Twelve Days of Christmas

My third Christmas book… yipee! Meet Holly – chef in the summer, house sitter in the winter. A last minute decision leaves her house sitting in the Lancashire moors in a large house, looking after an adorable dog, Merlin and a beautiful horse named Lady. Holly, despite her name, is not a lover of Christmas: she was brought up by a strange baptist (google it!), her husband died in an accident before Christmas and this year she’s lost her Nan at the same time of year… so being alone in a remote house suits her just fine. Except… she’s not alone for long! The house owner; Jude, has elderly relatives in the village, who have had Christmas every year in the big house and are expecting it again this year! Holly, riddled with guilt, gives in and allows them to all stay while she cooks them up treat after treat – which made my stomach grumble as I read it!

Jude returns back for Christmas and turns out to be a rugged handsome giant with a bad temper. Holly can’t decide whether she loves him or hates him – either way, he’s definitely causing her temperature to rise!

When she has a free moment, Holly reads from her Nan’s old diaries which tell the tale of her nursing days during the war and how she fell pregnant with Holly’s mum – Anne. Holly is shocked to find out that Anne’s father is not only not her grandfather but also has Jude’s family name. Is she related to the Martlands? Hmmmm it sure looks that way – which is a huge shame since that would make the chemistry between Holly and Jude sooooo WRONG.

This is a whirlwind tale of romance, friendship and grief. Trisha tells a beautiful story, which flowed and twisted seamlessly. I loved how detailed this book felt – I really felt like each day was real and made sense, plus it had the perfect sprinkle of drama to make you raise your eyebrows (Jude’s fiancée Coco ran off with his brother Guy the previous year and this year he’s back trying desperately to get rid of her!!)

It was dreamy, lighthearted and full of the Christmas spirit – perfect to unwind with after a busy day in this cold wintertime weather.

Until next time, Chloé x