Stephanie Dagg

A Christmas Hamster is a light-hearted story about everyday lives told from the point of view of Cam Peabody, with a little help from Declan's cat Fionnuala and The Harley, a cheeky little hamster with a talent for escaping from his cage. Cam is looking after The Harley for a friend, and he causes mayhem because he keeps disappearing.

Cam - not her real name - is guardian to her deceased sister's young son, Rowan. She was single and care-free before she took on the role of raising him, but has changed her life and expectations, to ensure she does the best job she can of bringing him up.

She works part-time in a DIY chain store, mixing paint, and this is where she meets Declan, when he comes in to buy paint for his flat. She is attracted to him, and persuades him to buy the paint he needs now, and come back for the rest later, hoping to see him again. He is also attracted to her, and is happy to return to the store at a later date to see her again. However, disaster strikes, and we find the pair frequently being in the same place but never at the same time. However, in this happy ending story, they do eventually meet again, and their future together looks assured.

I found the main characters were immediately likeable, and of the secondary characters, I really liked Lisa for her sense of fair play.

The story is well-written, and I especially enjoyed the Interludes, where Fionnuala gives us a cat's perspective on proceedings, which I found very funny and cat-like. I particularly enjoyed the great lengths Fionnuala went to, to rectify a terrible mistake she had made, that was making Declan sad.

A Christmas Hamster is the perfect read at any time of the year.… (más)

Two Myrtle Doves is a short story about a young, single British woman called Myrtle Dove. She has arrived in France to spend Christmas on her own, away from her recently divorced and still-arguing parents. She has come to Bordeaux because she has a half-brother living their. This is newly acquired knowledge, and the main reason for her parents divorce.

Her half-brother is delighted at the prospect of having a sibling, and has invited Myrtle to spend the holidays with him and his family. This might be a little awkward as they haven't yet met, and Myrtle doesn't know what to expect when they do meet for the first time. She has booked a hotel instead, and is planning to visit him for a couple of hours the following day, to test the waters.

Meantime, she is sightseeing in the city, and spies a handsome young man. She seems to see him everywhere she goes, and it isn't long before they bump into each other, literally! They chat and decide to meet for coffee after Myrtle has finished her sightseeing. However, the handsome man is nowhere to be found by the time Myrtle arrives at their rendez-vous.

Taking the line that it was nice while it lasted, Myrtle goes back to her hotel. And this is where the fun starts. An older, rather unpleasant woman, also called Myrtle Dove, has arrived at the hotel, and starts causing trouble for our poor Myrtle.

What happens next is amusingly told in this Christmastime, happy-ending short story.

Although it is set during the Christmas holidays, it is not a Christmas story as such. It’s a story about the people not the season, and it was an absolute pleasure to read. I found Two Myrtle Doves to be highly amusing and engaging. The characters are likeable and relatable, with the exception of Myrtle II, who seems to believe that 'she who shouts loudest is ALWAYS in the right'. I thought the plot was well thought-out, and loved that our meek Myrtle does prevail in the end.… (más)

In this story we meet Anna Partridge, a young single British woman who has arrived in France to house-sit while the owners are away for the Christmas holidays.

The house is not what she is used to at home. She can't figure out how to make the heating work properly, so the house is not very warm. The house is quite isolated and blanketed in snow.

On Boxing Day - the first day of Christmas - she hears a gunshot and shortly after sees a large game bird has fallen into the pear tree at the front of the house, from which it is struggling to escape. She sets about rescuing the bird, a pheasant, but ends up stuck in the tree for her trouble!

Luckily, before she freezes to death or falls from the tree, a young, smartly dressed Frenchman appears and stops to help her.

Once back on terra firma, we learn that the pair share common interests and are getting on quite well together. It seemed to me that this chance meeting could lead to romance in the near future.

I thought this was a lovely, entertaining story, full of comedic moments and sarky comments. I loved that Anna was having an imaginary conversation with the pheasant whilst trying to effect its rescue. The pheasant is quite disdainful of her efforts, and shows no gratitude when she does manage finally to free him. There is a turn of events at the end of the story which I was not expecting. It left me wondering whether there might be trouble ahead for Anna and her rescuer.

Another brilliant short story by Dagg, and I look forward to reading more in this series soon.… (más)

Haircuts, Hens and Homicide is written in the first person from the point of view of Megan, a young, recently-single, English, hairdresser from Maidenhead, who has arrived in France for her grandmother's funeral, and, as sole heir, is dealing with the winding up of the estate. The comical cover only hints at the fun to come.

Can I give this 6 stars? I read this book over the period of a couple of days and was thoroughly irritable when I had to put it down to attend to less important things, like providing sustenance for my family!

I found it laugh-out-loud funny. Dagg's entertaining and sometimes sarky writing style appeals greatly to my sense of humour. I loved the use of Megan's voice to make observations about her characters and stereotypical French life. I especially liked her descriptive nicknaming of people and animals to underline particular characteristics, such as "Mean Mutt" and "Obleix", and the "I-told-you-so" asides to the reader, when Megan correctly predicts an outcome, because this made me feel less of an observer to events, and more like Megan's confidant.

The plot is well-thought-out, brilliantly delivered and I learned a couple of things about French life along the way. Thankfully, there must be more to come, as this story ends with an unexpected event... And I really can't wait for the next instalment!

My thanks to author Stephanie Dagg for a free digital copy of this book to review.… (más)