It’s a real pleasure today to be joining the blog tour for Living The Dream at Puddleduck Farm by Della Galton, the fourth book in her latest series, and sharing my review: published on 29th February 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 so enjoyed Della’s Bluebell Cliff series – if you pop her name into my search bar, you’ll find reviews of all the books – that I’ll admit it did take me a little while to get equally engaged by Phoebe’s life at Puddleduck Farm. But she’s always an author whose writing I enjoy – great storytelling, that perfect balance between the lovely warmth and lightness of her writing and sometimes heavier themes, and always such very real characters.
The first in this series, Coming Home to Puddleduck Farm, was thoroughly lovely and a great introduction to the new cast (you’ll find my review here) – and by the second in the series, Rainbows Over Puddleduck Farm, I felt much more at home, enjoying the focus on friends and family (and the animals, of course!), the romance and the moments of drama (you can read my full review again here). And the third in series, Love Blossoms at Puddleduck Farm, really was the best yet – that perfect balance between the well-researched and realistic day-to-day business of the vet practice and animal sanctuary and the various human stories, engaging and emotional and full of surprises (you’ll find my review of that one here). So I was really looking forward to the next in the series, and discovering what life had in store for everyone…
Life would be idyllic if everyone else was on the same page…
Puddleduck Vets Practice is busier than ever. Phoebe Dashwood is juggling the usual crazy animal antics of her quirky clients, whilst organising the wedding of her bridezilla grandmother and thankfully dating her perfect man.
Phoebe loves every minute of being a New Forest vet, even if she hardly has time to catch her breath. If only she could find some quality time for her and the man of her dreams, life would be perfect.
When an ex’s heartbreak stirs up some emotions from the past, Phoebe realises she must deal with some unfinished business. It would seem a miracle is needed to pull off a happy ending for everyone – but is it within Phoebe’s power to work miracles?
Life’s still very busy at Phoebe’s veterinary practice – and her demanding schedule is making it really difficult to find time to spend with Sam, however much she might want to. He’s rather under the cosh too – as well as his commitments at the stables and working at the village shop, he has good cause to be rather concerned about his mum’s recent behaviour, convinced that there’s something badly wrong that she’s unwilling to share. Meanwhile Maggie, Phoebe’s grandmother, is busy planning every small detail of her forthcoming wedding to the lovely Eddie – with plenty of laughs along the way but some moments of frustration too for everyone around her, and yet another call on Phoebe’s precious spare time. And how are things with Rufus, up at Beechbrook House? With his relationship with Phoebe having foundered and son Archie heading away to school, he needs a new focus in his life – only to find change rather forced on him by family circumstances.
While the approach of Maggie’s wedding and Sam and Phoebe’s attempts to move their relationship to the next level driving the narrative, along with the slow unfolding of the situation with Sam’s mother – very real, and so sensitively handled – and the possibility of Rufus finding some happiness of his own, there’s also all the business as usual in the animal world. There’s a litter of abandoned dalmatian puppies who are yet to gain their spots (and the one they really didn’t want to part with…), a rearing horse with a bit of a mystery attached whose owners need to be found, and an emergency involving an inquisitive duck called Quackhead – and, of course, the ongoing stories of the longstanding residents at the rescue centre, including barn cat Saddam who might just be beginning to respond to Marcus’ attempts at behavioural therapy instead of terrorising anyone within spitting distance.
This really was the loveliest read – with individuals I’ve really grown to care about over the course of their developing stories. But if you’re late to the series, don’t be put off – you could very comfortably read it as a standalone, be equally engaged, and enjoy the author’s excellent storytelling as much as I did. And I really did like the way she brought all the threads to a close – tying up all the loose ends – with such a perfectly uplifting ending. In fact, this book rather felt like it might be the last one in the series – I might be wrong about that though, and I’d certainly be more than happy to return to Puddleduck Farm and the beautiful New Forest setting if the author has more stories to tell. I thoroughly enjoyed it – and it’s a book I’d very much recommend to others.
About the author
Della Galton is the bestselling author of several romantic comedies set around the Dorset beaches and the beautiful New Forest. Her stories feature strong female friendship, quirky characters and very often the animals she loves.
When she is not writing she enjoys walking her dogs around the beautiful Dorset countryside.
To find out more, you’ll find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bookbub, and you can sign up for her newsletter here.
Thanks so much Anne for being part of my blog tour. It’s always such a thrill to see my name on your blog. Much appreciated. x
I just loved this book and have enjoyed every one of the series. I love the setting of the New Forest and reading about Phoebe’s life as a vet. I love the Jame Herriot books, re read them many times, and these books give me the same feeling of escape and getting lost in someone else’ world xx