A Fresh Start in the Cornish Village is a warm, uplifting read filled with charm, community spirit, and hope.

Sarah's vivid descriptions bring the Cornish setting to life—you can almost see the coastline and feel the sea breeze.

The characters are relatable and endearing, and the story flows beautifully, making it the perfect feel-good escape.

A very charming read, sweet, engaging, great characters, and a wonderful story that flowed wonderfully and kept me interested until the very end.

A really lovely read.

Another sweet story in this series which takes place at a small town dog rescue. Here we follow Sally and her ex Andy as they reconnect after 7 years. Predictable story, but an enjoyable one.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Sally works at wagging tails the local dogs home. She loves her job, the staff have become family and the dogs are her friends.

A developer has been trying to buy the land that the dogs home is on which will mean the home will have to close. Andy the one that got away turns up in West Par and Sally has to make a hard decisions about whether she wants to leave West Par. But first she must do everything within her power to save the dogs home. Is there a way she can save the dogs home and have a relationship with Andy or will she have to make a very tough decision.

Dogs, lovely places, likeable and fleshed out characters. Heartwarming escapism at highest level
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

There aren't enough words for how much I am absolutely loving this series, and this was another fabulous addition to it.

I felt right at home almost instantly, having seen Sally in the previous books, and dog training and dog behaviour is absolutely fascinating.

And there was a moment during the book that absolutely melted my heart to "Puddles" of mush. It really did show off the best parts of working in a dogs home.

However it is a struggle for Wagging Tails' to stay in business especially when there is a property developer about, and there is a fight in Sally, Flora and Gina's hands to make sure the dogs home will survive.

Sally also has her old love who comes back into her life, but whether they still have feelings for each other, you will have to discover for yourself.

This was so enjoyable and I devoured the pages really quicky. I love books featuring animals, and this book and this series is just a joy to read. I'm loving it so so much and looking forward to my next visit to the Wagging Tails. Oh and if I could please visit, and give the dogs a cuddle, that would be amazing.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Okay, so I have a small (fine, huge) obsession with dogs, and my sister had a wonderful cocker spaniel called Millie, AKA Pudding, sadly now over the rainbow bridge.
So when I read the name Puddles for a dog in the first chapter, I knew this book was exactly the kind of dog story I needed.
I haven't read the 2 previous books in the series, but I didn't feel like I needed to. I will now go back and read them, because I need more Wagging Tails stories in my life!
After the recent stress in my personal life, this came as a welcome escape filled with my favourite animal.
There is still drama, and a little romance thrown in, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The community of volunteers at the Dogs' Home is as strong as ever and the story has a familiar feel from the beginning. The focus of this story is Sally who has started anew and is building up a promising business. Putting down roots, she is settled in West Par. When her family contact her, she is horror struck at the suggestion that she should return to their legal business. She has tried so hard to find her own way in life, not the path laid out for her by her family. She has some decisions to make. Sally's past returns also in the form of her ex- Andy which is a huge shock for her.

Alongside Sally's life, there are the events and the dogs at the Dogs' Home which is under threat from an aggressive building firm who wants the Dogs Home to be sold to them. There is quite a fight to save the Dogs' Home but you see the determination and ingenuity of the friends there. This is another enjoyable story in an entertaining series.

In short: Uplifting reading

Thank you NetGalley and boldwood books for this ARC. This is the third in a series but I read it without reading the first two. As soon as I finished this I headed to Amazon and downloaded the first two on my kindle and I can’t wait to read them

I enjoyed this story but thought it was a little predictable... but then there was a twist in the tail! This tale would make anyone who likes dogs smile, you cannot fail to laugh at the description of dogs trying to get treats or just generally being cheeky.. This was a lovely love story of dogs and people coming back together. This was a fun quick read and would recommend it to any dog lovers.

This book is part of a series set around Wagging Tails Dogs' Home in fictional West Par, Cornwall, run by Flora. In "A Fresh Start at Wagging Tails Dogs' Home," we meet Sally, a dog trainer at the home, who rekindles a relationship with her ex, Andy. Meanwhile, the home faces threats from a developer seeking to buy them out. The story intertwines romance with everyday developments at the home, highlighting the challenges of caring for rescue dogs. The author raises awareness about rescue work and challenges faced by such organizations. The romance subplot involves second chances and miscommunication between Sally and Andy. Despite some predictable elements, the book offers a gentle, charming, feel-good read, cherished for its portrayal of dogs and setting.

I’m really loving the Wagging Tails Dogs Home books. Highly recommended
Sally hasn’t been working too long at Wagging Tails, she’s really settled here though and loves her new jobs, the people and the area. When she bumps into her ex Andy unexpectedly, she struggles to work out what she wants - Andy, the one that got away or her ideal job and life.
At Wagging Tails a developer has been sniffing around trying to buy their land to enable access to his developement. Everyone is worried about the future.
Is this just a coincidence bumping into Andy or is there something else? Can Sally rekindle her relationship with him and stay at the job she loves?

This book is a great read! It's a beautifully written story that holds your attention from the first page until the last.
I loved everything about this book and highly recommend it!
I received a complimentary copy from Boldwood Books via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The third story in this entertaining series focuses on Sally and Andy and their second-chance romance. The dogs' home is busy as always, but there are sinister goings-on when a developer wants to buy their land at any price. Whilst the themes are not new, and it's not difficult to guess what will happen, the characters are relatable, and the dogs are delightful. This immersive read has a lovely mix of laughter and poignancy and ends upliftingly.
It's a book to escape with.

this series I found it so heartwarming and such a beautiful read and this was no different. I had you could want in a story, love, family, community and second chances. This was another lovely installment in this great series and I am desperate for there to be more.

I received a review copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley for which my thanks.

Having read Chasing Dreams at the Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home and enjoyed it, though it isn’t my usual choice of genre, when I was offered a copy of this one, I was pleased to read it, once again very much loving the setting of the book in a dogs’ rescue home where we ‘meet’ a lot of the different residents, learn their stories and see them either adopted or reunited with their families. There is a romance thread at the centre of it (with humans, not dogs) of course.

This is a series of books (three so far) set around the Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home in fictional West Par in Cornwall run by sixty-five-year-old Flora, widowed soon after she set up the home with her husband. In each book there is a romance thread involving someone associated with or working at the home while we also follow along life at Wagging Tails as they take care of the different dogs and cope with various problems that arise off and on.

In A Fresh Start at Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home (2024), we meet Sally a relatively new employee at the home who essentially trains the rescues, helping them overcome any fears or issues they might have so that they can settle happily with their new families. We learn that Sally had studied and partly trained as a solicitor as her family expected her to join the family firm, but while she underwent some of that training, she realised her heart lay elsewhere. She has trained as a dog trainer since and besides working at Wagging Tails also runs private classes for students for behaviour and agility training. Sally has been dating a few people off and on but she always finds herself comparing them to Andy the boyfriend she broke up with before starting her legal training. When Andy suddenly appears at West Par (now running his father’s business), they rekindle the relationship but Andy seems apprehensive somehow. Will this second chance work out?

Meanwhile, at the home we follow everyday developments and catch up with characters previously met but new troubles arise as a developer who’s acquiring the land next to the home is seeking to buy them out, resorting to every possible threat and intimidation. What will now happen to Wagging Tails and all its dogs?

Like the last book, my favourite part of these books are the home and the dogs themselves. We see the different issues that crop up with different dogs, how the employees must go about managing and looking after them, rearranging kennels or having to organise special sessions with some of the dogs, some even going home with Flora. This time we have Puddles, a dachshund terrified of other dogs though comfortable with humans; Cindy, a greyhound with separation anxiety; and Bonnie, a grey Staffie mix whose loving owner must heartbrokenly surrender her for he no longer has a job and the resources to look after her. We go along with Sally and Ginny (who was the focus on book 1) to rescue a German Shepherd and even witness a training session. I loved these sections of the story especially and liked that the author presents things realistically; we meet dogs who’ve been mistreated as much as those who’ve been loved and see both dream adoptions and heartbreaking surrenders.

Besides the story itself, Hope also in an afterward has highlighted the work of a Dogs’ Home she supports (Wellidogs) much like she brought up the issue of excessively high vet bills in the last one, and I think while being nice feel-good stories, these also do a great job (both in the story and through her notes) raising awareness on rescue work, challenges faced and how those that are interested might possibly help.

Back to the story, the home must also face the unscrupulous developer who is willing to stop at little to get them to sell (in his favour, he doesn’t try anything outrightly criminal). From offering more and more attractive prices to intimidating them by starting construction right next to the home. The home and its employees and many in town rally though, with protests and writing to those in power, but how it gets sorted, you must read to find out.

The romance thread is a second-chance one and different in that it was Sally rather than Andy who broke up the relationship and for reasons she seemed to think made sense but which she didn’t share with Andy at the time. This obviously causes some obstacles in the way of their reconciliation and as I mentioned, there are some apprehensions from Andy’s side too—the reader can easily guess his reasons from the start but Sally herself does not. Sally like the typical romance heroine (at least based on the few I’ve encountered) is always making assumptions and jumping to (the wrong) conclusions which while something that can likely happen, does feel rather annoying—especially as she does so even after receiving sensible advice. But anyway, things do eventually sort out though once again, you’ll have to read it to see how.

A gentle, charming, feel-good read, which as with the other book I read from the series, I loved for the dogs and the setting!

This is a real feelgood novel from beginning to end. Sally is a dog trainer that works at the Wagging Tails (dogs home),a job that she loves and the dogs and staff also love her. A developer is trying to purchase Wagging Tails as he needs access to his new development and the staff are fighting the proposal. Sally’s ex Andy turns up unexpectedly for a brief break not knowing that Sally lived in the area. Will they both have a second chance at their relationship?You will love this book especially if you’re a dog lover,it’s a comfy read and unputdownable.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for inviting me to read this lovely book that I can highly recommend.

Sally is the relatively new dog trainer at Wagging Tails Dogs' Home, but she quickly becomes part of the team. Whilst out in the City one day she sees her ex Andy. He is the one that got away and she has never quite been able to forget about him completly. With her life at a crossroads romantically and with her job as a developer is trying to buy up all the land near the sanctuary, Sally has some very important decisions to make.

I haven't actually read the other books in the series, and I hadn't realised when I requested it there are two previous books. I am not sure if this impacted my enjoyment at all. But I do feel like I may have been missing out on the other staffs backgrounds or more about the business itself. However, being an animal lover, this was such a great read I found myself smiling at the dogs antics throughout the book.

The characters are really well developed and I couldn't help rooting for Sally and Andy from the outset. The romance part of the book is very sweet and a slow burn. Making this book an easy escape for an hour or two.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - It was just okay, I enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is clear that the author loves dogs and, I imagine, supports their local rescue. This is something I applaud (and I support a number of rescues as I am an animal lover myself), however, I felt that the passion leaked into the writing a bit too much, which meant that sometime the book felt like it was preaching a bit too much (for example, in chapter 5 when dog walkers didn’t listen to Flora about a reactive dog “Oh, for goodness’ sake. When will people begin to realise that it doesn’t matter if their precious dog is friendly? If they’re approaching a dog who isn’t, they’re putting their dogs at risk as well as causing unnecessary suffering to the reactive dog”.

I found myself getting frustrated with the protagonist who, despite every neon sign that her love interest was involved in the new build scheme, was completely oblivious.

This was an okay read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The third book in a series by Sarah Hope. Another enjoyable read. Who can resist adorable dogs and romance? A lovely book for a cosy night at home. I very much enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from the author.