4 Wine Glass #Review of Christmas in Dogtown by Suzanne Johnson

 

Title: Christmas in Dogtown
Author: Suzanne Johnson
Format: Kindle, 46 pages
Published:  December 17, 2017 (Suzanne Johnson)
ISBN: ASIN: B078GJYNTT
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Amazon
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

A woman who spent years escaping her rural past learns that Dogtown, Louisiana, hides more family secrets than just the recipe for boudin blanc.

Resa Madere’s on the verge of losing it all. The boyfriend’s gone. The job’s history. Her beloved house is on the brink of foreclosure. She’ll do anything to save it--even spend a long Christmas holiday working in St. James Parish, Louisiana, helping her uncle run the family meat business. But the community of Dogtown, which has been home for seven generations of the Madere and Caillou families, has deep roots and deeper secrets. For Resa, going home is one thing. Getting out might not be so easy. 

Linda's Thoughts:
She couldn't promise Chandler Caillou more than she was willing to give. 

Christmas in Dogtown by Suzanne Johnson is a festive short and sweet paranormal urban fantasy tale. Most of the magic takes place in a very small town located squarely in Cajun country, about fifty miles from New Orleans. Suzanne is one of my favorite authors and this is a page-turner – perfect for a lunch-time escape.

This is the story of Rese Madere and Chandler Caillou. They are each likeable and seemingly genuine. The Madere and Caillou families founded the small bayou town seven generations ago. Rese escaped to new Orleans from Dogtown years ago, but now, on the brink of losing it all, she has returned for three weeks to spend the holiday working in her family’s meat business for her uncle. Chandler has recently moved back to Dogtown. As they did before she left, her family is pressuring her to take up with Chandler, her childhood sweetheart. But, is that what Rese wants? Can she ignore her family’s wishes and just listen to her heart? As she spends time in Dogtown, she starts rethinking where she belongs.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Christmas in Dogtown:

Adequate duct tape was not an attribute she'd ever sought in a man. 
---- 

  On Christmas Eve, big cone-shaped bonfires that stretched for miles atop the levees would be lit to help Papa Noel, the Cajun version of Santa, find his way through the river parishes to leave presents for all the girls and boys. 
--- 

“Sometimes we're born into situations, he'd said. We have to decide if we're gonna be a part of it or if we're gonna put an end to it.” 

This is a remarkable Christmas tale that packs quite a paranormal punch at the end – one that I did not see coming at all. The plot is well-developed and does not feel rushed even though this is a short story. However, I do hope that Suzanne considers more stories about these families and their whammy-of-a-secret in the future. If you enjoy unique, beautifully-written paranormal urban fantasy romances, I’d encourage you to check out Christmas in Dogtown.