BOOK DESCRIPTION
A festive, coming-of-age tale about an Oxbridge candidate and a young homeless man who find themselves in the bittersweet predicament of falling in love with exactly the right person at exactly the wrong time.
Well-to-do Jed never imagined he’d end up homeless, but family circumstances have made it his only option. Local vicar, Ben, tries to help him but there’s an element of self-punishment to the homelessness that makes Jed continue to put up with his situation – until disaster leads him to re- consider the vicar’s offer of a place to stay.
Hattie is on the cusp of adulthood, frantically trying to persuade her mum that she doesn’t want to attend an elite university, preferring the idea of pursuing her love of art and textiles. When she meets Jed, she badly wants to understand his circumstances and why, when she has everything at her fingertips, he doesn’t.
Hattie’s mum, Christine, has had a hard life and is desperate for more for her only child. When she meets Ben, the vicar who’s trying to help Jed, she finds an unlikely ally, and the two heartbroken souls find themselves drawn to each other. Until they find their relationship suddenly tested to the limit.
One thing’s for certain: none of these characters is looking forward to Christmas. It’s the worst time of year for each of them, for different reasons. But perhaps this year, the festive season could defy all expectations.
AUTHOR BIO
cat. She read English at the University of Warwick before she trained as a lawyer and more recently worked at a psychiatric unit.
She is the No. 1 bestselling author of Christmas at the Vicarage and Christmas on the Coast as well as the bestselling writer of Home for Winter, The Christmas Forest, and Christmas by the Lighthouse, in
respect of which she was nominated for the Romantic Novel Awards in 2020. She is also the author of Christmas at the Farmhouse and her popular short story, A Winter’s Day.
MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW
In my opinion, this was a beautiful, endearing book that was full of love, friendship, and hope.
Four lonely people are brought together—Ben, Jed, Hattie, and Christine—and gradually discover new ways to be via their relationships with one another.
Although his well-meaning sister doesn't completely understand that Ben is mourning, his friendship with Jed allows him to help others and broaden his views. Becoming friends with Ben and Hattie helps Jed realize he doesn't have to keep punishing himself for other people's errors. Jed is hurting himself and struggling on the streets. Mother and daughter Hattie and Christine are at odds with one another. Hattie's mother becomes enraged when she meets Jed and Ben. But can Christine let go of the past as she begins to fall for Ben?
As Christmas draws near, will the joyous occasion heal these four individuals and unite them? Can they live happy, fulfilled lives? You'll just have to read it to find out!
I participated in the blog tour in exchange for a copy of this book, but all thoughts and comments are mine.
Genre: Christmas Romance
Tour Dates: 24th November 2023
Publication Date: 24th November 2023
Standalone Novel
Estimated Page Count - 180
Author Content Warning: Homelessness and domestic abuse
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