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The Christmas Cuckoo
Major Jack Howard, a weary veteran of the Peninsular Wars, has just returned to England and intends to return to an unwelcoming family home for Christmas. But when a pompous secretary gives him too many orders, Jack hops on the next stagecoach leaving London inn, not caring where it’s going. Too much whisky to stave off freezing leaves him sleeping it off in a different inn, and when an attractive young woman asks if he’s Jack Howard he happily goes home with her.
Despite vile weather, Meg Lambert drives to the local inn to collect her brother’s friend Jack Howard, but since she’s never met the man, she doesn’t realize that she’s brought home the wrong Jack Howard. Jack realizes her mistake when he awakes the next morning with an aching head—but he finds a warmth and welcome with Meg and her family that he’s yearned for all his life. He can’t bring himself to admit that he’s a cuckoo in her nest—but what will happen when Meg’s brother and the right Jack Howard turn up for Christmas???
Despite vile weather, Meg Lambert drives to the local inn to collect her brother’s friend Jack Howard, but since she’s never met the man, she doesn’t realize that she’s brought home the wrong Jack Howard. Jack realizes her mistake when he awakes the next morning with an aching head—but he finds a warmth and welcome with Meg and her family that he’s yearned for all his life. He can’t bring himself to admit that he’s a cuckoo in her nest—but what will happen when Meg’s brother and the right Jack Howard turn up for Christmas???
59 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2013
92 people are currently reading
238 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jo Putney
167 books2,261 followersShe writes young adult fiction as M.J. Putney.
Mary Jo Putney was born on 1946 in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she did various forms of design work in California and England before inertia took over in Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived very comfortably ever since.
While becoming a novelist was her ultimate fantasy, it never occurred to her that writing was an achievable goal until she acquired a computer for other purposes. When the realization hit that a computer was the ultimate writing tool, she charged merrily into her first book with an ignorance that illustrates the adage that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Fortune sometimes favors the foolish and her first book sold quickly, thereby changing her life forever, in most ways for the better. (“But why didn't anyone tell me that writing would change the way one reads?”) Like a lemming over a cliff, she gave up her freelance graphic design business to become a full-time writer as soon as possible.
Since 1987, Ms. Putney has published twenty-nine books and counting. Her stories are noted for psychological depth and unusual subject matter such as alcoholism, death and dying, and domestic abuse. She has made all of the national bestseller lists including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly. Five of her books have been named among the year’s top five romances by The Library Journal. The Spiral Path and Stolen Magic were chosen as one of Top Ten romances of their years by Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
A nine-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, she has won RITAs for Dancing on the Wind and The Rake and the Reformer and is on the RWA Honor Roll for bestselling authors. She has been awarded two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance. Though most of her books have been historical, she has also published three contemporary romances. The Marriage Spell will be out in June 2006 in hardcover, and Stolen Magic (written as M. J. Putney) will be released in July 2006.
Ms. Putney says that not least among the blessings of a full-time writing career is that one almost never has to wear pantyhose.
Mary Jo Putney was born on 1946 in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she did various forms of design work in California and England before inertia took over in Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived very comfortably ever since.
While becoming a novelist was her ultimate fantasy, it never occurred to her that writing was an achievable goal until she acquired a computer for other purposes. When the realization hit that a computer was the ultimate writing tool, she charged merrily into her first book with an ignorance that illustrates the adage that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Fortune sometimes favors the foolish and her first book sold quickly, thereby changing her life forever, in most ways for the better. (“But why didn't anyone tell me that writing would change the way one reads?”) Like a lemming over a cliff, she gave up her freelance graphic design business to become a full-time writer as soon as possible.
Since 1987, Ms. Putney has published twenty-nine books and counting. Her stories are noted for psychological depth and unusual subject matter such as alcoholism, death and dying, and domestic abuse. She has made all of the national bestseller lists including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly. Five of her books have been named among the year’s top five romances by The Library Journal. The Spiral Path and Stolen Magic were chosen as one of Top Ten romances of their years by Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
A nine-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, she has won RITAs for Dancing on the Wind and The Rake and the Reformer and is on the RWA Honor Roll for bestselling authors. She has been awarded two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance. Though most of her books have been historical, she has also published three contemporary romances. The Marriage Spell will be out in June 2006 in hardcover, and Stolen Magic (written as M. J. Putney) will be released in July 2006.
Ms. Putney says that not least among the blessings of a full-time writing career is that one almost never has to wear pantyhose.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
December 10, 2023
Thank you Brontesruleromance for a wonderful review of this short story. I listened to the audio version and Siobahn Waring does another fantastic job reading and making the characters come to life. Mistaken identity and the longing for Christmas joy and company with a clean romance. I recommend this story if you want a bit of Christmas spirit. 4.25*
November 23, 2025
"As soon as I saw you, I had something to run to. As I said at the time, I knew you were everything men fight for. Home, warmth, love."
Are you in search for a Christmas novella with all the Christmas vibes? Take a look at this one about a fateful mix-up, involving two soldiers named Jack Howard. One of them is delayed, the other one finds himself unintentionally in the middle of a warm, welcoming family (including three cats, a dog, peacocks, and a pony). The story has it all: Christmas baking, gathering greenery, singing Christmas carols, a kissing bough, and love, so much love. I wish I was there with them!
(Read in October 2025)
Are you in search for a Christmas novella with all the Christmas vibes? Take a look at this one about a fateful mix-up, involving two soldiers named Jack Howard. One of them is delayed, the other one finds himself unintentionally in the middle of a warm, welcoming family (including three cats, a dog, peacocks, and a pony). The story has it all: Christmas baking, gathering greenery, singing Christmas carols, a kissing bough, and love, so much love. I wish I was there with them!
(Read in October 2025)
December 24, 2023
4.5🎄Shoutout to Merry for recommending this sweet as a buttercream frosted Yule log treat. If you’re looking for one more hit of holiday cheer before 🎅 comes down your chimney this novella is ideal. The audiobook version is only two hours long.
The story is charming and romantic (clean) with a clever take on the title. It includes pets and cherubic little girls. What more could you ask for?
*whispers… perhaps less instalove*
The story is charming and romantic (clean) with a clever take on the title. It includes pets and cherubic little girls. What more could you ask for?
*whispers… perhaps less instalove*
January 8, 2019
Another one of my late Christmas reads. Had I read more then, my 2018 reading challenge would be complete! :D
Anyways, a lovely short story about chance meetings, mistaken identities and taking advantage of them. All leading to finding shelter, solace and love and a joyful expectation of the future.
Anyways, a lovely short story about chance meetings, mistaken identities and taking advantage of them. All leading to finding shelter, solace and love and a joyful expectation of the future.
December 8, 2018
I first read this brief story in 2011 in A Regency Christmas III. It was one of five novellas originally published in 1991. I read it again in 2013 and once more this month. Told through dual POVs, the H/h were older. Major Jack Howard was a soldier, recently retired. It was assumed he would visit his extended family for Christmas. Relatives with little in common.
Instead, he found himself an unforeseen guest of Miss Meg Lambert and a hodgepodge of her kinsfolk in addition to various animals. They believed he was CAPTAIN Jack Howard, a discomfiture he tried to correct on several occasions. Over a period of a few days that led up to Christmas, he found warmth, generosity and a HEA. 4.5 stars
Instead, he found himself an unforeseen guest of Miss Meg Lambert and a hodgepodge of her kinsfolk in addition to various animals. They believed he was CAPTAIN Jack Howard, a discomfiture he tried to correct on several occasions. Over a period of a few days that led up to Christmas, he found warmth, generosity and a HEA. 4.5 stars
December 15, 2023
Review of audiobook version of a fabulous, Christmas, Regency-romance novella
Major Jack Howard, a thirty-something, war-weary veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, has recently resigned from the army and returned to England because he has inherited an earldom. However, before settling down to a lifetime of onerous responsibility, in a fit of rebellion, he hops on the first available public coach to anywhere in order to escape a depressingly pretentious Christmas house party with his coldly controlling relatives. Unfortunately, the only seat available is outside on the top of the coach, where he is exposed for hours to brutally cold weather. In a mostly vain attempt to stay warm, he drinks more hard liquor than he realizes. As a result he’s more than a little tipsy when, at a temporary stop at a coaching inn in the middle of nowhere, he encounters an attractive woman who asks him if he is “Jack Howard.” Naturally enough, he replies in the affirmative, and he is delighted when she informs him that she’s there to pick him up.
Despite terrible winter weather, twenty-nine-year old spinster, Meg Lambert, has driven three grueling miles to the local inn to pick up her military brother’s best friend and fellow officer, who will be spending Christmas with her and her younger siblings. Meg is startled, but not repulsed, by the fact that the exceedingly attractive gentlemen who answers to the name of Jack Howard is three sheets to the wind. She finds it hard to blame him, given the conditions he traveled under, though it will make it more difficult transporting him to her family’s cottage.
It isn’t until the following morning, when he wakes up sober and hung over, that Jack realizes he’s a cuckoo in lovely Meg’s warm, welcoming, family nest. He’s Jack Howard all right. Just not the one Meg was expecting.
This is a fabulous, mistaken-identity romance! Meg and Jack are both wonderful, sympathetic characters, and I loved them both. They make a terrific couple. In addition, the subcharacters are all lovable as well. The Christmas theme is extremely well done, and though this is a novella rather than a full novel, it is definitely a complete, well-rounded story. Every plot thread is fully tied up, and there is a lovely HEA.
Note that for those who like a G-rated plot, there are no sex scenes in this story, but even so, there is plenty of romantic and sexual chemistry between Meg and Jack.
I experienced this story as an audiobook, and the narrator, Siobhan Waring, has done a terrific job acting out all the different parts with distinct voices for male and female characters of all ages. It is a delightful way to experience this story.
I highly recommend this fabulous, warm-hearted, Regency Christmas romance!
I rate this story as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Mistaken-Identity Romance Plot: 5 stars
Christmas Plot: 5 stars
Setting: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Audiobook Narration: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
Major Jack Howard, a thirty-something, war-weary veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, has recently resigned from the army and returned to England because he has inherited an earldom. However, before settling down to a lifetime of onerous responsibility, in a fit of rebellion, he hops on the first available public coach to anywhere in order to escape a depressingly pretentious Christmas house party with his coldly controlling relatives. Unfortunately, the only seat available is outside on the top of the coach, where he is exposed for hours to brutally cold weather. In a mostly vain attempt to stay warm, he drinks more hard liquor than he realizes. As a result he’s more than a little tipsy when, at a temporary stop at a coaching inn in the middle of nowhere, he encounters an attractive woman who asks him if he is “Jack Howard.” Naturally enough, he replies in the affirmative, and he is delighted when she informs him that she’s there to pick him up.
Despite terrible winter weather, twenty-nine-year old spinster, Meg Lambert, has driven three grueling miles to the local inn to pick up her military brother’s best friend and fellow officer, who will be spending Christmas with her and her younger siblings. Meg is startled, but not repulsed, by the fact that the exceedingly attractive gentlemen who answers to the name of Jack Howard is three sheets to the wind. She finds it hard to blame him, given the conditions he traveled under, though it will make it more difficult transporting him to her family’s cottage.
It isn’t until the following morning, when he wakes up sober and hung over, that Jack realizes he’s a cuckoo in lovely Meg’s warm, welcoming, family nest. He’s Jack Howard all right. Just not the one Meg was expecting.
This is a fabulous, mistaken-identity romance! Meg and Jack are both wonderful, sympathetic characters, and I loved them both. They make a terrific couple. In addition, the subcharacters are all lovable as well. The Christmas theme is extremely well done, and though this is a novella rather than a full novel, it is definitely a complete, well-rounded story. Every plot thread is fully tied up, and there is a lovely HEA.
Note that for those who like a G-rated plot, there are no sex scenes in this story, but even so, there is plenty of romantic and sexual chemistry between Meg and Jack.
I experienced this story as an audiobook, and the narrator, Siobhan Waring, has done a terrific job acting out all the different parts with distinct voices for male and female characters of all ages. It is a delightful way to experience this story.
I highly recommend this fabulous, warm-hearted, Regency Christmas romance!
I rate this story as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Mistaken-Identity Romance Plot: 5 stars
Christmas Plot: 5 stars
Setting: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Audiobook Narration: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
June 22, 2015
4.5 stars. This one single story, about 60 pages, was originally published in Putney's anthologies Christmas Revels and Christmas Mischief: 3 Novellas. It's short but complete. Well done, Putney! Heartwarming. Humorous. A little smexy, too. In addition, there is a twisty surprise at the end.
This title fits the plot. Our imperfect hero Major Jack Howard has been recalled from the Napoleonic War to inherit an earldom. Through a series of events, the "spirited" (sotted) soldier is surprised to find himself spending a humble holiday with strangers. An adorable family, with a valiant elder sister tending her orphaned siblings. He loves it like crazy, and never wants to leave. Good thing, too, because he can't -- they are nearly snowbound, cozy in the cottage.
All he wants for Christmas is Meg. (And her energetic siblings.)
Happy holidays!
This title fits the plot. Our imperfect hero Major Jack Howard has been recalled from the Napoleonic War to inherit an earldom. Through a series of events, the "spirited" (sotted) soldier is surprised to find himself spending a humble holiday with strangers. An adorable family, with a valiant elder sister tending her orphaned siblings. He loves it like crazy, and never wants to leave. Good thing, too, because he can't -- they are nearly snowbound, cozy in the cottage.
All he wants for Christmas is Meg. (And her energetic siblings.)
Happy holidays!
December 10, 2024
Very short Regency Christmas romance Awwwwwww. <3
January 18, 2024
This was a perfect bite-sized romantic novella. It’s only 2 hrs long, even shorter at my preferred 1.2x speed. It put a smile on my face while I did some dishes and cleaning.
I found the characters to be entirely likable. The premise was brilliantly set up so that the situation was realistic while also salvaging the MMC’s character so he didn’t seem dishonest or manipulative.
I enjoyed this very much! Super sweet.
Content- clean.
I found the characters to be entirely likable. The premise was brilliantly set up so that the situation was realistic while also salvaging the MMC’s character so he didn’t seem dishonest or manipulative.
I enjoyed this very much! Super sweet.
Content- clean.
December 12, 2023
one of my favorites!
I have a fondness for classic Regency holiday tales and this one is just dreamy, like a cup of cocoa with whipped cream on top.
I have a fondness for classic Regency holiday tales and this one is just dreamy, like a cup of cocoa with whipped cream on top.
November 19, 2019
The Christmas Cuckoo is a delightful mistaken identity short story set about 200 years ago in England. Unlike most short stories where you feel like you are given a sketch or outline of a story, Mary Jo Putney writes a complete story, with a beginning, a middle, and happily ever after ending.
The story begins immediately after Major Jack Howard arrives in London after traveling from Spain and the Napoleonic Wars due to his recent inheritance of an earldom. Wanting nothing more than a hot bath and a hot meal, he is met at the inn within moments of arriving by his aunt’s man of business with a list of demands that would insult any military officer. For example, his aunt orders Jack to buy a new wardrobe and to obtain lessons on manners before he can travel to the family’s estate. Jack doesn’t take these instructions lightly so he escapes on the next stagecoach leaving the inn without knowing its destination.
Soon thereafter, due to exhaustion and a little whiskey on an empty stomach, Jack passes out at one of the stagecoach’s stops. Jack wakes up only to find himself traveling to a nearby farm and spending the next few days before Christmas with an adorable family. What’s most intriguing is the ever so competent and compassionate older sister who reared her siblings after the untimely death of her parents. Finding a sense of “home” and “family” with this family that he never experienced with his own family growing up, Jack never wants to leave.
The Cuckoo Clock in the title plays a pivotal role in the story, which also provides the perfect heartwarming ending. I listened to the audio version of this story, which runs approximately 2 hours. Siobhan Waring did an outstanding job narrating, providing differing voices for all the characters. I highly recommend this wonderful Christmas historical romance!
The story begins immediately after Major Jack Howard arrives in London after traveling from Spain and the Napoleonic Wars due to his recent inheritance of an earldom. Wanting nothing more than a hot bath and a hot meal, he is met at the inn within moments of arriving by his aunt’s man of business with a list of demands that would insult any military officer. For example, his aunt orders Jack to buy a new wardrobe and to obtain lessons on manners before he can travel to the family’s estate. Jack doesn’t take these instructions lightly so he escapes on the next stagecoach leaving the inn without knowing its destination.
Soon thereafter, due to exhaustion and a little whiskey on an empty stomach, Jack passes out at one of the stagecoach’s stops. Jack wakes up only to find himself traveling to a nearby farm and spending the next few days before Christmas with an adorable family. What’s most intriguing is the ever so competent and compassionate older sister who reared her siblings after the untimely death of her parents. Finding a sense of “home” and “family” with this family that he never experienced with his own family growing up, Jack never wants to leave.
The Cuckoo Clock in the title plays a pivotal role in the story, which also provides the perfect heartwarming ending. I listened to the audio version of this story, which runs approximately 2 hours. Siobhan Waring did an outstanding job narrating, providing differing voices for all the characters. I highly recommend this wonderful Christmas historical romance!
December 2, 2024
The Christmas Cuckoo by Mary Jo Putney, a novella
.
Cover: meh/5
Story: 4/5
Ending: HEA
Steam (novella): Zero steam. Some kissing.
.
Stand Alone or Series: Stand alone novella
.
England, Regency
Wayward Lost Major
Dutiful Kind Woman
Mistaken Identity
Hidden Identity
Chritmas Time
Spinster Heroine
Snowy Winter Setting
Super Cozy Vibes
Gloomy Hero
Class Difference
Loving Family
Low Angst
Secret Artiso Hero
.
This is such a cute Christmas novella. I feel that Putney, along with Balogh, write outstanding Christmas tales. If you are looking for a low angst, wholesome, and warm Christmas novella, definitely check this one and others by Putney out.
Christmas Cuckoo is a quick, easy reading that will leave you with a warmed heart putney weaves such cozy winter vibes into this title. While some readers don't enjoy mistaken Identity/hidden identity, Cuckoo offers a fun twist on the trope(s.) There is a pinch of a small, secondary romance within this book, but it is not distracting from the main romantic plot. I do wish there was an epilogue for this book, but readers are not left wondering what happens after the couple gets together. Overall, Cuckoo is a darling, quick Christmas read that I recommend to other readers.
As for steam, this is a zero steam book. There are no closed door scenes but some kissing.
.
Read as a digital copy. Honest review left voluntarily.
.
Content Warning (may contain spoilers):
.
.
.
.
.
Mentions of de*th of parents
Mild peril and danger
.
Cover: meh/5
Story: 4/5
Ending: HEA
Steam (novella): Zero steam. Some kissing.
.
Stand Alone or Series: Stand alone novella
.
England, Regency
Wayward Lost Major
Dutiful Kind Woman
Mistaken Identity
Hidden Identity
Chritmas Time
Spinster Heroine
Snowy Winter Setting
Super Cozy Vibes
Gloomy Hero
Class Difference
Loving Family
Low Angst
Secret Artiso Hero
.
This is such a cute Christmas novella. I feel that Putney, along with Balogh, write outstanding Christmas tales. If you are looking for a low angst, wholesome, and warm Christmas novella, definitely check this one and others by Putney out.
Christmas Cuckoo is a quick, easy reading that will leave you with a warmed heart putney weaves such cozy winter vibes into this title. While some readers don't enjoy mistaken Identity/hidden identity, Cuckoo offers a fun twist on the trope(s.) There is a pinch of a small, secondary romance within this book, but it is not distracting from the main romantic plot. I do wish there was an epilogue for this book, but readers are not left wondering what happens after the couple gets together. Overall, Cuckoo is a darling, quick Christmas read that I recommend to other readers.
As for steam, this is a zero steam book. There are no closed door scenes but some kissing.
.
Read as a digital copy. Honest review left voluntarily.
.
Content Warning (may contain spoilers):
.
.
.
.
.
Mentions of de*th of parents
Mild peril and danger
December 21, 2025
Christmas book #9
It's a hallmark-style Regency era short story. Nothing spectacular, but enjoyable.
It's a hallmark-style Regency era short story. Nothing spectacular, but enjoyable.
August 23, 2020
Christmas cuckoos and frogs.. what a beautiful mix to start this day with ✨✨✨✨✨
December 30, 2013
If there ever was an author to ever get you in a Christmas mood, then Mary Jo Putney and this short story is IT!
I’m hoping if the title alone would be intriguing enough for you to want to read it and find out the meaning of the word ‘cuckoo’.
Everything in this story just sparkled, from the characterization of the main characters, to the plot and pace of the story.
If you like your romance to involve a mistaken identity, plenty of Christmas cheer and two people who are truly brought together by Serendipity, this story will have you laugh out loud and wishing upon that falling star for Jack of your own.
Melanie for b2b
Book provided by the publisher through NetGalley
I’m hoping if the title alone would be intriguing enough for you to want to read it and find out the meaning of the word ‘cuckoo’.
Everything in this story just sparkled, from the characterization of the main characters, to the plot and pace of the story.
If you like your romance to involve a mistaken identity, plenty of Christmas cheer and two people who are truly brought together by Serendipity, this story will have you laugh out loud and wishing upon that falling star for Jack of your own.
Melanie for b2b
Book provided by the publisher through NetGalley
January 7, 2014
This was a sweet but too short Christmas-wishes-do-come-true story invovling mistaken identity, a plugged up cuckoo clock and a spinster meeting the man of her dreams who turns out not to be who she thought he was but so much more.
If it'd been a full-length novel, it might've been 4-5 stars for me, as it was, it's a 3 star read. It's brief, predictable but charming, kind of like the message in a Christmas card.
If it'd been a full-length novel, it might've been 4-5 stars for me, as it was, it's a 3 star read. It's brief, predictable but charming, kind of like the message in a Christmas card.
November 20, 2015
This wonderful story is also published in A Regency Christmas III by Signet.
November 26, 2019
Jack Howard has come home from war. He has found an inn and he plans to eat some and then sleep for a very long time. His plans are interrupted by a snarky little man who represents “The Countess”. Plans have been made and all of Jack's refusals are ignored.
In a fit of temper, Jack jumps on a coach which is leaving for Bristol. He knows no one in Bristol, he must take the last seat which is on top of the coach and it is snowy, windy and very cold.
Meg must take the pony and trap to meet a friend of her brother's from the army. She does not know the man, but his name is Jack Howard and because her brother will be unable to meet him, she will go to the stage stop and bring him home for Christmas.
Jack does not explain that Meg has found the wrong Jack Howard. He is tired and cold and welcomes the idea of being in a home for at least a short time.
This is a very sweet and charming story.
Jack finds Meg and her family so warm and welcoming that he wants to share their lives for at least a short period of time. He promises himself that he will tell her the truth but not right now.
Meg finds this man who is a stranger to be helpful, appreciative and kind. He easily falls into their pattern and plans for Christmas. She likes him very much. In fact, everyone in the family likes him.
This is a story of family and friendship and kindness and sharing. It is a perfect story to get the reader in the right frame of mind for Christmas.
Or maybe the right frame of mind for an appreciation of life and the joy which is all around.
In a fit of temper, Jack jumps on a coach which is leaving for Bristol. He knows no one in Bristol, he must take the last seat which is on top of the coach and it is snowy, windy and very cold.
Meg must take the pony and trap to meet a friend of her brother's from the army. She does not know the man, but his name is Jack Howard and because her brother will be unable to meet him, she will go to the stage stop and bring him home for Christmas.
Jack does not explain that Meg has found the wrong Jack Howard. He is tired and cold and welcomes the idea of being in a home for at least a short time.
This is a very sweet and charming story.
Jack finds Meg and her family so warm and welcoming that he wants to share their lives for at least a short period of time. He promises himself that he will tell her the truth but not right now.
Meg finds this man who is a stranger to be helpful, appreciative and kind. He easily falls into their pattern and plans for Christmas. She likes him very much. In fact, everyone in the family likes him.
This is a story of family and friendship and kindness and sharing. It is a perfect story to get the reader in the right frame of mind for Christmas.
Or maybe the right frame of mind for an appreciation of life and the joy which is all around.
December 8, 2018
MERRY CHRISTMAS! CUCKOO! CUCKOO!
Mistaken identities, lowered circumstances, and the joy of innocence combine to create a wonderful holiday two of love and mayhem, followed by a promise of peace on earth and eventual joy to all.
The author takes a relatively common name, and tossed the two characters together. She puts one into the story alone. Then she blends in a family living in lowered circumstances, most likely due to fraud, but maybe because the father was not at all sophisticated. A brother who could clear things up travels with the second man, but arrives late (but in time?)
The entire story twists beautifully and ends perfectly. An epilogue with the dark bringing his counters home would have been great, but I quite enjoyed the story. Especially the special chickens...
Mistaken identities, lowered circumstances, and the joy of innocence combine to create a wonderful holiday two of love and mayhem, followed by a promise of peace on earth and eventual joy to all.
The author takes a relatively common name, and tossed the two characters together. She puts one into the story alone. Then she blends in a family living in lowered circumstances, most likely due to fraud, but maybe because the father was not at all sophisticated. A brother who could clear things up travels with the second man, but arrives late (but in time?)
The entire story twists beautifully and ends perfectly. An epilogue with the dark bringing his counters home would have been great, but I quite enjoyed the story. Especially the special chickens...
December 19, 2019
This was so short and charming, I listened to it twice!
I'm pleased to have found several Christmas stories that can become future traditions. This one is very short, but a lovely story with well-formed characters and an endearing plot. Charming but not overly sweet. A perfect little Christmas cookie of a book.
I'm calling Meg a 'h-over-30' even though she was not quite 30. In her eyes she was no longer a marriage candidate and I think she fits the category well.
Cover: Nice
Narrator: I think this is the first book I've listened to by her - she did a nice job.
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: Meg is a Molly Weasley; a fierce Gryffindor with some Hufflepuff tendencies. Jack is a reluctant Gryffindor.
Themes: Christmas, mistaken identity, Hartfordshire, farm, family
I'm pleased to have found several Christmas stories that can become future traditions. This one is very short, but a lovely story with well-formed characters and an endearing plot. Charming but not overly sweet. A perfect little Christmas cookie of a book.
I'm calling Meg a 'h-over-30' even though she was not quite 30. In her eyes she was no longer a marriage candidate and I think she fits the category well.
Cover: Nice
Narrator: I think this is the first book I've listened to by her - she did a nice job.
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: Meg is a Molly Weasley; a fierce Gryffindor with some Hufflepuff tendencies. Jack is a reluctant Gryffindor.
Themes: Christmas, mistaken identity, Hartfordshire, farm, family
December 24, 2022
This was a lovely surprise. I randomly stumbled upon this audiobook in my library app and listened to it to get into the Christmas spirit. 'The Christmas Cuckoo' was a heartwarming, feel-good, and surprisingly funny novella. It had a third person omniscient narration and was seamless in its transitions between POVs during the chapters. I liked how Meg (h) was very understanding when she first met Jack (H) given his appearance and behaviour and I found how they got into the mistaken identity situation in the beginning believable. By the end everything is resolved and tied up in a bow. 3.75 stars!
November 16, 2022
This is a delightful story about finding a family. Cases of mistaken identity don't always end well. Still, in this case, Mary Jo Putney has a beautiful way of making it all work. Jack's easygoing manner meshes well with the goings-on in Meg's home. Watching him enjoy the comforts of a family that he never had is one of the joys of this novella. Meg is a magnificent head of the household and ensures that everyone has a place, even after many disappointments, including losing her old house.
Everything clicked for me in this novella.
Everything clicked for me in this novella.
December 9, 2020
5 STARS, HISTORICAL REGENCY ERA ROMANCE
A happy & merry Novella to make part of your Christmas Holiday every year; and therefore give it as a Christmas Stocking Gift to share and pass on the delightful feel good story. The Major & Meg are a winning couple & I definitely liked both of them from their start. This one will be part of my Christmas Holiday Spirit Reading Time next year & in between if I need a bit of cheering up. Ring the Bells I Recommend
A happy & merry Novella to make part of your Christmas Holiday every year; and therefore give it as a Christmas Stocking Gift to share and pass on the delightful feel good story. The Major & Meg are a winning couple & I definitely liked both of them from their start. This one will be part of my Christmas Holiday Spirit Reading Time next year & in between if I need a bit of cheering up. Ring the Bells I Recommend
December 28, 2023
Kindle edition of a 1991 novella. It felt a little dated in style, but not too bad. The storyline was a decent one for a novella, although the way the MCs met was a little too coincidental to feel real and convincing to me. The instalove/let's get married now was pretty ridiculous, but with novellas that is often par for the course, I guess. Overall it was a cute but not particularly memorable novella. A nice little read for the Christmas season.
November 20, 2022
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. This goes pretty much exactly how you imagine it will just from reading the blurb, but the little added details were nice. I enjoyed the main characters and supporting cast, and it felt like they had a history and weren't just plucked out of nowhere for one Christmas novelette.
December 27, 2022
Super short read and super sweet. I am impressed by the author’s ability to create characters that are likeable in such a short amount of time. The book took me less than an hour to read and yet I felt the connection, however unlikely, between he two main characters.
Totally ridiculous that they fell in love and planned to marry in 3 days but a fun, romantic, escapist read.
Totally ridiculous that they fell in love and planned to marry in 3 days but a fun, romantic, escapist read.
December 10, 2023
I absolutely LOVED this! It's one of the best holiday stories I've ever read. “Outside it was dark and a bitter wind rattled the windows, but the parlor glowed with warmth and color and love.” That’s exactly how I felt while reading this cute, cozy short story about a case of mistaken identity.
December 31, 2020
This is 100% the short, sweet, and charming Christmas romance I was looking for this year. The ending felt a little rushed, and honestly if it had been fleshed out to full novella length, I definitely wouldn't have complained, but it was still exactly what I wanted to read.
October 21, 2023
Good Read
Lovely story with wonderful characters. Good plot although predictable for the most part.
Love the way the characters were presented but disappointed in the abrupt end to the story in less than a few pages.
Lovely story with wonderful characters. Good plot although predictable for the most part.
Love the way the characters were presented but disappointed in the abrupt end to the story in less than a few pages.
September 28, 2025
A treasure to read and reread
I have this in paper from years ago and now online. I reread this often and it's as much a part of my holidays as putting up my tree. This author has a gift for characters and place, and this story is a shining ornament in her collection.
I have this in paper from years ago and now online. I reread this often and it's as much a part of my holidays as putting up my tree. This author has a gift for characters and place, and this story is a shining ornament in her collection.
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