Dreams are never truly over…

Synopsis

Don’t dream your life, live your dreams….

Phoebe Dashwood is a passionately committed vet who’s living the dream. She’s about to open her own small animal practice at her grandmother’s animal shelter, PuddleduckFarm in the New Forest.

Phoebe is helped by her two oldest friends. Her best friend Tori is a mix of hard-headed journalist and hopeless romantic, who thinks love will conquer all when she finds the right man!

Then there is Sam, Phoebe’s staunchest ally, whose integrity and selflessness mean he would do anything to make Phoebe happy, no matter what the cost to himself.

Very soon Phoebe discovers that fantasy and reality don’t quite match.

An unscrupulous bunny breeder, a poisoned stream, and a complicated attraction all conspire to throw her dreams in a spin.

Events come to a shocking climax at the New Forest Show where Phoebe’s world is turned upside down and she has to make some life changing decisions.

My review

Phoebe Dashwood has finally opened her own small animal practice at Puddleduck Farm. With her two best friends by her side, Tori and Sam, help is always just a call away.
While it may seem that all her dreams have come true, Phoebe knows that life is never dull. Because what to do with a best friend who has just come clean about his feelings, but they are not reciprocated? And what about her own feelings towards a grumpy neighbour? And with being a vet, her mind is always set on protecting animals, even against a breeder with not so admirable intentions…
It’s clear that no matter what dreams have come true for Phoebe, there are still many to be fulfilled! 

What a delight retuning to Puddleduck Farm and Phoebe her adventures! This for sure was a book I was eager to pick up, as I had too many unanswered question when finishing the start of this series.

Phoebe is still that wonderful person, with a big heart for animals. She always has the animals’ best interest at heart, and goes even beyond the ‘normal’ to protect them from people with lesser good intentions.
Seeing her walking on Puddleduck Farm, surrounded by all the animals that love her, shows what a great character she is.
But not only towards animals she is amazing, jut in general she is the kind of person we would be lucky to have as a friend. 

The fact that she does not want to hurt Sam, even if she doesn’t feel the same, says more than enough.
She wants her best friend to be happy, and that makes her think if perhaps her feelings may go deeper or not.
Adding to the equation that she is feeling an attraction towards Rufus, turns this story into a sort of love triangle, but where both contenders are amazing people, and neither one of them deserves the heart – break…
Because whether I have my own personal preference, I for sure don’t want to be in Phoebe’s shoes… 

This story is slow – paced, making it perfect to put a pause on our own hectic lives, and making us enjoy a wonderful read, which is also filled with realities we too often want to ignore.

The issue of the breeder with the focus on just making money and not taking care of the rabbits like they should, opened my eyes to look beyond the cuteness. No matter how cute an animal may seem, cuteness isn’t a indication of good health. And it saddened me to understand through this story how in pain such lovely animals can be, just for our own personal gain. 

But there is also the mental health issue. My heart went out to Rufus, as he obviously is still struggling with his panic attacks, but is slowly finding his own way to overcome them. The more I read about his issues, the more it was obvious to me that just everyone can have an attack, and there is nothing to be ashamed about, no matter who you are.
But I also understood why Rufus wasn’t ready to talk about to just anyone, as he didn’t want to burden anyone, especially his little boy, with his issues. 

The author made also my heart stop when there is a terrible accident taking place. Once it started beating again, it was torn towards two different directions, just like Phoebe’s…
I am not going to say more about it, as I want you to undergo the same shock and dilemma as I did! 

Reading this book was the perfect time – out, it put my senses at ease, but also made me think about the real world outside, how not everything is as clear – cut.    

Phoebe’s story has not come to and end with this book, and I felt like the story got to a point where significant choices have to be made.
So while it was delightful to read this second chapter of Phoebe’s new life, I cannot wait to read how her story will evolve even further.