Review: Christmas in Blue Dog Valley

Christmas in Blue Dog Valley by Annie England Noblin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

Blue Dog Valley, Wisconsin, had not been in Goldie's five-, ten-, or even fifteen-year plan. 

As a vet to animal tv and movie stars, Goldie doesn't always love her high-maintenance clientele owners but loves the business she has worked to build up with her fiance, even if he considers it his business. At forty, Goldie is scared to start over but when her fiance of ten years, who's at least tried to keep his cheating discreet, gives his newest paramour a job as a vet tech in their business, Goldie decides that she's done. After a night of too much wine and chatting with one of her computer pen pals, Goldie is on the way to Wisconsin to do a trial run at taking over a small-town vet clinic. 

It was an odd feeling, Goldie thought, to have a life full of people and still feel alone. 

Christmas in Blue Dog Valley was a cute fish out of water, but game, holiday story that never lacked animals stealing the show. When Goldie arrives in Wisconsin, she's picked up by Cohen Gable, an early thirties grump and town farrier, who doesn't exactly trust outsiders and isn't ready to see his vet for years give his business over to some L.A. big city transplant. Cohen's not exactly unfriendly but he's not friendly either, but right away readers will sense the attraction between the two. Goldie was a fun character to follow along with and her friendship with her older, cantankerous vet tech Tiffany, who, begrudgingly, shows her the ropes around the small town, was a solid friendship to cheer for. The romance between Goldie and Cohen flickers in and out but Goldie starting to fit into the town was really the star of the show. This was heavier on the small-town fiction aspects than romance but even with it's Hallmark movie vibe, there was a quick, not too detailed open door scene.

If someone had told her two months ago that by the beginning of November, she'd be sitting in a shabby cabin in Wisconsin, drinking whiskey alone out of a John Deere mug, she would have laughed hysterically. 

At each chapter heading, there were adorable illustrations of some of the animals, Cohen's dog Peanut Butter and his therapy alpaca Alice, and some of the tutu wearing goats. While cute little additions to the story, I thought the middle started to slow some with each addition of Goldie taking care of various animals. It works to take Goldie around the town to introduce the townspeople but even my animal loving self started to grow tired of the animal ailments interrupting what I wanted more of, the romance and holiday festivities. At around 30% Goldie saves a dog from bloat and that has the townspeople trusting her and they start to welcome her in more. Then in the second half, the story becomes more about Goldie getting roped into reviving the Christmas Carnival that holiday obsessed Blue Dog Valley used to put on, until the bypass diverted traffic away, almost killing their little town. 

Goldie ran in front of him, jumping up onto the bottom porch step so that she was at eye level. “Well, I think it's probably time somebody is a thorn in your side,” she said. 

“And you think you're the person to do it?” Cohen asked. “I hate to break it to you, Dr. McKenzie, but better women have tried.” 

Goldie crossed her arms over her chest. “There is no woman better than me, Mr. Gable.” 

“Is that right?” 

“That's right.” Cohen took a step closer to her, so close that they were nearly touching. 

As Goldie is trying to organize the carnival, we get some backstory on Cohen, his mother dying when he was ten, gaining a step-mother and step-brother, only to lose his step-mother while in highschool. The alcohol and drug abuse talk, along with a pet death definitely dragged down the lighter, sweeter tone I was personally looking for, especially since it was in the latter second half and felt rushed together. I wanted to be dazzled by the Christmas carnival but the story rushed that too, I would have loved for Goldie and Cohen to spend more time walking through the winter wonderland of lights and perhaps a hay ride but we get a lost little girl and Cohen thinking Goldie lied to him about not respecting his privacy in something and overhearing her friend who came to town to visit her, calling their town “podunk holler.” 

From underneath the blanket, Cohen's hand found hers, and she unfurled her fingers and let him trace constellations in her palm of her hand as he pointed each one out to her. 

This delivered, what I see more as, a happy for now ending. I was looking for a little more sweet and cute but if you're looking for a woman with gumption with some fish out of water success, a few lightly touched on heavier topics, some small-town fiction dynamics, and a good amount of animals of all varieties getting some spotlight, this could be your pick and you get the bonus of Kevin the valley's worst sheepdog.

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