When there are secrets, can there be a happily ever after?

Synopsis

Can love conquer all?

Jade and Finn are idyllically happy in their little corner of rural Wiltshire. A rescue centre jampacked with animals keeps them super busy. With Finn’s art going from strength to strength, Jade can’t believe they’re living the dream until an arrogant property developer with questionable motives jeopardises their perfect lives and the future plans of the rescue centre.

Jade and Finn both have trust issues and they’ve promised there’ll be no more secrets. But keeping promises is harder than either of them imagined, especially where Finn’s past is concerned.

Living with Mr Spock the potty-mouthed parrot and Mickey the dog who barks at TV baddies there’s never a dull moment at Duck Pond Rescue. But will the humans get their ‘happy-ever-after’ too?
Can they lay the ghosts of the past to rest and find a bright new future together?

My review

Jade and Finn couldn’t be more happier together. Of course they haven’t had it easy all the time, but now it finally seems that things got perfectly together, and the lovely pair is looking forward spending their lives with each other. And things for sure seem to get better, as there may be the opportunity to expand the Duck Pond Rescue by acquiring nearby land. And even Finn’s artistic career seems to have finally taken off. But several dark clouds are looming around the corner, just like the property developer that has his sights on the same land that Jade wants to acquire. Or the fact that Finn apparently is keeping something from Jade, and with them both having trust issues, due to their past, could those secrets jeopardize everything they have been building together?

There are series and authors that lift your spirits the moment you start reading the next book. And Duck Pond Cottage, and Jade and Finn, despite the issues that they are facing, for sure always put a smile on my face.

It was so heartwarming, right from those first words in the book, to see how well things are going for Jade and Finn. They had their initial issues, that we learned in the previous book of the series, but while in Book 1 there were signs of them being a great match, now we have the actual proof.

Both Jade and Finn has grown so much since we last saw them, and things for sure start to pay off. But perhaps what I liked even more about this lovely pair, is just how realistic and just *real* they are. Yes, they have worked hard to get where they are now, but that doesn’t mean they are there yet. There are still struggles, problems and issues between them and around them. But that is part of life. Nobody has the perfect relationship, the perfect life.

But Jade and Finn show us a complicity, they truly are a couple, as they talk and discuss about (almost) everything, and they understand each other and support each other unconditionally. And that is not something to take for granted. Communication in a relationship is everything, and when communication stops, and there are secrets being kept, it can jeopardize everything that have been growing till now.

In this book, we see such a vulnerability in Finn, as not only is he doubting his own amazing artistic skills, but also when the past catches up with him, once again. And while it perhaps isn’t the best idea of not opening up immediately to Jade about what he is going through, I could understand him.

That of course doesn’t mean that it saddened me that the past is causing a rift between the pair that deserve all the happiness in the world…

But it also needs to be said that Jade also has her fair share of things she is not telling Finn. And before you go thinking badly about her, it’s not because of her own doing.

Well, perhaps she is being a little bit too trusty and a bit too oblivious to see what is truly going on. But isn’t that also the same reason we all love her?

I have to admit, there are some revelations in this book that did surprise me, while others did not really. Some I saw coming from afar, while others made me link the dots and allowed me to see things in another light. And I also need to say that some characters still don’t convince me, and they aren’t doing anything to prove me wrong…

Despite the difficulties Jade and Finn are going through in this book, it didn’t diminish a tiny bit all the warmth there is. Not only the warmth and love between Jade and Finn, but also the warmth and love for those around them, the other important and irreplaceable people in their lives.

I absolutely loved returning to Duck Pond Cottage, and I absolutely loved reading more about Jade, Finn and their family and friends. And I for sure melted seeing the love, I for sure laughed out loud with the bad – mouthed parrot Mr. Spock, I for sure was amazed by the people – skills of loyal furry friend that Mickey is. Even if I cannot see myself looking all the sorts of animals that Jade has at her rescue (chickens, what a terror! 😊) I for sure can see myself staying at the Cottage being surrounded by such lovely people! So please tell me dearest Della, when can I return??? 😊