Book ~ "Alfie the Christmas Cat" (2020) Rachel Wells

From Goodreads ~ Christmas is around the corner and Alfie and George can’t wait. This year, the residents of Edgar road have come together to put on a festive show and raise money for a local homeless shelter.

As December approaches, plans are in full swing: auditions are being held, props are being built, Alfie and George are rehearsing daily and everyone is having a very merry time.

But then things start to go wrong. And when the residents arrive at the theatre one morning to discover their set has been trashed, it becomes clear someone is trying to sabotage their performance.

Alfie and George know it’s up to them to find the culprit and save the day. Because, after all, the show must go on.

Alfie is a doorstep cat who has many families.  He lives with Claire and Jonathan and their young children.  Polly and Matt (and their young children and cat), and their children, Sylvie and Marcus (and Sylvie's daughter) and Harold (Marcus' father who also has a cat) are their neighbours and Franceska and Tomasz )and their teenage children) are former neighbours.  All the families are very good friends with each other, thanks to Alfie.  Alfie is the adopted "dad" to a cat named George.

Connie, Sylvie's daughter, is dating Franceska and Tomasz' son, Aleksy.  They are doing a school project and decide to do something to help the local homeless shelter.  After brainstorming with everyone, including the cats, they come up with idea of having a Christmas show and giving the proceeds to the homeless shelter.  Plus they will ask for donations of clothing, etc.  The neighbourhood pitches in and they have quiet a show planned.  But someone starts sabotaging it but know one knows who.  Alfie takes it upon himself to find out what's going on. 

This is the seventh and latest in Alfie series and I liked it (I've read them all).  Though it's part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  It is written in first person perspective in Alfie's voice.  We can see the conversations he has with other cats and now Pickles.  Plus he understands the conversations of humans around him (rather than "blah blah blah blah blah Alfie blah blah blah).  Though he can't talk back to them in their language, he does try to communicate in cat-talk and expressions.

Book ~ "A Friend Called Alfie" (2019) Rachel Wells

From Goodreads ~ Alfie and his kitten, George, have always known that a human is for life and not just for Christmas. So when George learns that one of the residents of Edgar Road has been taken into hospital, he realises it’s up to him to provide some comfort at this difficult time of year.

The only problem is that they now have a little puppy in tow - Pickles the Pug, who is convinced he can be a cat if only he sticks with his new found friends.

As George tries to do everything he can to make the world - and its humans - happier, Alfie struggles to keep Pickles in check and out of trouble. Because even the best laid plans can be destroyed by a well-meaning - but mischievous - little puppy.

Alfie is a doorstep cat who has many families.  He lives with Claire and Jonathan and their children.  Polly, Matt and their children, Sylvie and her daughter, and Marcus and Harold are their neighbours and Franceska and Tomasz and their children are former neighbours.  All the families are very good friends with each other, thanks to Alfie.  Alfie is the adopted "dad" to a cat named George.

Polly and Matt add Pickles, a pug puppy, to their family.  Because Claire is a stay-at-home mom, she volunteers to take care of Pickles during the day, which means Pickles spends a lot of time with Alfie and George.  George, being young, amuses himself by trying to teach Pickles about how to be a cat.  Alfie takes his responsibility as a puppy sitter seriously, though it is exhausting trying to keep Pickles out of trouble.

George and Harold are close so George is quite concerned when the elderly man is hospitalized.  That's when George realizes his mission ... to ensure no one is ever lonely alone again.

This is the sixth and latest in Alfie series and I liked it (I've read them all).  Though it's part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  It is written in first person perspective in Alfie's voice.  We can see the conversations he has with other cats and now Pickles.  Plus he understands the conversations of humans around him (rather than "blah blah blah blah blah Alfie blah blah blah).  Though he can't talk back to them in their language, he does try to communicate in cat-talk and expressions.  As a head's up, though the story is about cats, it does have mature themes.

I look forward to reading others in this series.

Book ~ "Alfie in the Snow" (2018) Rachel Wells

From Goodreads ~ Edgar Road is very quiet in the lead up to Christmas when suddenly a new family moves in. Can they make their house a home in time for the festive season?

At the end of Edgar Road, a man twitches his windows and refuses to be drawn into the community spirit. But is all he just looking for a bit of kindness?

As the snow starts to fall, Alfie and George have their work cut out for them to bring the street together in time for Christmas.

Alfie is a doorstep cat who has three families.  He lives with Claire and Jonathan and their children.  Polly, Matt and their children are their neighbours and Franceska and Tomasz and their children are former neighbours.  All three families are very good friends with each other, thanks to Alfie.  Alfie is the adopted "dad" to a kitten named George.

Sylvie and her teenage daughter, Connie, move in next door to Alfie and he always like to welcome new people to the neighbourhood.  He arranges for them to become friends with his families.  They have an indoor cat named Hana who is George's age and they want to become friends.  Things seem to be going well until Sylvie, recently divorced, overreacts about Connie's friendship with Alesky, one of Franceska and Tomasz's sons.

Harold is an old bitter man living down the street.  George has been trying to make friends with him but Harold's not interested ... until he has an accident and Alfie and George come to the rescue.

As the Christmas season approaches, there is a lot happiness but also sadness for Alfie and George.

This is the fifth and latest in Alfie series and I liked it (I've read them all).  Though it's part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  It is written in first person perspective in Alfie's voice.  We can see the conversations he has with other cats.  Plus he understands the conversations of humans around him (rather than "blah blah blah blah blah Alfie blah blah blah).  Though he can't talk back to them in their language, he does try to communicate in cat-talk and expressions.  As a head's up, though the story is about cats, it does have mature themes.

I look forward to reading others in this series.

Book ~ "Alfie The Holiday Cat" (2017) Rachel Wells

From Goodreads ~ Alfie and George just can’t seem to keep out of trouble. So when they hear that their owners have got a new holiday home, they can’t wait to visit it and enjoy some new adventures.

But when they arrive, they don’t find the comfort they’re used to. Crumbling walls, peeling paint, dripping ceilings ... this little Cornish cottage is clearly on its last legs.

Family and friends rally round to try and save the cottage - but it soon becomes clear that the locals don’t want them there at all. It’s up to Alfie and George to make sure their family is welcomed into the village - that’s if they can keep out of the way of the nastiest cat they’ve ever encountered.

Alfie is a doorstep cat who has three families.  He lives with Claire and Jonathan and their children.  Polly, Matt and their children are their neighbours and Franceska and Tomasz and their children are former neighbours.  All three families are very good friends with each other, thanks to Alfie. Claire and Jonathan get a kitten named George and Alfie becomes his adopted father.

Claire inherits a cottage from a great aunt ... she has great memories of spending time there as a child and wants her children and friends to experience the same.  They discover the cottage is now rundown so the three families agree to pitch in money to renovate it and plan on spending holidays there for many years to come.

The wives, the children, Alfie and George spend the summer at the cottage and their husbands visit on the weekends.  As renovations are going on, the families are enjoying being by the water.  The only problem is there is a nasty neighbour next door named Andrea, who has two daughters and a cat named Chanel who are as equally nasty.  George falls in love with Chanel but she won't give him the time of day.  Andrea is determined to buy their cottage and will do anything to drive the families away.  It's up to Alfie to make sure this doesn't happen.

This is the fourth in Alfie series (there are currently five in the series) and I liked it.  Though it's part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  It is written in first person perspective in Alfie's voice.  We can see the conversations he has with other cats.  Plus he understands the conversations of humans around him (rather than "blah blah blah blah blah Alfie blah blah blah).  Though he can't talk back to them in their language, he does try to communicate in cat-talk and expressions.  As a head's up, though the story is about cats, it does have mature themes.

I look forward to reading others in this series.

Book ~ "Alfie and George" (2016) Rachel Wells

From Goodreads ~ As the residents of Edgar Road know, Alfie is no ordinary cat. Since his arrival in the street, he's made every house his home, helping this group of neighbours to become friends for life. 

But now there's a new cat on Alfie's turf - a tiny ball of fur called George. With no home to call his own, this little kitten is in desperate need. And little does Alfie know that they’ve got quite an adventure ahead of them to get him through this most difficult of times.

Alfie is a doorstep cat who has three families.  He lives with Claire and Jonathan  and their daughter on Edgar Road.  Polly, Matt and their children are their neighbours and Franceska and Tomasz and their children are former neighbours and visit weekly.  All three families are very good friends with each other, thanks to Alfie.

Alfie is in love with Snowball, a neighbour cat, and that love is returned.  Both are heartbroken, though, when Snowball's family moves away and they know they will never see each other again.  Seeing how depressed Alfie is, Jonathan and Claire get a kitten named George hoping to distract him.  Alfie takes to George right away and becomes his adopted father, teaching him how to be a cat.  Tiger, Alfie's best friend, becomes George's adopted mom and the rest of the cats in the neighbourhood dote on George.

Posters of cats are turning up on lamp posts which have the neighbourhood cats wondering what's going on ... is it a beauty contest?  In addition to figuring out what this is all about, each of Alfie's families have troubles that he is determined to fix.

This is the third in Alfie series (there are currently five in the series) and I enjoyed it.   Though it's part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  It is written in first person perspective in Alfie's voice.  We can see the conversations he has with other cats.  Plus he understands the conversations of humans around him (rather than "blah blah blah blah blah Alfie blah blah blah).  Though he can't talk back to them in their language, he does try to communicate in cat-talk and expressions.  As a head's up, though the story is about a cat, it does have mature themes.

I look forward to reading the others in this series.

Book ~ "A Cat Named Alfie" (2015) Rachel Wells

From Goodreads ~ Edgar Road used to be your typical London street: a road full of people who barely said a word to one another. Then Alfie came along - a big grey ball of fur who changed the lives of every family he met and brought a community together. 

But now a new family has moved into Edgar Road and they, more than anyone else, need Alfie’s help. Can he bring light to their darkest times? Or is it already too late to stop them from falling apart?

Alfie is a doorstep cat who has three families.  He lives with Claire and Jonathan on Edgar Road.  Polly, Matt and their children are their neighbours and Franceska and Tomasz and their children are former neighbours and visit weekly.  All three families are very good friends with each other, thanks for Alfie.

The Snells move onto the street and despite everyone's efforts, tend to keep to themselves.  The Goodwins run the Neighbourhood Watch and aren't going to tolerate it.  They suspect the Snells are up to no good so do all they can to get rid of them, including meetings, petitions and surveillance.  Alfie's families, though they do find the Snells odd,  just want the Goodwins to leave them alone.

Alfie is feeling something that puzzles him until he realizes he is in love with Snowball, the Snells' cat.  Unfortunately like the rest of the Snell family, Snowball makes it quite clear to Alfie that she wants him to leave her alone and she isn't very nice about it.  But Alfie is determined to win her heart.

This is the second in Alfie series (there are currently five in the series).   Though it's part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  It is written in first person perspective in Alfie's voice.  We can see the conversations he has with other cats.  Plus he understands the conversations of humans around him (rather than "blah blah blah blah blah Alfie blah blah blah).  Though he can't talk back to them in their language, he does try to communicate in cat-talk and expressions.  As a head's up, though the story is about a cat, it does have mature themes.

I look forward to reading the others in this series.

Book ~ "Alfie the Doorstep Cat" (2014) Rachel Wells

From Goodreads ~ Can a pet really change your life? 

Alfie is homeless, abandoned after his elderly owner passes away. But when he stumbles on to Edgar Road, Alfie knows he's found his new home. However, the street's residents don't agree - the last thing they need is another stray cat, and he is shooed away from many doorsteps. 

But as life throws its worst at the residents of Edgar Road, they soon realise how much they all need Alfie - a cat who brings hope to the darkest times, and who will always be a friend to those in need.

When Alfie's elderly owner passes away, her daughter and son-in-law plan on taking Alfie to a shelter.  Alfie has heard that shelters are not a good place for cats (he may be euthanized) so he decides to strike out on his own and find a new home.  But Alfie has been a well-cared for and well-loved cat so he's not sure what to do or where to go.

After wandering around for a long time, he ends up on Edgar Road, hungry and thin. Along the way, he had been given the advice by other cats to look for a family with children as he will have a good chance of being taken in. He finds a new home with Claire (a recent divorcée), Jonathan (who lost his job in Singapore and moved back to London,) a young Polish family with two children who recently moved to London and don't know anyone, and young couple who recently had a baby.   As Alfie spends time with his four new families (he splits his time with Claire and Jonathan at night and the families during the day), he discovers they are all sad and though it's time consuming and a lot of responsibility, it's up to him to make things right for them.

This is the first in Alfie series (there are currently five in the series) and I just discovered them this week.  It is written in first person perspective in Alfie's voice.  We can see the conversations he has with other cats.  Plus he understands the conversations of humans around him (rather than "blah blah blah blah blah Alfie blah blah blah).  Though he can't talk back to them in their language, he does try to communicate in cat-talk and expressions.

When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure who the target audience was since it was about a cat.  I quickly realized that it's for an adult reader as it deals with more mature themes.  I liked the writing style.  As I said, it's in Alfie's voice and I kind of forgot that he was a cat because he has so many human qualities.

I look forward to reading the others in this series.