This book is a warm blanket evoking such clear images of magical tales woven into the story of a cat, an island and a girl who didn’t know she was lost until she was found.
Ms Hayward crafts the story beautifully, creating a rich tapestry weaving myth and folklore into family mystery and intrigue.
This will stick in my memory for a long time; the beauty of the tales within the tale perfectly evokes such vivid images that linger with warmth….. and of course, the purr of a feline friend.

Moving romantic mystery set in Cornwall

In that special conjunction of mystery, romance and folklore, A Midwinter's Tail is your standard big city girl stranded in a rural town, only with added enigmatic cat, sea magic and incomers with nefarious plans. Made for a Hallmark movie, this is a Christmas novel that isn't focused on Santa and gifts and reindeer and sleighs. Instead, it's about the ruggedness and romance of distant Cornwall, the ties of history and family, and being true to yourself.

An enjoyable three stars,

Really enjoyed this lovely book. The writing was excellent, the place felt alive and atmospheric. The characters were great too, and the main character very relatable. I thought the plot was engaging and well-paced.
Definitely interested in more from the author.

There was very little Christmas about this story.

It was more about winter and cold nights.

The Fantasy was very light and never fully explained.

Saying all that the story drew me in with great characters and mystery.

There was a nice twist to the story.

A young lady whose job is on the line.
A Cornish island from her past, shrouded in folklore.
An estranged godfather.
A five word letter, 'Mina, please look after her', and a key.

This book was everything mystical, magical and heartwarming I hoped it would be. This is a great Christmas story full of love, friendship, hope and healing.

Great book, really liked it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to this book in exchange for my feedback.

Mina has a stressful job in London & is about to close a deal that will make her position secure within her company when she suddenly receives a key & a note saying 'Please come' she recognises the writing as belonging to her Godfather Davy Penhallow. She remembers the happy times she had on the Cornish island of Morgelyn. Although she has never heard from him since she & her mother left there many years ago, the memories make the decision for her & she leaves immediately. On arrival she finds out Davy is in hospital & she has been asked to take care of the cottage & of Murr the cat. She remembers Murr from her childhood, but it can't be the same cat- can it??Never intending to stay more than a night, a storm & the discovery that someone is intent on stopping her seeing Davy changes her life.

What a lovely story this was! I loved the setting & all the wonderful characters on Morgelyn. Having lived on a tiny island, I thought the author captured the atmosphere so well. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

This is a small story. It's not a sweeping epic or a deep, psychological novel. It's almost like a Hallmark movie if a Hallmark movie had real heart and a sprinkle of folk magic. It's just a lovely little tale. The writing is so delicate and beautiful, with gorgeous descriptions of the island. So much atmosphere. Mina was a nice protagonist with a sweet arc finding herself and her family.

It's just warm, Christmas-y magic and a cat. You can probably read it in a day or so, and you'll enjoy every minute.

Highly recommend! 4 stars.

An absolutely lovely and atmospheric read, perfect for the winter season. I love fiction books that have a sprinkle of magic and this one captured the spirit of the Cornish isles wonderfully. There was whimsy and community and a lot of weather!

We follow Mina Kestle, a Londoner who receives a message from her estranged godfather asking her to come and look after his cat all the way at the other end of the country on the island of Morgelyn off the end of Cornwall. What follows is a heartwarming tale of finding oneself, finding community and a mysterious, fluffy cat.

I loved Hayward's writing here. It was perfect for capturing the atmosphere of Cornwall (a place I know well) while not being too whimsical to remain grounded. The inserts of Mina recalling folktales told to her as a child added that little spark of magic into the story.

The plot was somewhat predictable, but I found the setting and atmosphere enthralling enough that I didn't really care. It was interesting instead, to know what was going to happen or be revealed and to follow Mina as she figured it all out for herself. I enjoyed reading about Mina's internal struggles, being pulled between the glitz of her London life and this tiny little Cornish island, of her realising what it truly is that she wants out of her life.

Overall this was a lovely, atmospheric and cosy festive read, perfect for curling up with my a merrily crackling fire and whiling away the evening.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I wish I had kept this for midwinter but I couldn’t resist it! Absolutely beautiful book which warmed my heart. Loved it.

A Midwinter's Tail is one of those books that I didn't want to end.
It is a beautifully written story about Mina Kestle, who, after twenty years of having no contact with her Godfather - Davy Penhallow - receives the key to his cottage, with a mysterious note that says 'Mina, please look after her.'
After discovering that Davy has had a stroke, Mina catches the first flight out to the Cornish island of Morgelyn to find that he wants her to look after his cottage and Murr, his extraordinary cat, while he recovers.
There are many Cornish folk stories told throughout the book, which along with Murr, make it quite magical.
The perfect Christmassy story, full of love and hope.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in return for my honest review

This was such a feel-good and heart-warming story that is purrfect read for this winter! I loved how festive this one felt and the folklore throughout. Haywood has a beautiful way of writing and I could not put this one down. While this is a short story, and at times a little predictable, it didn't stop me from fully immersing myself into Mina's world and the situation she finds herself in.

Mina was a really likeable character and I quickly grew to love the townsfolk in the Cornish island of Morgelyn, which sounds like such a truly magical and peaceful place to live. I also enjoyed the romance element in this one and was so glad it never overshadowed the main storyline!

Overall A Midwinter's Tail is a uplifting, cute and warm story that would be great to read this season, especially curled up under a blanket with a hot drink!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lili Hayward weaves a beautifully lyrical and whimsical festive tale, infused with elements of magic. It is approaching Christmas, in London Mina Kestle is at the works party, aware that she is viewed with scepticism as to her abilities, so when she sees someone she knows from a personal connection, she manages to secure an appointment with him soon. It has the potential of raising her stature and career prospects within the company. Not long after she opens a strange letter with a old key inside, from her long estranged godfather, the seascape painter and wordsmith Davy Penhallow, who resides on the tiny Cornish island, Morgelyn, along with his pet cat Murr.

It turns out Davy has serious health issues, having suffered a stroke, and is now in hospital, his life under threat, needing someone, her, to look after Murr. Despite their estrangement, there is clearly a strong connection that persists subconsciously within Mina, so much so that she rushes to scramble on a train as she leaves the party, in her unsuitable party gear, to see Davy in hospital and then travel to his home, and see Murr. She has strong whispers running through her head, memories from childhood, her mother, Davy, and the multitude of stories told, all part of a long established tradition of Cornish legends and folklore. Thinking she can organise things at the cottage and for Murr before going back, Mina finds herself caught up in secrets, and those harbouring more sinister and ruthless ambitions for Morgelyn.

There are twists and turns that many readers might see coming in Hayward's engaging storytelling, that results in a Mina more closely connecting with her inner self and becoming aware of who she really is, and where her future might really lie. There is Murr, a misty grey cat with far more to it than you might imagine and a developing romance too. There is hope as an underlying thread in this atmospheric, well written, and heartwarming Christmas read that is likely to appeal to a wide range of readers. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This may very well be the case of wrong book and wrong reader, but it was vastly different from what I was expecting. As someone who loves both Christmas and cats, I was looking forward to this tale that promised magic realism. Now I did not go into this expecting hardcore fantasy, but the magic realism aspect was so little, I daresay it wasn't there at all.

The story is ultimately only concerned with the family drama around Mia and the island community she gets to know. The relatives are villanous to a point that I found it almost funny - like surely there was more than one cause for calling the police and yet they kept getting away with things that had me in stark disbelief. There was a small romance plot which felt super rushed - I love romance but in this case it might have been better without rather than the rushed job we were presented with.

I do not see how magic realism comes into this at all beyond the age of the cat. There is interesting lore around the island and I loved that there was quite a focus on the cat and thought the cat behaviour was really well written. Unfortunately, all those plot lines didn't seem to lead to anything. It wasn't even vague on what exactly is going on, nor why the cat is significant, nor why she doesn't seem to age - the whole time I was waiting for some kind of reveal but we get nothing.

I was largely disappointed as it's simply not what I was looking for. It is nonetheless a well written book with a likeable main character. I think this book will do much better with readers who are definitely more interested in the day to day business of a small town with family quarrels rather than for those looking for a cat's Christmas tale with a touch of magic.

This was interesting in that it wasn't quite so many things. Not quite a romance, not quite a heist, not quite magical realism, not quite a ghost story, not quite a coming of age. That makes it sound bad and yet I read it in two sittings. While there were a lot of characters to try and keep straight in a short read (and a lot of them with names that either started with, or involved the letter 'L'), they were distinct and enjoyable to read, although I found Jem a bit light-on. The setting was a delight.

One very small thing that did bother me though, At the start, Mina runs her hand through her curls to check they're all in place or something. Speaking as a curly-haired person, running my hand through my hair is a guaranteed way to utterly wreck it. She also seemed strangely immune to hypothermia and cut feet despite running around a Cornish island in mid December in an evening dress and no shoes.

Perfect seasonal cosy fantasy folklore read with a lovely twist at the end that made me audibly gasp and shed a tear - not overly christmassy too so can be read anything time of year

A really lovely wintery story. Set on the Scily Isles in is full of magic and a cat - although the cover is slightly misleading. Very cosy.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy

A Midwinter's Tail is set on Morgelyn, a tiny island off the coast of Cornwall, where Mina is sent to look after her godfather's cat, Murr over Christmas whilst he is recovering in hospital. This book contains elements of magical realism and lots of folklore.

I absolutely loved this book! The setting was perfect for the festive season and the descriptions were very vivid. I loved the slightly whimsical, fairytale atmosphere created. The characters were all developed and I liked that each character we meet on the island is very distinct and loveable. Although some elements of the plot were quite predictable, this was a great feel good story and would be the perfect book to read by the fire over Christmas!

My only complaint is that the romance subplot did feel slightly rushed and not very fleshed out. It became very apparent from the moment that we met the love interest that there was going to be an element of romance however in my opinion it doesn't really add anything to the story.

Overall, I loved this book and think this would make the perfect stocking filler for any animal lover this Christmas!