It’s a real pleasure today to be helping launch the blog tour for Coming Home to Puddleduck Farm by Della Galton, and to share my publication day review: published today (29th August) by Boldwood Books, it’s now available for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback and as an audiobook. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the tour invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
I’ve discovered so many wonderful new-to-me authors since starting to review Boldwood’s books, and Della has become a very firm favourite. I’ve absolutely loved every single book in Della’s Bluebell Cliff Hotel series – in fact, I’m off in a couple of weeks to spend some time staying near Corfe Castle, entirely because of reading her lovely books. The first in the series, Sunshine Over Bluebell Cliff (you’ll find my review here), was simply gorgeous – if/when you read it, you might become as hooked as I was. The second, Moonlight Over Studland Bay, was every bit as lovely (you’ll find my review of that one here) – and they were followed by Shooting Stars Over Bluebell Cliff (my favourite, I think – you’ll find my review of that one here), Sunrise Over Pebble Bay (review here), and Confetti over Bluebell Cliff (you’ll find my review of that one here). I’d never get tired of her Dorset settings – but I can understand why she might just have had enough now, and this latest book is the first in a brand new series. So it’s off to the New Forest this time – somewhere to think about for next year’s holidays maybe?
When your heart’s broken, all roads lead home…
London City Vet, Phoebe Dashwood, finds her partner Hugh and their boss in a passionate clinch beneath the mistletoe at their works Christmas party.
Heartbroken, she bolts to the New Forest, her childhood home to regroup and soul search.
Being home gives Phoebe the chance to reconnect with friends and family and especially with her fiercely independent gran, widower Maggie Crowther, owner of Puddleduck Farm, and makeshift animal shelter New Forest Neddies.
Deciding not to return to London, Phoebe hunts for work locally, hoping she can also help Maggie, who’s clearly swamped and not coping. But will Maggie accept Phoebe’s help?
Her quest is hampered by stubborn grandmothers, meddling mums, an attractive childhood friend, a real-life Lord, a remorseful ex, and a best friend who’s determined to play matchmaker.
Can Phoebe find happiness professionally and personally in the place she calls home, surrounded by those she loves or does fate have other plans for Phoebe?
This is very much the first book in a new series – establishing the characters and their relationships, starting a few storylines running, bringing the perfect setting of Puddleduck Farm in the New Forest to life. But it’s also a rather lovely and well-told story, as Phoebe – an immediately likeable and sympathetic character – runs away from her new life as a London vet and her cheating boyfriend Hugh, returning to the heart of her family, reconnecting with friends, repairing her broken heart, starting over, and slowly finding purpose again.
And the one thing that helps the most – once she’s found a new temporary home with friend Tori and done something about securing a new job – is helping out her grandmother Maggie with her animal shelter, full of waifs and strays of the four-legged variety (and the geese!). Maggie’s getting on a bit and finding things a struggle, money’s a bit short, it doesn’t help that she’s a technophobe and stubbornly independent, and there are always more animals she needs to help – and Phoebe steps up, offering the support she needs, helping make her life a little easier.
The animals get up to all sorts of shenanigans – the characterful donkeys are talented escapologists (and quite adorable!), and that doesn’t help relations with the adjacent local landowners. And when Phoebe has a real run-in with the lord of the manor, she decides that it’s going to be important to mend fences (in more ways than one) – but she finds she’s particularly intrigued by his gruff exterior and edge of sadness, and feels for his young son in the rather dubiously caring hands of his nanny. But the most obvious romantic interest to the story is the lovely Sam, a childhood friend who’s always been around, caring and supportive – he can see a future with Phoebe, which complicates life a little when she sees him as firmly in the friendship zone, and it’ll be interesting to see how things might develop along with the series.
I must admit I’ve read quite a few books set around animal sanctuaries of various kinds recently, and enjoyed every one – but this one really was a little different, with its accompanying focus on Phoebe’s personal journey and fresh start. The animal elements of the story are just wonderful – every one of them an individual, giving rise to a lot of very funny moments and a few particularly touching ones too (you’re going to love the aptly named Saddam…). And the book’s relationships are beautifully drawn too, especially Phoebe’s love and concern for her grandmother – along with the friendships, it gives the whole book a particular warmth and feel-good factor.
What the book doesn’t have though is a conventional happy-ever-after ending, or a neatly tied up romance – it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger either, just a feeling that there is a lot more to come. And that only makes me keener to read the next in the series, to see if my ideas about the future direction of the story come to pass. Beautifully done, and I really enjoyed it – a definite recommendation from me.
About the author
Della Galton writes short stories, teaches writing groups and is Agony Aunt for Writers Forum Magazine. She lives in Dorset.
Find out more, you’ll find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bookbub, and you can sign up for her newsletter here.
Thank you Anne, as always, for your lovely review. And have a wonderful trip to Corfe Castle. Wonderfully atmospheric place if you get the chance for a tour. xxx
My pleasure – and very much looking forward to my Dorset break! xx