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Beaufort Scales Mystery #5
A Toot Hansell Christmas Cracker: A Beaufort Scales Christmas Collection
Rebellious Christmas wreaths.
Mysterious welly-dwelling eggs.
A plague of irate water fowl.
And ten ladies of a certain age who are by no means the least troublesome of Toot Hansell's residents, as far as Detective Inspector Adams is concerned. She's entirely certain her training never covered dealing with the Women's Institute, dragons, or festive magic spills.
Not to mention invisible dogs with caffeine dependencies.
But Christmas is almost here. Things can't go too wrong ... can they?
Well. It is Toot Hansell …
Get some dragons in your Christmas with this collection of twelve short stories from the world of the Beaufort Scales mysteries, plus twelve festive recipes!
Mysterious welly-dwelling eggs.
A plague of irate water fowl.
And ten ladies of a certain age who are by no means the least troublesome of Toot Hansell's residents, as far as Detective Inspector Adams is concerned. She's entirely certain her training never covered dealing with the Women's Institute, dragons, or festive magic spills.
Not to mention invisible dogs with caffeine dependencies.
But Christmas is almost here. Things can't go too wrong ... can they?
Well. It is Toot Hansell …
Get some dragons in your Christmas with this collection of twelve short stories from the world of the Beaufort Scales mysteries, plus twelve festive recipes!
266 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2020
92 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Kim M. Watt
42 books335 followersHello lovely people!
I’m Kim (as you may have guessed, given that you're on the author page for Kim). I write funny fantasies and off-beat cosy (or cozy, depending where you're from) mysteries set in a world not so dissimilar to ours - and in fact sharing many locations.
And in this not-dissimilar world you'll find mystery-solving dragons with a strong affection for barbecues and scones, and snarky feline PIs with human sidekicks. You'll run across baking-obsessed reapers running petting cafes stocked with baby ghouls, Apocalyptic riders on Vespas, and women of a certain age Getting Things Done. There may even be the odd born-again troll redefining troll-ness for the modern age about the place.
You'll find myth and reality clashing in small and spectacular ways, and discover the healing magic of tea and a really good lemon drizzle cake.
But, most of all, there will be friendship, and loyalty, and people of all species looking out for one another. Because these, above all things, are magic.
And you can find me rambling on about all this (and more) over on my website, or join me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for bad puns and many, many cat memes. Many.
Come join me!
I’m Kim (as you may have guessed, given that you're on the author page for Kim). I write funny fantasies and off-beat cosy (or cozy, depending where you're from) mysteries set in a world not so dissimilar to ours - and in fact sharing many locations.
And in this not-dissimilar world you'll find mystery-solving dragons with a strong affection for barbecues and scones, and snarky feline PIs with human sidekicks. You'll run across baking-obsessed reapers running petting cafes stocked with baby ghouls, Apocalyptic riders on Vespas, and women of a certain age Getting Things Done. There may even be the odd born-again troll redefining troll-ness for the modern age about the place.
You'll find myth and reality clashing in small and spectacular ways, and discover the healing magic of tea and a really good lemon drizzle cake.
But, most of all, there will be friendship, and loyalty, and people of all species looking out for one another. Because these, above all things, are magic.
And you can find me rambling on about all this (and more) over on my website, or join me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for bad puns and many, many cat memes. Many.
Come join me!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
April 16, 2023
Twelve whimsical short stories of Christmas tidings in Toot Hansell, with recipes for the many baked goods. The "folk" are in high spirits much to the vexation of the women of the Toot Hansell Women's Institute. Nothing serious here. Just fun.
December 11, 2020
It's been a terrible year, and it isn't over yet, but to alleviate the gloom return to Toot Hansell and immerse yourself in the entirely enjoyable* world of Beaufort Scales, moderniser, would-be detective and dragon.
This festive story collection is a delight from start to finish, and each story comes with an equally festive recipe ... my cooking skills aren't really up to those, but they do all look delicious.
All our favourite characters are here - I especially enjoyed Gilbert as a one-dragon branch of PETA, his sweary antagonist Bertie the parrot and the hatchlings who turn out to be extremely rude - and very French.
Brighten up the holidays and visit Toot Hansell!
* - enjoyable for us, anyway. D.I. Adams may have another view.
This festive story collection is a delight from start to finish, and each story comes with an equally festive recipe ... my cooking skills aren't really up to those, but they do all look delicious.
All our favourite characters are here - I especially enjoyed Gilbert as a one-dragon branch of PETA, his sweary antagonist Bertie the parrot and the hatchlings who turn out to be extremely rude - and very French.
Brighten up the holidays and visit Toot Hansell!
* - enjoyable for us, anyway. D.I. Adams may have another view.
September 16, 2021
2021 bk 288. What a joy to find another of the Toot Hansel books. This is a collection of short stories mirroring The Twelve Days of Christmas - only in a British country village that has an excess of magic and magical visitors. Even the dragons are befuddled. Such fun that I stayed up about an hour after bed time to find out the conclusion - oh, and the recipes sound like fun to make!
June 28, 2021
A cute set of vignettes based (very) loosely on the "Twelve Days of Christmas." As expected in Toot Hansell, there are magical creatures galore and many harrowing adventures, but it always ends with tea and cakes or other interesting goodies.
December 1, 2024
A fun and festive return to Toot Hansell. I thought it was a collection, and it seems that way at the start, but it is definitely a single story with an excellent basis in Christmas and other seasonal holiday observations.
December 23, 2020
Back in August, I read Baking Bad - one of my few 5* reads of this year.
I was overjoyed to see a Christmas book also set in Toot Hansell.
This book is a collection of 12 short stories, each filled with pesky magickal beings, the WI and calamity. They all tie up together nicely. AND you get handy Christmassy recipes included - bonus!
Well, what can I say?
Utter chaos unfolds on the run-up to Christmas in Toot Hansell.
The WI seek assistance from their dragon friends who are, as usual, a bit clueless themselves.
Not only do you get Beaufort and Mortimer; the charming dragons with a baked goods obsession, but many other beings (not all good!).
There is such a wonderful quaint English village charm in these books - just adorable.
And the stories are all fun and sure to get you in the festive mood.
I'm definitely never getting an elf-on-the-shelf; never did trust that smug little git ;-)
There's danger, excitement, humour and plenty of cake!
I love this Toot Hansell world! There, I said it.
Give it a read.
I was overjoyed to see a Christmas book also set in Toot Hansell.
This book is a collection of 12 short stories, each filled with pesky magickal beings, the WI and calamity. They all tie up together nicely. AND you get handy Christmassy recipes included - bonus!
Well, what can I say?
Utter chaos unfolds on the run-up to Christmas in Toot Hansell.
The WI seek assistance from their dragon friends who are, as usual, a bit clueless themselves.
Not only do you get Beaufort and Mortimer; the charming dragons with a baked goods obsession, but many other beings (not all good!).
There is such a wonderful quaint English village charm in these books - just adorable.
And the stories are all fun and sure to get you in the festive mood.
I'm definitely never getting an elf-on-the-shelf; never did trust that smug little git ;-)
There's danger, excitement, humour and plenty of cake!
I love this Toot Hansell world! There, I said it.
Give it a read.
December 9, 2025
I keep having to pick a new favorite....
Cause they just get better and better!
This one starts making you think it will be more disjointed and like an anthology, but it all comes together. And there's a distinctly Pratchettesque whiff about this one which made it amazing.
Cause they just get better and better!
This one starts making you think it will be more disjointed and like an anthology, but it all comes together. And there's a distinctly Pratchettesque whiff about this one which made it amazing.
December 10, 2020
Christmas in Toot-Hansell is a perilous time. The past two Christmases have been eventful (see "Yule be sorry" and "Tales of Beaufort Scales") and these connected twelve short stories reveal that for the ladies of the WI, DI Adams and the Cloverly dragons this year will be just as . . . . interesting. All the wonderful characters from the earlier books make an appearance (except Mirriam's sister's friend, the one who doesn't like wearing trousers, much to everyone's relief) as well as a host of mischievous and sometimes malevolent magical beings intent of making trouble. It's up to the WI, the dragons and (much to her annoyance) DI Adams to unravel the mysterious happenings in Toot-Hansell and keep the people safe as well as safely ignorant of the Folk all around them. With plenty of mince pies and mulled wine to keep our heroes and heroines fortified (as well as plenty more baked goods besides) they stand up to the challenge with spirit, charm and humour. To make things even better, recipes for all the baked goods featured in the stories are included. Half the time I'm not sure whether to keep reading or start baking. Overall, a perfectly delightful Christmas treat!
February 4, 2025
3,5 stars rounded up
This book was okay: I like the series but I found this book a bit chaotic and the stories were at first quite short. Just when you started to get into that story, it ended. They did grow on me throughout the book and they were quite Chrismassy. And even though the book was supposed to contain completely separate stories, to me they were just loose fragments of one story. All of this made it a bit chaotic in my opinion. What I liked about the book was that the stories were based on the song “Twelve days of Christmas” and that there were new Folk introduced.
This book was okay: I like the series but I found this book a bit chaotic and the stories were at first quite short. Just when you started to get into that story, it ended. They did grow on me throughout the book and they were quite Chrismassy. And even though the book was supposed to contain completely separate stories, to me they were just loose fragments of one story. All of this made it a bit chaotic in my opinion. What I liked about the book was that the stories were based on the song “Twelve days of Christmas” and that there were new Folk introduced.
December 19, 2020
Yay, another trip to Toot Hansell, where the W.I. make extra cake, just in case a dragon or two pop round for tea!
Christmas, is approaching, the dragons are in danger of overdosing on mince pies and odd things are happening. Even by Toot Hansell standards... But never fear, the W.I. are on hand to sort things out, assisted by the ever-bemused D.I. Adams and her invisible dog.
Not sure I'd want to *live* in Toot Hansell, but it's a fun place to visit!
Christmas, is approaching, the dragons are in danger of overdosing on mince pies and odd things are happening. Even by Toot Hansell standards... But never fear, the W.I. are on hand to sort things out, assisted by the ever-bemused D.I. Adams and her invisible dog.
Not sure I'd want to *live* in Toot Hansell, but it's a fun place to visit!
August 12, 2024
Delightful and fun! And I love having the recipes after each chapter. This particular collection of connected short stories was so much fun. I love it.
December 29, 2022
This book is loosely based on the twelve days of Christmas theme as it visits the village of Toot Hansell, where we meet up again with the women of the Women's Institute, DI Adams, and a variety of magical folk, including dragons, nymphs, goblins, an invisible dog, a mysterious cat and an evil Santa. Each chapter covers one day leading up to Christmas, and the magical mischief builds each day as the people of the village prepare for and stage their market fair. And the story reaches its climax as the WI women, with the help of the dragons, the dog and the cat, save the village from Christmas disaster. Baking goodies is an important part of the story and recipes are included. A very silly, fun read.
December 5, 2025
It has been a while since I last read a book of this series, namely because the last one left such a sour taste in my mouth, where I went from disliking one of the main characters, Alice, to loathing her. I decided to finally continue the series and hope it doesn't stay in the low rating I gave the last book.
In this book, the format changes considerably. Rather than the same formula where we follow the same four characters (DI Adams, Alice, Miriam and Mortimer), this book lets us follow them but also get to follow other ladies of the WI, giving them some sorely needed spotlight, so on that concept alone, the book is quite refreshing. The general story is that it's holiday season in the village, so we follow the ladies of the WI as they prep for the holidays and for a festival, where they will have a stall to sell food and drink. It all starts out fairly normal, until little by little, the characters start realizing that there are way too many weird things going on, all of them supernatural. The supernatural shenanigans are amusing, though some left me wanting more, especially those French speaking lizards. It all exacerbates as time goes on, getting worse and worse, until a finale that goes in line with the sheer chaos that tends to happen in this series. Seeing all these takes on supernatural stuff was fun, and we find out other animals are sentient; still no dogs, though, but most dogs are already perfect as it is anyway, so I don't mind. The book also did a good job at giving us those cozy holiday vibes, the ones that come with bright lights, happy sounds, tasty smells, and a sense of togetherness. From the humans relishing their friendships to the Cloverly dragons all coming together to protect the humans because they genuinely care about them due to how the humans have bettered their lives, even if most of them cannot interact with humans, it was a delightful feel all-around.
We got a decent balance of characters who got to shine, and it was especially nice to see some of the ladies of the WI get focus, it allowed us to find out a bit more about their personalities and home lives. Most of the characters, Humans, dragons and in-between, were in fine form. DI Adams and Collins are likable as ever and have a great rapport, Miriam was calmer and less prone to panicking (though it's still there, the panic, just less pronounced). The dragons are also as fun as ever, even if I wish Mortimer would grow a bit more confident by now, and Gilbert has gotten rather annoying, but it was Walter who surprised me the most. He's always been so vocal about his distaste of humans, but in here not only does he help out again, but we get to see him interact with Rose, showing that his rough exterior may be, at least in part, a front, because their chemistry's great and he seems to genuinely enjoy her company, and honestly, this interaction between them was one of my favorite parts of the whole book. I'm also glad to see the journalist, Ervin, back again, and finally they let him in on the secret of supernatural entities, it was about time, though it's very annoying how they still don't introduce him to the dragons, especially when he showcases that his desire to help those in need outweighs his desire to get a good story. I've gotten to like him, and I hope he gets to meet and become a friend and ally to the dragons in a future book. I also really appreciated how toned-down Alice was here, this being the first time I didn't outright dislike her. Granted, it's not like I liked her, but I didn't mind her presence here, and it made me wish she was like this in the series as a hole, it might make me genuinely like her.
The book's not quite perfect, though. From the little annoyances I mentioned earlier, to not all the WI ladies getting the spotlight, to the book not explaining some things. There's also a lot of recipes here, and while I welcome those, they were all put in-between each chapter rather than all together at the end, so it interrupted the flow of the story for me. But overall, this was an enjoyable book that gave us something new and a little different, and I hope we get more like this, let other characters enjoy the spotlight and have some things change.
In this book, the format changes considerably. Rather than the same formula where we follow the same four characters (DI Adams, Alice, Miriam and Mortimer), this book lets us follow them but also get to follow other ladies of the WI, giving them some sorely needed spotlight, so on that concept alone, the book is quite refreshing. The general story is that it's holiday season in the village, so we follow the ladies of the WI as they prep for the holidays and for a festival, where they will have a stall to sell food and drink. It all starts out fairly normal, until little by little, the characters start realizing that there are way too many weird things going on, all of them supernatural. The supernatural shenanigans are amusing, though some left me wanting more, especially those French speaking lizards. It all exacerbates as time goes on, getting worse and worse, until a finale that goes in line with the sheer chaos that tends to happen in this series. Seeing all these takes on supernatural stuff was fun, and we find out other animals are sentient; still no dogs, though, but most dogs are already perfect as it is anyway, so I don't mind. The book also did a good job at giving us those cozy holiday vibes, the ones that come with bright lights, happy sounds, tasty smells, and a sense of togetherness. From the humans relishing their friendships to the Cloverly dragons all coming together to protect the humans because they genuinely care about them due to how the humans have bettered their lives, even if most of them cannot interact with humans, it was a delightful feel all-around.
We got a decent balance of characters who got to shine, and it was especially nice to see some of the ladies of the WI get focus, it allowed us to find out a bit more about their personalities and home lives. Most of the characters, Humans, dragons and in-between, were in fine form. DI Adams and Collins are likable as ever and have a great rapport, Miriam was calmer and less prone to panicking (though it's still there, the panic, just less pronounced). The dragons are also as fun as ever, even if I wish Mortimer would grow a bit more confident by now, and Gilbert has gotten rather annoying, but it was Walter who surprised me the most. He's always been so vocal about his distaste of humans, but in here not only does he help out again, but we get to see him interact with Rose, showing that his rough exterior may be, at least in part, a front, because their chemistry's great and he seems to genuinely enjoy her company, and honestly, this interaction between them was one of my favorite parts of the whole book. I'm also glad to see the journalist, Ervin, back again, and finally they let him in on the secret of supernatural entities, it was about time, though it's very annoying how they still don't introduce him to the dragons, especially when he showcases that his desire to help those in need outweighs his desire to get a good story. I've gotten to like him, and I hope he gets to meet and become a friend and ally to the dragons in a future book. I also really appreciated how toned-down Alice was here, this being the first time I didn't outright dislike her. Granted, it's not like I liked her, but I didn't mind her presence here, and it made me wish she was like this in the series as a hole, it might make me genuinely like her.
The book's not quite perfect, though. From the little annoyances I mentioned earlier, to not all the WI ladies getting the spotlight, to the book not explaining some things. There's also a lot of recipes here, and while I welcome those, they were all put in-between each chapter rather than all together at the end, so it interrupted the flow of the story for me. But overall, this was an enjoyable book that gave us something new and a little different, and I hope we get more like this, let other characters enjoy the spotlight and have some things change.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2020
Upfront: I'm an ARC reader so I received this book for free. Believe me, if I didn't like it, I would say so, regardless of the price.
I loved this book! Parts of it are poignant and insightful, parts of it had me laughing out loud, and the whole thing is a complete delight. Attacking wreaths, detecting dragons, and faeries spelled with "ae" because they can tell if you say it with an "ai" - what a perfect holiday gift!
I thought at first that these would be mostly unrelated, standalone, stories - and they can be read that way - but here's the clever part: read consecutively, they form a larger story. Each of the lovely ladies of the W.I., along with D.I. Adams, is involved in her own little bit of the happenings. Put together, they make up a larger puzzle. And that puzzle follows the pattern of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" because, as we all know, humans are always trying to fit things into patterns.
Looking at the more technical side of things, these stories are blessedly low on grammatical errors. The characters are individuals with depth, and consistent from story to story and book to book. And the circumstances, while magical, are wonderfully believable. Toot Hansell seems very much like a real place populated with real people of many types.
And the recipes! I've made ones from Ms. Watt's other books with good results. But even if you're not planning on baking anything, these are fun to read.
If you're looking for a truly wonderful last minute holiday gift, even if it's a gift to yourself, you could do a lot worse than "A Toot Hansell Christmas Cracker"!
I loved this book! Parts of it are poignant and insightful, parts of it had me laughing out loud, and the whole thing is a complete delight. Attacking wreaths, detecting dragons, and faeries spelled with "ae" because they can tell if you say it with an "ai" - what a perfect holiday gift!
I thought at first that these would be mostly unrelated, standalone, stories - and they can be read that way - but here's the clever part: read consecutively, they form a larger story. Each of the lovely ladies of the W.I., along with D.I. Adams, is involved in her own little bit of the happenings. Put together, they make up a larger puzzle. And that puzzle follows the pattern of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" because, as we all know, humans are always trying to fit things into patterns.
Looking at the more technical side of things, these stories are blessedly low on grammatical errors. The characters are individuals with depth, and consistent from story to story and book to book. And the circumstances, while magical, are wonderfully believable. Toot Hansell seems very much like a real place populated with real people of many types.
And the recipes! I've made ones from Ms. Watt's other books with good results. But even if you're not planning on baking anything, these are fun to read.
If you're looking for a truly wonderful last minute holiday gift, even if it's a gift to yourself, you could do a lot worse than "A Toot Hansell Christmas Cracker"!
February 3, 2021
I’ve read each of Kim M. Watt’s Beaufort Scales novels with great enjoyment, a good cuppa, and a yummy slice of something baked. Thus, I was ecstatic to learn there was a new volume of dragony, cake-filled goodness, along with assorted mayhem and mischief, served up for the holidays.
A Toot Hansell Christmas Cracker is a bit different from the norm of Ms. Watt’s offerings. In this case, a series of twelve vignettes, and I have to confess that I was a bit baffled at the beginning. Although I enjoyed the early stories, I was laboring under the impression each chapter was a stand-along story, and several of them ended with a definite lack of satisfactory wrapping-up-ness. It took me a bit to realize the chapters all progressed towards one final, lovely, dragon-fueled climax which is both hair-raising and hilarious at once. So, shame on me for doubting one of my favorite authors. Patience has its rewards (often mince pies seem to feature prominently, as they naturally should at Christmas), and the Toot Hansell Women’s Institute, DI Adams and her invisible dog, Thompson the Cat, and a host of dragons manage to rout the villains in a most satisfactory manner and still have time to bake up something scrumptious.
Ms. Watt’s stories are cozies in the truest sense of the word, albeit with an underlying acknowledgement that beyond the tea and scones, some fairly dark and dreadful things might be lurking. So it’s best to keep a dragon handy (as one does), and enjoy the season with this wonderful outing in the Scales series.
A Toot Hansell Christmas Cracker is a bit different from the norm of Ms. Watt’s offerings. In this case, a series of twelve vignettes, and I have to confess that I was a bit baffled at the beginning. Although I enjoyed the early stories, I was laboring under the impression each chapter was a stand-along story, and several of them ended with a definite lack of satisfactory wrapping-up-ness. It took me a bit to realize the chapters all progressed towards one final, lovely, dragon-fueled climax which is both hair-raising and hilarious at once. So, shame on me for doubting one of my favorite authors. Patience has its rewards (often mince pies seem to feature prominently, as they naturally should at Christmas), and the Toot Hansell Women’s Institute, DI Adams and her invisible dog, Thompson the Cat, and a host of dragons manage to rout the villains in a most satisfactory manner and still have time to bake up something scrumptious.
Ms. Watt’s stories are cozies in the truest sense of the word, albeit with an underlying acknowledgement that beyond the tea and scones, some fairly dark and dreadful things might be lurking. So it’s best to keep a dragon handy (as one does), and enjoy the season with this wonderful outing in the Scales series.
January 2, 2021
I got an Arc of this book on exchange for an honest review.
So, this book is a collection of short stories, so I’ll be judging this book differently. I won’t explain every single story.
The stories are all inspired by the Christmas song “Twelve days of Christmas”, so there’s a small plot in each short story, but also an overarching one, connecting them all to each other.
I really enjoyed that aspect and loved the different plots, from french, swearing lizards to evil elves or fairies and dragons in dog costumes.
The characters were all from the previous Beaufort Scales novels, mainly the women of the W.I of Toot Hansell and I enjoyed to see more of them!
There are lots of magical creatures in this book, and also cakes and tea and mulled wine, and it all made for a very cozy Christmas-y setting.
The writing was sweet as always, pointing to the magic of friendship and love and just making you feel happy and comfortable.
All in all, it was a different Beaufort novel, but I really enjoyed it!
So, this book is a collection of short stories, so I’ll be judging this book differently. I won’t explain every single story.
The stories are all inspired by the Christmas song “Twelve days of Christmas”, so there’s a small plot in each short story, but also an overarching one, connecting them all to each other.
I really enjoyed that aspect and loved the different plots, from french, swearing lizards to evil elves or fairies and dragons in dog costumes.
The characters were all from the previous Beaufort Scales novels, mainly the women of the W.I of Toot Hansell and I enjoyed to see more of them!
There are lots of magical creatures in this book, and also cakes and tea and mulled wine, and it all made for a very cozy Christmas-y setting.
The writing was sweet as always, pointing to the magic of friendship and love and just making you feel happy and comfortable.
All in all, it was a different Beaufort novel, but I really enjoyed it!
January 17, 2021
Well, I had intended to review this book around Christmas but life in the form of a medical disaster (My 12 year old transplanted kidney failed) and hospital stays and frantic attempts to get me on a dialysis schedule meant that Christmas and New Year's were definitely not what we planned.
So here we are in the middle of January and I'm finally reviewing it.
It was fabulous, fun, unexpected, mystical and just a downright blast to read. I mean who wouldn't want to live in the middle of a village called Toot Hansell! And get to be friends with dragons and talking cats and eat too many yummy baked goods? I love that each story had a recipe to match. and the stories were wonderful and surprising.
Reading this book and rereading the Gobbelino London series helped me get through a very difficult time. Because isn't reading all about escape? It is for me. A chance to get my head out of all of life's messes and live in a different world, even if just for a while.
Don't miss out. Read all of Kim Watt's books!
So here we are in the middle of January and I'm finally reviewing it.
It was fabulous, fun, unexpected, mystical and just a downright blast to read. I mean who wouldn't want to live in the middle of a village called Toot Hansell! And get to be friends with dragons and talking cats and eat too many yummy baked goods? I love that each story had a recipe to match. and the stories were wonderful and surprising.
Reading this book and rereading the Gobbelino London series helped me get through a very difficult time. Because isn't reading all about escape? It is for me. A chance to get my head out of all of life's messes and live in a different world, even if just for a while.
Don't miss out. Read all of Kim Watt's books!
December 10, 2021
All it's cracked up to be
I bought this when it was released but decided to wait until December to read it. Anticipation made it hard to wait but so worth it. If this is your first encounter with the Cloverly Dragons, you're in for a lot of first rate stories. A somewhat different take on the old standby Twelve Days of Christmas song, it has various Fae Folk besides dragons taking up the roles in the song. From elves to faeries to gnomes & more, what happens when the ancient ones want their holiday back? Havoc ensues but the Folk never counted on the Toot Hansell's W.I. defense of their beloved Christmas Market. Bonus for bakers and those wanna be bakers. After every story is the recipe mentioned in the story. Ms Watt does that in all the Beaufort Scales mysteries. She nicely has the measurements in American & British units. I think once you read the first story, you'll be more than interested in his other adventures.
I bought this when it was released but decided to wait until December to read it. Anticipation made it hard to wait but so worth it. If this is your first encounter with the Cloverly Dragons, you're in for a lot of first rate stories. A somewhat different take on the old standby Twelve Days of Christmas song, it has various Fae Folk besides dragons taking up the roles in the song. From elves to faeries to gnomes & more, what happens when the ancient ones want their holiday back? Havoc ensues but the Folk never counted on the Toot Hansell's W.I. defense of their beloved Christmas Market. Bonus for bakers and those wanna be bakers. After every story is the recipe mentioned in the story. Ms Watt does that in all the Beaufort Scales mysteries. She nicely has the measurements in American & British units. I think once you read the first story, you'll be more than interested in his other adventures.
December 21, 2020
The Twelve Days of Christmas will never be the same! At least not if you live in (or near) the village of Toot Hansel.
Just what was needed to end this dismal year! Twelve wonderful short stories, all connected (but can be read on their own), filled with the magic and friendships of Toot Hansel, the ladies of the W.I., DIs Adams and Collins, and of course, the Cloverly Dragons. (I really loved that we got to see more of the other ladies of the W.I. like Rose, Pearl, Carlotta, etc. and thought the friendship that is developing between Rose, the oldest of the ladies, and Lord Walter, the (presumably) oldest of the dragons, is really great).
Christmas is a magical time of year, in more ways than one! Highly recommended!
I received in ARC in return for an honest review.
Just what was needed to end this dismal year! Twelve wonderful short stories, all connected (but can be read on their own), filled with the magic and friendships of Toot Hansel, the ladies of the W.I., DIs Adams and Collins, and of course, the Cloverly Dragons. (I really loved that we got to see more of the other ladies of the W.I. like Rose, Pearl, Carlotta, etc. and thought the friendship that is developing between Rose, the oldest of the ladies, and Lord Walter, the (presumably) oldest of the dragons, is really great).
Christmas is a magical time of year, in more ways than one! Highly recommended!
I received in ARC in return for an honest review.
December 25, 2020
The wonderful world of Toot Hansell!
Having never read books from this author before, I had no idea what to expect. I read to keep my sanity and 2020 will go down in history as one of the worst years, ever, for planet Earth and her people. But, my! How timely is this book?!? I've not been interested in eating lately, it felt kind of pointless. But I've made 2 recipes from this book so far, all while reading because they made me hungry for the first time in many months! The 12 stories of Christmas told "Kim Watt style" had me laughing and forgetting about the world around me for a bit. I love dragons, faeries and dogs and this book had them all and then some! Lose yourself for awhile in this book! What a blessed escape! Thank you Ms. Watt for saving my sanity!
Having never read books from this author before, I had no idea what to expect. I read to keep my sanity and 2020 will go down in history as one of the worst years, ever, for planet Earth and her people. But, my! How timely is this book?!? I've not been interested in eating lately, it felt kind of pointless. But I've made 2 recipes from this book so far, all while reading because they made me hungry for the first time in many months! The 12 stories of Christmas told "Kim Watt style" had me laughing and forgetting about the world around me for a bit. I love dragons, faeries and dogs and this book had them all and then some! Lose yourself for awhile in this book! What a blessed escape! Thank you Ms. Watt for saving my sanity!
June 20, 2025
Ok
I wasnt to buy this one but I started reading Coming Up Roses and there were references to the at Christmas so I wantedvto catch up
I hate to give only three stars but I thought this didnt deserve more
The short stories were a bit hit and miss for me ,thete were too many new Folk introduced and I found it hard to keep up
Half of book is given over to recipes which is Ok but I felt these were filler and the book wasnt really worth the Money
I thought the end quite contrived and disappointing
I really prefer the full novels ,i wouldnt have missed much had I not read it
Sorry Kim I think you dropped the ball on this one Only The dragons and Thompson saved it from becoming a 2 star review
Im enjoying Coming Up Roses so far though
I wasnt to buy this one but I started reading Coming Up Roses and there were references to the at Christmas so I wantedvto catch up
I hate to give only three stars but I thought this didnt deserve more
The short stories were a bit hit and miss for me ,thete were too many new Folk introduced and I found it hard to keep up
Half of book is given over to recipes which is Ok but I felt these were filler and the book wasnt really worth the Money
I thought the end quite contrived and disappointing
I really prefer the full novels ,i wouldnt have missed much had I not read it
Sorry Kim I think you dropped the ball on this one Only The dragons and Thompson saved it from becoming a 2 star review
Im enjoying Coming Up Roses so far though
December 25, 2020
This was one of those books that I bought as gifts for several people before I got to the fourth chapter. It was a perfect way to introduce people to the humour and sensitivity of Kim Watt. It seemed to have worked as I gather that there will be least 3 new members of the Toot Hansell Auxiliary.
Even reading the recipes which follow each chapter, are entertaining. Whether you ever plan to make any or not,, they are a joy just to read. One gets an insight into the mind that created the most wonderful community.
If you are a devoted fan or just want something a little different to try,, this is the perfedt book for you. Just make sure it's understood, you will be laughing out loud.
Even reading the recipes which follow each chapter, are entertaining. Whether you ever plan to make any or not,, they are a joy just to read. One gets an insight into the mind that created the most wonderful community.
If you are a devoted fan or just want something a little different to try,, this is the perfedt book for you. Just make sure it's understood, you will be laughing out loud.
March 27, 2021
I want Christmas back!
With the writing I could literally smell all of the yummy recipes being made by the W.I.
I just adore these books, I've even emailed Kim to thank her for such wonderful creatures and people.
I can see D.I. Adams slowly loosening that top knot of hers and start to relax with all the goings on in Toot Hansell. I'm waiting for her to move into the a cottage there and learn how to bake. Though PLEASE not from Jasmine.
This Christmas things start to come alive in Toot Hansell, things that shouldn't and things that are, that do what they shouldn't.
Please buy these books, they're fab.
With the writing I could literally smell all of the yummy recipes being made by the W.I.
I just adore these books, I've even emailed Kim to thank her for such wonderful creatures and people.
I can see D.I. Adams slowly loosening that top knot of hers and start to relax with all the goings on in Toot Hansell. I'm waiting for her to move into the a cottage there and learn how to bake. Though PLEASE not from Jasmine.
This Christmas things start to come alive in Toot Hansell, things that shouldn't and things that are, that do what they shouldn't.
Please buy these books, they're fab.
February 15, 2021
A collection of wonderful stories which, to misuse the immortal words of the late Douglas Adams, almost, but not quite, correspond to the twelve days of Christmas poem. From [not quite] a partridge in a pear tree to [almost] 12 drummers, these stories involve every member of the W.I., many of the Cloverly dragons, police Inspectors, talking cats, invisible dogs, rude lizards and even ruder birds, and much more. Even better - each story is accompanied by a recipe. Read this book; I recommend it to all Toot Hansell lovers.
December 17, 2020
Just what this weary world needed... a selection of amusing, light hearted and entertaining short stories featuring many of the characters we're already familiar with from the previous years Christmas stories. The icing on the cake is the wonderful recipes that alternate with the stories... they're as entertaining as the havoc being wrecked in Toot Hansell, and I'll be trying a few! homemade mincemeat, yum! This book totally helped me find my Christmas spirit.
February 26, 2022
Hungry?
If you aren’t when you start this book, reading the recipes will make you start thinking of your Christmas dinner in advance (long in advance as of this writing). I really got a kick out of the characters and their dialog (talking dragons is just cool to me - quite the personalities). You’ll have to excuse me, I have another book by Ms. Kim to read - suggest you start here, too! ;)
If you aren’t when you start this book, reading the recipes will make you start thinking of your Christmas dinner in advance (long in advance as of this writing). I really got a kick out of the characters and their dialog (talking dragons is just cool to me - quite the personalities). You’ll have to excuse me, I have another book by Ms. Kim to read - suggest you start here, too! ;)
March 4, 2022
I love these dragons! 12 days of Christmas song. Every day is a different part of the song…..dryads, Faeries, water sprites, elves, and then there is the talking cat, the invisible dog, and of course dragons, and recipes…..awesome delicious recipes. So, curl up with a cup of tea, a tasty snack, follow the song and enjoy. I have the next book all set up to read. Kim M Watt is a great story teller!
June 1, 2024
These shorts had a lot of great cute moments in them but felt more like a collection of deleted scenes than fully realized individual stories. I enjoyed the continually expanding menagerie of creatures, and Dandy especially seemed to get a lot of useful and even heroic scenes in this book. I also really enjoyed the interspersed recipes. Really making me want to a) get an eyebook copy and b) try some of these out....
December 17, 2020
Toot Hansel is my favourite escape place to go to. It's a mystical small English village peopled with loveable and not so loveable beings. The stories have strange and good plot twists . I have Kindle Unlimited ,however these books are among the few I'll purchase no matter what. Marvellous stories for fantasy lovers.
December 27, 2020
Really enjoyable cosy mystery with Fantasy creatures. I did personally find it a little bit confusing because I used it as my entry to the series. Therefore there were a lot of characters that I didn’t know and I got them mixed up at times. That would’ve been avoided if I’d started with the first book in the series so it’s not a criticism of the book at all. As a story collection it was a great standalone, Just because each story used different characters and I didn’t know them yet I did get a little mixed up
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