When you go back to a happy place to find it back again…

Synopsis

After a difficult break-up, Poppy is keen to put the past behind her and what’s better than some relaxing time with her aunt in the picturesque Cornish village of West Par.

But life at her aunt Flora’s Dogs’ Home is anything but relaxing. When a poor little pup is stranded at the gates, Poppy takes them for a check up at the local vet, hoping against hope they’ll be fine.

And there she meets Mack: the vet who is so charming and experienced with the dogs, but selfish and – dare she say it – money-grabbing with his clients.

But underneath that cold exterior, she’s sure there’s more to the story. If only she could convince him to open up. Because without him, the future of Wagging Tails isn’t so assured…

My review

After a hurtful break – up, Poppy needs to clear her head. And the only place she can think of, is the place that brought her a lot of joy years ago. So she packs her stuff and she is going to stay with her Aunt Flora. Poppy is more than ready to help Aunt Flora with running the Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home. Poppy quickly loses her heart to all of the dogs staying there, and even one in particular. Dougal is the puppy she found stranded at the gates, and she hopes with all her heart that the little pup will turn out to be okay.
There she meets Mack, the new vet who is strictly following the rules, as everyone should pay for his consult and treatments. But with Wagging Tails being a charity, money may be an issue. And thus Mack is seen as a selfish and money – grabbing person.
But as contact with the vet is mandatory, Poppy earns that there is more to his story, and she hopes she will be able to make him open up more, as it may affect more than just the Wagging Tails future…

There are some series that truly touch your heart for several reasons. I mean, I love many books, series and authors. But while sometimes it can just be a character, or the subject, or the place, sometimes it’s so many things all together in the one book that makes you melt.

And this book was exactly that… from the first page I truly liked Poppy, adored returning to Wagging Tails, and fell utterly in love with little pup Dougal!  Even when first meeting Mack, and his decisive ‘no’ for any kind of discount couldn’t make me shake of the feeling that things weren’t just that straightforward with him, and that he would show his real, kind, loving and generous character!

The story starts with Poppy’s heartbreak. And I could understand that even if it was something that was inevitable, it can still hurt a lot. And adding that her ex doesn’t seem to waste any time, well, I was hurt in her place!

Yet even if she is heartbroken, we see the good the right environment can do to someone. Not only is she welcomed with open arms by her Aunt Flora, but also by everyone working at the Wagging Tails, old friends and new ones.
And of course, the presence of all the dogs also helped Poppy overcoming her grief. It only shows that sometimes dogs can help us even more than humans can!

It’s crystal-clear how kind – hearted Poppy is. The way she cares about the dogs, how easily she loves Dougal, how much she is worrying about her Aunt, all signs that Poppy for sure is a lovely character. And the kind of character that deserves to love and be loved.

For a person that cares so much, and takes the fate of Wagging Tails at heart, I couldn’t disagree with her reaction when learning that the new vet didn’t give any kind of discount, especially after seeing how much it all costed!

But it’s easy to judge someone like Mack, if you don’t have all the inside information… Because yes, it may seem that Mack is counting any penny he is making. But, even if we don’t know anything about him yet, we can see his gentle character already from the moment that Poppy arrives with Dougal. Mack truly cares about each animal that enters his office. He doesn’t act lightly, and wants to make sure that the animals will get the right treatment. And even after the poor animals have left his office, he wants to follow them up.

This is all before we even get to know his background… and when learning what he has been through, and what kind of big brother he is, well, it truly warmed my heart. And it made so much sense, as I could understand why he acted the way he did.
Even if some moments his actions still made me frown, for example the way he was looking for a Christmas gift for his secretary. He for sure went from one extreme to the other! 🤣

With Poppy and Mack seeing each other more and more, the attraction between them start to grow, and the initial antipathy (especially Poppy’s) start to disappear.
Poppy senses that there is more to Mack’s story, and she wants to know what’s truly behind the façade that Mack shows…

And I found it sweet to see how all the volunteers at the charity do whatever they can to raise money, but also how  the community and everyone in the village show their generosity.

This was a lovely, heartwarming story, showing us that we should never judge a book by its cover, and that a certain behavior always has a reason. But with patience, understanding and love, we can make a person open up, and even make them take a chance at love again!