A determined widow faces the challenge of a new life to regain the confidence and independence of her youth, but finds that life, unlike knitting, doesn’t always follow a pattern.After twenty-five years of being the perfect wife and mother, Martha LeBeau finds herself unexpectedly widowed and shocked to discover her husband had been living a double life, leaving her penniless and in debt. … and in debt. Determined to regain her lost confidence and independence, she sells her suburban Chicago home and moves to the Wisconsin countryside to forge a new life away from cheating men and smothering children. There she meets the Wool Gatherers, a group of fiber artists who teach her the art of spinning wool and raising sheep. Along with one determined Border Collie, she begins on the path to self-growth and healing.
Riley O’Connor is the single father of a child with Asperger Syndrome. The child’s mother walked out on them because she found that life too difficult to handle. Since then, he has dedicated himself to protecting his son from any further emotional damage.
Meeting Riley and his son through her new job brings love and challenges to Martha’s newly found independence. Romance blooms like a finely knit cable, entwining their lives.
Can either of them learn to trust again?
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Interesting
Kate Bowman is a new author for me and so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The story was intriguing, not only due to the older main character but also for the spinning aspect.
The Spin I’m In is an interesting story knitting elements of Woman’s Fiction, mystery, and romance together. It was quite fascinating to read about the process of spinning – something I’ve always been curious about but have never done. And as Martha acquired sheep and a Border Collie, neither of which she had any idea how to care for, I also learned a few things about them. And I’m a huge fan of learning new things through fiction.
I liked Martha and Riley and loved his son, Jake! Riley’s love and care for his son touched my heart. I also enjoyed Martha’s love for Jake and the gentle way she was able to help Riley see how to better deal with the issues related to his Asperger Syndrome.
The community was described in enough detail that I could picture it; the closely-knit women who loved fiber, the the farmer neighbors who brought her meals and laughed at Martha’s attempts at caring for her lambs.
I was surprised at the mild swearing throughout the story as I did not seen any content warnings. This took away from my enjoyment of the book. There are also Martha’s (and her friend’s) lustful thoughts toward Riley and a closed-door sex scene. It is clear that the characters do not have any qualms about sex outside of marriage.
If you enjoy Woman’s Fiction and are not opposed to these things, you may want to give the For the Love of Fiber series a read.
Read my review of The Spin I’m In by Kate Bowman at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book. It really picked up for me when she moved from Chicago and started chasing what made he feel happy and made her feel like home. I give her props for being brave to start over fresh. To move on to her life after her husband. It’s not easy, but she doesn’t give up. During her married life she lost her true self along the way, but a small town in Wisconsin she finds the inner her that’s been trying to resurface. I loved the bond she forms with little Jake. Not gonna lie that was one of the selling points of the book for me, Single dad Riley and Jake. This book had plenty of heart and feels. It’s a make you feel good book. It shows you real life problems and life in general. Watching Martha go on this journey of self discovery while forging the change in her relationship with her daughters was inspiring. That was a tough one at first with her daughters. One was so supportive, but then the other has a hard time with change. She couldn’t reconcile this new version of her mom with the one she grew up with. As personal reader preference I like dual points of, but I must say I didn’t mind too much in this one. There were a couple times I wished I could have gotten into Riley’s head, but it didn’t take away how enjoyable this book was. It also revolved around knitting and spinning. I’m a knitter so those parts were intriguing to me. Over all a great book that will leave your heart happy sighing at the end.