Cover Image: Meows and Mistletoe

Meows and Mistletoe

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Member Reviews

I loved these stories. Cats and a magical Florida town? Sign. Me. Up. Especially when sweet romances and ghosts are involved!

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Meows and Mistletoe is a holiday anthology, all set in Cats Paw Cove.  It's by a collection of authors, they are all in a cosy crime or cosy mystery style, and in this case, they are all Christmas themed.

Cats Paw Cove is a place where fantastical things can happen, so these are fantasy books, and I do enjoy cosy fantasy mysteries!  There are cats who know a lot, and in some cases, talk, there is the island where you can see fairies and so on, and there is a bit of time travel.

Because there are a collection of authors, these are all different characters, none of whom go between stories as far as I remember! 

I enjoyed the trip to Cats Paw Cove.  I hadn't encountered this place before, and I haven't heard of authors doing this before, but it's such an interesting idea that many authors build up their own little town, and set stories in amongst it.  

You can visit Cats Paw Cove on  Facebook , and they have their own  website .

 Meows and Mistletoe  came out on 1 November 2019, and you can buy it from  Amazon  and Waterstones.

I was given this book in return of an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to the authors collective.

I've reviewed quite a lot of  fantasy  books on here, so please have a look, and you can see  cosy mysteries  as well!

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This is a collection of eight great holiday romances and all are very magical. Sure to get you in the holiday spirit, even in March. I highly recommend.
Many thanks to CPC Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I enjoyed all the stories in this Cats Paw Cove anthology. Some more than others, but all are good reads and worth the purchase.
Thank you Sue-Ellen Welfonder, Kristal Hollis, Sharon Buchbinder, Candace Colt, Debra Jess, Kerry Evelyn, Mia Ellas and Darcy Devlon for allowing me this advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

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COLLYWOBBLES FOR CHRISTMAS by Sue-Ellen Welfonder - The fate of star-crossed lovers falls into the magical paws of a time-traveling kitten determined to right an ancient wrong and claim the greatest Christmas gift of all - love.

Terrific story of a love that spanned the centuries. It opened as a captured knight is aided in his escape by the daughter of the house, who is also the woman he loves. Treachery and tragedy prevent their reunion and the fulfillment of their love. Centuries later, an adorable kitten brings a modern-day couple together for a much happier ending. I loved both Gaby and James. His nickname of "Sir Galahad" is well-earned, as he is known for his protectiveness - which comes out in a terrific scene with Gaby's ex. I loved the connection they experienced from the beginning, and that it didn't surprise them or freak them out. The continuing revelations of secrets and histories brought them even closer. The ending was fantastic as their story came full circle.

CHARLOTTE REDBIRD, GHOST COACH by Sharon Buchbinder - With the help of hunky real estate agent, Dylan Graham, life coach Charly Redbird and her new kitten have found the perfect home next to a cemetery. Charly gets a new client right away, who happens to be her neighbor—and a ghost. What could possibly go wrong?

Fun story. When Charly and her code of ethics runs up against a rich woman who will stop at nothing to get her daughter into Harvard, Charly's dream career goes down in flames. Determined to get her life back on track, she heads for Cat's Paw Cove and her grandmother. Local real estate agent "Big D" helps her find the perfect home, albeit one that has a few more quirks than she expected.

I loved both Charly and Dylan. Charly has a magical talent that she is unaware of until she gets to the Cove - she doesn't just see ghosts, she can also talk to them. This comes as quite a shock to her when she makes the acquaintance of the former residents of her new home. Once she recovered from that shock, I loved the way that she put her talents as a life coach into helping Marjorie and Cecil find their way back to each other. I ached a little bit for Dylan, who believed that his magical contributions were quite minor. Personally, I think a man with the gift of empathy is pretty darn special. Add in his ability to sense magic in other people, and I thought he was pretty talented. I did feel bad for him when Charly overreacted to his empathy, but fortunately, she moved past that pretty quickly. I liked how he supported her through all of the revelations about her life and family. The sparks between them were intense and amplified by Dylan's talents. I liked how they came together at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed the assorted residents of the retirement home and their interactions. The scene with the loud music and the hearing aids was hilarious, as was the "courtroom" scene with Charly's father. I also loved the cats, from Charly's kittens to the ones that served as enforcers.

GNOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Kristal Hollis - When an empath who’s failed at every relationship impulsively kisses an enchanted garden gnome, he magically turns into a real man. Together they must find his one true love and end the curse by Christmas or he’ll be forever alone and trapped within his stone prison.

A misfit in her own magical family, Lily frequently found herself at Coquina Castle, pouring out her troubles to the garden gnome figure there. When she discovered the figure for sale at the local antique shop, she bought it and brought it home. She's shocked when the figure turned into a very human, very attractive man. Several centuries earlier, Nick was cursed by a woman he rejected and turned into a stone figure. Now he needs to find the one true love who can break the curse.

There were so many times I wanted to shake Lily. She was so convinced that she was wrong for him that she wouldn't see the truth. After listening to Lily for so many years, Nick is already mostly in love with her, but Lily truly believes that she is not the woman he needs. However, she cares for him and is determined to help him find the right woman. There are some great scenes as she introduces him to various single women, but none of them appeal to Nick.

Things get complicated when they visit the estate where he worked and the scene of his cursing. Evil forces are determined that Lily won't succeed in her mission, and the effect on her is chilling. Nick is determined to show Lily that she is the one for him, but first, he has to save her. The ending was quite exciting as Nick enlisted help from unexpected sources. I was on the edge of my seat until the evil one was defeated and Nick showed Lily that she was his and always had been.

RING MA BELL by Debra Jess - In 1979, Michael Bell fell in love with high seas radio technician Dvorah Levi's voice as she guided him to safety, but their marriage was cut short by a bullet. Forty years later, Dvorah still mourns him. Can a special holiday and a magical Sherwood cat bring him back?

Good second chance story. Dvorah and Michael met during an exciting adventure. Michael, a PI, was kidnapped by drug dealers. Partially rescued by his magical cat, it was Dvorah's voice on the ship's radio that brought him the rest of the way home. Something about her voice touched him deeply and he proposed marriage on the spot. But they'd only been married a week when he was murdered. Dvorah spent the next forty years mourning him, never willing to move on with her life. Over his many incarnations over the years, Michael's cat watched her grieve and worried about her loneliness. Finally, he made a decision to try to change history, knowing it could have unintended consequences.

I loved Goliath and his love for both Michael and Dvorah. His decision was not an easy one. I was glued to the pages as I followed the events leading up to the situation that had resulted in Michael's death. I liked seeing Michael and Dvorah grow closer, their love deepens. I was on the edge of my seat, knowing what was coming and wondering how Goliath would prevent it. The final confrontation was exciting and not what I expected. I ached for Goliath but cheered for the results of his actions. The move back to the present day was heartwarming and showed the results of Goliath's actions.

FAMILIAR BLESSINGS by Candace Colt - A gifted medium, Theo Blessing renounced her magic, tired of being hounded by the greedy dead. Former Army Ranger Ethan Cooper promised to repay a debt to a man whose wise counsel brought him out of war's dark shadow. Ethan appears on Theo's doorstep with a puzzling letter. If what it says is true, the reluctant medium and skeptical Ranger must travel back to 1720 to save a young boy from the gallows.

Good story where the past meets the present. Ethan is a former soldier on a mission to deliver a letter. An elderly neighbor back home helped Ethan deal with the traumas he experienced during the war. In return, Ethan will deliver this letter to the man's granddaughter. Theo has run away from her gift as a medium, tired of being hounded day and night by those who want more than she can give. Ethan's arrival forces her to make some decisions about her future.

Ethan was pretty closed off when he arrived, determined to drop the letter and leave. Once Theo read the letter, she knew she had to keep Ethan with her. The challenge was getting Ethan to believe the truth, and then to agree to help. It was especially interesting when Theo's cat, Wishes, got involved. I enjoyed seeing the resolution of the problem and the steps they had to take to accomplish it. The ending was adorable.

PURRFECTLY CHRISTMAS by Mia Ellas - Faerie Sormey Johnson moved to Cat's Paw Cove to live a quiet life as a human until a sexy werewolf deputy needs her help tracking down a murderous monster. When Sormey offers herself as bait, the cost may be more than she bargained for.

A faerie and a werewolf make an unusual team. Sormey has been hiding out in Cat's Paw Cove for five years, desperate to remain out of the hands of her uncle Oberon. To do that, she has disguised herself as an old woman. That disguise starts to fall apart when she is adopted by one of the town's magical cats. Then her best friend's grandson comes to town, looking for a monster that killed his sister.

There was a connection between Sormey and Max right away, with Max stirring up feelings that she hasn't had for quite a while. It's obvious that Max feels the same about her. With the need to stop the monster becoming more urgent. Sormey offers to act as bait and draw him out. Things get intense when events move faster than expected, and Sormey is in more danger than they had planned for. Help came from an unexpected source, arriving just in time. When it was all over, it was time for Sormey to make some decisions about her future. Would Max be part of that future or would he move on to the next case?

One of the secondary characters was Sormey's brother. I didn't like him at all, especially the way he talked to his sister.

CHRISTMAS AT MOON MIST MANOR by Kerry Evelyn - Lanie and Matt Saunders return to Cat's Paw Cove two years after their first disastrous Christmas there. When a mysterious kitten leads Matt back in time, can he right the wrongs of the past and give his expectant wife the perfect Christmas?

Matt and Lainie have spent more time apart than together during their marriage, thanks to his job as a rescue worker. They have big plans for this Christmas - a few days in Cat's Paw Cove, then up to Maine to spend the holidays with his family. Lainie is very pregnant, and her emotions are all over the place - mostly feelings of guilt over the way she acted during their last trip to the Cove. She is also suffering from some hormone-driven insecurity.

Matt is happy to be home with Lainie. He's nervous about becoming a father and senses that something is bothering Lainie. Matt irritated me a bit because he seemed totally wrapped up in his need to be active in the rescues and oblivious to the idea that Lainie needed him, too.

I liked their arrival at the Cove this time. Lainie is less judgmental about the unique Southern traditions and lack of cold and snow. Though the baby isn't due for a while yet, she is more and more uncomfortable. The help she received did more than relieve her discomfort; it opened her eyes to the uniqueness of the island. There were some interesting situations that brought out new revelations to both Matt and Lainie, and I liked seeing how they dealt with them. The kitten, Pippi was the catalyst to several of them. I liked how both Matt and Lainie learned something new about themselves and each other, things that made their relationship stronger. There was some excitement at the end that had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

NEW YEAR’S KISS by Darcy Devlon - In order to overcome a family curse, Griffin Brooks, the town's hotshot assistant fire chief, must earn his true love's trust. Trina Lancaster knows she can release Griffin's curse, but will her magical family baggage be a deal-breaker?

True love rescued by a trip through time. Griffin and Trina have a history. They'd been a couple for a short time, but then Griffin broke it off for no apparent reason. He hasn't moved on to another relationship, and Trina is still in love with him. Even the Cove's cats know that they belong together, but until Griffin wishes for something to change, they can't help him.

I ached for Griffin, who still loves Trina but is convinced that the family curse will only cause him to hurt her. Five years after their breakup, Trina has asked for advice from her mother and has a plan. She's nervous about it because it means she'll have to face her biggest fear, but she'll do anything to win her man.

I liked the guidance that Trina and Griffin received before they left - learn what you can but don't do anything that will change history. Neither realized how hard that would be. Finding out the origin of the family curse gave Griffin the courage to fight it. Trina, too, realized that she had a tendency to psych herself out of actions by overthinking them. I loved the surprise message that Griffin found in an old photo album and the effect it had on him. The ending was sweet and showed that love can conquer all.

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Each tale in this anthology collection is delightful and entertaining. Looking forward to reading more in the Cat's Paw Series.
Ebook from netgalley with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

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Meows and Mistletoe is the 4th book in the Cat's Paw Cove series, and it is made up of eight delightful Christmas short stories. I really enjoyed all the stories, and it was fun getting into the Christmas spirit. What a great way to escape life with the romance, paranormal activity and humorous stories. I recommend this book.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

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It's the second book I read set in Cat’s Paw Cove and I'm starting to love this series.
This story are sweet, well written and entertaining.
I love Cat’s Paw Cove atmosphere and i loved the characters and the stories.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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Princess Fuzzypants here: I am not a big romance reader but this is a BIG romance book. It is chocked full of stories all taking place in Cat’s Paw Cove where magic is the norm and romance is in the air. It is a very feline place and in each and every story one of the magical Sherwood cats plays a major role. I loved them all but I did have some favourites. It was always clean fun.
There is time travel, witchcraft, talking cats and so much more. I found every story engaging and thoroughly enjoyed the book. It would be a perfect take away on a vacation as there is a lot of reading. I would love to read more of the same and hope they do another anthology. Five purrs and two paws up.

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Holy Meow! This was an awesome anthology! I don’t know what it is about the holidays but I always crave cozy mysteries to read. This was such a great way to start the season for me, not only is it an anthology about cats but the mysteries were such a joy to read! I loved every story and that is beyond rare for me! I highly recommend this collection to all readers who are looking for character drive, unique and fun stories that are safe! Here is a brief overview of my opinion for each story:
COLLYWOBBLES FOR CHRISTMAS (by Sue-Ellen Welfonder) is a time traveling story with amazing characters and the cutest kitten with the biggest heart! This story was the embodiment of the holiday spirit with the sweetest love imaginable! 4 stars.

CHARLOTTE REDBIRD: GHOST COACH (by Sharon Buchbinder) I loved the idea of a mystery, a cemetery and a ghost, oh and the kitten of course! This story was fun and exciting and I loved the ending! 4.5 stars.

GNOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (by Kristal Hollis) is a Christmas version of the frog and the prince and I very much enjoyed the humor and the uniqueness of this story. 4.5 stars.

RING MA BELL (by Debra Jess) this story was heartbreaking and redemptive all at once. I have rarely felt such strong emotions from a cozy story before. It was sweet and enduring.

FAMILIAR BLESSINGS (by Candace Colt) is a time traveling action adventure like story that hits all the notes. I liked the idea of such at odds characters working together to save a life. 4 stars.
PURRFECTLY CHRISTMAS (by Mia Ellas) was a steamy werewolf meets sassy faerie. I loved the dynamics between these characters and found myself wanting more. The ending was an amazing and I could get used to this as a series! 4.5 stars.

CHRISTMAS AT MOON MIST MANOR (by Kerry Evelyn) I liked the kitten guide in this short version of A Christmas Carol! It was fun and very sweet!

NEW YEAR’S KISS (by Darcy Devlon) this was a fun story of steam and magic. I enjoyed the way the story came together and how true love really does conquer all! 4 stars

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This is an anthology of short stories based in Cat’s Paw Cove. I love the Cat’s Paw Cove series and was excited to read these Christmas stories. The authors kept with the cat loving premise of the original series and added their spin. There is magic, romance and cats. What’s not to love? I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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A big thank you to NetGalley and CPC Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is an anthology of 8 stories. They are quick reads, but I read it in basically one sitting and it was a little much. I think you have to be in a holiday mood. I enjoyed the bits of magic and all the cats. The stories weren't bad but nothing earth shattering. I rate this a 3.

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