I am delighted to share my review today for Chasing Dreams at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland. This is a brilliant series and this latest book focuses on a different character, but don’t worry the others are still around.

My huge thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of this fabulous book.

Samantha has a secret. Returning home from her dream honeymoon to the normality of running her beloved Hedgehog Hollow rescue center, she’s ready for the next chapter of her life with Josh. Or is she? Samantha is hiding something which could forever change the dreams they shared and bring their happy ever after crashing to the ground.

Lauren has given up on love. Twenty-six years ago the love of her life, Shaun, left her a note and was never seen again. Two painful divorces later she still can’t face opening up to anyone. But little does Lauren know that the closure she’s dreamt of for all these years may be closer than she thinks, and perhaps the only way to let new love in is to forgive and forget.

Samantha and Lauren will need the love and support from the Hedgehog Hollow family more than ever. After all, some dreams are worth chasing…

MY REVIEW

I am a big fan of this series and I always look forward to picking up a new book, This latest one had me wrong-footed for a minute or so, it is still set in and around Hedgehog Hollow, but instead of the focus being more on Sam and Josh and their hedgehogs, another leading character was brought in.

Lauren is aunt to Josh. She has been married twice and not successfully. Her first husband just disappeared leaving just a note and a huge hole in her heart. The second husband changed after their marriage. She has vowed off men, although she does live with a male friend. She has never truly gotten over her first love.

While this does feature Lauren, the chapters also kept me up to date with Sam and Josh as they go off on honeymoon. This is the first time they have both had any quality time together and once again the author brings Sam’s worries to the forefront. Sam has terrible anxiety issues and with just cause. The patience, understanding nature and love of Josh really does shine through. If you have read any books from this series then you will know of Sam’s past. If not the author does briefly mention it.

Lauren however has her own problems. She has just discovered the job she loves at the local college no longer exists after the college has been bought out. She has the chance to apply for a new role, but it isn’t one she wants. It seems that the person who is responsible for telling her this news is one that could possibly give her more than one thing to think about.

Any Hedgehog Hollow book has updates on hedgehogs. This one is no different, there are also some new mentions of Hogs from the honeymoon trip. No matter where you go in this series a hedgehog is lurking somewhere and it is great.

This installment is slightly different compared to the others, while the characters are all there it is also nice to see more from Lauren. Learning more about her and her life in the past was really interesting. Revelations about her past came as a real shock to her and I thought it had been done so well.

This book has some really wonderful moments, as well as some tough issues. There is one particular moment that had me welling up as the author described a very simple but poignant event.

While life moves on at Hedgehog Hollow there are still things to be done. The rescue center has become more of an outreach center and not just for our prickly friends. It is a sanctuary and a wonderful place to keep coming back to. I adore each book in the series, and while they can be read as stand-alone, they are wonderful to read in order. Once you have read one it leaves you wanting the next one. Great for fans who are looking for romance, life, and the problems it comes with and it is a book and series I would definitely recommend.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx