Mystery, romance. animals all woven together to create an irresistible narrative which I enjoyed so much!

The Wartime Vet is the third book in the A Village at War series, though I hadn't read the previous two before reading this (in fact, I still have to read the previous two, though I suspect they are sitting neglected on my Kindle) I read it very easily as a stand-alone, and would highly recommend it to others!

This is a wonderfully tender wartime romance, with a little mystery and a huge amount of emotion and drama. This is categorised as historical fiction but with the addition of the slow-burning, yet very sweet romance between vet; Laura and Bombing commander; Alastair which gives the story a lightness and then the mystery of poisons on the local farms adds intrigue, overall this is an all-rounder, engaging and enlightening, but don't think this shy away from the darkness of WW2 with sabotage and mentions of the blitz this is very much right in the centre of the action on the home front.

The writing as always is impeccable, I have read Ellie Curzon books for years (long before these two authors became Ellie Curzon) and I have loved every book I have read. I loved the historical detail, the way the story flows, and the pacing is perfect which I do think a WW2 story can become a little sluggish and long-winded, but this one has an ease to it a lightness mixed with the drama which made for compelling and very enjoyable reading.

So love this book! An amazing story about a wonderful community coming together in a very hard time. Throw in a little farming, a little romance, and a WWII backdrop and you've got an amazing read!

From its unique blend of Historical Fiction and Small Town Life to its captivating mystery, 'The Wartime Vet' by Ellie Curzon offers a refreshing take on my favourite genres.

As the third book in the 'A Village at War' series, 'The Wartime Vet' is a self-contained story that can be enjoyed without having read the previous instalments. Having received ARCs for both the first and third books, I can assure you that missing the second one didn't hinder my enjoyment or understanding of the story.

Let's dive into my thoughts on "The Wartime Vet."

In a world where veterinary work is deemed unsuitable for women, Laura defies expectations to pursue her dream of becoming a successful livestock vet. When a poisoning incident rocks her town of Bramble Heath, Laura finds herself thrust into a complex mystery. Battling against a sexist boss who believes it is an overreaction. Laura contacts the agricultural ministry, and they send a naval Commander, Alastair Seaton, to help solve the mystery.

Curzon skillfully crafts a tale of suspense and mystery, drawing readers deeper into the intricate web of secrets surrounding Bramble Heath. The characters are multifaceted, their relationships richly developed, and Laura emerges as a resilient and inspiring protagonist. Her journey, both as a vet and as a woman navigating the challenges of her time, is captivating from start to finish.

"The Wartime Vet" offers a perfect blend of mystery, heartwarming moments, and a hint of romance. Curzon captures the essence of small-town life with charm and authenticity, immersing readers in the quaint yet complex world of Bramble Heath. I can't help but anticipate another captivating chapter in the saga of "A Village at War."

In this World War II historical fiction mystery, readers follow country veterinarian Laura as she tries to investigate the poisoning of animal feed across Bramble Heath, the town where she works. Dealing with a sexist and angry boss and a mysterious naval Commander sent by the Ministry to investigate her report, Laura may have just stumbled upon a massive conspiracy to sabotage English agriculture and the larger war effort. The third book in the series, readers return to Bramble Heath and spend time with its inhabitants from its farmers to its Land Girls and the locals. A fascinating high-stakes historical mystery, Curzon builds suspense and adds to the scale of the mystery as the novel progresses. Plot development aside, Curzon’s characters are complex, loyal, and mysterious, and their relationships are absolutely fascinating. Laura is a strong, capable protagonist, and readers are sure to enjoy following her investigation and her day-to-day work as a country vet. Bringing a new side of World War II to life, readers of the World War II historical fiction genre are sure to enjoy following Laura’s veterinary appointments and her collaboration (and growing relationship) with Commander Alastair Seaton in this great novel with a strong plot and wonderful characters.

This is a very sweet story about a country vet who discovers that someone is poisoning the cows and the investigator who comes down from London to help her. If you love notable pets - you're in luck - this book is full of pets. I'm pretty tenderhearted when it comes to animals and this made me cry a few times. But the mystery is solved and it does have a HEA for the two mmcs. It was very interesting to learn about air raids and blackouts. May we never repeat that part of history again.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Wow, I read this book so quickly. It gripped me from the first moment. Laura is a vet in the village of Bramble Heath and it's 1941, the middle of WW2. She is trying to keep the livestock in the village healthy as that's helping to feed the villagers as well as the troops. When things start to happen in the village and animals are dying, she can't get her boss to take it seriously. He is very dismissive because she is a woman.

The story has a lot of mystery, heartwarming and heartbreaking moments and a little romance. The characters are so well done. All of the charming, quirkiness of small town life. By the end of it, I wanted to live in a village like Bramble Heath too. It really drew me in and didn't let go until the mystery was solved and the war was over.

This is #3 in the A Village at War series and now I will be looking for more. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this. It was an awesome ride and this is my honest review.

In this story we follow Laura, a British veterinarian, that finds herself looking to give back in a different way after devastation strikes her hometown. She ends up in the English countryside as a small town vet, working with primarily the farmers and animals that contribute to the nation's food supply and is happy to be helping in a way that directly affects the communities that she loves. However, when some mysterious things start happening to these beloved farms, Laura finds herself in a unique position to help in a way different way. Will she be able to solve the mystery and will justice be served?

This is a sweet, cozy, somewhat romantic mystery that will keep you guessing and wondering "who done it?"

I will say that in some parts the repetition of thoughts and ideas became a little much and had me skimming over sections to get through. Overall I enjoyed the plot and was enticed to finish to find out what happens.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for the opportunity to read this book as an advanced copy!

This story gives a fascinating perspective of life in England during the Second World War from the viewpoint of a working female vet. Women had only just started to be accepted into veterinary college in the decade before the War started, and it was a time when women would be expected to leave employment when they married. However, wartime created a male labour shortage with military recruitment and conscription, and so employment opportunities for women became more numerous and, indeed, women were also expected to do their bit for the war effort. This included farming and food production - keeping the nation's population fed and well-nourished so that they too could play their part. Keeping livestock healthy was obviously an important contribution to this, so we meet Laura coming to work in a veterinary practice in the south of England, in a rural village where her Senior Partner is short-handed as his son has been called to act as a vet in the military. She has to cope with his prejudice against a female in this role, as well as getting to know a whole new community. She becomes concerned that some animals are being poisoned, although her boss dismisses this as the land-girls mixing the feed wrongly. Despite his belief, she feels duty-bound to report her concerns to the Ministry of Agriculture, and this starts a chain of events which puts everyone in danger. Just who can be trusted? And how can the community be kept safe?

I really enjoyed this book, which seemed accurate for the period, and would certainly watch out for further books in the village at war series.

The Wartime Vet is the second book in the A Village at War series written by Ellie Curzon which is actually two authors writing together. Not that I would have known or actually thought this only for I saw it mentioned in the end notes as the writing is seamless and doesn’t feel disjointed. You’d never know what sections each person wrote. I did read the first book in the series, The Ration Book Baby and really enjoyed it but for some reason the second book, The Spitfire Girl escaped my attention but I was glad to return to the familiar setting of Bramble Heath and to meet some old and new characters.

I love the cover for this one as I think it’s really striking, and I was keen to read something a little bit different set during World War Two as I’d never read anything about a vet during this time before. Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive starting this one as I felt I may have missed out by not reading book two but this can easily be read as a standalone. In fact, within the first few chapters I had fun trying to work out who maybe had featured in book two and what the storyline might have been. But soon, I was completely engrossed in this new story and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it and I found myself racing through the pages eager to discover who the culprit was.

Spring 1941 and Laura is travelling from Coventry leaving the devastation she experienced and witnessed there to move to Bramble Heath to take up her new position as an assistant vet to Charles Morgan as his son is away fighting in the war. Laura is welcomed to the village with open arms and she is looking forward to working with the local farmers and Land Girls to help keep their livestock fit and healthy in order to keep the nation fed in its darkest hours. Iris is her landlady who has two small children and her husband is away fighting. She is kind and caring and develops a close friendship with Laura.

After the first chapter we move forward to Spring 1942 and Laura is settled in the village and is very popular. I adored Laura from beginning to end. Firstly because it was so refreshing to see a woman working in a male dominated world and doing so successfully and secondly because boy was she a grafter. She never seemed to stop from morning to night and the care of the animals was always at the forefront of her mind and of the utmost importance. She knew that having things working well from the ground up was what was essential to the war effort. For without the farmers and the animals and the work they did it could have been disastrous for England as a whole no matter how successful the men were away fighting.

So when all that is thrown into peril through the actions of someone unknown, Laura was certainly not going to rest on her laurels until the culprit was caught. She is called out to a farm where Land Girls work alongside the farmer and quickly discovers that several cows have appeared to have been poisoned but luckily, she is able to save them. Several events like this follow with some more disastrous consequences than others, along with other numerous other unusual and dangerous events that have the residents of the village up in arms and seriously worried.They are anxious that someone, an outsider maybe or perhaps someone local amongst them in the village has betrayed their country and gone to the dark side when they should be loyal and steadfast to England. Laura throughout this process of mystery, investigation and intrigue truly demonstrated her grit, strength and determination and never wavered no matter the obstacles and at times doubt and disbelief that was thrown in her direction.

Laura comes up against stiff opposition when she thinks she knows what is causing the poisonings and the animals to fall ill but Charles her boss pays little heed to what she has to say. So she writes to the Department of Agriculture in the hopes that they will take her issues seriously and will try and take action to locate the culprit and put a stop to their awful actions. Containing and halting the felon is of the utmost importance. For the longer they are free to continue with these deeds the greater the consequences will be if they are allowed to continue and they could become more widespread. Charles, I have to say was so ignorant. He left most of the work to Laura only picking and choosing the select jobs that suited him or else he hid himself away reading the paper. Overall he was just so rude and looked down on Laura I would think simply because she was a woman. He never believed her when she came to him with details as to what appeared to be going on at the farms surrounding the village. He took no interest in her concerns and what it could mean for the village and the wider country as a whole. To say he was sexist and judgemental was a complete understatement and I just wanted to punch him when he continued endlessly belittling her no matter that she was right.

Intentionally harming animals and putting food supplies at risk is no laughing matter and soon Commander Alastair Seaton arrives from the Ministry of Agriculture to try and put things in order. Laura and himself make an incredible team but there are lots of questions surrounding Alastair. Namely why he is no longer commander of a ship and why do so many rumours swirl about him? I liked Alastair though. He had a strong presence about him and an air of formality that I knew Laura could break through if she tried. I enjoyed how through common sense and trial and error the pair worked together.As to who the culprit was. Well, I hadn’t it figured out at all and I love when that happens because I really enjoy being surprised. It showed how well plotted and exciting the entire book was and I know it will delight World War Two saga fans.

The Wartime Vet was a gorgeous and engaging read. It was homely and comforting and an easy read with a good mystery at its centre. I loved the relaxed, natural writing style and the community feel of everyone knowing everyone within the village of Bramble Heath. Therefore they always looked out for and stood by each other throughout the good times and bad that come with the perils of war. Ellie Curzon wished to salute the men and women who kept the home fires burning and the people and animals of Britain safe and they certainly did this to perfection within this wonderful and heart-warming story. I could just see this book perhaps even the series as a tv drama series comparable to All Creatures Great and Small. I feel it would make ideal Sunday night time viewing and set us perfectly for the week ahead. I would definitely recommend The Wartime Vet as Laura, the villagers and the Land Girls along with many more made for a read that had intrigue, danger, suspense and romance.It certainly made for a very pleasant few hours of reading for me.

The Wartime Vet is a cozy mystery/historical fiction set in 1942 country England during WWII.

Laura moves from her job as a small animal vet to the country town of Bramble Heath where she is employed to care for the local farm animals; the sheep and cows that will provide food for the nation.

I loved that Laura was strong and determined, the 1940's were a hard time for women to be taken seriously in jobs that were usually undertaken by men. When she believes that someone is sabotaging the farms she does not falter at going over her curmudgeonly bosses head to notify a higher authority.

Ellie Curzon includes the invaluable work of the Land Girls Army and how they had to overcome sexism and suspicion.
I could easily imagine the small country town of Bramble Heath with children evacuated from the city running around on the farms. However these idyllic little towns didn't escape the air raid-sirens and the danger of enemy bombs.

The Wartime Vet is a cozy mystery novel with a light romance thread running through the story. It also explores heavier themes of PTSD, disrespect for servicemen with mental health problems, traitors, the land girls army and how women had to fight for the same recognition given to men.

My only complaint is that it became quite repetitive at times, going over and over things that had already been explained.

Laura has worked hard to become a veterinarian and she moves to Bramble Heath to work as a veterinarian caring for livestock. The farms of the village are under attack while they are in desperate need for food. The land girls are blamed and are considered to be "silly little girls". My personal opinion is that they would not have survived without the work of the land girls who are undervalued. I enjoyed how Laura worked for a profession which was considered a man's job and how she proved how strong and capable she is. Going over her bosses head to a higher authority to fight for what she believed. I think the story did get repetitive going over things that had already been explained. I loved little Sarah and her spirit. It's a cosy mystery with a light hearted romance in the mix. I had not worked out who the culprit was until it was revealed and the danger of bombs dropping from the war made my feelings heightened.

THE WARTIME VET (A Village at War Book #3) by Ellie Curzon is a captivating mash-up of a historical fiction book which includes a cozy mystery and sweet romance all intertwined. This book features a female vet during WWII who moves from Coventry to use her training to help with farm animals in the countryside as service to her country. This is the third book in this series, but it is easily read as a standalone story.

Veterinarian Laura Fellgate survived the devastating German blitz on Coventry and decides to work as a vet for farm animals in the countryside as service to her country. She ends up in the small town of Bramble Heath working with the local vet. Besides assisting with the farm animals, Laura trains the Land Girls on how to take care of their animal charges. It is the Land Girls who call Laura out several times when animals on several farms appear to be poisoned. When the vet she works for dismisses her fears, she goes over his head and writes to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Commander Alastair Seaton appears in Bramble Heath and lets Laura know he believes in her suspicions and the two begin to investigate not only the poisonings, but a fire set on one of the farms. As the saboteur escalates, so does the danger which brings Laura and Alastair personally closer too. Will they discover who is endangering the farms of Bramble Heath?

I really enjoyed this story. It is easy to read, has many interesting historical facts, an intriguing cozy mystery, and a touch of sweet romance. Though it does not shy away from dangers of the period with the descriptions of the Blitz, sabotage on the home front, and the “cracked nerves” (PTSD) suffered by soldiers. Both Laura and Alastair are survivors of tragedies and still healing but are also strong in the way they move forward by sharing and believing in each other even when they do not believe in themselves. All the main characters are fully developed and endearing, especially the young evacuee, Sarah. I am looking forward to going back and checking out the previous books in this series since I enjoyed this one so much.

I recommend this engaging historical fiction that is so much more and look forward to more books in this series.

I’ve read a lot of fiction set during WWII. I really enjoyed The Wartime Vet because it offers something a bit different than the books I’ve read in the past set during this time. I was gripped from start to finish. I didn’t want to stop reading. I wanted to know who was behind the attacks. My heart was in my throat as I read. The setting and characters really come to life. I felt transported back in time. I wasn’t overly impressed by the romantic elements to the story but I enjoyed everything else so much this didn’t put me off. The book is darker than I expected at times. I’d recommend this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and author Ellie Curzon for this ARC to read and review!

I enjoyed this one so much! It’s a nice twist on the typical WW2 setting! Part historical fiction & part cozy mystery with a dash of sweet romance mixed in ... it focuses on a female veterinarian (Laura) who moves to the English countryside to care for farm animals as part of the war effort to keep the food supply safe. Laura & Alastair had such a nice chemistry and the supporting characters are people that make this quiet little village a place you would like to visit … especially young Sarah and her kitten, Winnie. With short-ish chapters and a writing style that flows easily, this is a quick read that is both heartbreaking & heartwarming. A definite recommend for hist fic lovers!

There are 2 previous books in this series, but I had no trouble reading this as a stand alone. Books 1 & 2 are available on KU & I already have them downloaded & ready to go!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Publishing as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #Bookouture #TheWartimeVet #EllieCurzon #ThirdbookinAVillageatWarSeries

Title: The Wartime Vet
Author: Ellie Curzon
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: April 4, 2024

Themes: Women’s rights, war time, veterinary medicine
Trigger Warnings: misogyny, animal death and harm, medical, war

This book was a part of a series? I had no idea when I requested it from NetGalley. I just love books about animals and veterinary science. What I got was a compelling and emotional story of a brave woman in a world that was unwilling to accept her. I don’t feel like I missed anything by not reading the previous two books, but I’m very excited to read them.

The year is 1941 and Laura is a rural veterinarian in a small English village called Bramble.. She takes care of the farm animals and crops even though everyone tells her that she’s not suitable because she’s female. Who can guess how well that worked?! Laura is no shrinking violet and she will do what she has to do! When someone starts attacking local farms, Laura does what she can. Will it be enough?

This was an expected treat. I’m not usually a big reader or war fiction or of mysteries, but I enjoyed this one, which was both. I’m a veterinary professional myself and I love reading about animals and their care. The character of Laura was likable and well-established. It was easy to root for her and I quickly became emotionally invested. I can only imagine how attached to this village and its residents I will become when I’ve read the previous installments in this series. I loved the animals of course!

This was a treat to read and I have little criticisms to write about. None worth a mention. No reader will regret spending an afternoon in Bramble with Laura and her patients.

The Wartime Vet is the third book in the A Village at War trilogy and is about Laura who is a female vet that takes care of the farm animals during the war. This was such a great story that had amazing characters and the book had me turning pages till the very end. I highly enjoyed reading this historical fiction book and would highly recommend this book to other readers especially if they like historical fiction books. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC book in exchange of my honest review of The Wartime Vet.

Heartwarming,historical drama ,set during the war. We follow the life of a country vet,exploring areas of the war I wouldn't have thought of. A good read.

This was a great book by Ellie Curzon about Bramble Heath were Laura becomes a vet at the local practice.Things start to go wrong in Bramble Heath as things start to happen but knowing who is doing these things is a mystery.A farm is set in fire and Laura starts fetching water to put it out and save the farm animals. Could not put this book down.Thank you to Negslley and Bookouture.

Curzon masterfully captures the essence of Bramble Heath, portraying a community bound by the necessity of survival yet threatened from within. The mystery of who is sabotaging the village farms adds a thrilling layer of suspense, engaging the reader’s curiosity and concern for the village’s fate. The depiction of war’s impact on rural life, with the omnipresent danger of bombings and the critical importance of agriculture, is both educational and emotionally stirring.

The Wartime Vet honors the contributions of women in war, the bonds formed in the face of adversity, and the enduring power of hope and love. Curzon has crafted a memorable tale that not only entertains but also enlightens, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction and romance alike. With its richly drawn characters, evocative setting, and engaging plot, this book is a heartening and immersive journey back in time.