Tortie Shorties: Wrapping Up the Christmas Season

Sadly, Christmas is over and with it go all of the wonderfully festive holiday stories that have been the purr-fect accompaniment to a mug of peppermint hot chocolate. Today we wanted to tell you about the last few that we've been curled up with. There's still time to enjoy them...it is still technically the holiday season, after all!

The Cat of Yule Cottage by Lili Hayward

From the publisher: A magical tale of Christmas and cats, perfect for everyone who loves A Street Cat Named Bob and Alfie the Doorstep Cat. It's nearly Christmas, and Jessamine Pike needs a serious life overhaul. Jess moves into Enysyule, a centuries-old cottage in Cornwall, and begins the process of renovating the rundown house by day and finishing her novel by night, planning to have both finished in time for the holidays. She's got good company: a beautiful, arrogant tomcat stalks around like he owns the place, and seems very skeptical of Jess' tenancy. But there's magic in the air...Local legends tell of a spirit that inhabits the area, and an ancient standing stone that keeps watch over the valley. As Christmas comes closer and closer, Jess uncovers treasures from Enysyule's past, and becomes involved in a fight for its future. For Jess has stumbled into a story that's been going on for five hundred years. A story about land, love, friendship, the Yuletide...and one remarkable cat.

Tortie Shorties Review: I'll admit that this book wasn't at all what I expected, but not in a disappointing way. Looking at the cover you'd expect a typical cat Christmas story with a touch of "chick lit," but it's actually much deeper than that. Written in a lyrical style the story is a mixture of mystery, history and romance, and at the center is an extra special cat whose care goes from an inconvenient obligation to Jess to a great honor when she comes to understand the depth of his magic. This is an enchanting story that can enjoyed any time of the year, not just during the Yuletide season.

The Meowy Christmas Kitten (Beatrice Young Cozy Cat Mysteries #10)

From the publisher: Ashbrook, New Hampshire gets a sudden windfall of cash, thanks to being designated one of the state's "Magical Towns." Amateur sleuth Beatrice Young would rather spend it on something practical, but the rest of the town folk are instead captivated by a mysterious developer's plan to turn Ashbrook into Santa's Village, the ultimate Christmas tourist attraction!

As opening day approaches, Beatrice and her three crime-fighting cats have to figure out if this developer could be the town's savior ... or if his motives are much more sinister.

With the Cozy Cat Cafe's holiday season in full swing and her annual Christmas day party to plan (with Matthew as co-host and official boyfriend for the first time), Beatrice is going to need all the help she can get from Hamish, Lucky, Petunia ... and a new Christmas kitten!

Tortie Shorties Review: Beatrice and her crime-solving felines save Christmas - and their town - when an unscrupulous developer promises to turn Ashbrook into a year-round Christmas tourist attraction. Plus they make an addition to their little family, making it truly a Christmas to remember!

Egg Noggin': Cooper Sisters Cozy Mystery 3 by Willow Monroe

From the publisher: It’s the night of Cooper’s annual Winter Festival, and everybody is all decked out in holiday cheer - especially Sissy, who is spreading a little more cheer than she probably should. Between her ‘secret’ eggnog recipe, her crazy assistant, and the ever watchful Chuck the Cluck, Sissy has outdone herself this year. Jenny, on the other hand, has decided to sit this year out and simply enjoy herself.

Except that nothing is ever simple, and Jenny finds that out first hand when she and Sissy stumble onto a body and have to find the killer before they escape from the Winter Festival and get away with murder.

Tortie Shorties Review: Super cute short starring a pair of sisters in their 50s who own a chicken farm in Tennessee. While working at the annual winter festival their spiked eggnog has unintended consequences which leads to murder. I have two other of their adventures on my Kindle and I'll definitely be reading them.

The Silence of the Elves: A Holly Hopewell Cozy Mystery by Meg Muldoon

From the publisher: After getting reassigned from the North Pole by a jealous Mrs. Claus, misfit elf Holly Hopewell is sent to work in the worst place imaginable: The North Pole Emporium Department store in Mistletoe, Oregon.The elves call it Mistletoe Row: a place so devoid of joy and Christmas spirit, that many a curly-toed folk has lost their poor mind working there.

But just when Holly thinks things can’t get any worse, the store’s manager, who also happens to be Mrs. Claus’s nephew, is found murdered in his office. And good-natured Holly Hopewell finds herself as the prime suspect in the local police’s investigation. 

Will Holly be sent to a row of a different sort for a crime she didn’t commit? Or will the handsome yet mysterious homicide detective assigned to the investigation find the real murderer before the gumdrops hit the fan for Holly?

Tortie Shorties Review: I requested a review copy of this book based on the cover alone before even reading it's synopsis, and I'm so glad that I did. If you believe in the magic of Christmas you will fall in love with this enchanting story of an elf struggling to find her place in life. Very creative and filled with holiday spirit, and kitty Bob Cratchit has simply stolen my heart!