What do You think about Jingle Bell Bark (2005)?
If you love Christmas cozies, you'll enjoy the 11th book in the Melanie Travis series. Right before Christmas, Melanie is getting ready for the holidays with her son Davey, and planning her wedding with Sam. Meanwhile, when Henry Pruitt, her son's bus driver, doesn't show up for work the next day, it's up to Melanie and her Aunt Peg to find out what happened to him. While dealing with his daughters and two dogs, Melanie learns more about Henry's life. And as she digs deeper, someone ends up getting hurt or killed, before it's too late. An enjoyable read.
—Kristen
PB/mystery: I needed something to get me in the holiday mood; why not murder? This is book 11 in the Melanie Travis series and my first read of the story. I did not have a problem understanding the who, what, where. I will start by telling you that I am not only a dog person, but a believer in animal shelter dogs. I think breeding dogs for pets is ridiculous. That being said, I really liked the book. I like the heroine; she is a bit of a slacker mom who believes in spending time with her kid over cleaning the house. The whole mystery probably would have taken only 50 pages to tell, but the author mixes family and business in with the mystery. Two thumbs up.
—Amy
Second one of the series I've read, and I didn't enjoy as much as the first one I read Gone With the Woof, but I still liked it. I caught a few editing boo-boos, like when Melanie waits until the last minute to get a Christmas tree and states her and Davey ended up with smaller but fuller tree, and then a few pages later there is a whole scene of Melanie fighting to get the tree in the house because it was just too large, and Davey had to call his dad to come help. While I enjoy the characters and the mystery, I think some mysteries attract certain readers: and because you will never find me watching the Westminster Dog Show, but instead would rather spend that time walking lovable, homeless dogs with Adopt Me vests on in a vie to find them a forever home, along with other way more tireless volunteer shelter workers. And it is for that reason alone that I will probably not venture further into this series. My heart lies with the mixed breeds, "banned" breeds (don't get me started), and down-trodden animals that may not be AKC papered, but will love you endlessly just the same. *This review does not in anyway reflect upon the author's writing ability or style as that was fine with likable characters and well laid mysteries, AKC Dog Shows just aren't for me.
—Bookadventurer
