The Cats and the Cradle (The Ann and Henry Novels) by Jane McBride

• File Size: 722 KB
• Print Length: 232 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1479259179
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00EX8R5NK

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Publication Date: November 26, 2013

Comfort zones are a thing of the past when a stranger knocks on the door of new parents Ann and Kyle Mendez and turns Ann's world upside down. Join Ann, Kyle, Henry, Aunt Gertrude, Aunt Leona and the rest of the gang as they absorb devastating news and, together, try to figure out how to turn it into a blessing in the third book of the Ann and Henry series.

My take on this book:

The Cats and the Cradle is the third book in The Ann and Henry Novels by Jane McBride and I think this was probably the best one by far! It was a bit different, there wasn't a mystery to solve, no murders going on, but it was the chaos that Jane McBride created in the Mendez household that made this one a real page turner! Ann and Kyle are the proud parents of a new baby girl Melanie, so when Ann's 89 year old aunt Leona falls and breaks her arm, the only answer is for her to move into the Mendez home. Even though it's two months till Thanksgiving aunt Gert and her relief driver Penelope Hogwaller are coming home for the holidays. As if all this isn't enough someone shows up on the Mendez doorstep with shocking news that will alter Ann's world forever! Along with all that a confirmed bachelor might be getting married, a holy terror might be tamed,and a wild trip to Vegas provides plenty of laughs in Jane McBride's latest novel The Cats and the Cradle.

I have been a fan of The Ann and Henry Novels since book one because of the fantastic characters and this book was no different. The Cats and the Cradle allows us to catch up with old characters while introducing us to many new ones as well. A much more emotional read than the last two books in the series, Ms. McBride really knows how to have me laughing one minute and wiping tears from my eyes the next! The storyline that revolved around aunt Leona and her daughter Lucille was totally something I didn't expect but it allowed me to see past her gruff exterior to see a woman whose heart had been broken for many years, and not until a young man named Charlie comes along does she decide to do something about it! Each character plays an important role, making for a plot that doesn't quit, because there is always something going on, and the author descriptions make you feel as if you're right in the midst of whatever calamity it might be!  Henry is a favorite character, he is sometimes a disaster waiting to happen, but he also knows when to provide comfort. While this is the third book in this series the author provides enough background information that it could be read as a stand alone,but as someone who has read each book I highly recommend reading the entire series! Anyone looking for a good clean story that provides plenty of laughs, a few somber moments, and a well rounded if sometimes wacky cast of characters that make you feel as if you are a part of their family then you're in for a treat with The Cats and the Cradle. The ending really leaves me anxious to read the next book in the Ann and Henry Novels.

reviewed for Readersfavorite.com