Book Review: New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock, by Hannah Lynn

About the Book, New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (July 14, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 280 pages

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?

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About the Author, Hannah Lynn

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.

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My Thoughts

As someone who as always fantasized about living on a boat, this book hooked me from the start. Why? Because twenty-five-year-old Daisy May, heartbroken wannabe artist, inherits a forty-foot narrow boat in the books’s beginning, and afterward, a delightful story full of hope and hijinks, ensues.

First, there are the realities of inheriting and renovating a boat – not something you can do when you don’t have much money. Then there are her good friends Becks and Claire, who support her, encourage her, help her clean out the boat, and keep her laughing even when she’s receiving yet another bill she has to pay. And then there’s the handsome guy, Theo, who has the boat in the next mooring.

What I loved about this story was that there was humor even in the worst calamaties. I also appreciated that, even with every thing thrown at her, Daisy never gives up. Whether it’s people complaining that she’s leaving things in the path as she cleans, or threaten her because of unreasonable noise after an impromptu dance party, Daisy doesn’t walk away. Her sheer stubbornness makes her interesting and endearing, and also represents one of her flaws. I like characters who aren’t perfect.

I also liked that the exposition of Daisy’s family history – her deceased father, her tight-lipped mother, and the grandfather who left her the boat – came out organically rather than in a single info-dump. Backstory is important, but getting it through conversations and actions is much better than having it presented as a lump, and making it seem natural is a skill not every author has.

I liked the use of dialogue and dialect to differentiate the local rivermen and -women from city girls like Daisy, something I appreciated in print and really enjoyed in the audio version of this novel.

Overall, New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock is a breezy summer read that does not disappoint. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

Goes well with: pop music, water color paints, and cold beer.