Which changes are good and which aren’t?

Synopsis

Brand NEW from the bestselling author of The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts.

After escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.

But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly.

So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with.

But when a snow storm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village.

Can Belle realise her dreams to stay in Cranbridge and can Pete ever stop running from his past?

As they try to save The Black Swan Inn, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll finally find out how they really feel about each other.

My review

Belle Clarke is staying with her aunt and uncle at The Black Swan since years ago her parents split up. Their constant fighting made her run to Cranbridge and she has found her peace now.
However, the Inn isn’t the most popular place around and her aunt and uncle constant fighting and the cooking isn’t helping to seduce customers to come to the place again. But Belle wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, as she truly feels at home.
But the Inn is losing money, and a buyer needs to be found very quickly! And on a drunk night, Pete Kennedy, back home after working abroad, decides that buying the place would be just perfect.
While this would be a perfect solution, Pete’s and Belle’s ideas of how renovating the place couldn’t be more different…
Will these two people, who once were best of friends, find a way to make Belle’s dream realize and make it possible for Pete to stop running from a secret he has been keeping for too long?

Before I start with my review, I have one question for the author… How on earth do you manage to write such wonderful stories taking place in a village I want to move to????

Isn’t it usual that one someone is adamant that love is not in store for her, it comes in a way and form of an unexpected person?
And in Belle’s case, I understood why she wouldn’t want to fall in love. not only did her parents do a crappy job during their marriage but also her aunt and uncle aren’t the best example of a loving couple.
Because of her past, she is not happy with changes, even if she knows that something has to change because otherwise the Inn will be a total lost cause.

And when Pete’s returns, it’s obvious that there is some history between them, but also it’s obvious that Pete is carrying a secret with him, which made him leave Cranbridge and return as little as possible.

Belle and Pete couldn’t have more different characters, visions or ideas. And I had the best of time reading them bickering all the time, clashing over every proposal made by one of them.
But it was also lovely to see how the attraction between them starting to grown, and feelings that maybe started in the past and thought gone, are still there.

I found this a marvellous next chapter in the Riverside Lane. The main characters are not only struggling with being under the same roof, but they want make a difference somehow. Pete initially starts as wanting to help out Belle but the further along in the story, he sees how much of a bigger and important help he can be to the village.
And Belle realizes that holding on to the past is stopping you from living your life at the full. Change can be a frightful thing, but it doesn’t mean that it’s always a bad thing. Sometimes all we need is a little nudge in our back to see how things can change for the better.

I loved reading every bit of this story, showing us that change can be good, taking in account all the aspects of the place and see what the right change would be and what would be the wrong thing to do.
And where can I see for available houses so that I can move there ASAP????