American Cassidy Beeswhistle loses her job so takes a chance and buys a pub in England. Her ancestors came from the village but lost their fortune due to gambling. She is horrified when she arrives to find the pub in a hideously run down condition. Can she fulfil her dream?
The Accidental Inheritance is a warm and uplifting novel about fresh starts, set in the English countryside.
After the death of her beloved father, Cassidy rummages through his papers and finds a file on family history. Her ancestors used to own a stately home in England but gambled it away. In a twist of fate, the local pub is currently up for sale so Cassidy sells up and moves country to try to start afresh for herself and her daughter. Her arrival causes a big shake up in the village and she instantly makes friends but also enemies.
I really liked Cassidy’s impulsive and hopeful outlook on life. She has struggled to build a career whilst being a single mum but now she sees an opportunity to change her family life for the better. However, she didn’t count on the condition of the pub and is frantic about her dwindling financial state. Luckily her new community band together to help but someone is intent on undermining her efforts.
I enjoyed the premise of the book and the use of family history to underpin the plot developments. At first I hoped Cassidy would fall in love with the wonderful vicar but sadly the passion isn’t there. It was clear that she and Ned clashing horns had the spark that she needs to find happiness but the path to love doesn’t run smoothly. He has a tragedy in his past and his sister is horrendous to Cassidy.
The Accidental Inheritance was a really lovely book and I found myself completely immersed in the plot and characters’ lives.
Book Description:
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…?
A heart-warming, laugh-out-loud story of home, friendship, family and finding love in the most unlikely of places. The perfect curl-up read for fans of Sarah Morgan, Milly Johnson and Jenny Colgan.
Author Bio:
Cate Woods made the most of her university degree in Anglo-Saxon Literature by embarking on a career making tea on programmes including The Big Breakfast, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and French & Saunders. After narrowly missing out on the chance to become a Channel 5 weather girl, she moved into the world of magazine journalism, then ghostwriting and now writes novels under her own name. She has written two best-selling romantic comedies – Just Haven’t Met You Yet and More Than a Feeling – and a festive novel, The Christmas Guest, under the name Daisy Bell. Cate lives in London with her husband and two children.
