Synopsis: Beth Williams hasn’t been home for ten years. After falling pregnant at sixteen, she ran away from her family and the imposing Scottish estate where she grew up, working hard to build a life for herself and daughter Isabelle – but now she’s returning to Glendale Hall.
As Beth tries to mend her broken family ties, and fights to bring the community of Glendale back together, she realises that the story she has told herself for a decade might well be a very different one from the truth. Even though she ran from Glendale it has never left her heart. And, she soon realises, neither has Drew – Beth’s first love.
Will Beth be able to forgive her mother and grandmother (and herself) for what happened ten years ago? What will Drew say when he discovers the secret she’s been keeping from him for so long? Can a festive trail bring the village back together?
Will returning to Glendale bring back the old magic that she’s been missing – or will Beth be forced to run away from it all over again?
Kat’s Rating: 5/5
Kat’s Review: Beth is our lead character for this book by Victoria Walters (my first book by this author) and we see her making her way back home to Glendale Hall in Scotland. She is with her daughter Isabelle and is only making the trip at the insistence of her Father as her Grandmother is terminally ill. With the weather in the UK currently turning more and more gloomy this sort of setting was perfect to get me in the (dare I say it) Christmas mood. It is clear from the outset that Beth’s family are very fractured however it takes some time to unwind all of the dark secrets that people were holding on to.
Glendale Hall and the village it is set in sound both beautiful and magical. The characters that are introduced all played their part on making this book feel very homely. Beth manages to catch up with her school friend Heather along with Sally who works at the Hall and has done all through Beth’s childhood. I don’t want to elaborate too much more on the storyline as that would spoil it for other people. What I did love was the sense of community, friendship and love that this book portrayed and I absolutely loved it. No sooner had I finished the last page I had downloaded the second book set in the same place! Hooray! A fabulous book especially for the dreary winter months and I absolutely loved it! I am so pleased to add another fabulous author to my list of must reads!
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