Springtime at Wildacre is the third in the Hope Meadows series by Lucy Daniels. As it had been some time since I had read Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage I was glad that the first few chapters were really catching up on previous books providing me gentle reminders as to who was who and what had happened to them before. I think this is also really beneficial to those who are new to the series and it means that you can slot right into this series never having read any of the previous stories. The entire series is called Animal Ark Revisited and is a grown up version of the Animal Ark series which thrilled many young readers.

I had never read any of the books aimed at the younger market as I was way past that age when they were first published and became so popular. So I have come to this series with fresh eyes and didn't really know all the animal escapades our main female character Mandy and her best friend James got up to when they were younger. Now I think we see a grown up and for the most part a more mature Mandy whose love and devotion towards all animals shines through from every chapter. She is not without her faults though and I enjoy that the author in this book gives her a bit of a tough time where she has to work through things mentally and step back a bit and take stock.

This series of books are really light, easy, not too taxing reads and perfect for animal lovers. Even if you are not the biggest devotee of animals all the non human characters will certainly bring a smile to your face - the two donkeys for sure I always love to see being mentioned.The first half of the book had a very slow and gentle pace and to be honest it felt a bit repetitive as Mandy goes about her daily business. She works as a vet in her parents practice Animal Ark having not long ago moved back from the city and also having broken up with her boyfriend. She slowly has resettled back into the rhythms of the town of Welford and the surrounding countryside and is now in a relationship with Jimmy who runs an Outward Bound Adventure Centre.

Alongside her veterinary work which keeps her on her toes is the rescue centre Hope Meadows which Mandy has opened adjacent to the surgery. So she has lots to keep her going and as I have said the first half focused on the daily routine of various appointments and then working at the rescue centre - cleaning, rehabilitating and attempting to re-home the various animals that come into her care. Don't get me wrong this was all lovely but I just thought the entire book can't go on like this. There were some nice little mini stories of meeting people who wished to re-home an animals but I felt something needed to happen, something exciting and challenging for Mandy.

Mandy needed a few curve balls thrown in her direction as continuing just to describe her days was becoming a bit stale. Thankfully just past the halfway mark, I thought the book turned a corner and things really got going. I loved how we saw many different sides to Mandy emerging and to be honest at times her attitude frustrated me but I view this as a good thing because I don't think it's right to have her coming across as all sweetness and light the entire time and where everyone has to agree with her opinions. I wouldn't say she had a total personality transplant and went from being kind and nice to some one people would detest. Instead I just felt her attitude towards certain situations was very one sided on her part. She came across as very entrenched in her views and there was no changing her stance once she had made up her mind.

When she learns of a planning application for a furniture factory on a site where woods stand next to Hope Meadows Mandy doesn't get too up in arms. But it's when Jimmy's twins Abi and Max make a startling discovery in the forest things are set to change. When out playing, the twins discover a baby red squirrel on the forest floor. Mandy is convinced red squirrels which are endangered are nesting in the area and if that is the case than the area is protected and no planning should have been granted for the new factory. I totally understood Mandy's position on this and being so devoted and dedicated to all kinds of animals she couldn't see a habitat destroyed which contained a rare animal. But what frustrated me is that she was so gung ho in her attitude regarding this that she couldn't see fellow towns people’s opinions. That the factory would bring much badly needed employment to so many people and the town itself would thrive. Mandy is very blinkered in her approach and I thinks she needed to step back and realise there are two sides to every story and she needed to think a bit more about the overall picture. Having said that I really enjoyed the way this aspect of the story developed and my own viewpoint did change several times over. Mandy began a bit of super sleuthing so to speak and then I began to think her actions were justified, I was intrigued to see how everything was going to come together.

Aside from this Mandy faced plenty of issues in both her professional and personal life. She has the constant worry of keeping Hope Meadows going with more funding desperately needed to keep things running but also on the home front things aren't always great. The storyline as featured in the previous two books about her mother Emily began to come to a head now and my suspicions had been proven correct but I thought this was handled with sensitivity and tact. As for Mandy's relationship with Jimmy, I think she thought stormy weather was approaching whereas Jimmy viewed things as being all fine and dandy. Having to deal with developing a connection with the twins who view Mandy as an interloper and taking them away from their dad is not easy. I thought Mandy worried unnecessarily and should have taken things easy with them and let nature take its course. Time would tell a lot. I think in general Mandy is a person who takes so much on her shoulders and brings worry and upset to her door where there really is none. If she could only relax a little bit and just go with the flow a bit more as there are always others there for her doing their bit. I especially loved how one close friend/co-worker had their own little role to play in bringing this about.

Summer at Hope Meadows was a very good addition to the series that definitely got much better around the midway point. I especially loved the mini storyline towards the end featuring a very surprising animal that wouldn't normally be found around Welford. I loved it even more for how it helped with a bigger storyline and creating unity where needed. I do think the series needs to branch out a bit from Mandy and focus on different characters who perhaps have had a more background role up to now. That's not to say Mandy, Jimmy and co should be forgotten at all but I think it's time they took a step backward and allowed others to come to the fore and share their stories. I still have book four to catch up before book five Summer Days at Sunrise Farm is published in May so I will definitely be getting around to Snowflakes over Moon Cottage in the next week or two. I've just read the blurb and am glad to see what I hoped would happen as mentioned above that the focus now turns to Susan Collins and her story. I think moving away from Mandy will take the series in a new and welcome direction but I certainly have enjoyed the three books which have featured her so far.

Such a joy to be back amongst friends in this new book in the Hope Meadows series.

I absolutely lover the direction this book has taken the story in, and meeting a new array of animals, from squirrels to well lets just say something just a tad larger than a squirrel towards the end!

Since this is the third book in a series there are plenty of story line continuing from the previous books, which is always good to see.

One of the main new plots was seeing how Mandy would get on meeting Jimmy's twins as they do need to get along if there is any hope of their relationship continuing.

In fact between Jimmy and best friend of Mandy's James, most of the major story threads seemed to involve them. Good thing I enjoy both of their characters.

There were definitely some emotional moments in this, but also some cute and funny ones too. I love this author and her writing, and I love Hope Meadows and Animal Ark and am already eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Brilliant addition to a great series!

I've really enjoyed this series, with it's engaging characters, captivating setting and fun stories. This book starts where the previous one left off, though it is still possible to read it as a standalone novel if you haven't read the others.

This book is firmly focused on animals (from red squirrels to elephants, to dogs and cats!) as well as the people, so a really enjoyable must-read for any animal lover!

Mandy Hope is on cloud nine. Hope Meadows is going really well and she's growing ever closer to her handsome boyfriend Jimmy Marsh. What's more her best friend, James, is slowly learning to re-embrace life after losing his husband.

When an unexpected crisis causes Mandy to lose confidence in her veterinary skills, it's a huge blow. Can Mandy learn to forgive herself before her relationship with Jimmy, and the future of Hope Meadows, is put in danger?

This is the third and I think final instalment of the Hope Meadows series. I have to admit I'm kind of glad about this though. As with the second instalment, I found Mandy to be really woe is me in this book. The girl with the gumption to pack in her job had gone, and a very whiny woman was left in her place. In general the story was still good. All the same lovable characters featured making it an easy and light-hearted read. It was just unfortunate that Mandy was so negative all the time.

It's such a shame that I felt this series was dampened by the main protagonist, as the writing, setting and other Welford villagers are great.

I will most definitely read the next book from Lucy Daniels as it'll be interesting to learn more about another character.

Mandy now has her rescue centre fully up and running and is loving being able to help her beloved animals. Her love life is looking good with Jimmy as well.......although becoming a part of the life of his 9 year old twins is somewhat daunting to her, relating to animals comes far more easily to her! Then everything starts to go wrong - she is at loggerheads with the village over a factory being built on a site where she has seen the rare protected red squirrels and an operation goes wrong leaving her doubting her own veterinary skills........will this affect her relationship with Jimmy as well?

Another lovely book in the series and great to be back with all of the old characters - I love all of these books and am looking forward to the next one

This story was ok. I do love a story based in Devon or Cornwall, but I did find that I skipped a lot of pages.
The story began ok but then I wasn't too keen on the descriptions of vet procedures, as well as I felt some situations that I do not think would actially happen.
Overall a nice story

Review: We are back at Hope Meadows! I adore this series as it brings back some great reading memories as a child. Again this is well written and has all the elements you would expect from an animal ark story. A joy to return to a childhood memory but in an adult world.

I have fallen in love with this series and I'm always keen to read more about Mandy Hope and the vets practice. It's like watching my children's favourite book characters grow up in front of me and seeing them as adults with their own worries and romances.
Her relationship with Jimmy is progressing and she's getting to know his twins, although finding it a little bewildering.
Again a lot of the countryside references felt familiar because we visit a local farm once a week and it is lamb feeding time at the moment. I had dreams of becoming a vet as a child- although I wasn't bright enough and this book just draws me in and casts it's magic around me.

With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Staughton for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I am basking in contentment after reading Lucy Daniels third book Springtime at Wildacre. Vet Mandy Hope runs a veterinary surgery called Animal Ark with her parents Adam and Emily. Mandy also runs a animal rescue centre called Hope Meadow.

Mandy and her boyfriend Jimmy Marsh are blissfully happy and Jimmy is ready to introduce Mandy to his 9 year old twins Max and Abi. However Abi is unhappy because her mum is having a baby and does not take to Mandy.

To top it off someone wants to build a factory on land near Mandy's new cottage. When Max and Abi find a rare squirrel she tries to stop the development. However she finds herself at war with the villagers of Welford who need the jobs that will come from the factory.

Best friend James has been on a series of blind dates which have not gone well. All that changes when James and Mandy save the life of an owl after an accident.

I like Mandy but she did annoy me a bit in this book. I felt she sometimes cared more about animals then humans but her heart is in right place. I also like her best friend James who loves animals just as much as her and is willing drop everything to help.

I love this series Mandy reminds me of a female James Herriot. The author included some quite detailed information about Vet procedures which I found interesting. In this story Lucy treats an owl with a ripped wing and a circus elephant with toothache.

I think this book will appeal to all animal lovers.

This is the 3rd book in the series... If you haven't read any of these books before, you really should go and purchase them, just for sanity reasons and you won't be disappointed at all. You are transported to Hope meadows, which is full of animals, so if you love animals, chic lit, beautiful reading then this is the book to read.

There are animals and characters from the previous book so reading the earlier books will be an advantage, there are new characters too but my favourite of all happened to be Frank, the Owl. Loved him.
There is parts of the books that are totally unexpected and things take a turn, it was also quite emotional so bring a pack of tissues along. We have the main character Vet, who is the local vet and she is doing everything she can for the animals of Hope meadows, we have births death, foster homes, rehoming issues and to rescue of all animals known to us. Theres cats dogs, owls. squirrels and not to forget the elephant....yes an elephant,
Mandy relationship grows but how? I'm not telling, read the book you will Love it.
thank you to net galley and the publishers for this.

We return to the life of vet Mandy Hope I'm this next book in the series. We see much animal drama, births, rehoming and of course rescuing. From cats, dogs, owls, squirrels to even an elephant!



We also see Mandy and Jimmy's relationship grow as his twin children await the arrival of their new sibling as their mum is pregnant. But as Mandy and Jimmy approach their relationship and the topic of moving in will it all go smoothly?



James, Mandy's best friend is struggling in the dating world trying to find a decent guy after Paul, but possibly a chance meeting may see to a new love...



Whilst Mandy's mum is suffering with her health and is awaiting a neurologist consultation we later see her finally showing signs of improving...



An action packed book, with very detailed descriptions of all the animal events happening and the voices came to life to me of the children especially as they got excited around helping the animals. I really enjoyed the next instalment of this series and would totally pick up the next one when it's out!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Another brilliant animal ark story. Brings back so many memories. Wuick light easy read. Enjoyable.

I was so happy to be reading this book as it meant that I got to return to the wonderful village of Hope Meadows. If you haven't read the first and second books to the Hope Meadows Series by this wonderful author, then don't delay anymore, as you are missing out.

I loved being reacquainted with all of the characters and the animals/pets from previous books again, loved them all, not to mention meeting some new animals throughout the story, Frank the Owl was one of my favourites.

What I really loved about this story, is that there were a few surprising elements/events within the book that brought a little action to the story, which I thought was great and certainly unexpected. There was also a few emotional scenes which bought tears to my eyes but I'll say no more on that as wouldn't want to spoil the story for anyone.

It was a truly wonderful and delightful story from start to finish.

I'm now ready for the 4th book to this series, want to read it now, but I must be patient and wait for it to released. Well at least I know that it'll be worth the wait.