I’m delighted today to be joining the blog tour for the latest book from the wonderful Jessica Redland, A New Dawn at Owl’s Lodge – a welcome return to the worlds of Bumblebee Barn and Hedgehog Hollow – and sharing my review. Published by Boldwood Books on 16th May, it’s now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. Many thanks, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
If you read my reviews regularly, you’ll know that I have a fairly substantial list of favourite authors – but I hope none of them will mind too much if I confess that Jessica’s success (you’ll notice that “million-copy bestseller” footer…) has brought me particular pleasure. I’ve been reading and enjoying her books since those early self-published days, and I’m really delighted that her writing is now being appreciated by so many. Christmas at the Cat Cafe was the book that made my 2023 Books of the Year list – a really lovely standalone book, and you’ll find my review here – but if you pop her name into my search bar, you’ll find so many more reviews, of all her wonderful series including the latest, set in the Lakes, that began with The Start of Something Wonderful (you can read my review of that one here). But back in January 2023, I also shared my review of Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn (you’ll find it here), and I remember saying “it’s really crying out to be the start of a new series” and “there are several subsidiary characters in this book whose stories I’d love to read” – well, it really looks as if my wish has been granted as her latest book is the second in The Bumblebee Barn Collection, and one I was so looking forward to…
Could one chance meeting change your life forever?
Zara is at a crossroads in life. While she adores her job as a producer’s assistant working on hit TV shows, travelling around the country means she doesn’t truly feel that she has a home. With a fractured relationship with her family and unrequited love weighing heavily on her heart, she is torn about what her next step in life should be…
Snowy is hiding from the world. He’s devoted his life to home schooling his young son and caring for sick owls at his home, Owl’s Lodge, deep in the Yorkshire Wolds countryside. While he’s passionate about both, it’s a lonely existence and he’s starting to question his decisions. But how do you step back into a world you’ve pushed away for years…?
When Zara brings an injured owl to Owl’s Lodge, its frosty, reclusive owner is far from welcoming. Despite hostilities, there’s a connection that neither could ever have prepared themselves for. As they discover a shared passion, a new friendship blossoms, but both Zara and Snowy are used to shutting people out.
Can they both find the courage to open up and the strength to move on from their pasts? And what could this mean for their future happiness?
Escape to the world of Bumblebee Barn and Hedgehog Hollow with MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER Jessica Redland for this brand new feel-good romance of family, friendship and hope.
If you read Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn, you might remember Zara – she was producer Amber’s assistant when they were making Love on the Farm, and as well as becoming the closest of friends they’re now working together on the Countryside Calendar TV series. And I’m sure so many readers will be delighted to find that they’re currently focusing on wildlife rescue centres, and filming at Hedgehog Hollow – but if this should happen to be your first experience of the author’s writing, I must tell you that this book is entirely readable as a standalone and there’s absolutely no need to be familiar with either the characters or locations.
An injured owl is brought in, and the rescuers at the Hollow feel it’d be best taken care of elsewhere – and Zara volunteers to take it over to Owl’s Lodge, where it can get the specialist care it needs. Snowy, who runs the lodge, living with his dad and young son, doesn’t give her a particularly warm welcome – it’s nothing personal, he just has his own very real reasons for preferring to avoid the company of others. But they discover they have unexpected common ground, and slowly grow closer – dealing with their own different issues, damaged by the experiences of their pasts, unwilling to trust others and let them in, but the time they spend together brings increasing joy to them both. Their journeys are emotional, and entirely drew me in to their developing relationship, with both individuals really finding their place in my heart.
The friendships in this book are simply lovely – as is the focus on family, with Zara’s particularly problematic, Snowy doing all he can to protect his son, while his father (perhaps my favourite of the many well-drawn supporting characters) is there with his unwavering love and support. And all the emotional content is, as always, just perfectly handled – a few wrong turns and misunderstandings, tears at times, but with plenty of moments of lightness and that warm embrace the author’s books unfailingly deliver.
Her research for this book is as in-depth as ever, the detail so well used to bring the story to life, particularly the many insights into the world of owls – I learned so much, and was as breathless as Zara watching them being released into the wild, circling the paddock that held so many poignant memories before silently flying away.
This was a book I raced through in a couple of very enjoyable sittings, entirely immersed in the lives of its characters, and thoroughly enjoyed every moment – a really special book, with a relationship I entirely believed in, and a tremendously engaging story so beautifully told. I really loved it – and I’m sure every other reader, new or old, will find it every bit as satisfying and enjoyable. Another triumph for an author who never fails to delight – highly recommended to all.
About the author
Jessica Redland writes emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast where she lives with her husband, daughter and sprocker spaniel. Her Hedgehog Hollow series, set in a hedgehog rescue centre, takes readers into the beautiful rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.
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