Synopsis: “They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Desmond and Leona are about to find out that it’s never too late to start living your dreams . . .

Since his marriage ended, Desmond Leaks has been stuck in rut. But living alone does have some upsides – for one, there’s no one to tell him that he’s ‘not allowed’ chocolate spread on his toast.

And for Leona Lennox, a fresh start might just mean she can finally open that rescue centre for abandoned dogs she’s always dreamed of. That’s if she can learn to let people in occasionally – and accept help.

Take this Desmond guy, he’s so nice that he’s offering to get his old band back together to play some fundraising gigs for the rescue centre. If only Leona could say yes, just this once . . . The Stray Dogs might actually be decent, right?

But the band haven’t played together in years, and if they have any chance of making this work, Desmond will have to track down charismatic frontman Darcus McGuire. But how do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found . . . ?

Lost dogs and lost people find unexpected happiness in this gorgeously uplifting story filled with Ruth Hogan’s trademark wit and warmth.”

My Review

This was another a good listen from Ruth Hogan. I loved The Phoenix Ballroom from a couple of years ago, featuring a lovely dog called Colin Firth, and hoped that this book, would feel the same.

Desmond was a lovely character, always willing to help his plumbing customers, although he did have a bit of a chip on his shoulder about something that had happened years ago.

Leona was an interesting character, who definitely preferred animals to people, so she was a bit brusque at first. I warmed to her as the book progressed, especially as I knew that her heart was in the right place. Some of the people she got to know in the town, particularly at Vera’s Vanity Box were great fun, and made me smile and laugh out loud.

I enjoyed how the book unfolded, with the story of Leona setting up her rescue centre, alongside another story about a stray dog. The way the two stories came together at the end was very satisfying.

The story did make me laugh out loud at times, especially at some of the dog names, Margot and Jerry, Goose and Maverick, Toffee and Fudge, also Die Hard the parrot, and Beyoncé the chihuahua. However if animal cruelty upsets you, and because it’s a story about rescue dogs, there are a few mentions of dogs being mistreated by previous owners.

I must admit that I wasn’t that keen on the narration by Elizabeth Knowelden, a new-to-me narrator. I’m very fussy about my narrators, and found that her annunciation was too pronounced at times. I also got a bit confused with the different characters as she didn’t always differentiate that well between them. Speeding up the audiobook helped a bit, but I did wonder at times if I might have enjoyed it more if I’d read it instead.

Thanks so much to RBmedia and W.F. Howes Ltd for my digital copy via Spotify.