Book Review - A Winter's Dream by Sophie Claire

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: A Winter's Dream

Author: Sophie Claire

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 1st October 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Liberty has never been a risk-taker. She loves the routine of her quiet life in the charming village of Willowbrook, with her Labrador, Charlie. But the arrival of a mysterious gift prompts Liberty to make some changes: starting with a daily challenge to say yes to everything for the month of December...

Fearless and independent, Alex could hardly be a less obvious fit for peaceful village life. But after an accident cuts short his promising motorcycling career, he finds himself in Willowbrook in search of new direction.

When the pair become unlikely housemates, sparks fly at Damselfly Cottage. Will living together prove impossible - especially when the first snow falls? Or, cut off from the outside world, can they help each other find what it takes to be brave this Christmas?

How good it is to be back in Willowbrook with an all new standalone story.  Although if you are already a fan of Sophie Claire then you will be delighted to know that Evie and Natasha are Liberty's good friends and we get fabulous continuations of their stories. 

But the main focus of the book is on Liberty, who is rather stuck in her routines, and on turning 30 realises this and decides to challenger herself to a month of saying yes, to be braver throughout December. 

The idea is she does a daily challenge that would normally make her feel uncomfortable or make her say no, as after all she is rather a homebody, loves quilting, spending time with Charlie (who is a very clever labrador), just playing it safe the whole time.  She is also feeling disconcerted as she is so used to spending time with Carys, who is currently in a coma unfortunately. 

I absolutely loved how Liberty's character was developed and the various challenges she sets herself, from getting a lodger, which is where Alex comes in, to trying to date, to conquering specific fears.  Throughout it all you see what a caring and loving person Liberty really is. 

Alex on the other hand takes a bit longer to fully warm to, but then his entrance didn't exactly endear himself to Liberty in the first place. 

They are complete opposites and I loved seeing how they learnt to get on with each other, although I did want to slam their heads together too on more than one occasion. 

It's a story of self discovery, but also of quilting. We learn a great deal about quilting and I loved seeing how the various designs turned out. 

This is a another heart-warming and really pleasing read from an author who I'm loving more and more with each book and I can't wait to see what she writes next. 

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,