Portobello Book Blog

Disclaimer: I’m not really an animal person so perhaps a book about a village vet shouldn’t appeal

Spoiler alert: I really enjoyed this book anyway!

About the Book

From big city high-flyer to little village vet …

Hannah and Daniel were teenage sweethearts, but then Daniel left their sleepy village of Middlefern and his grandfather’s veterinary practice behind for the bright lights of London.

Now, fifteen years later, the prodigal grandson has returned to temporarily take over the village practice with a veterinary qualification and his dog, Sammy, in tow. Daniel is ready for rabbits with tummy aches, guinea pigs who’ve lost their squeak, plenty of cow complaints and a whole lot of memories – both good and bad. But is he ready to see Hannah again?

Of course, a high-flying city vet like Daniel was never planning to stay in Middlefern for good – especially given his history with the place. But could another, even more important, vacancy convince him to change his mind?

My Thoughts

They say you never forget your first love and that was certainly true for Hannah and Daniel. They were childhood sweethearts and very much in love when teenagers but they were torn apart when he had to leave for London after his mother remarried. Why did Dan never write to Hannah as he had promised or come back? It was clear it was something to do with his grandfather, a much respected vet in the village, so what was the story there? This strand of the story certainly added some intrigue.

It was obvious that neither had forgotten each other or got over that relationship in the intervening fifteen years. Here were two people who clearly still loved each other but were frightened they had misunderstood the situation and scared to tell the other how they really felt. It was quite funny how everyone else could see they were perfect for each other and often assumed they were a couple, but Daniel and Hannah were almost the last to know! 😊

I enjoyed reading about Hannah and Dan finally coming to terms with their feelings and talking honestly to each other. I also really liked the way the community of Middlefern was portrayed as a warm, welcoming and caring place. Then again, Daniel often thought it should be called ‘Meddlingfern’ because of the matchmaking attempts of the the villagers!

A Vacancy for a Village Vet is a lovely second chance romance and proof that first love can last despite many challenges, with a heartwarming conclusion.

A Vacancy for a Village Vet is published by ChocLit today. You will find buying options
for various ebook platforms on the ChocLit website here: A Vacancy for a Village Vet.
My thanks to Liz at ChocLit for sending me a copy to review.

About the Author

Joanne lives in Lancashire with her husband and their two sons. When she is not busy writing, she likes to take her boys to the local museums, cafes and for walks in the countryside. Joanne has published 4 non-fiction works aimed at parenting children on the Autistic spectrum, based upon her experiences as a mother of an autistic son. She has also self published a contemporary romance novel, Picking up the Pieces.

Joanne writes contemporary romances with gorgeous heroes.