Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage by Lucy Daniels

Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage by Lucy Daniels
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.

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Summer at Hope Meadows by Lucy Daniels

Summer at Hope Meadows by Lucy Daniels
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Hodder

Source - Publisher

Blurb from Goodreads

Based on the globally bestselling Animal Ark series.

Newly-qualified vet Mandy Hope is leaving Leeds - and her fiancé Simon - to return to the Yorkshire village she grew up in. There, she will help out in her parents' surgery whilst they're short-staffed. Mandy's life has always revolved around her work with rescued animals, and Welford offers an opportunity to work with creatures of all sizes, from hedgehogs and puppies to farm stock and even wild deer.

But rural Yorkshire is very different to the hustle and bustle of a big city. Mandy must work hard to be accepted by the close-knit village community, and convince them of her abilities as a vet - especially Jimmy Marsh, the gruff owner of the local Outward Bound business, with whom she just can't seem to get along.
When some long-neglected animals are discovered in a critical state on a nearby farm, Mandy is determined to prove herself as a confident and fearless vet. When it comes to protecting animals in need, she's prepared to do whatever it takes...


My Review

So my last few books have been quite heavy and or dark. I really needed something lighter and this has been on my review mountain for a good while now. Mandy is our main character, a newly qualified vet who is heading back to her wee Yorkshire village to help out with her family vet surgery. Her boyfriend Simon is an animal surgeon, the more complex the better, he has high aspirations for their future business. When Mandy goes back to her roots she realizes how much she has missed the quiet life and how much is needed in the village compared to city life. Her and Simon's views could not be more different, someone has to give, but who?

Oh I just needed a book like this, animal focused, Mandy is so passionate about caring for animals and there is so much need in her wee village. Her parents clinic is short staffed and Mandy is just finding her feet. I learned about animals care and some conditions that I hadn't heard of, I actually put the book down a few times to look them up. Thrown into that we have the struggles in her relationship with Simon, both have different views for their future and to be honest I am not a fan of Simon at all. You have the aspect of her reintegrating into the small village which in itself brings issues as well as trying to work out the complex grumpy business man and form relationships with the townsfolk.

The book covers so much, relationships, a small village and all the trimmings that come with it, I do enjoy a book where you learn things and animals always get a thumbs up from me. This was my first time reading this author and I enjoyed the book so much I checked it out on Fantastic Fiction and bought the next in the series. Lucy Daniels is the collective name for the writing team that created the kids series Animal Ark, the author of this book is Sarah McGurk. I enjoyed the writing style so much and the fact she draws from her job as a qualified vet that I am going to see if she has written anything other than these two books. 4/5 for me this time, thanks so much to Hodder for sending me a new author to try who I am sure I would have otherwise missed. As I said I bought the next in the series which is actually "Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage" perfect for my December reads. If you like animals and chick lit I think you will enjoy this book, I was frustrated at times with some of her choices and reactions or lack of with another character but on the whole I really enjoyed it.

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