Review of 'The Riverside Maid' by AnneMarie Brear

Review of 'The Riverside Maid' by AnneMarie Brear

Release date: March 20th, 2025

Publisher: Boldwood Books

REVIEW

What an enthralling rags to riches story by AnneMarie Brear! I adored The Riverside Maid more than I can express. And although I enjoyed the previous two instalments of this Waterfront Women series, this by far is the best in my opinion and therefore my absolute favourite.

This novel centres around Felicity (Fliss) Atkins who was an orphan until her aunt and uncle took her in to their home. After she grows up she works in her uncle’s pub, The Bay Horse Inn, and proves her capability and love for the business. Her uncle adores her but her aunt is very unkind and controlling and her cousin Gerald is spiteful and treats her with contempt, verbally and physically. But she has her loving best friends, Meg and Lorrie who provide wonderful support as needed but her time with them is limited. When she meets surveyor Oscar Nolan, her life takes a little change. They are attracted to each other and Fliss begins to dream of the possibilities. He has an adventurous spirit and kind heart and his positive influence helps her believe she could have a happier life. But then disaster strikes and everything is turned on its head. There are some unexpected surprises and Fliss is put in a position of making some big decisions. The rest of the story is quite a tumultuous and, at times, exciting ride for this young woman who faces many challenges. But each of these mountains she must climb take her a bit higher and help her to become stronger in mind and spirit. She is a hard worker, resilient and unstoppable.

I plunged into this story head first but my heart became fully engaged after a few pages. Once I started, I literally could not stop reading and I could not go to sleep until I swiped the last page. I truly cared about Fliss, Oscar, Uncle Terry, Meg, Lorrie and even Aunt Hilda by the end. They all played some important roles in Fliss’s life and development. And Fliss’s best friends, added both encouraging and tense moments! There were lots of twists and turns in their lives and I was hanging on to threads at times! AnneMarie’s riveting words took my heart on quite a tumultuous journey! But I am so glad I read this lovely story. It was like curling up under your most comfortable blanket after a hard day’s work. I just drifted off to the setting and became quickly absorbed in the drama, loves and futures of these special characters. The plot was well executed and the enemy of the story, Fliss’s cousin Gerald, was vicious to the core. My heart ached for her with the abuse she endured from his wicked hands. But without giving anything away, l was glad that Fliss won some victories and to watch her grow from a timid girl to a strong woman was so uplifting. She had her trials but battled them fiercely.

This is an inspirational story (with a bit of delicious mystery!) of hope and love after a time of trials and tremendous loss. Beautifully written, it just floats along like a movie. The Riverside Maid is a seriously great feel-good story that does not ignore the messiness of life but offers a wished-for happy ending. Thanks to AnneMarie for making such positive choices for her characters. An absolute joy to read and a book I definitely recommend! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for a review copy.