New Beginnings At Wildflower Lock (Wildflower Lock #1) by Hannah Lynn

ABOUT THE BOOK

New starts and hopeful hearts…

At 25, Daisy May’s life is not living up to expectations. Her childhood dreams of being an artist feel as unachievable as a committed relationship or managing to save enough money for a deposit on a house. But a surprise inheritance could change all that.

After Daisy learns she’s now the new owner of a forty-foot narrow boat, she sets out for Wildflower Lock, where the fresh country breeze and the calm water is enough to assure her everything will be okay.

With the help of the ruggedly attractive, yet grumpy riverman, Theo, she begins to work on her new home, the September Rose Can she breathe new life into the old boat and learn to navigate not only the canals themselves, but also the people who live there? Or will the whole venture pull her under?

MY REVIEW

I love this sweet story about a woman finding her place in life while following her dream. Add in a boat that needs fixin’ up, a friendly, hot next-door neighbor who lends her an ear, and a regrettable secret that her mom kept hidden from her for years, and you get a wonderful adventure at Wildflower Lock.

Daisy May is in limbo. She’s trying to find a job she doesn’t despise and a happy place to come home to. She didn’t expect to inherit a broken-down boat from a grandfather she did not know. I mean what did she know about boating? With some help from Theo who owns the boat moored next to her, and support from her best friends Bex and Claire, she gains confidence that she can flip this boat and sell it for a good price. However, her personal life goes to shit and she has found out her mother has lied to her all of her life about her absent father. It’s bad enough she felt like a failure when her ex left her and she dropped out of college, but my heart broke for Daisy when she discovered her life was not all it seemed and she missed out on so much love. In the end, the boating life was better than Daisy hoped and, with her artistic skills and some brainstorming, she may be able to live the life she always wanted.

I was fascinated with the lock systems and I adored the friendly people on the river and understood why Daisy felt like she belonged.

There is an attraction and budding friendship between Theo and Daisy with a surprising meet cute at the beginning, but their relationship is complicated and their future is left to the imagination at the end. As for Daisy’s relationship with her mother, Pippa, Daisy can’t stay mad forever, but it’s clear that her mother deserves to feel bad for what she did to her daughter. Personally, I would have made Pippa stew in her misery much longer.

I highly recommend this delightful and moving story with a compelling protagonist who finds her home in the most unexpected of places.

Thank you to Ms. Lynn for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Wildflower Lock Series

1. New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock (2023)
2. Coffee and Cake at Wildflower Lock (2024)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Lynn is the author of over twenty books spanning several genres. As well as signing a new romantic fiction series, Boldwood will be republishing the first of her bestselling Sweet Shop series, inspired by her Cotswolds childhood, The Sweet Shop of Second Chances in April 2023.