Christmas Cookies at the Cat Cafe — Kris Bock

Readers say: It's a perfect book to snuggle up with during the holiday season. In many ways a story of how we must reinvent ourselves. It really was a joy to read and I can't wait until the next one. Old traditions or a new life? Christmas isn't the same since Diane's kids grew up and her husband died – so when her high school sweetheart comes back to town, maybe it's time for some cozy new holiday traditions.  Diane had a great marriage and a wonderful life raising two daughters and a grandson. That ended when her husband died too young. Now she's 53 and her grown children are encouraging her to slow down and do less – but she wants more. She starts planning for a new career by arranging a photo shoot at the cat café her daughters run. Unfortunately, the cats don't want to cooperate.  Rick loved Diane in high school, but he chose to travel the world while she settled down with another man. Now he's back for a visit, but he's not planning to stay – even if Diane still tugs at him. He'll help her figure out how to photograph animals, he'll even help her get what she wants from life, and then he'll say goodbye.  Rick temps Diane to quit her job, sell her house, and travel. But she can't leave the people she loves so dearly, the family that might still need her just a little bit. Diane tempts Rick to quit his wandering ways, but he can't simply step into the hole left by her husband's death. As the weeks pass from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the holiday season brings out complicated emotions.  Can Diane and Rick find a way to make a new life together while holding onto the best parts of the past? They'll need more than attraction and affection. They might even need a Christmas miracle.  I especially appreciated Bock's insights into a 'second chance romance' as it reflects on the hopes and fears in a later-life relationship I'm experiencing in my own life. – reader review  The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). These sweet romances will leave you with the warm feeling of cuddling a purring cat.