The Christmas Menagerie Minna Howard

A rather chaotic festive book about Amelia who is getting to grips with the first Christmas without her husband.

A slow story which is repetitive at times and you are hard pushed to spot the romance. A tad disappointing only saving grace was it was its festive them .2.5/5

OK, I have to admit that I picked this book up for two reasons;
1. It's a Christmas book (I may be a Scrooge, but I can never say no to a Christmas story)
2. The title, seeing as I have over the years filled the house with a menagerie of animals, this book appealed to me.
So off the back of those two reasons I picked this up and couldn't put it down again until the very last page, I was hooked and I loved it!!
This book is the perfect escapism, it's cosy, cute, feel-good, heart-warming, and happy and will leave you smiling, I can't say enough good things about it. I liked the story, I liked the characters and I loved the menagerie of animals! Any books with cute fur babies hold my interest!
Minna Howard is new to me author and I will certainly be seeking her books out in the future.
Lovely and charming!

A warmhearted Christmas story of Amelia trying to move on after losing her husband's and having to spend her first Christmas alone while looking after a load of animals. Good character,s Amelia and Jules were both likeable and some humour thrown in makes it a cosy Christmas read

Was hoping for an upbeat and funny rom-com set around Christmas with a slew of candid pet moments and animals stealing the show. Turned out this was more a (sad) drama about life and where the heroine and her daughter - didn't expect that last one! - were in their lives that holiday season and how they lived through it all. The romance felt missing, the energy felt low, and the read was very slow and even repetitive sometimes. Sadly, was not the escapist holiday romance I'd expected from reading the blurb and seeing the cover

The most animals I have ever had responsibility for at one time has been five cats, and it wasn’t exactly the least stressful situation I’ve ever experienced. Five pairs of eyes following me around the house. Five different feline personalities ready for either a playful bat or a scratch at any moment. And heaven forbid you accidentally jostle their treat jar lest five sets of paws stampede you.

So author Minna Howard has crafted a heroine who’s far better than me. Oh sure, Amelia originally assumed she’ll only be looking after a dog over the Christmas holiday, but after the local kennel is shut down, she opens her home to a parrot, an especially slow tortoise, and a host of others until she’s practically ringleading a growing corps of animals. However, Amelia, still recovering from losing her husband the year before, finds herself almost welcoming the distraction.

With Amelia’s home turned topsy-turvy, though, Howard understands the need for a bit of Christmas magic. Fortunately, she’s ready with Jules, a new veterinarian in the village. From there, she weaves a charming story, dropping Amelia into a series of animal-related hijinks, festive parties, and somewhat strained family relationships—all with a delightfully slow-burning romance waiting for her to sort out her baggage.

Howard’s quiet style is on full display here, and it pairs nicely with the hectic situation she’s composed. Nothing ever feels overwhelming, making The Christmas Menagerie an absolutely cozy Christmas read. My recommendation? It’s best paired with cool day, a warm blanket, and an animal friend of your choosing.

A warm-hearted and sweet Christmas romance story filled with wonderful animals. It's a very nice read that will make you feel good.

I enjoyed the premise of this book as Amelia tried to come to terms with being alone and moving on. I particularly liked her predicament, stuck as she was between her enthusiastic and campaigning daughter and Jules, the vet who was responsible for closing down the local animal kennels. Amelia emerges as a likeable and relatable character with a kind heart and a wry sense of humour. An entertaining read for the festive season.
Thanks to netfalley for a copy of the book

Amelia finds herself looking after the neighbourhoods pets over Christmas, when the local kennels are closed down by the new vet. She has a few amusing incidents with some of the animals and she needs to consult the vet.
The animals certainly keep her busy, on her first Christmas after losing her husband. You could just imagine all the cars rolling up, dropping off their pets, before jetting off.
This was a nice, cosy read.

Lovely feel good seasonal book. It was just lovely. Romantic book you dream about. Great plot and characters. Perfect for reading over the festive period. Or at any time if the year. Christmas books can be enjoyed anytime anywhere. Very well written and flowed well.

Widowed only a year, Amelia moved herself and her daughters out of London for a ‘new start”, even as she misses her old life and her husband dearly. A teacher at the local school, she’s met several people, and while she’s planning a quiet ‘at home’ holiday with her two daughters out living their lives with their partners, she’s not really looking forward to it. But a friend and single mum needed a place for her dog to stay over her own very needed holiday, and the story begins.

New to the area veterinarian Jules and his young son have arrived in the small village and immediately shut down the local kennels. This caused no end of consternation for the locals, most feeling that he ‘overstepped’ and him knowing that the established kennels had become too much for the elderly owners. With no knowledge of pets, not having had any, and a worry that a hibernating tortoise was dead, Amelia needs Jules to explain and help her.

This was a lovely story encompassing healing, growth, grief and pets: LOTS of pets, and Amelia’s good-hearted yet utterly clueless caretaking. Bringing into focus the vet’s young son, his own struggles with his own losses, the expansive and wholly lovely family that Jules is staying with and the unexpected (and slightly early) return of Amelia’s daughters; each with their own news to share kept the story moving forward, and Amelia and Jules finding pathways to start a friendship that blossoms into a romance. A light-hearted (on the surface) story that brings people, animals and hearts into focus.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aPQ /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Although titled the Christmas Menagerie, that is probably only about the first half of the book. The rest is what follows after. It was ok, not amazing, a little repetitive in parts. All in all, it’s a feel-good easy read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.

A light read with a slow and steady pace. Actually, it was a bit light on the romance, and a bit light on the Christmas bit, too.

I was expecting a romcom and had to come back to check the category, which is actually women's fiction, and this made more sense. Still, I struggled to finish the book. Repetition in descriptions, LOTS of inner dialogue, and a lot of worry about first date expectations in the modern day, only to...well, no spoilers - the pace was slow.

Amelia can't seem to say "no", and ends up with a menagerie of animals to care for over the Christmas holiday. While this is the name of the book, it only takes up a portion of the book - the rest of the time, characters seem to delight in discussing it. She can't seem to say "no" to David, either, a hopeful suitor.

The broad cast of smaller characters gave it real personality, and it definitley captured the foibles of small town life.

My thoughts....
If you’re looking for a quick and cozy Christmas read you might like this book. This was my first book from Minna Howard. Overall, the book was okay. I was expecting more. The Christmas theme definitely needed to be focused on more. The storyline needed more, there were repetitive conversations and musings. And for a romcom, the romance fell short and felt rushed towards the end. I did enjoy the whole theme of the animals and rebuilding a public kennel.

"Love isn't just for Christmas!"

It is quite widely known that I am not much of a 'seasonal' reader, so you will quite often find me reviewing Christmas books in the middle of summer and vice versa, so to actually get to this book read and reviewed on schedule is something of a novelty in itself!

The book has an opening which really throws you head first into some rather chaotic action, an eventful storyline which chugs along nicely with not too many surprises, and an ending which is hugely satisfying if predictable. But who doesn't relish a bit of predictability in todays uncertain world, and especially at Christmas!

There are so many 'cozy' mysteries out there on the shelves with specific themes, that to find a 'cozy' romance with a strong emphasis on theme, is a whole new ball game for me! The Christmas Menagerie, is exactly what it says on the cover, a contemporary feel-good romance, with plenty of wildlife action for all you animal lovers out there.

Having no pets of my own, the thought of having this random, mini travelling pet shop, of various ill-matched animals and birds turn up on my doorstep completely unannounced, would really see me running for the hills. However Amelia, our reluctant, amateur pet-sitter, takes it all in her stride and copes with the situation as best she can, albeit with rather disorganised competence. It's a good job that there is a friendly vet on standby though, just to help out with the couple of odd unforeseen incidents, which add some unscheduled humour and mayhem to the festive period! This new friendship is also potentially on course for a romance which will last way past Christmas, if only life, a rival for Jules's affection, family and other people's pets, just didn't keep getting in the way!

Told largely from the perspective of Amelia herself, with just a few chapters added by her daughter Sophie, this book to escape into, offers story-telling which is full of heart and humour, multi-layered, rich in atmosphere and moves along at a fair pace. The chapters are short and sweet, with some great unscripted descriptive narrative and intelligent observational dialogue. Jules, the newly arrived vet, causes a ruckus in this small community, by closing down a family run business which has become unmanageable and downright dangerous, heaping onto himself the focussed wrath of Sophie, who does love a 'good cause' to become passionate about, particularly when she can deflect some of her own problems for a while. Not so good for her mother, Amelia though, who is as attracted to Jules, as he is to her.

Amelia has one potential rival for her affections and although she is a little uncertain about how to handle the situation, given that she is so not in tune with modern dating protocol, she does eventually manage to fend her off permanently, although not without the odd awkward incident. No raw passion or lust, just a profoundly touching story of two middle-aged, emotionally vulnerable people who are attracted to one another, coming together naturally, when the time is right and each have sorted out their feelings about each other and the personal baggage they both carry. Amelia and Jules are also mature and sensible enough to realise that they will be better together, if they have the full support of their respective families and close friends, so once Sophie and Jules have made peace, Amelia's second daughter offers her blessing and Jules's much younger son is ready to have someone else step into his mother's shoes, then the green light definitely means 'go'!

There is quite a profusion of 'bit part' characters, who make this saga what it is, bringing life to the village in a very three dimensional way. None of them are particularly complex, although all are engaging, sympathetically drawn and carefully defined by the author. The unique dynamics of so many diverse and multi-faceted personalities really works, making them easy to connect with and invest in as a group. Some of them might seem, and indeed are, a little larger then life, however there is a good synergy between them, which makes this strange mix work really well.

Minna has written a compelling and lovely, 'escape into' story, which immediately put me at ease and drew me in with a real sense of time and place, leaving me feeling totally relaxed and unhurried. A lovely fun read for anytime of the year!

I was really undecided about a review rating for this book, so here at Fiction Books Blog I am awarding 3.5 stars, however for any external review site this will be rounded up to 4 stars.

As the blurb says, Amelia usually loves Christmas, but this year is her first one entirely alone since her husband passed away – though she's not quite by herself. Somehow, she's been lumbered with a menagerie of pets over the holidays, no thanks to the new village vet closing the local kennels.

Between a parrot, two tortoises and god-knows-how-many baby mice, Amelia ends up seeing a lot more of Jules the vet than she planned to. After a rocky start she begins to enjoy her time with him, whilst trying to keep the peace with her daughter who has taken against Jules, and has her own romantic problems. Amelia also has to fend off a romantic interest of her own.

I loved the descriptions of the animals, young Dickon (Jules' son) is a delight and the various strands of the story are woven together well. I also liked that the main characters are a bit older and have gone through troubles that I could identify with. A thoroughly enjoyable story that kept me interested to the (satisfying) end.

A well written and heartwarming romance. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

This was everything I wanted in a Christmas book. It was such a sweet story of loss, love and family. And I loved the addition of the animals. The only thing I love as much as Christmas are animals. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting a lovely Christmas read.

The plot for this book sounded ideal for a Christmas read and I was excited to start it however, I was disappointed by the fact that Christmas Day was over by 30% of the book. The tea of the book was enjoyable with a heartfelt journey of accepting new love and letting go of loved ones from the past. However, I don’t feel this was a particularly ‘Christmas’ type book and didn’t quite match up with its title.

It's a light, entertaining and heartwarming read that made me root for the characters.
The only fault is that some dialogue are repetitive and made it less compelling.
Good character development, nice and tightly knitted plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a lovely novel which extends through Christmas and on to Easter. This is a funny but festive read that leaves you wanting more. A strange menagerie leads to lovely characters making you feel good. This is a 5 star book and I want more.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC for an honest review.