Short Story Review: Pull My Paw by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Holidays from Hell #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Entertaining short story

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: 

At times comedic

And at others serious

Another winner

Worst Mother's Day Present Ever?

After reading the first in Sue Ann Jaffarian's Holidays from Hell short story e-book series, I was anxious to read more.  Naturally, I was thrilled when she again sent me a copy to review.  I dug into "Pull My Paw," and I'm glad to say it is another fun treat.

It's the day before Mother's Day, and as is the Bowen family tradition, they are off to celebrate Mother's Day.  It's been an annual tradition for years.

Zelda's older sister Norma usually gives spa gift certificates, but this year she's shown up with something different - a dog.  As Norma and her husband argue with Zelda and their mom about whether the dog is a good present or not, they learn the dog has a very smelly problem.  As they are reeling from that revelation, their mother makes one of her own.  Can they get Mother's Day back on track?

The opening few pages of this 20+ page story were laugh out loud funny.  And I do mean that literally.  As the story progressed, I felt frustration with Zelda and finally some sobering reminders.  And the ending?  It was equal parts humor and surprise.

This story builds on the story from the first in the series, but each story stands alone.  You don't need to read them in order, but you will find them fun enough that you'll definitely want to read them both.

As with the first story, this one had strong characters, and it was immediately easy to remember them.  It does help that there aren't quite as many characters this go around, although the youngest sister does put in a cameo.  It's the mom who shows the most sides to her personality this time around, and I'm interested to see how some developments play out in future stories.

Since it's a short story, this was a fast read.  Once again, it amazes me just what Sue Ann was able to put into this story considering how short it is.

Having now survived a dog of a Mother's Day, I'm hoping that the Bowen's next bad holiday comes soon.  "Pull My Paw" definitely left me wanting more.