Written by Stephanie Dagg⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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Today, I'm reviewing Two Myrtle Doves by one of my favourite authors, Stephanie Dagg.
I read this book as part of this year's #20BooksOfSummer challenge, in a bid to reduce my ever increasing To Be Read pile.
I read this book as part of this year's #20BooksOfSummer challenge, in a bid to reduce my ever increasing To Be Read pile.
The blurb:
She has a big event coming up tomorrow - a meeting with her newly-found half-brother.
Being rather timid and prone to worrying, the very thought of it is already stressing her out.
So for now she's indulging in some escapist sight-seeing.
A little flirtation briefly brightens her day even more, but the appearance of a second Myrtle Dove sends everything nosediving into chaos...
Short Stories
Holiday Fiction
Humour
My thoughts:
Stephanie Dagg is one of my favourite authors. I love her storytelling and wit, which very much appeals to my sense of humour. This is the fifth book written by Dagg that I've read, and I've got another short story in this series to read next.Two Myrtle Doves is a short story about a young, single British woman called Myrtle Dove. She has arrived in France to spend Christmas on her own, away from her recently divorced and still-arguing parents. She has come to Bordeaux because she has a half-brother living their. This is newly acquired knowledge, and the main reason for her parents divorce.
Her half-brother is delighted at the prospect of having a sibling, and has invited Myrtle to spend the holidays with him and his family. This might be a little awkward as they haven't yet met, and Myrtle doesn't know what to expect when they do meet for the first time. She has booked a hotel instead, and is planning to visit him for a couple of hours the following day, to test the waters.
Meantime, she is sightseeing in the city, and spies a handsome young man. She seems to see him everywhere she goes, and it isn't long before they bump into each other, literally! They chat and decide to meet for coffee after Myrtle has finished her sightseeing. However, the handsome man is nowhere to be found by the time Myrtle arrives at their rendez-vous.
Taking the line that it was nice while it lasted, Myrtle goes back to her hotel. And this is where the fun starts. An older, rather unpleasant woman, also called Myrtle Dove, has arrived at the hotel, and starts causing trouble for our poor Myrtle.
What happens next is amusingly told in this Christmastime, happy-ending short story.
Although it is set during the Christmas holidays, it is not a Christmas story as such. It’s a story about the people not the season, and it was an absolute pleasure to read. I found Two Myrtle Doves to be highly amusing and engaging. The characters are likeable and relatable, with the exception of Myrtle II, who seems to believe that 'she who shouts loudest is ALWAYS in the right'. I thought the plot was well thought-out, and loved that our meek Myrtle does prevail in the end.
| Author Bio – Stephanie Dagg |
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 I'm an English expat living in France, having moved here with my family in 2006 after fourteen years as an expat in Ireland. Taking on seventy-five acres with three lakes, two hovels and one cathedral-sized barn, not to mention an ever increasing menagerie of animals, has made for exciting times. The current array of creatures ranges from alpacas to zebra finches, with pretty much everything in-between! Before we came to France all we had was a dog and two chickens, so it's been a steep learning curve. I'm married to Chris and we have three bilingual TCKs (third culture kids) who are resilient and resourceful and generally wonderful. I'm a traditionally-published author of many children's books, and am now self-publishing too. As well as being an author, I’m also a part-time editor and, with Chris, manager of three carp fishing lakes. My hobbies are cycling, geocaching, knitting and sewing. |
| Social Media Links – | |
| Web Site | bloginfrance.com |
| Goodreads | https://www.goodreads.com/booksarecool23 |
| Facebook Author Page | www.facebook.com/StephanieDaggBooks/ |
| X | https://twitter.com/llamamum |
Thank you so much for featuring my short story. I'm glad you enjoyed it :-) I shall have to get busy with the next ten in the series!
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