I’m a fan of Jane Lovering’s books, so when I spotted this on Netgalley, I immediately requested it.
Dora is a sheep farmer working the family farm in the North York Moors. She works hard and is scraping by. Everything changes when her spoiled sister and her equally spoiled son come to stay, bringing the son’s tutor with them. If all that weren’t enough, the tutor reminds Dora of someone she knew from her teens, where things happened that she’d really rather not remember.
There’s a lot about sheep in this story – because they occupy Dora’s thoughts a lot. The romance is slow burn and understated. The story is more like a family drama where Dora redefines her relationships with various members of her family and in doing so, finally works out her place in the family.
Nat is a nice hero, kind and dependable. The change in the relationship between the two sisters and the way the teenaged nephew changes from self obsessed YouTuber with ‘almost a thousand followers’ to a young man (and carer for two lambs) is lovely.
There’s a great car chase through the Vale of Pickering, which made me laugh a lot.
I found this book heartwarming and funny. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the review copy.
Rhoda Baxter 