This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR
Clodagh Martin loves the quiet life she has built up for herself running her animal sanctuary, Rainbow Ridge even though her finances are in a critical condition. Living by herself since a previous romance ended disastrously, she works long hours looking after discarded animals and taking care of an array of pets for people whilst they are temporarily unable to do so. These include Nigel, a huge Irish wolfhound, whose owner is unwell and Dave the parrot, who even though she manages to occasionally re-home him, he is inevitably returned to her thanks to his language, which tends to be on the bluer side due to years spent living at a brothel.
Jack Thatcher, tall, dark and wildly handsome is a successful developer. Despite her attraction to him, Clodagh can’t help distrusting his motives for his increasing visits to Rainbow Ridge. He isn’t the only developer around though and after ignoring various offers to sell her land, Clodagh starts to experience incidents that seem to be progressing from broken fences to far more dangerous antics including arson. Not sure who is responsible, she hopes it isn’t anyone close to her, but can’t help suspecting the obvious suspects, including her volunteers Susie and Jade.
Clodagh’s step-sister, Immi, a confident soap actress who, thanks to a drunken outburst on national television, has now retreated to the sanctuary to keep her head down, whilst the furore surrounding her dies down and the paparazzi lose interest.
Immi has her own thoughts about Jack and how Clodagh should be dealing with him and can’t help interfering in their on/off relationship. Despite her best efforts to keep out of sight, Immi manages to draw attention to herself and inevitably the interest of Martin, a zealous member of the paparazzi, who gets more than he bargains for when he tries to creep up to the house.
Is Clodagh right to distrust Jack, or is she not listening to her instincts? Can Immi come up with a solution to her sister’s financial problems, and who is responsible for the ever-increasing problems at the sanctuary? Clodagh has a lot to think about and even more to deal with and knows it’s time she overcame her reservations and dealt with everything head on once and for all.
This is the second book by Nell Dixon that I’ve read and having just finished this book in two short sittings, I can fully understand why Animal Instincts won the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romance Novel of the Year Award 2010.
A great story with a perfect hero. 9/10