Gina Moss is proud of herself: she's just had the most amicable divorce ever. No arguments, no fuss, no drama. It means she has plenty of time and energy for her thriving childminding business too.
Welcome Cottage is both home and workplace for Gina. It sits just on the edge of The Evergreens - a grand if slightly run-down Victorian residence to three octogenarians who have far too much fun for their age: Violet, Delphine and Bing.
But a tragedy puts her older friends at risk of eviction - and Gina in charge of the battle to save them. It might be her first fight, but it's one that Gina is determined not to lose...
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Many thanks to Orion via NetGalley for my copy of A Patchwork Family - Part One: Moving On to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Moving On is the first part in a new series from Cathy Bramley called A Patchwork Family and what a gorgeous introduction it was. This brief story really set the scene and introduced to what I feel will be a wonderful and heart-warming book overall. Cathy has this unique ability to instantly make you feel at home within the story and you become easily immersed within all the goings on. Not to mention the stunning and colourful cover for this part which is so attractive and makes you want to dive into the story. This is an uplifting, cosy and warm read which shows great potential for what is in store for us in the three parts still to come and I loved every minute of it.
Gina Moss has literally just been granted her divorce from Eric and although they parted on amicable terms it is still a shock filled with sadness that her relationship has come to an end now that everything is official. For the last two years she has felt in a kind of limbo waiting for that final nail in the coffin and now that it has happened she feels she is ready to move on with the next stage of her life. What direction that should take she is not sure of yet but she is happy that she can no longer be railroaded into things or have decisions made for her by Eric. Gina is out on her own and it feels refreshing and new that she has total control over her own life although there is always that slight hesitancy that how can I do things without support from someone else. Whatever choices she makes, she knows the consequences are completely up to her to deal with be they good or bad.
Gina lives in Welcome Cottage where she runs a child-minding service. She is a qualified teacher but she feels happier out of the constraints of the classroom and running things her own way. Her cottage is part of the Evergreen estate owned by Violet who lives in the big house alongside long term friends Delphine and Bing who are advancing in their years. It may seem like an unusual set up but it works for everybody. Gina is so kind, caring and considerate. She is a lovely character who you warm to instantly. I loved all the descriptions of the children she minds and the activities they get up to and it's evident she loves what she is doing but at the back of her mind is that niggling feeling that with a new start in life around the corner that maybe the time is ripe for expansion. But how can she go about this given she is only renting the cottage? She comes up with a good plan for this to possibly come to fruition but before plans can be put in place an event happens which alters everything.
I felt so bad for Gina that just when she was on the verge of something positive, beneficial and worthwhile happening in her life than her hopes are crushed. Not to mention this also affecting plenty of other people. But her fighting spirit and the belief she has in others get going and she decides she will want not stand for what is about to unfold. Gina loved helping all the various characters we met, and yes there was an awful lot of them, but I didn't become confused or feel they were introduced too quickly. It all felt so natural and that I was reading about friends that I had known for a long time. For those eagle eyed readers and long term fans of Cathy's brilliant books, they will spot many familiar characters from The Lemon Tree Cafe. It was wonderful to get to catch up with these characters again and I love how Cathy has done this with several of her books. It's a great way to see how characters you loved in the past are now getting on without the need for a full length book solely dedicated to them.
Gina has so much belief in everyone that you wish she could feel the same about herself. She is bubbly and positive but behind it all I sense there is a slight apprehension to want to do the same for herself as she does for others. But with a major turn of events maybe this will be the break she needs to just really go for it? Gina has avoided conflict for long and not stood up for herself but with no option only to fight for what she believes in she vows to try and stop what now seems like the inevitable. She needs to stand up strong ad fight for her home, business and the friends she loves so dearly.
Moving On ended very much on a cliffhanger and has me very excited for what is to come in part two Dreaming Big as this was packed full with a variety of interesting and vivid characters and I sense there is a lot more exploits and possibly some romance in store for Gina and co. I can already tell that Cathy Bramley is onto another winner with this new series and she really is an author who never lets you down.
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