Not a Christmasy book. Well written, and the author did a fabulous job of tying the ends together. ( )

Natasha and Rob are on their way home, along with their daughter, Mabel, from a holiday in the Maldives. To break their journey they stop off in Vienna to wait for their connecting flight. Mabel leaves her beloved soft toy behind, a cow named Moolah. It is found by a man named Duffy who takes it with him on his travels as a mascot. Mabel is distraught so Natasha enlists the help of social media, culminating in Duffy sending them photographic updates of Moolah’s journey. Unknown to both of them, Natasha and Duffy have a past….

This is a lovely heartwarming story. Although it’s set during the weeks preceding Christmas, it’s not a particularly festive tale. It’s a little deeper than that. It’s not all hearts and flowers as there is some sadness and heartbreak along the way. The characters felt very realistic and I was really immersed in their lives. Parts of the book are set on the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal - the author seems to have carried out her research extremely well. I have no knowledge about mountaineering but the weather conditions and the climbing activities are described superbly. It’s edge of your seat stuff! You wouldn’t catch me climbing that sort of mountain. 🥶. The other parts of this delightful book are set in Somerset and very picturesque it sounds, too. It’s a story of fate and misconceptions but ultimately it’s a story of love and what we do for that love. Loved it! ( )