To run a sanctuary, to live your life

Synopsis

A story of love, second chances and the wonderful start of a BRAND NEW series from Della Galton featuring Duck Pond Lane Animal Rescue.

It’s not just animals who need to be rescued…

Following the unexpected death of her mother, and the breakdown of her relationship, animal loving idealist Jade Foster, uses her inheritance to buy a smallholding in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside hoping to realise her dream of providing a sanctuary for unloved animals in need of a new home.

Jade employs the enigmatic Finn McTaggart to help out at Duck Pond Lane Rescue and forms a friendship with both Finn and her local Vet, Aiden Southerland. But Finn is running from his own demons and Aiden longs for a more romantic relationship with broken-hearted Jade.

Romance is not on the cards for Jade, but as both men fall for her natural beauty, the rivalry between them hots up. But can any of them heal enough to find lasting love?

What none of them realise is that a devastating secret from the past has the power to destroy the present and that love, however wonderful, isn’t always enough.

Previously published as Passing Shadows by Della Galton

My review

Jade Foster is still grieving for the unexpected loss of her mother. However, she has been able to turn something so heartbreaking into something good, as she used her inheritance for opening a shelter for animals in search for a new forever – home. But running Duck Pond Lane Rescue isn’t always easy, and when Finn McTaggert seems to be looking for a job, Jade hires him to have a helping hand. Finn has some baggage of his own, and he hopes that working at Duck Pond Lane Rescue will not only take his mind off whatever bothers him, but will also give him some direction. While working together, Jade and Finn seem to be getting closer, but there are several things holding them back. Just like veterinary Aidan, who has been holding a torch for Jade, but never found the courage to step forward. Or that both Jade and Finn aren’t ready for letting love in their hearts. And then there is a secret to be revealed that can possibly crush everything that everyone has slowly been building…

Start reading a new series from an author you truly like, is always a bit scary. Will I like it? What will the new characters be like? Is the story as good as the previous books?

But as I have read the previous series, and I know the kind of stories Della Galton writes, my fear was just a little bit less. It wasn’t completely gone, but I trusted the talent Della Galton has 😊.

When Jade first makes an appearance, I both was in awe of her, but I also felt sorry for her. She is obviously still grieving as she lost her mother so abruptly, but she also turned something so hurtful into something beautiful. I think that many people with an inheritance would use it for their own benefits (nothing wrong with that, everyone is free to do what they want), but that is not who Jade is. She truly has a heart for animals, and she wants to help them the best possible way. Perhaps opening Duck Pond Lane Rescue wasn’t her initial plan, but it is her current dream and passion.

Obviously, I wasn’t born yesterday and I know while running a sanctuary for animals is very admirable, it is also very hard work. Not only you never know what animal will be arriving, but you are also depending on the goodwill of people. And while Jade is doing okay for now, it’s clear that every cent counts. And also she cannot manage running everything on her own.

So while perhaps it may seem odd in hiring Finn, and also offering him a place to stay, it is the perfect solution of what Jade needs. Because of course it’s handy having the fixer – all already on place instead of waiting for his arrival whenever needed.

It also helps that there is an instant chemistry between Jade and Finn, making this a much more interesting story! 😊

Finn is the kind of man that will do anything to help out, but is also at loss. He doesn’t have any real plans, and is just living at the moment, for the moment.

He needs to rediscover himself, but I also think he needs to believe in himself a little bit more.

I liked his hands – on attitude, no job was too much to ask for. And he truly cares about the animals. And let me say, that is absolutely a turn – on! 😊

There is a bit of a love triangle, as we shouldn’t forget about Aidan. While initially I liked Aidan, and I felt sorry for him, as I was obviously Team Finn, somewhere in the middle, his behaviour wasn’t something to like. All the sympathy I had for him, seemed to disappear because of his acts. And while I could understand the frustration and irritation, it didn’t fit with the character of Aidan I had built in my imagination. Luckily there was room for redemption in his case!

But if there was one character that annoyed me more often than I liked, it was Jade’s best friend Sarah.

And I am not saying that because she is an awful person, absolutely not. Otherwise I don’t think that Jade would be friends with her.

But it’s because of the lies she has been telling those the closest to her, and refused for a too long time to see sense; jeopardizing not only her own future and happiness, but also Jade’s in a way.

I thought that she was asking too much from Jade, not realizing that in fact it’s her who is in the wrong.

On the other hand, Sarah’s little boy is just adorable! He has this innocence in him, just like any child should. And I loved it how he is an actual child, enjoying playing outside, having genuine interest and not just sitting behind a screen all the time! 😊

In this book the main character is obviously Jade and her lovely animals (even if a few aren’t so adorable at the start of the book – poor souls…). But we see that each character is on a journey. From Jade and Finn, to Sarah and Finn’s father.

And seeing some old friends reappearing, having at least a link with the previous series was for sure a nice surprise! 😊

I truly enjoyed discovering a whole new world, apologies, series 😊. This was for sure a captivating story, showing characters with real emotions, with real struggles and real feelings. It didn’t feel like reading a story with fictional characters,  but it could have been perfectly a story about people you would actual know in real life.

If the first book of the series is already this amazing, I cannot wait to read the next bits!