The third book on my pre-Christmas reading list, and I’m really delighted to share my review of New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage by Georgia Hill. Published in September by Bloodhound Books, this lovely book is now available for kindle (just 99p, or free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback. The e-copy I read was my own, purchased for my kindle via Amazon.
I first discovered Georgia’s excellent dual-time historical writing with While I Was Waiting, way back in 2016 – you’ll find my review here. And in 2019, I entirely loved On A Falling Tide – a really compelling read, great story-telling with a wonderfully drawn location, moments of high drama, plenty of chilling episodes, two strong and convincing love stories, and the threads expertly interwoven throughout (you can read my review again here). Did you miss this one? If you love the same books I do, I’d really urge you to give it a try! But, to my shame, I’ve never managed to fit in the reading of one of her contemporary romances – this one looked so very lovely (and not just the gorgeous cover…) and I was determined not to miss out again…
Christmas is the perfect time to fall in love. . .
The little English town of Lullbury Bay is a magical place to spend Christmas, and for Honor Martin it is the high point of her year.
However, newcomer Jago, doesn’t share her merry mood. After the devastating loss of his father he’d be happy to never hear another Christmas carol again.
But to help his little sister replace bad memories with good ones, he reluctantly joins in the festivities. As he gets to know her teacher, Honor, could she be the one to restore his love of Christmas?
When the Pengethley family move into Christmas Tree Cottage, at the top of the hill that leads down into Lullbury Bay, what everyone sees is a close and loving family looking for a fresh start in their friendly community. What they don’t see is the difficult time that brought them there – the tragic loss of husband and father Kenan, the grief that followed, and the way Jago has held the family together. When young Merryn starts at the local school for what’s left of the Autumn term, teacher Honor is enchanted by her bubbly enthusiasm for anything and everything, including all the preparations for Christmas that she so loves – but also drawn to the attractive man holding her hand. She doesn’t know the family relationships – Jago is Merryn’s much older brother, Avril his mother – and she steers clear at first, believing him out of bounds, confused when her interest seems to be reciprocated.
Jago has always been the strong one – but with young Merryn finding her feet again, and mother Avril beginning to make new friendships through the knitting club, it might just be time for him to try to move forward too. His art has taken a back seat, but it might just be time to start thinking about making his large pieces in stained glass again – but Christmas can be a difficult time, his grief is still raw, and he’s going to need some good support to cope with it all and help the family make new memories. He finds it in a place he doesn’t expect – the local church, with vicar Verity (and what a great character she is) – and also discovers an artistic community he can become part of. And once Honor’s misunderstanding is out of the way, it also opens up the possibility of romance in both their lives.
This book is just wonderfully Christmassy – the nativity play, the turning-on of the Christmas lights, the yarn bombers and their every new display, the carol service, all an absolute delight – but this was also a book with a great deal more depth than I was expecting. It deals – exceptionally sensitively – with the challenges of moving on from grief and being able to feel happiness again, while never forgetting the loved one who was lost. And, more unusually, it deals with it from a male perspective – and I found that particularly powerful.
But I’d hate to give the impression that this book is heavy in any way, in fact it’s the absolute opposite. Its characters are just wonderful (both major and minor – and especially young Merryn, spouting her quotes from Shakespeare, and showing a wisdom beyond her years), the romantic content is strong and convincing, there’s plenty of lightness and laughter, and there’s a lovely sprinkling of four-legged friends of various persuasions. But there’s drama too, particularly well-written and that had me on the edge of my seat – as Jago makes a difficult decision to follow his heart and put himself in the path of danger, bringing uncomfortable memories of everything the family has lost.
I really loved this one – a delight from beginning to end, great storytelling, emotional and uplifting, and everything I wanted a Christmas read to be. Highly recommended, and definitely one you’ll want to add to your pre-Christmas reading list too…
About the author
Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and up-lifting contemporary and timeslip romances about love, the power and joy in being an eccentric oldie and finding yourself and your community. There’s always a dog. It’s usually a naughty spaniel of which, unfortunately, she has had much experience. She lives near the sea with her beloved dogs and husband (also beloved) and loves the books of Jane Austen, collecting elephants, Belgian chocolate and Strictly Come Dancing. She’s also a complete museum geek and finds inspiration for her books in the folklore and history of the many places in which she’s lived.
She’s worked in the theatre, for a charity and as a teacher and educational consultant before finally acknowledging that making things up was what she really wanted to do.
She’s been happily creating believable heroines, intriguing men and page-turning stories ever since.
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