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.
Many thanks to Hodder and Staughton via NetGalley for my copy of Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Not leaving too long a gap between reading the first and second books in the Hope Meadows series by Lucy Daniels, a mere matter of weeks, meant that the featured characters and their stories were fresh in my mind. For those that come across Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage and like the look of the cover or even the sound of the blurb they need not worry in the slightest not having read book one Summer at Hope Meadows. For in the first few chapters the author skilfully slips in pieces here and there as to what had happened in the first book and where certain characters are now at.
I had enjoyed Summer at Hope Meadows but was slightly fearful that this would just be a rehash of what I had read before. I read around 20% of the book and do admit to struggling with it so I left it overnight and when I picked it up the next day something just clicked with me and I didn't put it down until I had read the very last page. I think this book is far better than the first. The characters and setting feel far more established, like they are settling down. All the introductions and setting up are put of the way and the story moved forward a lot better. There was more depth and development to both the story lines and characters yet animals still feature very heavily but here I didn't feel the book was drowning in technical veterinary terms and explanations as it had somewhat in book one. Christmas does feature in the title and, again as with other Christmas books I have read so far, it was not the dominant theme but instead the lead up and the event itself featured more heavily in the second half of the book as the town of Welford and the surrounding fells become encased in snow.
Mandy Hope, our main female character, is slowly settling into life running the Hope Meadows rescue centre for all animals both big and small. This had been a lifelong dream of hers and with thanks to her parents Emily and Adam it had now come to fruition. She combines her time caring for the animals who have been left abandoned, unwanted or mistreated with her hours spent in the Animal Ark veterinary practice run by her parents. Helen Steer is the nurse who is dating Brandon a farmer. Rachel Farmer is the receptionist and altogether they make a great team. Mandy had done a lot of growing up and made some bold decisions in the first book but there was still plenty of room for more growth in this new story. I hoped she would grow in confidence and continue to always stand up for what she believed in when it came to animals and their care. Animals are at the centre of everything she does, so much so that sometimes people feel that she pushes them away. I did think the same and was glad when a character mentioned it. At times Mandy is so caught up in the dogs and in this case the adorable donkey foals which arrive at the centre that the personal side of her life gets short shrift. She misinterprets situations and then makes rash statements or impulsive decisions and regrets them. She then can't bring herself to admit oh maybe I was wrong and in a way buries her head in the sand.
Mandy's fledging relationship with Jimmy Marsh, who runs the recently opened outward bound centre is a case in point. I thought at the end of the first story that things were on the up for the pair. Yes they weren't rushing headlong into things for various reasons but surely Mandy was going to be a bit more open and not keeping pushing him away when things got more interesting especially from the reader's viewpoint. I know it would be boring to read of a lovey dovey relationship with no problems but I felt Mandy was just that bit abrupt with Jimmy when he really is a kind and caring person and would always be there to have her back and support if times got tough. I wanted Mandy to be more open with Jimmy and for most of the book she wasn't. Basically,I felt she needed a good talking to.
As well as relationship woes, Mandy has a battle on her hands at the rescue centre as evidence of a hate campaign is slowly starting to emerge. Is it against the centre and animals or Mandy herself? She doesn't know and as more and more mysterious and cruel things start to happen Mandy begins to doubt herself and whether the residents of Welford want the rescue centre in their village. Mandy feels torn in two, her loyalty to the animals in her care but also the fact that the people she believed were friends want the centre gone. The events described were cruel and frustrating for Mandy, everything seemed to be going against her but she has to be admired for keeping going in the face of adversity. The scenes where she takes the dogs out to train them shows how she bonds with each and every animal and I hoped she would realise that whoever had it in for here was sorely mistaken in their intentions. One scene in particular around the halfway mark confirmed for me as to who the actual culprit was and their reasons behind the vendetta. So the element of surprise was not there for me when the big reveal came, but the scenes were dramatic and my heart was in my mouth. Knowing who it was didn't detract from the overall story in a way it was nice to have my suspicions confirmed.
Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage was a really enjoyable read once I got passed the first few chapters I felt things got going. The Christmas scenes were gorgeous, particulary the events at the nativity play. The author did a brilliant job of making Welford come to life in the festive season as the snow fell and a dramatic event unfolded for a younger character. Mandy grew up even more in this story, she is shouldering responsibility well and although she still jumps to conclusions way too quickly there was a bit more development on the romance front. I was glad to see the issue of her mother Emily's tiredness dealt with as this had been nagging away at me in book one. Mandy's best friend James, wasn't forgotten either but I would like to see more of him feature in the next book. I understand he is still battling through a tough time where he may wish to be alone to come to terms with things but I'd love for him to get more of a storyline in the future.
By the conclusion of this book I felt we were set up nicely for book three Springtime at Wildacre where I can't wait to see what happens next for Mandy. Will the rescue centre be able to keep going the financial costs and the fact Mandy now has her own cottage to refurbish and a mortgage to pay? One thing is for sure there will always be more animals in need of rescue, some tender loving care and attention and Mandy Hope with her kind nature will be the very person to offer it to them. Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage was a lovely addition to the series and a gorgeous book to curl up for a few peaceful hours of reading.
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