When your last relationship makes you wary for the next one…

Synopsis

No matter how hard you fight it, love will always find a way…

Ever since she was a little girl, dance teacher Anoushka Cartwright has dreamed of opening her own dance studio near her home on her beloved North Yorkshire Moors. And when she gets the chance to do just that she can hardly believe her luck!

Life is sweet. Or it would be if it wasn’t for her relationship with Damon which has been growing increasingly toxic, much to her family’s concern. Critical of her dreams he can’t understand why she won’t move to the city of York and live with him. He refuses to accept their relationship is floundering until the day Anoushka breaks up with him.

Popular indie/folk singer, Gabe Dublin, hails from Southern Ireland. He’s been head-over-heels in love with Anoushka ever since he first set eyes on her at a wedding two years earlier. She’s the reason he keeps returning to the area, staying with his friends, Lady Caroline Hammondely and her husband Sim, at Danskelfe Castle. Gabe and Anoushka have become good friends, but she’s always made it clear they could never be anything more, which is tearing Gabe’s heart in two. He knows he won’t be able to love anyone else the way he loves Anoushka.

Her family and friends can see how perfect they are for each other but Anoushka is adamant, after her experience with Damon, she has no room for a man in her life. She makes a pact with herself to focus all of her attention on her dance school. And she intends to keep it. The only thing is, it’s not as easy as it seems.

When an unexpected situation throws them together, Anoushka’s feelings are exposed for the world to see. The question is, will she act on them or will she stay true to her promise to herself?

Join Anoushka and Gabe – and all the other Life on the Moors Characters – for the latest heartwarming visit to the characterful village of Lytell Stangdale in the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors.

My review

Anoushka Cartwright is in an almost perfect place. Her father is now married with his childhood sweetheart, and the blended family couldn’t be more loving and wonderful.
Anoushka is in an almost perfect place, because she hopes that she can realize her dream of opening her own dance studio, but it’s difficult to find the perfect location, and being an affordable place too.
Anoushka is in an almost perfect place, because her relationship with Damon has been growing for a while into a toxic one. He wants her to leave Lytell Stangdale and wants her to go live with him in York, he wants her to change her hair and the way she dresses. And he doesn’t support her in chasing her dreams.
But Anoushka had enough, and has finally decided to break up with him and to never let another man in her life again, not even popular indie/folk singer Gabe Dublin. Gabe knows that Anoushka will never look the same way at him like he does at her, yet she is the reason he keeps coming back home.
However, how long can Anoushka ignore the feelings she has for Gabe? Or will she stubbornly refuse to take a chance with Gabe? 

I have read several parts of this series (not all of them yet, but I am determined to rectify this asap!) and each story made me fall in love with all the characters and with each story I fell more in love with the wonderful place that Lytell Stangdale is.
But somehow this story touched me even more than the other ones, as the author raises a subject that is unfortunately very real. 

From the start I loved Anoushka. She is part of an amazing family. Even if the members are not all biologically linked, the love between each member couldn’t be more pure.
I loved also how Anoushka just is 100% Anoushka. She is sparkly, happy, and I could see how her presence alone would make the place even better.

However, how amazing Anoushka may be, her boyfriend Damon (I changed his name into Demon, so you get an idea what kind of character he is…), is turning this confident young woman into a shadow of herself. Reading how Demon – sorry Damon – behaved and just even talked to Anoushka, made me cringe… And it broke my heart to see how Anoushka changed in his presence…
So I was truly proud of how Anoushka was able to get herself out of the claws of such an evil person. 

In this book, we are rooting for Anoushka and Gabe to finally have their shot at happiness. But I felt that this was a deeper story than just a story about two perfect people  finding each other.
Because Anoushka slowly becomes her old self again, but it isn’t always as easy, especially as ‘He-who-must-not-be-named’ keeps on reappearing again and again, trying to manipulate our beloved Anoushka again. 

It is very important to understand that getting out of a relationship with a person who is gaslighting you, is the easier part. But as Anoushka shows us, she has once loved that person, and somehow a doubt still  remains. And gaining that confidence back again, daring to chase your dreams again, while you had someone whispering in your ear you were chasing waterfalls, is not an easy task.
Having family and friends who support you all the way is obviously a great help, and reading how Anoushka got to be her great self again, was wonderful. 

Now, I cannot just ignore Gabe, because he is a part of this story too. He is the perfect example of someone who got his dream, but also didn’t let his success get into his head.
Since he laid eyes on Anoushka, he has been in love with her. Isn’t there anything sweeter than that? Especially as she was one of the major reasons he keeps on coming back to Lytell Stangdale.
And even now that she is available, Gabe respects her decision to keep things friendly and that she is not ready to dive into another relationship. 

As a reader, Anoushka’s decision was yes understandable, but also frustrating, as Gabe is exactly what she needs.
And the waiting for that one spectacular moment is sooooo long, but when it happens, it was just perfection… 

While the subject of this book is a very serious one, I had the best time reading it. First of all, seeing how my old friends are doing, was wonderful. Seeing the mischief of some people and also animals was hilarious. But most important, seeing how a lovely character managed to set herself free again, was inspiring and heart – warming.
This is just another amazing success of a marvellous author who keeps on surprising her readers in a most delightful way!