It’s a real delight today to be featuring my review of another book by Kirsty Ferry here on Being Anne. Watch for Me at Christmas is published today (23rd October) by Choc Lit, available from Amazon for kindle and as an audiobook, and on all major e-book platforms. I’m a big fan of Kirsty’s writing, and I think the Hartsford Mysteries might be my favourites of them all – you’ll find my review of Watch for Me by Moonlight here, Watch for Me by Candlelight here. I had to “pass” on Watch for Me by Twilight though- there was a danger of me needing to rename the blog “Being Kerry”! This latest is a Christmas themed time slip novella, and I must say I absolutely loved it… with thanks to the publishers for my advance reading copy.
When midwinter magic brings you home for Christmas …
When Emmy Berry arrives at Hartsford Hall to work at the Frost Fayre she immediately feels at home. Which is odd because she’s never set foot in the place in her life.
Then a freak blizzard leaves her stranded and things get even weirder when she bumps into Tom Howard. Tom and Emmy have never met before but neither can ignore the sense that they know each other.
With Christmas fast approaching and the weather showing no sign of improving it soon becomes apparent that Hartsford Hall has a little bit of midwinter magic in store for them both…
If you’ve read and enjoyed the earlier books in the series and enjoyed them anything like as much as I did, you’ll find this book an absolute treat. But even if you haven’t, you’ll find this one a simply perfect Christmassy romantic read – just the right length for that break between wrapping presents, decorating the Christmas tree and putting on the sprouts. Set against the familiar backdrop of Hartsford Hall, cut off from the outside world by an unexpected blizzard, shrouded in snow, there’s a really lovely contemporary love story featuring Tom and Emmy, and the added depth of the story from the past. We’re back with the story of the ice-skates with Cat and Millie – with more focus on Millie this time, for very good reasons, and her very sad love story.
I really loved the whole concept of this story, with the present day characters attracted to the setting by the pull of past lives, and the two stories – both equally strong, tender and emotional – are quite perfectly tied together through those echoes across time and the power of love. The writing is excellent, and although relatively short the book is emotionally satisfying with more than enough depth to the characters to draw you into their stories. I loved meeting again the characters from previous stories – but you’d equally enjoy encountering them for the very first time. And the whole book is so blissfully Christmassy – the Frost Fayre, the mulled wine, the footsteps on the snow-covered bridge. Just gorgeous, with a few tears, a touch of laughter, and a conclusion that warms the heart – really enjoyed this one!
About the author
Kirsty Ferry is from the North East of England and won the English Heritage/Belsay Hall National Creative Writing competition in 2009 with the ghostly tale Enchantment. Her timeslip novel, Some Veil Did Fall, a paranormal romance set in Whitby, was published by Choc Lit in Autumn 2014. This was followed by another Choc Lit timeslip, The Girl in the Painting in February 2016 and The Girl in the Photograph in March 2017. The experience of signing Some Veil Did Fall in a quirky bookshop in the midst of Goth Weekend in Whitby, dressed as a recently undead person was one of the highlights of her writing career so far!
Kirsty’s day-job involves sharing a Georgian building with an eclectic collection of ghosts – which can sometimes prove rather interesting.
You can find out more about Kirsty and her work here, catch her on her Facebook Author Page or follow her on Twitter.