Can this Christmas bring back the missing festive feelings?

Synopsis

It’s the most magical time of the year! Will Brogan and Nick find the happiness they crave so they can celebrate the festive season?

Christmas has always been a special time for Brogan, especially since her move to her grandparents’ smallholding. Set near the picturesque village of Lytell Stangdale in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors, it’s an idyllic location. But with the loss of her beloved grandparents still raw, she’s struggling to find her festive spirit.

Talked into going to a wedding by her friends, Brogan finds herself sitting next to a rather handsome stranger. Thinking she’ll never seen him again, she dusts off her flirting skills and lets her fun-loving side loose.

Newly single Nick Heuston was dreading going to his friend’s wedding. But a chance encounter with a woman with captivating green and eyes makes him think otherwise. He’s gutted when she disappears without leaving any way for him to contact her.

Telling himself he needs a break from relationships, Nick intends to focus all his attention on his job as a vet at a new practice. It proves easier said than done; he just can’t get Brogan out of his mind.

Meanwhile, Brogan’s been looking forward to starting her new job as a vet nurse at the new local practice.

On their first day at Danskelfe Veterinary Surgery, both are stunned when they come face-t0-face once more – something Nick seems very happy about, but Brogan’s not so sure.

Despite her reluctance, it would seem fate is keen to push them together, and Brogan finds her feelings for Nick growing. As for Nick, the more he gets to know Brogan, the more he finds himself falling for her.

Just when their romance looks ready to bloom, something or someone seems to get in its way.

Will Christmas work its magic? Or are Brogan and Nick destined to be nothing more than a brief encounter?

Why not join Brogan and Nick, together with their canine companions Wilf and Maudie – and all the familiar Life on the Moors characters – for a heartwarming, festive trip to the moors?

My review

Brogan always enjoyed Christmas time, especially since she shared it with her beloved grandparents. But as losing them still hurts too much, Brogan is struggling with finding her Christmas spirit…
At a wedding she reluctantly attended, she find herself sitting next to a handsome stranger. And while sparks fly around, brogan decides to have some fun, knowing she will never see this man again.
But when she starts her new job as a vet nurse at the new local practice, she is stunned to discover that the new vet is the man she thought never seeing again.
Brogan is shocked at this discovery, while Nick is very happy to meet the woman again he cannot et out of his mind, even if she disappeared in the middle of the night.
Is this serendipity at its best and will Brogan and Nick have a chance for truly falling for each other? or will that one special night be the first and last of them being together? 

Returning to Lytell Stangdale is always a great joy for me. Add the Christmas spirit and I knew before reading just one word that the author will have managed to write another marvellous story! 

From the very first chapters, I felt like I knew Brogan my whole life and that she was a close friend of mine. Even if the way she got her heartbreak a few years ago clearly caused her doubting herself, it’s obvious to anyone what a kind, gentle, altruistic and loving person Brogan is.
And seeing how she is still grieving over the loss of her grandparents, wanted me to give her a big, comforting hug.
But I could see that my hug would not be needed, as she has her friends around her, understanding her pain, and lovely Wilf, ready for cuddling his owner whenever she needs it. 

Despite acting out of character, I was happy when she met Nick and had that one magnificent night. And her sneaking out of the room without even saying goodbye was frustrating as a reader, but also understandable. Frustrating because we know beforehand that Nick is a great guy, but understandable because Brogan obviously doesn’t know that… 

And now that you know Brogan… is there a man more perfect than Nick?
Of course he has his own heartbreak, and it saddened me to see despite his efforts to move on, how annoying his ex was still behaving… It made me wonder what Nick ever saw in that woman…
But obviously Nick has a too gentle character to put people in their place. No only his ex, but also the owners of the place he is renting.
Oh God, just thinking about that dump is giving me back the shivers!
And I always think the way a person treats an animal, shows a lot of his character. And seeing not only Nick being a calm and kind vet, but also his love for Maudie, told me more than enough!  

It’s not a big surprise that I had so much fun when both main characters discovered they were working at the same place. And seeing the joy on Nick’s face (or at least, imagining it), made my heart melt, while I laughed at Brogan being flabbergasted! 

I loved reading how Brogan and Nick, sometimes by accident and sometimes not, are spending time together and are getting to know each other for the person they really are, and using that one night as a standard. And that was truly lovely, because I can honestly believe that even without that one night, these two would get together anyway. Just because of who they are and because they deserve to be loved by a kindred spirit. Even if it took a frustratingly long time! 😊   

The kindness in this book also sparks from each page, and not only the kindness of our main characters. Because each inhabitant of this wonderful community look after each other, offer a helping hand. Lytell Stangdale is truly a place I would want to live myself. Especially as many characters already previously stole a piece of my heart (and it was wonderful to see them again!). 

There is also a bit of a mystery, but for me the revelation didn’t come as a total surprise. I figured it out really quickly what that van doing lurking around each corner. But the climax of it was exciting but also hilarious in many aspects! I was glad I wasn’t in public while I came to those bits, because I just laughed so hard! 

This was again a marvellous story by an amazing, very talented author. She captivates perfectly the wonderful characters of Brogan and Nick, showing that despite heartbreak, people keep on showing their kindness and love to even strangers.
I found this a heart – warming, perfect winter romance, about two people who deserve the world, even if they found the spotlight stolen by two fluffy characters named Wilf and Maudie. If the author may ever need inspiration for another kind of story, why not write a dog love story? Because I am sure that there is a lot of potential there! 😊