My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - 1 day
Pages - 384
Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton
Source - Amazon
Blurb from Goodreads
Christmas has arrived in the little village of Welford. The scent of hot roasted chestnuts is in the air, and a layer of frost sparkles on the ground.
This year, vet Mandy Hope is looking forward to the holidays. Her animal rescue centre, Hope Meadows, is up and running - and she's finally going on a date with Jimmy Marsh, owner of the local outward bound centre.
The advent of winter sees all sorts of animals cross Mandy's path, from goats named Rudolph to baby donkeys - and even a pair of reindeer! But when a mysterious local starts causing trouble, Mandy's plans for the centre come under threat. She must call on Jimmy and her fellow villagers to put a stop to the stranger's antics and ensure that Hope Meadows' first Christmas is one to remember.
One thing's for certain: this Christmas, there'll be animal escapades, kisses under the mistletoe...and plenty of festive cheer for all.
My Review
Firstly let me say this is book two in the series and whilst you can read this as a standalone I would suggest getting the first as I don't think I would enjoy it as much not knowing the back story. Mandy now has her rescue centre up and running, helping animals in need whilst doing her job as a vet. It seems someone is not happy and has a vendetta against the unit, but who wouldn't to help animals or is there a deeper reason behind the sabotage.
I read and loved the first book, it is so nice to have a character who loves animals and cares more about their welfare than money. Mandy is the same in this book, animals come first but the bills are pouring in and now someone appears to have an issue with the centre. Sabotage is confirmed, Mandy is trying to juggle many balls and has some personal issues to contend with too.
A wee mixed bag and definitely has a Christmas feel to it. Again, wee bits of learning in relation to animal care and conditions but not the full focus or detracting from the heart of the story. I did enjoy this but loved the first one more, not too sure why. This was 3.5 for me, I do enjoy this series and already have the third on my wishlist.
These books are always fun to read, especially this time of year. :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good series and it reminds me of a similar Christmas book I read last month that had a vet in the storyline too and the rescuing the animals is a sweet part of the story.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying this series!