I’m really delighted today to be joining the blog tour and sharing my review of Snowfall Over Halesmere House by Suzanne Snow. The first in her planned Love in the Lakes series, this lovely book was published by Canelo on 18th August, and is now available in paperback and as an ebook on all major platforms. My thanks to Katrina Power for the invitation to join the tour, for all her support, and for providing my reading e-copy.
I’ve been meaning to read one of Suzanne’s books for quite a while. Her Welcome to Thorndale books just looked so totally up my street, and I really loved the guest post she wrote for me on publication of the second in that series, The Garden of Little Rose, talking about the Hebridean setting and her love of landscape (you can read it again here). And I do remember that the fourth in that series, A Country Village Christmas, was on my rather over ambitious 2021 Christmas reading list – but I sadly couldn’t quite manage to fit in the reading. But it’s always rather lovely to start with the first in a new series, isn’t it? This time it’s the Lakes, and – especially after having read some wonderful reviews from blogger friends on this tour – I was particularly looking forward to this one.
Welcome to Halesmere House, where romance might be just around the corner…
Ella is a successful chef who is looking for a temporary change of pace so she can figure out her next career steps. She’s been living in the past for so many years, it’s time she started living for herself. Luckily, Halesmere House in the Lake District is in need of a manager to kick-start its artists’ residence and Ella can’t wait to start.
There she meets single dad Max, the son of her eccentric new boss. He’s rattled by her presence and is convinced that Ella’s passing involvement in Halesmere will only prove painful to his children, who are already growing attached to the fun and lovely manager.
It isn’t long before Ella realises she’s falling in love with more than Halesmere and its community. But if she stays, is she really choosing a career for herself, or yet again for someone else?
A tender and uplifting Christmas romance for fans of Heidi Swain, Karen Swan and Sue Moorcroft.
Do you know, just sometimes everything – the setting, the characters, the emotional touches, the romance, the loveliest writing – just comes together to make one of those perfect reads. And I have to agree with the other reviews that made it clear that this book was really something rather special – I absolutely loved it.
Ella’s time at Halesmere House is almost over before it starts – arriving for her new job, as manager to help bring new life to the house that Max just hasn’t been able to focus on, it’s clear that not everyone is pleased to see her there. Max’s artist mother Noelle has brought her in without anyone’s agreement – and although she’s greeted enthusiastically by Noelle and Max’s two young children, the man himself is distinctly hostile. Faced with the prospect of an interview the next morning to decide her fate, the accommodation she’s been allocated really makes her want to leave as soon as she can.
But she stays – and sets about creating her vision of a community of artists, drawing on the skills of local artisans and producers, her energy and professionalism winning everyone over. Except, perhaps for a while, Max himself – his entire focus is on his young family, and he’s concerned that she’s becoming too central to their lives, when her tenure is planned to be for a short time and they’ve already lost so much. And then there are their growing feelings for each other as they find they really enjoy each others’ company – and they try to fight it, both damaged individuals who perhaps don’t need the complications a relationship would bring.
One of the things I really loved about this book was the extraordinary chemistry that developed between Max and Ella – the author slowly reveals their separate heartbreaking back stories with particular sensitivity, they’re both entirely real, and you can really feel the pain in their pasts and the unexpected joy they experience when they’re together. Their relationship has more barriers than many, but I was entirely invested in both of them as they negotiated their way to what I so hoped would be a happy ending – emotionally, this whole book is just perfect.
The author’s characterisation is quite wonderful too – and it’s certainly not just Max and Ella. I adored the children – you don’t see me saying that very often! – who are both such distinctive little people, bringing a lot of the story’s gentle and well-judged humour (and the odd moment of drama too). Max’s mother Noelle is just fantastic – a touch eccentric at times maybe, more than a little manipulative, all so beautifully handled, and very real – and there’s a whole host of supporting characters (Stan and Pearl have a particular place in my heart) who add so much texture and interest to the story. The Christmas touches are really lovely, although this really is a book you could really enjoy at any time of year – and I also thoroughly enjoyed the whole story around Ella’s project, her ideas and ambitious plans, and the way the warmth of her personality wins everyone over and brings people on board.
The book’s main theme is around allowing yourself to live your own life, and understanding that it’s something everyone deserves – and it’s a particularly powerful one. And as well as the developing romance at its core, this whole book is entirely infused with warmth and love – there were certainly tears at times, but plenty of smiles too, and it’s a book you really read with your heart. And have I mentioned how beautifully it’s written? And the setting is just perfect, and so vivid – the house itself, gloriously transformed for Christmas, and the wildness of the surrounding countryside that provides such balm for the soul. I’ll be looking forward very much to reading more from Suzanne Snow – and couldn’t be more delighted that this is the first in a planned series. Very much recommended, and perhaps one of my books of the year.
About the author
Suzanne writes contemporary, romantic and uplifting fiction with a strong sense of setting and community connecting the lives of her characters. Previously she worked in financial services and retrained as a horticulturist to plant redesigned gardens. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can usually be found in a garden or looking to the landscape around her for inspiration. Suzanne’s first novel in the Thorndale series, The Cottage of New Beginnings, was a contender for the 2021 RNA Joan Hessayon Award and she is currently writing the Love in the Lakes series for Canelo. Suzanne is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors.
I really must try to fit this one in!
Me too – and the lakes are only next door.