The Village Nurse: Book 1
Publication Date: May 24, 2024
Among the emerald hills of the Lake District sits the village of Thimblebury and Wordsworth Cottage, its garden bursting with wildflowers. It is the perfect place for village nurse Ottilie to make her brave new start…
Ottilie Oakcroft never thought she’d live in a place like Wordsworth Cottage. Nestled close to the river, her new home in the tiny village of Thimblebury means all her patients are just a stone’s throw from her front door. As they drop in for cups of tea and cosy chats she ignores all the jobs on her to-do list and gets to know her new neighbours.
Yet maybe keeping busy is just what Ottilie needs, even if she’s barely had a minute to unpack her suitcase. Heartbroken after the death of her husband Josh, as she offers advice and hot soup from her kitchen to the villagers who clearly need a helping hand, she starts to feel part of a community again.
But disaster strikes when a terrible storm causes the river to burst its banks and flood Ottilie’s ramshackle cottage. She has sunk every penny she has into what she’d hoped would be her forever home, and now she’s faced with the prospect of losing it.
But the villagers have other ideas. They can’t bear to lose Ottilie and they make a plan to save her house. Leading the effort is handsome Heath, and as he rolls up his sleeves to get involved in the repairs, he and Ottilie start to open up to each other. Ottilie tells him about her loss, and he shares the pain of a marriage that ended in heartbreak for him.
Ottilie hasn’t talked to anyone like this since Josh’s death and while it scares her, a tiny grain of hope begins to grow. Could Heath be the man to make her feel life is worth living again – not just for her patients, but for herself?
Following the sudden death of her husband, Ottilie Oakcroft seeks a new beginning in the picturesque village of Thimblebury where she will serve as a nurse.
Her journey unfolds within A Helping Hand for the Village Nurse. Author Tilly Tennan delivers a cast of charming characters. Their interactions bring the community to life as it welcomes Ottilie into the fold.
From the spunky old woman who experiences “funny turns” (dizzy spells) to a young, unwed pregnant girl, everyone blossoms under the care of the new nurse.
However, when flooding damages her cottage and she has no financial resources for repair, the story takes a turn as Ottilie prepares to leave. She soon discovers that the community she cares for also reciprocates that feeling but shows it in a different way.
A Helping Hand for the Village Nurse centers around healing a grieving heart by delivering not only another love interest but a village ready to help.
Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop girl, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing, graduating in 2009 with first class honours. She wrote her first novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and has not stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor, and considers herself very lucky that this enables her to read many wonderful books before the rest of the world gets them.
Tilly is represented by the wonderful, gorgeous Peta Nightingale at LAW.
