Bear with Me - Jessica Redland (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 08/09/2018

Author: Jessica Redland

Publisher: Little Bear Books

Year: 2017

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)

About the book:

Jemma has the job of her dreams as curator for the children’s section of a museum in London. She spends each day surrounded by the one thing she’s absolutely passionate about: teddy bears. When boyfriend, Scott, shows a genuine interest in her passion instead of laughing at her for “playing with teddies all day”, she knows he’s a keeper. 

Returning home to the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitsborough Bay to celebrate her birthday, Jemma thinks she’s heading for her happy-ever-after when Scott unexpectedly proposes. So, a few days later, why isn’t he returning her calls or responding to her texts? 

Julie has always been a wonderful single mother to Jemma and her little brother, Sean. As the owner of specialist teddy bear shop, Bear With Me, and the creative genius behind the successful range of Ju-Sea Bears, she inspires Jemma with her ability to balance a demanding career with home life. So why is the shop now in disarray and why is Sean so upset? 

Sam thought he had his future all worked out. With a promising neurology career, a home, and a devoted fiancée, life was looking good. But now he’s all alone in a strange city, far from everyone and everything he cares about, struggling to rebuild the tatters of his life. Did he do the right thing by running away? What does the future hold and is he strong enough to face it? 

Sometimes love finds us when we least expect it. But sometimes love leaves us, just as unexpectedly. When you’ve loved and lost, can you bear to let love in again? 

Bear With Me, as all will be revealed … 

My Review:

      I have always wanted to read a Jessica Redland book and as expected this was a heart-wrenching read making me whimper and smile. Jemma and Sam's lives are strangely connected by fate both of them experiencing the loss of their love at a similar time. The story follows both of their lives in Whitsborough Bay and later in London while they each follow their unmerging lives in different directions. Then just like all other romance stories, there comes that strange twist of fate that brings them together. Finding a common ground through her mother's illness, will both of them find the courage to love again?

      Well, in this vein this novel is utterly predictable or so you will think. There are predictable parts for sure, but Redland has cleverly concealed a touching surprise in the storyline too. Sorry, I can't ramble on it too much since I may give away the plot. Suffice to say that this is a story that touches your emotional chords and comfort you like the teddy bear that it's been named after. We are endowed with yet another story which proves that we could never guess what fate has in store for us unless we live our lives to the full.

Meet the author:

Jessica had never considered writing as a career until a former manager kept telling her that her business reports read more like stories and she should write a book. She loved writing but had no plot ideas. Then something happened to her that prompted the premise for her debut novel, Searching for Steven. She put fingers to keyboard and soon realised she had a trilogy and a novella!

She lives on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast – the inspiration for the settings in her books – with her husband, daughter, cat, Sprocker Spaniel, and an ever-growing collection of collectible teddy bears. Although if the dog has her way, the collection will be reduced to a pile of stuffing and chewed limbs!

Jessica tries to balance her time – usually unsuccessfully – between being an HR tutor and writing.

Social Media Links –
Twitter: @JessicaRedland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRedlandWriter/
Website and blog: http://www.jessicaredland.com