I normally wouldn’t start a book series with the last book, but I did just that last month when on a whim, I received an email from Blogging for Books about of Noelle by Greg Kincaid. I had never heard of the McCray family, the cornerstone of a series of novels by Mr. Kincaid, but when I saw the snowy scene and the adorable little dog on the cover of Noelle, I was drawn in.
My thanks to Blogging for Books for sending me a complimentary hardcover copy of Noelle to review and share my thoughts, which are 100% my own. This post contains an affiliate link to purchase this book on Amazon.
About Noelle: Written by Greg Kincaid, Published by Crown Publishing Group:
Noelle is the fourth book in the series of poignant novels about the McCray family and their lovable canines living in rural Kansas. In this book we meet (or for those who’ve read the previous books in this series), we catch up with the matriarch of the family Mary Ann McCray. Mary Ann is a teacher and active member of her Crossing Trail’s community, especially literacy. At a library meeting she speaks up and the next thing she knows- she is taking on the role of Mrs. Santa Claus!
When Mary Ann’s son Todd moves back to town to start a new job at the local animal shelter, we get to meet his girlfriend and Elle, the adorable dog on the book cover. Todd is trying to train Elle, the little dervish of a dog to be a service dog, but lovable as she is, Elle is having none of it. More often than not, you’ll hear Todd and others in town shouting No, Elle, No Elle!
We meet Mary Ann’s husband George and their older dog Christmas. As fans of the book series may recall, Christmas was first introduced in Mr. Kincaid’s New York Times bestselling book A Dog named Christmas from 2008. This book was well received and was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie in 2009. This might explain why I thought Noelle reads like a Hallmark movie after the first chapter or two.
My Thoughts:
I liked the well-rounded characters in Noelle. While it was a bit predictable in spots, there were enough plot twists and intrigue to keep me entertained while reading this fun book. Mr. Kincaid knows how to keep a storyline moving and how to make us feel for the characters. I think that’s due in large part to his relationship with his own beloved rescue dogs. Mr. Kincaid shows us how dogs have the power to start the healing process.
I recommend this book for anyone who loves dogs, happy ending, and stories of families coming together and of course, Christmas!
I invite you to learn more about Greg Kincaid, dog lover, lawyer, and writer by visiting his website here. You can learn more about Noelle and all the books in this series there as well. If you would like to purchase Noelle, please consider using my Amazon affiliate link here. Thank you.
I’ll be updating my current To Be Read list and I’m hopefully surpassing the number of books I read last year. I’m glad I finished out 2017 with a fun, feel-good book like Noelle.
Please share in comments: Have you started a new book or book series yet this year? I’d love to hear what you are reading.
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