Kiltie’s Advent Book Calendar – 2nd Dec

A Winter’s Tale by Trisha Ashley; Avon

Page Count (e-book) – 419

The Blurb:

Sophy Winter is not your typical Lady of the Manor. When she unexpectedly inherits Winter’s End – a crumbling mansion in the beautiful Lancashire countryside – it seems like all Sophy’s prayers have been answered.

But the house is decrepit and its eccentric inhabitants are a nightmare. And once it is discovered that Winter’s End played host to a young Shakespeare, the entire village of Sticklepond becomes curious about Sophy’s plans, especially charming Jack Lewis. But is he really smitten by Sophy…or her newly-acquired cash?

Meanwhile, Sophy’s gorgeous head gardener Seth is the strong and silent type. But does his passion bloom for anything beyond the horticultural?

My Review: 

This is the first review of a Trisha Ashley Christmas book but it will not be the last. When it comes to writing the ultimate feel-good, Christmas novel, Ms Ashley has the knack finely honed. This is one of my seasonal re-reads and it doesn’t feel like Christmas until I’ve curled up on the sofa, on a cold frosty afternoon, and held this book in one hand while cuddling a cat with the other.

As with most of Trisha Ashley’s books, the formula is fairly straightforward – the dark brooding male protagonist, the slightly ditsy female counterpart and the antagonist who is a bit of a rogue but usually in a way that is not too annoying. As a rule, these kind of obvious stereotypes would annoy the pants off me but, for reasons unknown, when it comes to a Christmas novel, I’m happy to take it all on board.

Sophy is sweet, likeable and you know her heart is in the right place. She does her best to keep cousin Jack at arms length but he’s the kind of bloke who won’t take no for an answer and rides rough-shod over her (occasionally rather feeble) protestations! Personally, I’d have smacked the bloke around the chops but Sophy is considerably nicer than I am and, instead, keeps her frustrations to herself.

Seth, the gorgeous gardner, makes the little ticker go a little faster as we watch his interest in Sophy slowly develop although there are a few misunderstandings along the way along with the odd argument over hedging and flora.

This is a story which begins earlier in the year and takes the reader through to the Christmas season and this is why I have placed it second on the advent calendar as it can take a little time to bring you into the festive mood. It does get you there in the end, though, and it is certainly worth it when it does. An ending that leaves you feeling nice, warm and happily reaching for the next book on that teetering TBR pile.

Available in e-book and paperback on Amazon