New beginnings that will bring new realizations…

Synopsis

New beginnings don’t always mean painful endings . . .

A fabulous, timeless story of friendship set in Devon from bestselling author Jennifer Bohnet.

As time ebbs and flows over the summer both Katie Teague and her godmother Mattie Cranford discover their lives are at a crossroads

Mattie shackled to the family wool shop for over 50 years, feels life has passed her by. She dreams of seeing the world and shaking off a lifetime of regrets.

When Katie is made redundant, Mattie seizes the moment and asks Katie to move back to her home town of Dartmouth and breathe new life into the rundown wool shop and to her surprise Katie agrees.

As Katie settles back into the rhythm of Devon life and renovating the shop, Mattie sets off on a luxury cruise.

But the arrival of Katie’s ex-boyfriend with an unexpected dream job offer threatens to unsettle the calm waters.

Will she sacrifice the shop and Mattie’s happiness – or her own career?

Previously published as Shadows of Conflict

My review

Katie Teague accepts the offer of her godmother Mattie Cranford to return to Dartmouth after being made redundant. Mattie wants Katie to take over the family wool shop, as Mattie knows that it’s time for a change and the shop for sure needs a breath of fresh air.
Katie herself never thought of running the wool shop, yet quickly she discovers the joy she feels while renovating the place.
Meanwhile Mattie decides to go on a luxury cruise, discovering the world she only dreamt about discovering.
But is the wool shop enough for Katie to stay in Dartmouth, and will Mattie be ever able to overcome the heartbreak she endured as a child after losing her beloved sister? 

Well, Jennifer Bohnet did it again! I found myself totally submerged into this story, finding it almost impossible to put it away. 

The story started rather slowly, but that only gave the perfect chance to let the readers comprehend the current state of the characters better. And before I knew, the slowness completely disappeared. 

When Katie is made redundant, she isn’t exactly jumping for joy to return to Dartmouth. But when there aren’t any jobs available, she decides to go visit her godmother Mattie.
I could understand her reluctance of taking over the wool shop, because let’s be honest, it doesn’t really sound like the most exciting job for Katie, especially as her former job absolutely was. 

The love between Katie and Mattie is palpable from the pages, even if they are only godmother and goddaughter. Katie is the daughter Mattie would dream of having, and the feeling for sure is mutual. And it made sense that Mattie would want Katie to be in charge of the store. 

We see how slowly Katie realizes that Dartmouth is exactly giving her what she needs. She finds herself more and more invested in not only the wool shop but in the whole community. She rekindles old friendships, and being back ‘home’ makes her rethink about her past life and career. Was it truly all that amazing and was her relationship truly that steadfast, especially she sees how her boyfriend Patrick is behaving?  

And then there is Mattie’s tale. Because yes, we get two stories for the price of one, what a bargain! She was just a child during the war, yet the loss of her sister in the aftermath made Mattie dislike anything linked to the war, and made her dislike Americans in general. 

She never left Dartmouth and now she starts to realize that it’s rather now or never. And what better way to do it ‘now’ than go n a luxury cruise!
I found it truly sweet to see how Mattie is stepping out of her comfort zone, enjoying the luxury, and making new friends. Well, especially one new friend, Henri… 

With Katie coming back home, and Mattie going away from home, we can see the same shift in their lives but from a different starting point.
Katie learns that perhaps what she was missing in her life may have been closer than expected. And that returning to your roots may be exactly what she needs.
And Mattie learns that sometimes distance (literally and figuratively speaking) may put everything in perspective and can heal a broken heart. 

I have to say, that the historical bit was an unknown part for me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t grasp the hurt it caused Mattie but also the importance to others. And I liked it how the author managed to turn something horrible for Mattie into something that would offer her comfort and peace. 

I loved reading this book about new beginnings, not for one but for two lovely characters. A story where old acquaintances and new ones show the main characters and us too, that starting again isn’t that scary at all, as long as we follow what our hearts are telling us. And that stepping outside our comfort zone may offer so much more than we thought possible. But also returning to our comfort zone may give us exactly that!