The Pets at Primrose Cottage: Part One A Place to Hide

Great start to new book! Enjoyed following along the journey of Sheila's last book. Looking forward to the next instalment!

I really enjoyed Sheila's previous book so as soon as I saw that this one was coming out I was really excited! I had been waiting for ages for it to be released!

This for me was a great start to the new book and an excellent part one, the story is laid out and we get to learn a little bit about Emma and her background, the book only touches on her life in New York and why she is now in hiding in a small town in Dartmoor so I feel that as the book progressed we will find out more about her back story.  I really enjoyed that the main interactions that she has had are with the pets that she finds herself looking after.  You can't beat a book set in the countryside with pets when you are looking for a warm and cosy feel-good read!

After reading this part, I am now eagerly looking forward to the next instalment - bring on part two! Four stars from me for this one - a very promising start!!

Lovely, sweet story about Emma, who has fled the USA and returned home to the UK but to avoid the press ends up in a small Devon town she last visited as a child. A great, comforting read and I can't wait for the next instalment!

I loved this book couldn't put it down,a young women had problems with her past and wanted a new life somewhere else,but things don't go to plan,a must read,can't wait for book 2

Another great book from Sheila Norton. Emma has just arrived in a little town in Devon from New York. She hopes that she will be able to hide herself away from whatever happened in New York with her boyfriend Shane. She inadvertently ends up pet sitting for some cats and dogs but then the local newspaper reporter Sam wants to do a story that involved Emma and 2 burglars. Can't wait for the next book.

I adored Sheila Norton's previous book, The Vets at Hope Green and was pleased to hear of a new story from her. I was instantly drawn by the title, I love stories set around a country cottage and with the inclusion of animals, which I feel add a warmth and humour to a storyline and they also bring out the soft side in a character's personality, I knew I was going to enjoy this story.

Emma has recently moved to the little Devon village. She's renting a room with a young family. The author hints about some celebrity gossip that Emma has fled from in the States. You are left wondering what has happened to make Emma leave the bright lights of New York. Emma is afraid of being recognised which has left me intrigued as to what she is trying to hide from. She has no job and her money will only last a short while but when she offers to help look after her landlady's two pet cats word spreads about Emma helping out with pet sitting and she is soon inundated with request to look after other pets.

Emma, with the help of the dogs she is caring for, soon starts to enjoy village life and whilst walking the dogs she falls in love with a little property near the river. It appears to be empty at the moment and Emma soon starts day dreaming of owning a property like this. Wishful thinking at the moment.

Whilst reading this novel I felt like I was exploring the village with Emma, it sounded so idyllic with names like Primrose Gardens, Primrose Cottage, Lavender Lane and Bilberry Cottage. Such a lovely start to a new cosy novel to cuddle up with on a winter's night.

This is part one of a four part series and it certainly looks like a promising start.

Emma arrives in village of Cricklewood, Devon looking for a safe place to hide, she has returned to the UK from New York and wants to remain out of sight. Emma is reluctant to reveal her true identity and agrees to pet sit for the family she is lodging with, as a result she ends up pet sitting for several people to earn some money.

This is a good start to the series, I am intrigued as to why Emma is in hiding and I am looking forward to the next instalment.

I was so looking forward to reading part one of Sheila Norton’s new book as I loved her previous story about The Vets at Hope Green. I wasn’t disappointed. Emma finds herself back in Crickleford Devon after leaving New York. She wants to remain anonymous, for reasons I am looking forward to reading about in later editions, but she tells a lie which leads to another and she is getting know around Crickleford. This is a great start to the series. A compelling read.

Love this book .... looking forward to the next one as this left me waiting for more. The level of reality in the story was good so many of us want to have a second chance and third is one person's chance well told.

I loved Sheila's book, The Vets at Hope Green, an ARC which I reviewed for an honest review. I was really excited for The Pets at Primrose Cottage, and was even more so when I was sent the ARC of the first part of the book. This review is for part 1 of 4.

Emma ends up in a small Devon town called Crickleford after she leaves New York where she was living with her boyfriend. She pays rent for a room in a cottage where Lauren lives with her husband Jon and their 4 year old daughter Holly.

As always, Sheila Norton has created a cosy story located in a sleepy town and with plenty of family moments and animals.

Emma takes on the task of looking after Lauren and Jon's cats, cutely named Romeo and Juliet as well as a neighbour's dog named Pongo.

This part of the book contains a sneek peak of part #2 in the series, New Beginnings which I was happy about as I can never wait long for Sheila Norton's writing!

I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with Matt Sorrentino, a journalist Emma meets.

The book is so visual and appealing, from the cosy cottages to the friendly characters to the ones that aren't so friendly.

Devon is a county I have a fondness for due to numerous family holidays spent there, and I could imagine myself being in the town's small and homely bars and shops as I listened to the book.

A very pleasant book.

The Pets At Primrose Cottage part one by Sheila Norton is a delightful taster of the book to come.
Set in the Devonshire countryside, the reader 'feels' at home in the fresh air. A warm welcome awaits in the village with its olde worlde charm and a wonderful mix of unique characters.
The story is told in the first person in the voice of Emma, a visitor. There is clearly a mystery to solve? Who is she? Why is she running? I am sure all will become clear in the fullness of time.
Naturally, the pets play leading roles. I am already in love with several dogs and a couple of cats.
A wonderful read. I cannot wait for the rest of the story.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Emma tries to make a new life for herself with a varying degrees of success in a friendly small town.
An enjoyable read where you wonder what Emma is going to do or say next.

I am always happy to pick up a Sheila Norton book –they exude cosiness and always have a sprinkling of furry friends too.
This story is about Emma who arrives at Primrose Cottage in the lovely Devon town of Crickleford seeking refuge from life events that she intends to keep very much a secret. With its picture like charm, wintery scenes and supporting cast of cats and dogs I settled into this quickly. What Emma is hiding from remains a mystery but her past sounds as if it is as different as it could possibly be from her new life in this little village. Unfortunately for Emma in a place like Crickleford secrets don’t stay hidden for long….
With a bit of mystery, a bit of drama this is a good little start to a new series and a cosy gentle Sunday night type of read.

I do like Sheila Norton's books. But she is so naughty keeping me waiting for part two when I read part one in just one night!

Emma has moved from America to the little remote Dartmoor town of Crickleford in Devon. Her family don't want her around, she is a liability! So she is lodging in Primrose Cottage in Devon, and trying to work out how to earn an income to pay for her board and lodgings.

Something happened to Emma while she was living in America and she doesn't want anyone to know who she is. She is keeping a low profile and fending off questions from the locals. But in doing so finds herself telling whopping lies. Lies that she has to live with or denounce. She really can't afford to be noticed.

She finds herself settling in to Crickleford, imagines settling there permanently. She just needs an income!

More please! I want to know what happens next. Engaging to read and relaxing too. As I already said, I enjoy reading Sheila Norton.

A great start to a series. Emma needs somewhere to lay low for a while and heads to Crickleford to do so. In trying to keep her secret she tells a few fibs along the way and ends up working as a pet sitter for the locals.

She finds herself in a bit of bother while pet sitting Pongo the Alsatian and her secret is threatened to be revealed by the handsome local reporter.

I can't wait to see what happens next. Sheila Norton is really good at leaving us with a cliffhanger! Which drives me crazy each time!

I have adored books by Sheila Norton previously so I was delighted when I was offered a copy of The Pets at Primrose Cottage: A Place to Hide .. once again this book has been split into parts so each section is novella length.

Emma has taken retreat in a little village in Devon, it seems she is running away from her problems. All we know is she is the black sheep of the family with an ex-boyfriend in New York.

She moves in with a family as their lodger, wants to keep herself to herself and maintain a low profile. As it turns out she becomes a bit of a 'whisperer' and is asked by many of the locals to pet sit. What should be a simple pass time evolves into great big dramas for Emma. Her wards are a mix of dogs and cats, but along the way she gets caught up with some of the well meaning busy bodies and tends to dig a hole for herself with her lies. She is totally incapable of telling the truth and re-invents her entire life!

This is such a lovely story, you can't help but feel for Emma but her dilemmas are all of her own making. Sheila is a wonderful storyteller and I whizzed through this story enjoying every minute of it. I could picture the scene, love the descriptions of the little cottages and as expected got somewhat frustrated when I got to the end of part one with it's cliffhanger because I need to know what happens next! However I know the next part will be arriving soon and it gives me something to look forward to.

My thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for my ARC which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I really adore Shelia Norton's books, there's just something so magical about them, so I was extremely excited to read part 1 of this new series. A place to hide absolutely lived up to my expectations, I read it all in one go it was so exciting and really enjoyable.

Emma is a brilliant character, there is a bit of a mystery to her, it is clear from the start she has a secret past and it makes it so interesting and we are drawn to her. Since she arrived in Crickleford she comes off with lie after lie about her past and as readers we are left wondering why does she keep making up these lies about her past?

As usual with Shelia's books she finishes part one of this book with a massive cliffhanger and I just cannot wait until part 2!!!

Love this new series!

Review shall be up on my blog 29/11 - thecosiestcorner.blogspot.com

I've been so excited to read this part 1 of Sheila Norton's new novel as her books always look so inviting and pretty. I already have The Vets at Hope Green on my TBR pile and I can't wait to dive in once I've finished reading this. First of all, the covers are so beautiful and cosy-looking. Like this one for example, I love the font, the colours, the snow and of course the little dog running along the bottom! The following 3 covers look as inviting as this one too.

Any books that involve romance and animals is a win win in my book! Straight away with this novel I was drawn in and couldn't put it down because from the beginning there is mystery in regards to why Emma has had to leave her family home and find somewhere to lay low for a while. I loved the character of Lauren and little Holly, they were friendly, inviting and Holly has a lot of cute sass that made me smile. I absolutely loved reading about Emma's job with the dog and cat sitting (my family also looks after dogs so I can fully relate to Emma!) and I loved reading about the animals own little personalities - it was so cute!

Straight away I loved the descriptions of Crickleford and I knew that I was going to enjoy this novel and where it was set (when the rest of the series comes out). I love Sheila's style of writing, it's descriptive, enjoyable, humorous and lighthearted - all of which makes for an easy read. At first I was a bit hesitant about Emma's past, wondering what on earth could have happened for Emma to have to go into hiding, I was so intrigued that I couldn't put it down! And as it's only under 100 pages long, it didn't take long to finish it but that just left me so looking forward for the next one being released!

As I've mentioned before I'm not a huge fan of books that are split into parts, I get aggravated with the waiting and I get impatient! However, having said that, I did really enjoy this novella, and I am actually more excited than annoyed about having to wait. There's a bit of twist near the end of this novella, which to say I was shocked about would be an understatement! As always, it's left on a cliffhanger, meaning I can't wait to read the next one to see what happens!

Overall, a really quick paced and easy read with lots happening - I couldn't put it down! Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

The first in a new series by this author - and it was a delight. The lies told by the main character did get a bit irritating - more like something a child would do but I understand she is not wanting to divulge her past - whatever that maybe. Great characters. Great animals. Looking forward to the next installment.

It seems that the serialised novel is making a resurgence, the work that Dickens and later Stephen King did to make the art of waiting for the next bite size advance in the plot is being used now to introduce new works to an ever hungry audience.

This tale of disgraced media darling who returns from the glamour of New York to a less than enthusiastic family in Loughton. The invasion of privacy or her parents and twin sister galvanises a move to a small town on the edges of Dartmoor to escape scrutiny by the ravenous paparazzi.

Unfortunately in Crickleford, everyone has a nose in everyone else’s business, this coupled with a disturbing propensity to lie fluently to the kindly family who takes her in as a lodger and then an ever increasing circle of kindly locals makes for humorous reading.

The tangled web she weaves leaves the near broke Emma with a new burgeoning career in pet sitting. Fearful German Shepherds, a local crime spree and physical fitness not withstanding,Emma starts to imagine her New Start might just work, that is until the handsome local Hack Matt Sorrentino becomes intrigued by the newest crime fighter in town..

An enjoyable easy-read. The reader is left with lots of questions ready to read the answers in part 2. Well written characters and good descriptions of the scenery around the town.

There’s something about Sheila Norton’s books that make you feel like your welcoming old friends and I love how her novels are serialised.

In The Peta of Primrose Cottage, we meet Emma Nightingale. She’s trying to escape the past of her ex-boyfriend so she’s moved to a tiny village in Dartmoor. She’s enjoying the peace and quiet but worries it won’t last if people find out about her past. Trying to keep a low profile, she ends up lying about why she’s there and suddenly becomes the local ‘pet sitter’.

This really is a lovely heartwarming first part of a serialised novel and I can’t wait to read part 2 and find out not only how the characters evolve but also more about Emma’s past.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Ebury Publishing and the author for the chance to review.

Emma has a big secret in her past that she needs to escape from and where better than a little village in the middle of Dartmoor. Only problem is village locals like to know everything about everybody and that means Emma having to tell lie after lie! One of these lies however starts her of with a new job of pet sitting!

Only a short novella but one that left you wanting more, as always with this author's books lots of lovely characters and settings and I am definitely looking forward to the next part!

Lovely start to a book series. Countryside villages, and idyllic pets crossed with paparazzi and celebrity. What more could you ask for. I can't wait to read the next instalment

There is obviously a bit of a mystery attached to Emma Nightingale and, very cleverly, the author hasn’t revealed it right at the beginning of this story!

We first meet Emma upon her arrival in Crickleford, her chosen place to escape from all the unwanted attention which is so upsetting to her family. She has arranged lodgings at Primrose Cottage which turns out to be every bit as idyllic as it sounds. As she begins to settle in and find a way of earning some cash – more by accident than by design – Emma is very wary of making friends and tends to shy away from publicity. Unfortunately, uncovering a burglar interferes with that plan ..

Sheila Norton writes easy to read, well flowing books with a fine cast of characters and intertwining storylines. This is a perfect read at the end of a stressful day and I’m already looking forward to the rest of the series. Very definitely recommended!

My thanks to publisher Ebury Digital for granting me an arc via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

new series set in a small town in Dartmoor called Crickleford. Emma is escaping her past life and renting a room here. She needs to find a new job- but there is more about her past life to be released in future books. She finds herself lying about her personal life and work and then having to remember what she has told everyone.
I loved the characters and the wider community and the animals that she finds herself looking after. I look forward to more pet sitting adventures and finding more out about Emma's previous life and why she's escaped.
There is definately a lot more fun to come in this series.

The pets at primrose cottage part one is the start of a promising set. Emma is the lead character in this book and this part of the book tells you nothing of her past only that she is/was a celebrity living in America and has had a public split from her boyfriend. Emma has gone back to Crickleford in the Devonshire countryside where she used to spend her early family holidays as a young child, Emma has gone there hoping to keep away from the press.
Whilst looking for a job she manages to find herself being the local cat and dog sitter and there are a lot of laughs and question marks on this part of her life. Emma seems to not be able to stop telling white lies to keep people off the track of her being a celebrity and I think in the next instalments this is going to trip her up!!
I read Sheila Nortons last book and that ws good but I feel this is going to be even better!!
I would like to thank netgalley and Ebury Press, Penguin random house fir this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few of the author's books now and enjoy reading them. The stories are gentle and the characters are brought to life. A great read on a Sunday afternoon.