Reviewed by Emma Crowley
A surprise inheritance. A hostile lord of the manor. A chance at a new beginning…?
When Cassidy Beeswhistle loses her job and her boyfriend within seconds of each other, it’s time for a change. Discovering her beloved late father’s connection to a tiny English village, it seems like the perfect place to start again. Especially because there’s a secret ‘lost deed’, which – if found – would return the village’s gorgeous manor house to its rightful heir: Cassidy…
On arrival in Dithercott, Cassidy is blown away by the rolling hills and glittering lake, and the local villagers welcome her with open arms – all of them but one, that is… The current lord of the manor, Ned Bamford-Bligh, is tall and fiendishly attractive with his olive skin and jet-black hair, but he is also gruff and standoffish – and he has no interest in entertaining the new girl in the village; especially one who is potentially after his home, with its ivy-covered turrets and sprawling gardens.
Despite Ned’s frosty welcome, Cassidy is drawn to his piercing, hazel-eyed glare and she’s determined she is to uncover the demons that keep him locked away behind the manor’s imposing stonework. Before she knows it, an undeniable spark builds between them…
Just as Cassidy is feeling at home in Dithercott – and in the arms of Ned – he shows up on her doorstep clutching an old roll of parchment. Is this the discovery she’s been waiting for? And if it is, will its contents bring Ned and Cassidy closer together, or push them apart…?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Accidental Inheritance to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Cate Woods is a new author to me and I have to admit it was the gorgeous cover that first drew my attention to this book. It’s so bright and inviting that it makes to delve in straight away and with an intriguing title my interest was certainly piqued. Well, all I can say is that The Accidental Inheritance was an absolute delight from start to finish. It had a strong storyline throughout that had this reader rooting for a positive outcome for Cassidy and her young daughter Nora following a spur of the moment life changing decision. The characters, the setting and the plot were all so perfect and cliched as it may sound this really was a warm hug of a book that would brighten anyone’s day. The cover alone would be enough to do that.
Cassidy Beeswhistle regularly makes spontaneous, important life changing decisions on a whim which lead her to question her choices and none more so than when she buys a village pub, The Beeswhistle Inn, in the English village of Dithercott. OK, so plenty of people do this or at least we see people in reality shows on tv do this but having been born and bred in America buying a pub in a different country that you have never been to really is a different ball game. Cassidy had convinced herself that the move would be the answer to her daughter Nora’s unhappiness at school and her own personal problems.This seemed a bit radical to me but as Cassidy mentions herself, the inn ‘had shone out to her like a beacon of hope in the middle of a dark and desolate night’. Cassidy quits her job at a restaurant where she had been a talented chef, yet she hadn’t made any real progress on the career ladder and soon both herself and Nora find themselves in a new country where she hopes she will be finally able to build a future. Little does she realise that the images on the internet of the inn in all its resplendent glory are far from reality and the pair arrive to find that the inn is a complete disaster zone nowhere near fit for starting a successful business that was supposed to change their lives in a positive way.
I felt desperately sorry for Cassidy, she had been duped in a big way and the rug definitely pulled out from under her. The village itself and the descriptions of it were just fabulous with timbered cottages, a medieval church, beautiful flowers and the quintessential geese wandering on the green and also Dithercott Manor - the Beeswhistle ancestral home in the background. This was in such stark contrast with what Cassidy was facing and to say she faced a uphill battle would be an understatement but I admired how she pulled her sleeves up and set to work. She wasn’t going to admit defeat especially considering how she came to be there was connected back to something she discovered in her late Dad’s possessions. I loved this element of the story and how it tied into Ned’s story, the current resident of the manor.
Cassidy has plans to turn the inn into a gastropub and she has the knowledge and where with all to do this but soon events taken on a slightly sinister turn with unexpected and unexplained things happening culminating in an event that really anyone else would have just said that’s it I’ve had enough I’m off but I think Cassidy wasn’t ready and didn’t want to admit that she was potentially a failure. Despite what locals Ian and Bettina and Sophie Bamford Bligh believe about Cassidy and the Beeswhistle Inn I just wanted to applaud Cassidy and support her and urge her on because there is always light at the tunnel and even when the chips are down one must always keep moving forward and strive to reach your goal.
When Cassidy learns of a possible inheritance connected to Beeswhistle Manor from Ron and Dale at the Buttered Crumpet, the local café, a new strand of the story opens up. Although it’s not the sole focus of the book, rather it’s nicely balanced with Cassidy’s own personal journey to get the inn up and running. What she learns does linger in Cassidy’s mind and brings her into contact with Ned and when she first encounters him over an issue with Nora, things do not get off to a good start. Ned comes across as rude, coarse, arrogant, abrupt and unfriendly. When we learn of his story you do understand why in a small way but it’s no excuse for how he treated Cassidy upon their first meeting. She finds him surly and infuriating. Yet when she speaks to some of the new friends she has made she learns not to take Ned at face value that once he was full of fun and laughter and gave everything he could to the village but his circumstances changed. You can see there is a slight stirring of feelings from Cassidy for Ned but is it reciprocated or is she just better off keeping going with her plans for the inn even if plenty of sabotage seems to be afoot?
I’ve read so many books on the lighter ends of the women’s fiction genre and at some point they do become a bit mundane and run of the mill and dare I say it predictable. But I found this engaging story to be the total opposite. The author kept the reader guessing until the last possible moment and to be honest given all the unsettling events thrown in Cassidy’s direction I questioned whether she would have been better off just throwing in the towel, admitting defeat and subsequently scuttling back to America with her tail between her legs? But Cassidy, is an admirable character and despite all the trials and tribulations she goes through and the storms she attempts to weather you are rooting for her from beginning to end and applauding her courage and tenacity to peruse a dream that at times seems very far from reach.
The Accidental Inheritance was a fabulous read and I adored every minute of it. I could have kept reading for many more chapters as I was so caught up in everything. Admittedly, I did find the ending a bit abrupt given how well the plot had been developed I didn’t want things to conclude so suddenly and I found a little bit more development was needed. I sincerely hope this is not the last that I will read of these characters and the brilliant setting as I feel there are many more stories to be told with perhaps the introduction of new characters, the continuation of Cassidy’s story or maybe focusing on a character mentioned in the story who didn’t get much time centre stage. Anyway, I have my fingers crossed that there will be more tales from Dithercott but in the meantime I urge you not to let this little gem of a book pass you by. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
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