Book Synopsis:
A time for spilling secrets…
Having refurbished her inherited house and upcycled her whole life in the process, Freya – now happily married to Patrick, and with a small child – has to transform her tiny stone barn into a romantic hideaway for a mystery guest who is also looking for change. With Christmas only a week away, things don’t go according to plan…
In the past, old uncertainties are resolved when a woman seeks the truth of a legend on Christmas Eve and confesses to a deception; a Tudor wife listens to a story that must never be repeated and is given a precious relic that must never be displayed; and in the early nineteenth century, an old woman tells a younger one the story of the hares at Ladywell.
Past and present are only a whisper apart when Freya learns of an astonishing discovery that will make Ladywell famous, but meanwhile her house is full of unexpected visitors, she has a turkey to cook – and a very special secret of her own that must be told.
Christmas At Ladywell is available in ebook now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Christmas At Ladywell is a gorgeous Christmassy book which is perfect to read in the run up to Christmas. It does feature some of the characters from a previous book The House At Ladywell but has been written as a standalone novella.
The story follows Freya as she tries to get the house ready for Christmas and all the stress that entails. Interspersed with her story are flash backs through the years of previous occupants of the house and how they spent the festive period. I found it very interesting to see the different ways Christmas was celebrated, especially as some of the stories included real historical events which I always love.
This book is a fantastic mix of history, myths and folklore through the years which was fascinating to learn about. I especially loved the descriptions of the hares in the garden and the significance of them which bought a magical feel to the book.
This is a fairly short read but it’s a very warm, compelling one which I loved snuggling up with. There isn’t an awful lot of action but the story is so gorgeous that you get wrapped up in the wonderful Ladywell world anyway. If you are looking for a festive read them you’ll enjoy this one!
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Nicola Slade is an award-winning, bestselling author of historical and contemporary mysteries and romantic fiction, all set in and around Winchester and Romsey in Hampshire – which is where she lives. The House at Ladywell – a contemporary romantic novel with historical echoes – won the Chatelaine Grand Prize for Romantic Fiction at the CIBA awards in April 2019.
She is the author of the mid-Victorian Charlotte Richmond mysteries and the contemporary Harriet Quigley mysteries and The Convalescent Corpse, published November 2018, is the first in a new series, The Fyttleton Mysteries, set in 1918.
Media Links – Website – Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Pintrest
Giveaway:
As part of this blog tour, the author is running a competition to win an ebook copy of her novel The Convalescent Corpse. I read this book earlier this year and absolutely loved it!
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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