The Winter Companion - Review

The Winter Companion (Parish Orphans of Devon, # 4)

By: Mimi Matthews

Expected Publication: February 11th 2020 by Perfectly Proper Press

? pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--A winter reunion for the orphans brings romance for Neville Cross in Book 4 of Mimi Matthews' USA Today bestselling Parish Orphans of Devon series.

She Needed to be Seen...

As a lady’s companion, Clara Hartwright never receives much attention from anyone. And that’s precisely how she likes it. With a stormy past, and an unconventional plan for her future, it’s far safer to remain invisible. But when her new employer is invited to a month-long holiday at a remote coastal abbey, Clara discovers that she may not be as invisible as she'd hoped. At least, not as far as one gentleman is concerned.

He Wanted to be Heard...

Neville Cross has always been more comfortable with animals than people. An accident in his youth has left him with a brain injury that affects his speech. Forming the words to speak to his childhood friends is difficult enough. Finding the right things to say to a lovely young lady’s companion seems downright impossible. But Miss Hartwright is no ordinary companion. In fact, there may not be anything ordinary about her at all.

During a bleak Devon winter, two sensitive souls forge an unexpected friendship. But when Clara needs him most, will Neville find the courage to face his fears? Or is saying goodbye to her the most heroic thing he can do?

I wasn't sure what direction Mimi Matthews would go in The Winter Companion. I liked Neville's character what little we see of him in the prior books of the series. I almost felt protective of him in a weird way. So I found myself nervous about his story. Yet it was just right for him.

Neville was injured in a fall and near-drowning incident when he was a child. The resulting head injury affected his speech most of all. While he could still speak, long sentences are difficult and interacting with strangers is partially flustering to him. I just loved his character so much. He's a gentle giant. Strong and large physically, but tender and caring emotionally. Every decision Mimi Matthews made in regards to him made sense to me.

*Side note: I hate that we live in a world where an author of a fictional story has to write a note at the end explaining that all people who have injuries or disabilities respond differently and apologize to some who she might have offended with the language used by the character or about the character. This just makes me sad. But I suppose I understand why she would write this note. I certainly don't fault her for it because I assume she will still end up receiving negative feedback from someone out there concerning this exact thing.

Clara is the perfect compliment to Neville. She is sweet and gentle herself. And I admire her desire to learn, her work ethic to help herself and her brother, as well as the things she's gone through. There was a point in my life when I couldn't have understood how someone could get you to question an experience you went through together, but I have experienced enough to know that this can 100% happen. And I felt for her to not feel confident in how she was reading a given situation.

Mimi Matthews doesn't always shy away from physical relationships with her characters even though she isn't exactly descriptive of physical scenes. But The Winter Companion was about as tame as they come. Yet this was totally in line with the characters and not at all a complaint on my end.

I'm excited to see more come from this world as she mentions wrapping up some loose ends with Teddy and potentially following the children of the 4 orphans in the future. At this point, I feel certain that I will check out all of Mimi Matthews's future work.

Favorite quotes:

-one’s infirmities weren’t any easier to tolerate simply because some other poor chap had it worse.

-Words only had value if they were honest and true.

The Winter Companion was a perfect wrap to this series as Neville and Clara couldn't have been more deserving of each other and this happily ever after. The Winter Companion gets 4 Stars. I can't wait to read more by Mimi Matthews. Have you read The Winter Companion? What did you think? Let me know!