Everything about A Christmas Tail by Cressida McLaughlin, from the gorgeous cover with plenty of sparkle and glitter to the actual words on the pages, is absolutely superb. I loved every single minute I spent reading this delightful book which I was very grateful to receive from the publishers over at Harper Fiction. A Christmas Tail really was a little ray of sunshine on a cold, dark winter’s day.
A Christmas Tail is a series of four novellas - Wellies and Westies, Sunshine and Spaniels, Raincoats and Retrievers, Tinsel and Terriers - that all form the Primrose Terrace series and have been brought together in one book. The series follows Cat who, after experiencing a very short career working at a local nursery school, sets up her own dog-walking business. At the same time we see her battling with her feelings for Mark who, it’s clear for anyone to see, has secrets to hide and many troubles - will they live happily ever after together or won’t they?
In addition to Cat and Mark there are many more unforgettable characters who make an appearance throughout and contribute something so special and unique to the series that transforms the story into one with a lot of heart and soul. There is a real depth to the story as we see Cat go above and beyond the call of duty to help and support those living in the community with whatever problems they may have, asking for very little in return. In a world where all too often people are so wrapped up in their own problems that they seem to have little time to help those around them, it was refreshing to read a book where this was not so.
Prior to starting A Christmas Tail I hadn’t read any of the Primrose Terrace novellas and, despite how good they all were as individual stories, I’m really glad I hadn’t as it was such a pleasure to have been able to pick this book up and read them all in one go. I felt that I enjoyed them all more and gained a lot more from reading them all together than I would have from reading the novellas separately. Furthermore, each novella seemed to lead into the next novella perfectly which allowed the book to flow and made it seem like I was reading one entire novel.
Reading A Christmas Tail, I laughed, I smiled and I cried (happy tears) and know that the story will stay with me for a long time to come and will certainly become one of those books that I keep on my shelf and re-read every once in a while around the festive period. Upon finishing A Christmas Tail I was so excited to hear that another series was coming from Cressida in 2016 and I now cannot wait to read it!
