One Last Spring

by Sian Ann Bessey

Wales, 1884 The quiet village of Llanwddyn has long been a safe haven for Gwen, a young Welsh country girl whose life has been fraught with tragedy. Following the untimely death of her parents, it was her aunt’s home in Llanwddyn that provided Gwen and her brother a refuge from their grief. Now, with the unwelcome news that the village is to be razed in the name of progress, an inescapable wave of change has begun. When her brother departs to follow his dream of sailing the high seas, Gwen is left alone to navigate the shifting world around her. She soon finds herself relying on the support of her brother’s best friend, Lewis, a gentle blacksmith whose kindness stirs her heart. Resigned to the fact that Lewis may never see her as more than a child, Gwen is soon swept off her feet by Thomas, a prosperous young Englishman. Torn between two men and two very different paths, Gwen has little time to determine what course her heart will follow. With time running out for her beautiful valley, will love come too late?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical, Clean Romance, Fiction, Historical Romance, Audiobook

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2015

About the author

Sian Ann Bessey was born in Cambridge, England, but grew up on the island of Anglesey off the coast of North Wales. She left her homeland to attend university in the U.S., where she earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in English.
She began her writing career as a student, publishing several magazine articles while still in college. Since then she has published historical romance and romantic suspense novels, along with a variety of children's books. She is a USA Today best selling author and a Whitney Award finalist.
Although Sian doesn't have the opportunity to speak Welsh very often anymore, she can still wrap her tongue around, "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch." She loves to travel and experience other cultures, but when she's home, her favorite activities are spending time with her family, cooking, and reading.

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 Stars) Gwen and her brother, Robert, live with their aunt in Wales--in a town soon to be destroyed. When Robert decides to go to sea, he asks his friend, Lewis, to keep an eye on Gwen. Gwen can't help but fall for him, but he just doesn't see her that way. Lewis is such a kind and gentle person--I couldn't help but like him, too.

I love that Gwen got to go away to school for a time and have those great experiences. She's a character in the process of being molded and is impressionable. She's a little skittish towards strangers, with good reason, but is very efficient, likable, and is always willing to help out.

When Gwen is needed back home, she makes sacrifices to do the right thing, and by doing so, meets Thomas. He's an Englishman and gradually worms his way into her heart. I really like how understanding and patient he is.

Through many events and circumstances beyond her control, Gwen discovers herself and her true place in life. Both the good times and the hard times helped shape her character. I enjoyed the journey this gentle read took me on and found myself satisfied with the way events played out (yay epilogue!).

Content: mild romance; mild violence (an attempted attack); nothing else of note. Clean!

*I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book. It was so easy for me to relate to the main character Gwen, one who is sentimental, stubborn, and has a difficult time adjusting to change. I love that she is an artist, sketching her changing village from her perch on the mountain. Her way of coping with life is admirable, to make each day meaningful in some small way, whether it's taking a moment to appreciate nature or helping someone in the community. Even though the book is not fast-paced, it was one that I wanted to take my time reading and enjoy every page as it steadily moved forward with Gwen's feelings of anxiety and conflict along her journey of transition. The Welsh setting and words were completely charming. Highly recommend!

(Thank you to Covenant Communications for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The village of Llanwddyn is going to be flooded so the people have a few years to relocate (while the dam is being built). Gwen and her brother, Robert, have lived with their Aunty Jane since their parents died. Robert is a seaman at heart and takes off to travel and have new adventures. He asked his best friend, Lewis, to watch over Gwen while he was gone.

Gwen and Lewis don't have much interaction at the beginning. They have polite conversations but that's about it. It also takes a while before Thomas enters the picture. It wasn't too difficult to figure out who she was in love with but it was interesting to see the differences between the men and what they each had to offer.

I fell in love with this book! It moved slowly at times, but I never lost interest. I was immersed in Gwen's life and what was going to happen next. There are some tragic moments that brought tears to my eyes and incredibly happy moments that brought a smile to my face.

I read the Author's Note at the end and wasn't surprised to learn that this novel was based on actual events. It's well researched and well written. If you enjoy clean historical fiction, this is a book you will want to read!

I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.

Mel's Shelves

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wraps around you like a warm blanket on a cold day. I loved it! It was gentle and lulling and full of warmth.

I love that this book was based on actual events of a village in Wales. It may seem like a relatively small event in the whole historical scheme of things, but for this one village it was the largest, hardest thing in their history. They literally had to pack up and move their whole village. Can you imagine?

Gwen is a sweet, gentle creature. She has never had the praise and emotional building up that children and teens crave as she was raised by a no nonsense aunt who was more prone to criticize with a sharp tongue. Gwen is lonely and a more solitary creature, especially after her brother leaves to follow his dream of adventure on the seas. She is intelligent and artistic and spends many hours drawing and thinking.

I loved the gentle progression of events in this book. It was like I sat in the pocket of the story while the events unfolded all around me. You really get a deep sense of community as the villagers come together to support and help each other, especially in times of need. It all felt so real and well defined to me. So well done. I really loved this book!

Content: Clean. No swearing or sexual content.

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books set in Wales or with characters from Wales are always a draw for me. This book is set about 10 years before my Great Grandmother left Wales with her mother and immigrated to the United States.

The book deals with change. The town of Llandwddyn is about to be leveled and moved to another location. A dam will be built that will cover the town. The main character's, Gwen, brother has just left to follow his dream. He has always wanted to work on a ship and see new places. Gwen has a hard time adjusting to new things. She is resistant to change. This book looks at her life during a hard time period.

This book is beautifully written. It is easy to relate to and like the characters. I love the reflective nature of the book. I felt as if I could see the area she described and get a feel for the culture and people.

This is a clean historical romance.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable gentle historical fiction romance.

Content: Squeaky clean

[Donna Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT IT'S ABOUT
The quiet village of Llanwddyn has long been a safe haven for Gwen, a young Welsh country girl whose life has been fraught with tragedy. Following the untimely death of her parents, it was her aunt's home in Llanwddyn that provided Gwen and her brother a refuge from their grief. Now, with the unwelcome news that the village is to be razed in the name of progress, an inescapable wave of change has begun.

When her brother departs to follow his dream of sailing the high seas, Gwen is left alone to navigate the shifting world around her. She soon finds herself relying on the support of her brother's best friend, Lewis, a gentle blacksmith whose kindness stirs her heart. Resigned to the fact that Lewis may never see her as more than a child, Gwen is soon swept off her feet by Thomas, a prosperous young Englishman. Torn between two men and two very different paths, Gwen has little time to determine what course her heart will follow. With time running out for her beautiful valley, will love come too late?

MY TAKE
This is a slow-moving, somewhat bittersweet tale. It takes its time getting Gwen old enough to really be part of a romance, but it's a tender one. It shows both sides of a story based on something that happened in real live.

[Valerie L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a fun read. Only 3 starts because of the predictability and simplicity of the story - but with that said, I found it a very warm and beautiful story.

[Sara Cardon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gwen lives in a charming Welsh town in 1884--a town told will be underwater once the Liverpool dam is built. It's upsetting to Gwen to watch the dam being built and to experience the changes looming from what this brings. New workers who speak English, families who move, and knowing she'll never visit places that mean so much to her.

The pacing on this story is perfect--thoughtful, slow--just like the progress of the dam being built, slowly bringing irreversible change. Her perspective on the dam also changes, and we see how this will ultimately improve lives.

The Welsh community is wonderful to get to know. The relationships Gwen develops are tight knit and meaningful. I enjoyed the culture, the history, the characters, and a well told story.

[Maria Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, clean little romance. Not too much angst despite the love triangle aspect. And really there isn't a whole lot in the way of romance situations. She doesn't spend that much time with either of the guys. I was surprised that even though I knew who she should marry I was kinda rooting for the other guy for a while. (They were both good guys). But then we met his mother and that ended that feeling.

The author's note at the end was interesting. It seems amazing that the best option for a dam requires moving an entire community including the cemetery and all its occupants. But by the end of the book I was convinced that it was for the greater good.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing look at the lives of the people in a small village--
Their passions, work, loves, heartaches, friendships, triumphs, and trials.
And what happens when a whole town sacrifices everything they have to help another area thrive.

I absolutely LOVED IT!
Be sure to read the end comments from the author--they really increase the specialness of this book!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book over all was good. I liked the story. Wish there was a little more romance. It was very slow at first, but after awhile it did pick up and I did enjoy it.
There are some sad parts that made me cry and made my heart drop, but then there are parts that make you smile and make you sigh. If you can get pass the slow part it is a good book

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why does this book have such a high rating? It was sooo boring. Nothing ever happens and when something does happen, the author just sums it up. There's hardly any dialogue or story unfolding for the reader. Too much tell, not enough show.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice book that grew on me as it progressed. It started slowly, but it was eventually able to engage me.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This takes place in Wales in about 1884 - Gwen and her brother are living in a beautiful village with their aunt after the death of their parents. But a company from London is coming in and building a dam to be able to provide water for those in London - but in order for that to happen, workers come in and work on the dam all week then come into the village and get drunk and can cause some problems and uncomfortable situations. Quite a good story with a variety of emotions and experiences as Gwen tries to educate herself; depend upon her brother's best friend, Lewis, to help her; the struggles she has with her aunt; then her brother goes off to sea; she meets an architect working on the dam that enlightens her with a trip to London and what it is like there without good, clean water. A fascinating story that shows how sacrifices need to be made for the greater good of someone/something else on down the line. I really enjoyed this story and many times felt quite a bit of empathy for Gwen and her roller coaster of experiences. I love the way the story ended.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gwen is a young Welsh girl whose town of Llanwddyn is going to be flooded by a reservoir. She draws the dam's progression from her safe haven on a boulder. She goes through many hardships in her young life, but she also seeks out the positive. Her parents died from a measles epidemic, but she remembers the love and happiness they shared. Her brother, Robert, decides to set sail for India, and she remembers how he always wanted to be the captain when they played as children. Robert's best friend, Lewis, keeps tabs on Gwen to make sure she is safe and taken care of while Robert is at sea. Also, Thomas, the overseer of the dam, begins to form a friendship with Gwen. I like that this book is a glimpse of Welsh and English history as well as a romance and a coming-of-age novel. Gwen and her people are lovable and fun to spend some time with.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book overall, and I liked the descriptions of the village and the characters, but I felt that the story didn't go deep enough. The characters are told that their village must be flooded for the good of needy children in Liverpool, and that may have been the case, but I felt that the characters accepted everything too quickly, too passively. Perhaps this is what really happened, but as the reaction to the flooding of Capel Celyn in the 1950s and 1960s showed, there were probably people who saw it as anti-Welsh racism and who protested more than the small amount shown. I would have liked to see more pushback, but all of that seems to have happened offstage between the Prologue and Chapter 1. Not a bad book, but not the book I was hoping to read.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! There is a predictable sweet romance in it, but Sian Ann Bessey also provides a rich background with history and geography of a time and place I knew little about. I loved looking up the country of Wales on the map and learning more geography. Learning about how a small Welsh village gave up everything they owned for the good of a faraway English city was enlightening. The Vyrnwy Dam is something I've never heard of before but was a spectacular engineering feat. I feel that Sian Ann attempts to maintain historical accuracy and rightly so because the story of a disappearing Welsh village is the story of her very own ancestors.

[Dorry Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the fact that this book was written from history of the authors father. It was about the building of the Vyrnwy Dam and how a whole village would have to move as water would completely cover the area when it was finished. It was a story of a girl & her brother who moved to this village to live with an Aunt when their parents were killed. The brother goes to live his dream and much of the story is how Gwen, the young Welsh girl adapts to the changes in her life, the 2 men involved and how the village people prepare to leave.

[GG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sian Ann Bessey writes some of the best characters. I loved both Gwen and Lewis. The side characters, Thomas, Roland, Aunt Jane, and many more gave real life to the sad reality of Llanwddyn. Therein lies my problem. So many sad events happened that Gwen would barely recover from one before something else happened. The story slows down in some spots and there are a couple of throwaway scenes meant to add character. Since Ms. Bessey based this on a true family story it is even sadder. There is a very welcome HEA and epilogue.

[Danielle Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent writing and clean

Sian does a wonderful Job telling a story.

I cried, itt felt so real. The overwhelming sadness of Gwennie felt so real and believable. But overall a heart lifting love story. All the misunderstandings were so realistic and not contrived unlike many novels where you just roll your eyes at the misunderstandings seeming to be added just to create drama in the Novel. Three were all believable.

Fantastic story, definately worth reading.

[Dari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I’ve read every one of her books available at library, I can, without a doubt, say Sian Bessey is one of my greatest discoveries of 2024. This book showcases everything I love about Bessey’s work: lovable protagonist, captivating historical plots, encompassing imagery.

As for One Last Spring itself, it reminded me of Anne of Green Gables and Larkrise to Candleford, but of course with its own unique elements as well.

[Lynette Winterton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving this one a 5 star rating. It's a story of a people and their community based on events that truly occurred. The story without the hint of romance could stand on its own. The characters were well filled out for as short as the book is. It gave me insight and added imagery to an event that would truly be devastaing to a people in a tightly knit, old Welsh village. I loved it

[Daisy Dandelion · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story of loss and love

Sian Ann Bessey has woven a historical occasion and woven it into a gripping story.

Ten years is a long time to anticipate the loss of a beloved village where Gwen lives, where she has a life with people she cares about, and where her parents are buried.
This is a beautiful fictional story about a true event.
Highly recommend

[Ticia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and mildly engaging. The story was a bit slow but also jumped from one heart wrenching event to the next. Gwen never had a chance to recover or get her bearings before the next thing happened. At the same time, everything would be fine for a page or two, then bam. Hard to explain my frustration. Worth the read though.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the authors note at the back that talked about how the town and the dam really existed and were from her family history. I thought that was really neat. It was a great story with romance on top of the interesting history.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, slow-paced, and heartwarming, this romance set in a small Welsh town grew on me like a sunrise. I have Welsh ancestry, and that helped me connect with the characters and story. There was nothing grand about this book, but it's still a gem.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like it was very similar to "Anne of Green Gables." Gwen and Lewis grow up together, leave their homes, and then come back to where they belong. I would have loved to hear the Welsh language they spoke, and to know the quaint town of Llanwddyn.

[Sal4gal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clean, sweet, Christian book. Just my style! Yes, I was invested in the characters. My husband’s family also lost their farmland to a reservoir project; I hope that they were able to see the long term benefit.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love a good author's note telling what was real in a historical fiction. And someday maybe I will visit this historic dam and see some of the places my mom lived when she served a mission years ago.