Dachshund Through the Snow

Roxanne St. Claire

Dec 2019 · South Street Publishing

About this ebook

Dachshund Through the Snow

Agnes Santorini, known as “Yiayia” to her Greek clan, only has one thing on her Christmas list…a brown short-haired dachshund that matches the one she dreamed about, certain that pup is the one who can save her aging heart.  When she learns that a local man has this very dog for adoption, she and her partner-in-crime, Gramma Finnie, join forces with their great-granddaughter and set off to get their paws on the pooch.

But things don’t go quite as smoothly as expected. A quick walk through town turns complicated when the dog’s owner has a simple demand, which sets off a series of events that have two grannies and one girl dashing through the snow with two dogs in tow. As they meet every demand and overcome every obstacle, Yiayia shares the secret of her past…and reveals just why this is the canine angel she needs to save her.

But even if they manage to get the dog under their Christmas tree, that might not be where the little fellow belongs. And maybe, just maybe, Yiayia’s heart can be healed by a completely different kind of love…the kind that only comes at Christmas.

The Dogmothers – a new spinoff series from the popular "Dogfather" books

Daniel Kilcannon, a widower with six unmarried kids, has not only orchestrated wonderfully happy endings for all his offspring...he's found one of his own. That leaves his grown nieces and nephews plus his adult stepkids all in need of their own magical romances. Is the Dogfather too preoccupied with his new lady love to pull the strings and make the matches? Maybe. But never fear, there's a new team in town and these two might be polar opposites in life, but they are lined up in love. Meet Yiayia and Gramma Finnie. One has the steel spine of a Greek warrior, the other has the sweet soul of an Irish poet. Together, along with two darling dachshunds, these Dogmothers won't stop until all nine of their grandchildren are hooked, hitched, and happy.

Ratings and reviews

You have to just love a story featuring the two Dogmothers with lots of their antics, disagreements, and Christmas cheer. When Yiayia, Agnes, learns of a local man selling one such dog, she enlists Gramma Finnie and great-granddaughter, Pru, to help her get this dog who will save her. As these three dash around Bitter Bark to meet the demands required to adopt this dog they come up against obstacles with every demand. While on this errand Yiayia shares the secret of her past as well as why this canine angel will save her. Even if they obtain this dog, it just might not be the one to help heal Yiayia’s heart. It just might be another kind of miracle, a Christmas miracle which heals broken hearts. Ms. St. Claire wrote an emotional and moving story filled with lots of feelings, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that should not to be missed. I highly recommend Dachshund Through the Snow to other readers and look forward to the next book in this wonderful series. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I received an ARC of the novella Dachshund Through the Snow by Roxanne St. Claire, the first Christmas novella in the Dogmothers Series, for an honest review, and once again Roxanne St. Claire has delivered an amazing Christmas story. The story is filled with love, friendships, big families, lots of dogs, and Christmas wishes coming true. Dachshund Through the Snow, is the story of Agnes “Yiayia” Santorini and how her past decisions defined her. Yiayia is looking for another dachshund and Gramma Finnie found one for sale. The discover that the asking price for Rover, is a good ticket to the Christmas Pageant. Gramma Finnie, Yiayia and Pru start their treasure hunt around the streets and shops of Bitter Bark to get Yiayia the dog that she has been longing for, who she will name Charis. After all the steps of the mission are completed they arrive back at the owner’s how to discover he sold Rover to a young couple, since he wasn't certain that they would be returning for the dog. Yiayia and Gramma Finnie seem to be having a falling out. Then Yiayia shares the story of her past with Gramma Finnie, it was a warm, but heartbreaking story. Gramma Finnie is the only person that Yiayia has shared the entire story to. I loved discovering Yiayia’s past, what made her the way she was, and what occurred in her life that lead to her transformation. Pru also has a falling out with her BFF Teagan. Pru has no idea why Teagan has been treating her so coldly on Christmas Eve. Yiayia received Charis as a Christmas gift from Cassie and Braden, only to turn around and regift him, to someone who needed him more, the true meaning of Christmas. I loved the story and it brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions. I love celebrating Christmas with the Kilcannons, Mahoneys, and now the Santorinis. Who doesn’t love big families, dogs and Christmas wishes coming true. Roxanne has once again delivered an outstanding story with her surprise plot twist, poignant and bittersweet moments and lots of love. Roxanne even gave us our own Christmas magic, a glimpse into the next target of the Dogmothers matchmaking. Loved all the surprises at the end. I could not out it down. It was a wonderful story filled with the magic of Christmas!

We finally get to find out about Agnes "Yiayia" Santorini backstory and what an emotional ride it was! Yiayia only wants one thing for Christmas....a brown short-haired dachshund that she saw in her dream so when her fellow Dogmother tells her she found one, they set off on another Christmas adventure with Pru along for the ride. As one adventure turns into another it looks like Yiayia may not have her Christmas wish filled but in Bitter Bark anything can happen when the Kilcannon/Mahoney/Santorini clan get involved. Throughout the adventure, Yiayia tells her story about her past to Finnie and Pru....well not all of it to Pru.....but you get a better understanding of why Yiayia is like she is. Just when it looks like Yiayia is going to have her Christmas miracle, a different type of miracle takes place instead. I just adore this series and this is another story of perfection from Roxanne St. Claire. Even in a novella she knows how to make you laugh, make you swoon and make you cry! Wonderful Christmas story and highly recommended!

About the author

Published since 2003, Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty romance and suspense novels. In addition to being a ten-time nominee and one-time winner of the prestigious RITA™ Award for the best in romance writing, Roxanne's books have won the National Readers' Choice Award four times and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. A recent empty-nester, Roxanne lives in Florida with her husband and two dogs.