Book Review - A Midwinter Promise by Lulu Taylor

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Amazon UK

Title: A Midwinter Promise

Author: Lulu Taylor

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Pan

Publication Date: 28th November 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

One family across two generations.
A marriage marred by trauma and infidelity.
Lives marked by death, divorce and a shattered family.
A dark secret at the heart of a tragedy.

Now the Pengelly family reunites around the sickbed of David, a beloved husband and father, to confront the emotions and the secrets that have divided them over the years.

Set around the beautiful wildness of Tawray, a house near the Cornish coast, A Midwinter Promise by bestselling author Lulu Taylor, is a dramatic story of loss, grief and the legacy of secrets. It is also a tale of reconciliation and renewal.

A Midwinter Promise is a book that has utterly consumed me, for the last however long I have been oblivious to my life, while I had to finished the book in one just the one more sitting, and that was from around 40% onwards.   And the second I hit part 2, well I knew my day was doomed until I had finished the book. 

Just wow, such fabulous writing, it really got under my skin as we get to see in dual time lines the history of the Pengelly family at Tawray, a bit Cornish house.

I was fascinated by Julia's story from childhood onwards, seeing how she changed, how her own mother affected her deeper than anyone realised, her marriage to David, friendship with Sally and her struggles with pregnancy.   

There are themes of mental health and demons and addiction even within these sections all written sensitively and in a way that you felt as though the author had really done some research.  I was completely and utterly gripped and had a few of my own theories. 

And then at the same time me meet Julia and David's now grown up children, and their families as David is on his sickbed. We learn about their relationship over the years with their stepmother and stepbrother,  and how it has affected them. 

I just found this a compulsive book to read, I needed more of it and I need it faster than I could read the words. I was utterly addicted as I read about this family across the years.  I perhaps was more enthralled by the Julia's story, but that may be because it was still having an effect on the present day family.    

I am starting to think that Lulu Taylor is becoming better and better with each book, and this was no exception.  Utterly gripping and left me practically speechless. 

Thank you to Pan on Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Book Review - The Winter Secret by Lulu Taylor

The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Winter Secret

Author: Lulu Taylor

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Publication Date: 29th November 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

‘My dear boy, the place is cursed. It always has been and it always will be . . .’

Buttercup Redmain has a life of pampered luxury, living in beautiful Charcombe Park. Her older husband, Charles Redmain, is wealthy and successful, and proud of the house he has painstakingly restored, once owned by a famous ancestor. Buttercup is surrounded by people who make her life delightfully easy. But the one thing she really wants seems impossible.

There are other discomforting realities: her husband’s ex-wife Ingrid still lives nearby although Buttercup has never met her. And it soon becomes clear that all the people who make Buttercup’s life so carefree are also watching her every move. Does she actually live in a comfortable but inescapable cage? And what is the real story of her husband’s previous marriage?

In the late 1940s, Xenia Arkadyoff lived in Charcombe Park with her father, a Russian prince, and her mother, a famous film star. Life seemed charmed, full of glamour and beauty. But behind the glittering facade lay pain, betrayal, and the truth about the woman Xenia spent her life protecting.

Now Charcombe Park is calling back people who were once part of its story, and the secrets that have stayed long hidden are bubbling inexorably to the surface . . .

My head is reeling, from that completely addictive conclusion to a wonderful book. 

This is easily Lulu Taylor back to her best, and one of my favourite books by this author for a few years at least.  

No idea where to start this review - there are quite a few threads to this story, but separated enough by chapters and where necessary year headings to make it very easy to follow and not be confused.  In fact despite the length of the book, I found it to be a very fast story to read, and was gutted any time I had to put it down to get on with my real life. 

The book all centres around Charcombe Park, a massive house which although magnificent to the outsiders eye, has had a chequered history.   We learn about a few of the generations of people living in it and the two smaller properties either side of it.    

There is Buttercup Redmain, wife of Charles Redmain who currently owns the house.  She lives to the untrained eye a wonderful life full of great riches, and the freedom to not work, and just do as she wishes.  However as the reader starts to delve beneath the surface, you soon see the truth of the situation.  

She however is not the first Mrs Redmain, and she doesn't know much about Ingrid who was, only what she has been told, but she is highly curious, but unsure who she can trust.  Ingrid lives in one of the two smaller properties, despite being divorced from Charles. 

Then there is Xenia, she also used to live in Charcombe Park, with her famous actress mother and father.  We get to learn about life in the late 1940s, and 1950s from Xenia's perspective and there is definitely an interesting story line about her mother in that.  We also get to see her as an old lady now, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. 

Actually I had a great deal of sympathy for all three of the key ladies in this story, as the truth starts to emerge.   

This is a book that definitely crept under my skin as I was reading it, and when I wasn't I was thinking about it, wondering just what direction the story would take.    

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this novel, and already looking forward to seeing that this author writes next. 

Thank you to Pan McMillan and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Her Frozen Heart by Lulu Taylor

Amazon UK

Title: Her Frozen Heart

Author: Lulu Taylor

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Pan

Publication Date: 30th November 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Caitlyn, there’s something I have to tell you. About Sara.

Caitlyn thinks her marriage to Patrick is a success. For one thing, he is one of the few people not to fall head over heels for her beautiful friend, Sara. Life is lived on his terms, but they are happy.

Aren’t they?

When a devastating accident turns her existence upside down, Caitlyn is forced to reassess everything she thought about her marriage, what she truly knows about Patrick, and his real feelings for her best friend. In the refuge of an old manor house, she begins to discover the truth.

In 1947, the worst winter in decades hits England, cutting off entirely the inhabitants of Kings Harcourt Manor. For Tommy Carter, widowed at the start of war, it is particularly hard: the burden of the family falls on her. She has the solace of her children, and the interesting presence of her brother’s friend, Fred. But there is also Barbara, a mysterious figure from her past who appears to want a piece of Tommy’s future as well.

Her Frozen Heart is a thrilling mystery from Lulu Taylor, top ten bestselling author of The Snow Rose.

This was a slow burner for me, it took absolutely ages for it to start getting under my skin, and once I was fully interested, it still didn't really hook me, although the lead up to the finale in both storylines was very good and I did care what happened to the characters. 

This is a dual timeline story - every other chapter we are treated to 1947, and the story of Tommy and her family who after surviving World War Two now have another massive challenge to deal with - the worst winter for decades, with them being rather cut off in their manor house. 

I'm not really a fan of anything set historically but I found myself far more interested in this story than the contemporary one, and I was continually wondering how Tommy's family were coping, while reading Caitlyn's sections.  Caitlyn is recently widowed, suspects her husband was about to reveal something critical just before his death, and discovers that her best friend isn't all that she seems either. 

With both stories I could see parallels at all points, with the sets of characters, and their circumstances, despite the 70 year gap between them.  However it took about half a book to see where the stories could converge and why they were both present. 

There are mysteries in both halves of the story but they didn't grip me. What did grip me were the descriptions of life during the freezing cold of 1947, and just how tough life must have been, while at the same time , there were assorted sub plots going on, and the introduction of Barbara really shook things up. 

I did find though that following two  complete stories I was starting to get confused with the sheer quantity of characters as to who was relate to who and what their purposes were.  

Plenty of misdemeanours and secrets to discover, and plenty of story line. I liked the writing, I just didn't feel that this was Lulu Taylor's best book, but it did have lots to enjoy about it, especially if you are more of a fan of dual timeline stories than I am. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Snow Rose by Lulu Taylor - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #76

Amazon UK

Title: The Snow Rose

Author: Lulu Taylor

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Pan

Publication Date: 1st December 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

The Snow Rose is the gripping story of a woman on the run from her past by Lulu Taylor, author of The Winter Folly.

I know they think I shouldn't keep her . . . That's why I've escaped them while I can, while I still have the opportunity . . .

Kate is on the run with her daughter Heather, her identity hidden and their destination unknown to the family they've left behind. She's found a place where they can live in solitude, a grand old house full of empty rooms and dark secrets. But they're not alone, for there are the strange old ladies in the cottage next door: Matty and her sister Sissy. They know what happened here long ago, and are curious about Kate. How long can she hide Heather's presence from them?

When an eccentric band of newcomers arrive, led by the charismatic Archer, Kate realizes that the past she's so desperate to escape is about to catch up with her. And inside the house, history is beginning to repeat itself . . .

Oddly compulsive,  every time I tried to put this book down, it called to me to continue reading. Not that it was a chore to carry on with the story, as I was completely absorbed and interested in the multitude of storylines that were unfurling. 

The book is split into four parts and just as you think you have got to grips with what is going on,  the next part comes along and you are left reeling about various things, or a slight perspective change allows you to try and piece things together even faster. 

There is very little I can say about the story but yet so much I want to comment on, but daren't due to spoilers. The book opens with a mum on the run with her young child, she is desperate not to be found and take on guardianship of a large old house, in a fake name and has left a false trails all over herself. 

You get hints as to her current mental state and the feeling something isn't quite right and that is the first of the hooks into the story, as I had to find out more about Rachel and Hattie.  The lengths she goes to, to hide Hattie's existence are very strong, and she hates that the house she has found isn't as remote as first thought. 

Even more confusing are the sisters who are nearby neighbours hinting that history is about to repeat itself. 

Let's just say the history of the house was fascinating and worrying at the same time.  There were elements of it that I was slightly uncomfortable with due to my own beliefs, and I did stay skeptical for a large part of the book, but even so I still wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

The action flits between past and present in the chapters, and in two main stories. All of which I was utterly hooked on. The Snow Rose crept under mys skin and hasn't left yet, I was enchanted and gripped by this addictive tale. 

Thank you to everyone that voted this week, even if it was just due to the cover, you have picked well and it was a good change for met o read a non Christmas book even if it does have a wintery cover! 

Book Review - The Winter Folly by Lulu Taylor - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #48 - #AroundTheUKIn144Books #Dorset

Amazon UK

Title: The Winter Folly

Author: Lulu Taylor

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Pan

Publication Date: 5th December 2013

Rating: 4 Stars

In this house there are many secrets . . .

It is 1965 and young Alexandra Crewe obediently marries the man her father has selected for her. But very soon both she and her husband Laurence realize that their marriage is a disaster. When real love finds Alexandra, plucking her out of her unhappy existence, she is powerless to resist. Her home becomes Fort Stirling, a beautiful Dorset castle, but Alexandra fears that there will be a price to pay for this wonderful new life. When tragedy strikes, it seems that her punishment has come, and there is only one way she can atone for her sins . . .

In the present day, Delilah Young is the second wife of John Stirling and the new chatelaine of Fort Stirling. The house seems to be a sad one and Delilah hopes to fill it with life and happiness. But when she attempts to heal the heartbreak in John's life, it seems that the forces of the past might be too strong for her. Why does John have such a hatred for the old folly on the hill, and what happened to his mother when she vanished from his life? As Delilah searches for the truth, she realizes that perhaps some secrets are better left buried . . .

I really wasn't sure what to think of The Winter Folly at first. The prologue was a nice taster but it was the first chapter that really intrigued me, as to the story of Alex and John. But then the next chapter was set in the present, and the following was back in the past, but further back than the first chapter, so I realised I was going to have to learn what led to those first moments. 

For the majority of the book, the chapters have alternated between two timelines where it has seemed like history is perhaps repeating itself, from the story of one generation in the 1960s, and also the present day storyline. It is the story of two generations of the Stirling family, who live in Fort Stirling, Dorset. 

I am generally not a massive fan of these time slip time stories, and I often try my hardest not to read anything that I know is set in history, however I bought this book at a time where I had loved Lulu Taylor's first four books and was curious to see what her new direction would bring, and before my feelings on this sort of storytelling became as clear to me. 

As a result I found the book quite slow to get into, however it soon became apparent that most of it was vital so that you knew the characters well, and the back story of them properly, so that when the book really got going in Part Two, it became better and better. 

By the time I reached the last part of the story, I was utterly hooked and ended up having to finish it in that same sitting. What had started slow, was a book I was glad I persevered with, as I thoroughly enjoyed everything from around the 60% mark onwards. 

It's not that I thought the first 60% was bad or anything, I could tell it was well written and that the author really can tell a tale, but it just wasn't quite to my taste or style preferences. I think it also bugged me slightly that I was enjoying the older generation story, slightly more than the younger, but I was loving how everything came together. 

The Winter Folly turns into a marvellous family drama, fuelled with decades old secrets and mysteries, which Delilah in the present is determined to unravel. 

Fort Stirling, was described in such a way that I had a strong feel about the place, and just how it could suck a persons energy. It is a rather large property and it was one that sort of took on a life of its own.  In the early part of the book I was struck by the descriptions of Alexandra's marriage to Laurence, and just how different things must have been in the sixties especially in the bedroom department. Their wedding night really did leave an impression on me. 

Despite my initial misgivings I am incredibly glad that I have finally read The Winter Folly, after its been on my kindle for a few years, and its re-awakened in me, my love of Lulu Taylor books. 

Thank you to everyone that voted for the more seasonal choice of The Winter Folly instead of the summery books. The book didn't really have much to do with winter as such, but I completely understand why you would pick it for me at the start of January, and I'm really glad that was it was a voted for book, I made sure I continued past the slow start to get to the really good bits.