Oh What Fun, Christmas in Blue Dog Valley by Annie England Noblin

378 pages Avon Publisher September 20,2022 Publish Date

About the Book

For anyone who ever loved All Creatures Great and Small, Annie England Noblin’s newest novel—about a big city vet transplanted to a small Wisconsin town—is pure delight as we meet aging alpacas, stump-tailed cats, goats in tutus, a vagabond border collie named Kevin, and the people who think they own them. And through it all, Goldie McKenzie, DVM, navigating the small town of Blue Dog, Wisconsin.

Welcome to Blue Dog Valley. Home of the Fighting Elk. Population 3,411. 

When Goldie McKenzie, DVM, vet to the L.A. pet stars, arrives from Los Angeles to Blue Dog Valley she realizes three things.

1. Never agree to upend your life when you’re hungover
2. Pot-belly pigs are not true farm animals
3. She’s going to need a warmer coat

At first Goldie is nothing more than a fish out of water, with few clients and few friends. But after a less than pleasant encounter with a man whose dog is suffering from a possibly fatal case of bloat, she’s finally earning the trust and goodwill from her fellow Blue Dog Valley citizens. Her clientele grows to include the many farm animals in the town, including a horse named Large Marge, a cape-wearing therapy alpaca, and a yardful of sweater-wearing goats. Add in Kevin, the “worst sheepdog in Blue Dog Valley,” and a Sphinx cat named Airport, and Goldie is having the best time a vet can have. . . aside from the annoying attractive town grump, Cohen, who seems intent on making sure she always feels like an outsider.

With her newfound goodwill, Goldie comes up with an idea to reinvigorate the once flourishing Blue Dog Valley: a Christmas carnival. A petting zoo, pictures with Santa, a baking contest, what more could they want? After only some brief resistance from Cohen and his father, they begin the great plan to reinvigorate Blue Dog Valley.

Will Christmas be enough to salvage this dying town—and be enough to bring Goldie closer to a certain grumpy man?

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My Thoughts

This was such a fun story to read and a nice break from the heavier historical books I’ve been reading recently.
You’ve got to admit Blue Dog Valley is an unusual name, but I liked it. It’s the name of a town in Wisconsin, I’m not sure if it’s a fictional town or not.
A young woman, a veterinarian goes through a bad breakup in Cali where she’s she from and on a whim buys a sight unseen veterinarians office in Wisconsin.
From acquiring a cat at the airport to feeling like a fish out of water in her new surroundings this book is fun and funny. Wisconsin is a whole lot different than California and its never more evident than when she arrives at her new veterinarians’ office dressed up and everyone else wears boots and jeans.
At one point the book had me laughing out loud reading a part where she wakes up with a hissing cat on her head.
I loved the small town; everyone knows everyone, aspect of the story.
The characters are great, the typical grumpy yet friendly old guys at the diner, the gossipy old ladies, the farmers and their animals.
I thought it was so fun to read about the country house calls she makes for horses, alpacas and a cat.
There was some family drama, but a very nice reunion happened too.
I enjoyed seeing Blue Dog Valley’s Christmas carnival and how the town’s people all jumped in and worked together planning it and running it.
I will be on the lookout for more books by this author.

Pub Date 20 Sep 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Author

Annie England Noblin lives with her son, husband, and three dogs in the Missouri Ozarks. She graduated with an M.A. in creative writing from Missouri State University and currently teaches English and communications for Arkansas State University in Mountain Home, Arkansas. She spends her free time playing make-believe, feeding stray cats, and working with animal shelters across the country to save homeless dogs.

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