BOOK REVIEW for "Snowball's Christmas" by Kristen McKanagh

Snowball’s Christmas
by Kristen McKanagh
Published by: Kensington
Publication date: Sept 29th, 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Purrfect holiday awaits…

Snowball – an aptly named bundle of feline fluff – is thankful to be spending her first Christmas in the comfort of Weber Haus, the Victorian B&B run by Miss Tilly. Emily Diemer, who cooks for the guests, dotes on Snowball, but she’s not thrilled about another new arrival at the B&B: Miss Tilly’s nephew, Lukas. Which is odd, because Snowball’s animal instincts tell her that Lukas and Emily should definitely be friends.

Everything Emily needs is in this quaint community – including, she hopes, the chance to open her own bakery one day. She doesn’t think much of Lukas for leaving his aging aunt to struggle while he jets around the world taking photographs. But now that he’s here, helping to spruce up the property and getting mixed up in Snowball’s antics, she begins to soften a little. Until she learns what he has planned…

Lukas is going to sell Weber Haus so that Miss Tilly can retire. But Snowball is certain that this B&B, and these people, are supposed to be her forever home. Somehow she has to get these stubborn humans to see things through the wisdom of a cat’s eye and a kitten’s loyal, loving heart…

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~ BOOK REVIEW for Snowball's Christmas ~

***(3) out of 5 

This was a cute little story about a white fluffball of a kitten and the humans she hopes to keep as her own.  It was a quick, easy read; a mostly happy little distraction from many of the heavier cares of the world.  Definitely something that would be a delightfully cozy read on a cold winter's day.

The main characters are all interesting, and pretty well developed for the short length of the novel.  Some of the minor characters were, of course, less fleshed out, but that's to be expected.  Emily and Lukas were cute together in the few scenes where they interacted.  However, their shared time seemed very insufficient to has allowed either of them to develop any real feelings for the other.  Besides which, both were extremely wishy-washy about just about everything, from their thoughts on a relationship between them to plans for the inn and otherwise.  And they definitely were not good at communicating their thoughts or feelings.  Snowball seemed alternately to be just a mischevious little kitten, a brilliant mastermind, or a wielder of magic; I was never quite sure which.  Miss Tilly was definitely my favorite character of the bunch.

The book alternated between Emily's point of view and that of Lukas, with Snowball's thoughts sometimes randomly thrown in.  It was often hard to tell where one perspective ended and another began, especially in regards to the cat.  Occasionally, the viewpoint seemed to shift mid-stream even.

Other than that, it was a cute, endearing, clean romance, with just enough Christmas flare to make it an especially fun read over the upcoming holiday season.  

I received a free eBook copy of this title from NetGalley, 

and have willingly provided an honest review.

Excerpt:

At her car, her good mood took a back seat to frustration. The fob on her key chain was dying, which meant it didn’t always let her in right away. After four or five clicks, she finally gave a grr of annoyance and opened the door with the key.

“Wait.”

No mistaking the deep voice of the man from the parking lot. No way could he be talking to her, though, so she went to get in.

“Emily.”

He is talking to me.

Surprise tinged with more delight than she’d let herself acknowledge had her pausing to look over her shoulder. “How did you know my name?” she called as he jogged down the last few steps.

He waved back up at the slope. “That man called your name earlier.”

And he’d paid attention? Wow. A blush warmed the skin of her cheeks, making the sting of the cold air against her bite more. “Listen, I’m flattered and everything, but I’m running late.”

He paused on a word, mouth open, then his eyes crinkled as he grinned. “I’m not asking you out.”

Oh. Disappointment dropped over her like snow falling off branches on her head. Kerfloop. Followed swiftly by embarrassment. The heat crept back up her cheeks, but for a much less fun reason. “Okay . . . What can I help you with?”

“Actually, I’m here to help you.”

Help her? With what? She raised her eyebrows in question.

“I believe you’ve picked up a small passenger in your purse.”

“My—” Realization rushed in with all the subtlety of a blizzard, and she closed her eyes in resigned horror. “There’s a kitten in my purse. Isn’t there?”

She opened her eyes in time to catch the full impact of her stranger’s full-bodied laugh, his eyes alight with humor. “Does this happen to you often?” he asked.

“Only since this one arrived on our doorstep.” More gently than she’d been handling it until now, she swung her purse around and opened it wide. Sure enough, two blue eyes stared back at her with all the innocence of angels.

“Snowball. You’ve got to stop this,” she admonished as she lifted the small kitten out. Cuddling the ball of fluff against her chest, she lifted her gaze to her helpful stranger. Right in time to see him with a camera up to his eye. A soft click sounded as he snapped a picture.

“Uh— No, thanks.” She lifted a hand to block any more.

“I’m only getting the cat in the shot. I promise.”

Zero for two. First, he wasn’t chasing her down because he was interested, and now he only wanted pictures of the cat. My ego is going to need some chocolate therapy if this keeps up.

Author Bio:

Sweet contemporary and Amish romance author Kristen McKanagh grew up consuming books & exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing) & an MBA. However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. Kristen also writes award-winning steamy contemporary romance as Kadie Scott, and award-winning paranormal and YA fantasy romance as Abigail Owen. No matter the genre, she loves to write happily-ever-afters that shine with home, heart, & humor. Kristen currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero husband & their two children, who are growing up way too fast.

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