Old Love by Nancy J Hedin is a mystery romance and is the story of Mary Caine, a woman of almost sixty, who has remained in her home town her whole life. She is heavily involved in the town’s Midsummer Carnival and hopes that her mother will return with the Carnival after having abandoned her as a child. Her one true love, Sadie, has returned to the town and Mary hopes to rekindle the feelings they once had for each other. When two bodies are found at the lake, Sadie is somehow thought to be involved and Mary must clear her name and save the festival from ruin. She also finds the softer side of her nature by helping some local teens, and begins to see the chance of a new life.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Once I got into the story and warmed to Mary, I could see why she became the woman she was. It made sense. She was kind and caring, and despite her own difficulties over the years, she had become a vital part of her community. She was the centre of the town and they all relied on her. The mystery of who the bodies were and why they were there made for a fascinating mystery. There was depth and some surprises along the way.
But Mary didn’t do it all on her own. The characters around her were beautifully written and not just the human ones. We saw Mary grow as she interacted with the teenagers she decided to help – and her pet crow was wonderful and so important to the story.
Cons And Heads Up
The main character took a couple of chapters to grow on me, but I’m so glad I kept going, as it was worth it.
There’s one instance of nasty homophobia from a minor character.
The Conclusion
I enjoyed seeing how Mary changed over the course of the book. She started off being very stuck in her ways and tight-fisted, but as she tried to solve the mystery to save Sadie, we see a different side to her. The character development is superb, and I loved the warm community feel that grew as the story progressed. A really good mystery, with a second-chance romance.
Excerpt from Old Love by Nancy J Hedin
Now Sadie had returned to take a job as the new high school superintendent. That gossip both excited and scared the hell out of Mary. There was plenty of hell left in Mary, but she had felt a quart low since the news and didn’t know if her heart could take seeing Sadie again. That wasn’t exactly it. Her heart would sing to see Sadie again, but it would stop, frozen in her chest, if Sadie left again.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9781642472318
Publisher: Bella Books
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