Christmas Day.They devise community events to get the homeless dogs noticed, but tongues are wagging about a romance between the two of them…. are the rumours true?
I loved how real the writing was in this engaging read. It not only features a rescue shelter but also the individual dogs and their different requirements to get that perfect forever home.The author shows that some rescue dogs are elderly, have medical needs or may need a consistent training programme, which is an honest portrayal of the rescue world.
The romance between Ally and Ben added a real ‘Will they, Won’t they?’ element which kept me enthralled…because these two were made for each other!
All the Christmas features bring the story to life and add festive sparkle. It’s uplifting and heartwarming with multi layered characters and of course, some adorable pooches!
Thank you to Headline Eternal via NetGalley for a copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly.
Welcome back. I am so sorry to hear the sad news about your Mum. I’m sending you love and heartfelt sympathy. xxx
Thank you so much Jackie. Hope you are all safe and well xx
I am so sorry to hear about your Mum. Sending you hugs and stay safe and well xx
Thank you so much xx
Greetings, First of all I am sorry about your mother. I am also sorry about the loss of your dogs. I may have told you I took care of my mother the last few years of her life. I thought maybe one of my sisters would have done it but that didn’t happen. I am going through your blogs again and reading him. Things haven’t been going so well here two years I’ve missed a lot. I’ve rescued a 9 year old longhaired Dachshund. I have a 1 year old Dachshund coming that was surrendered to a Humane Society. My long-haired dachshund Buddy got sick one night to end of last May, so I called the vet and asked if they had any room for a emergency appointment they asked for it was that was calling, when’s the vet heard my name she said tell him to bring in the dog. Found out he had a tumor in her stomach and blood cancer so I had to put them down. I fully expect to bring them home that day. This was really hard and I’m not over it yet. You think after pulling down 16 Dachshunds in your life you get used to it but I’m not. I was not going to get another dog but when they called me up and said they had a rescue I could not turn it down.
Once again sorry to hear about your mother and your dogs.
Thank you for your kind words. We never get used to letting our dogs go do we? You are a brilliant Dachshund owner and do great rescue work. Good luck with all your new ventures and have a happy 2022.