This is the second book in this series and also my second book by the author. I really loved the first book ‘Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow’ (you can check out my review in “Book Reviews) and I was excited going into reading this one.
This book throws more light on Josh, Samantha’s boyfriend as they both settle into their new relationship and life at Hedgehog Hollow. Although Josh feels blessed and lucky he has found a wonderful person who he would not mind to spend the rest of his life with, he is yet to heal from the wounds from his past. This story highlights the damage that manipulation, lies and deceit can inflict on it’s victims and also teaches how a lot of situations are not always as straight forward as they seem. Sometimes, you may need to be patient and dig deeper to find out the truth.
It took me a while to go through this book because there was a lot to unpack here. With the major theme around letting go of the past and forgiveness, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the harm that occurs when close family or friends hurt the very people they are supposed to protect. I am in awe of Samantha’s character although I feel she is still a bit of a people pleaser and needs to show some of the people around her a bit more tough love especially her mother and Chloe, her cousin. I could also relate to Josh’s pain and the difficulties he faced with letting go of past hurts because it is sometimes so hard to do. I think that for certain people it is easier and for others it is more difficult. We can’t judge or put a timeline on when and how one should process and forgive those who have hurt them however, I know for sure that forgiveness does the “victim” more good than even the one they are forgiving so, I guess it’s always better to work at it.
This book was also layered with quite a number of revelations that helped bring to light some hidden truths and I believe this made things better for all the parties involved. Nevertheless, not all questions will be answered and not all answers are satisfying but we move….. The story ended with a cliff hanger and now I am so desperate and excited to know what happens next. The only down side to this book is that I found it a little bit too long and descriptive especially around the parts that had to do with the hedgehogs. However, I would like to thank the author for making a hedgehog specialist – thanks you Jessica for the education.
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to everyone. I think it would be great for an interesting book club discussion. This is not your typical romance book. In fact, I wouldn’t classify it as a “romance” book, perhaps I would say it’s more of a contemporary fiction which has some romance in it. Off to read the third book in the series.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Published: January 7th 2021 by Boldwood Books
Pages: 422
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Buy: Audible
The Author:
I was born in Teesside but now live in Scarborough on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast. My home inspired the creation of the fictional seaside town of Whitsborough Bay where I set many of my books although the Hedgehog Hollow series takes readers to a gorgeous new countryside setting in the Yorkshire Wolds.
I live with my husband, our teenage daughter and sprocker spaniel, Ella. I’m a self-confessed stationery addict with a ridiculously large collection of notepads who loves chocolate (although it doesn’t love me), hedgehogs, 80s music, collectible teddy bears and lighthouses.
Other than a career detour into retail to set up and run my own teddy bear shop (the inspiration for novel Bear With Me), I’ve always worked in HR, specialising in resourcing, coaching and L&D. Writing always had to take a back seat to the day job until June 2020 when I left the world of HR to become a full-time author. I’m so very grateful to anyone who has bought or borrowed my books in whatever format, helping me fulfil a long-held dream of writing full-time. I still can’t believe I get to spend every day chatting to my fictional friends and making stuff up.
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