Review: If you only treat yourself to one festive read this year, it has to be this one!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 18, 2013
Fancy being transported for a fabulous Country House Christmas this year? Well, Christmas At Thornton Hall is the perfect place to start. I picked up the book, and it immediately drew me in. (Warning: there is serious PTQ (page turning quality) here - don’t expect you’ll be able to put it down once you’ve picked it up.) To be honest, the moment I saw in the blurb that the heroine is brought down by a stray rhinestone thong, I knew that I’d love the zany humour, and I wasn’t disappointed. Juliet, the heroine, is a private chef, with a whole load of parent problems, and such a catalogue of failed relationships, she’s starting to wonder if men are worth the bother at all. In desperation, she takes a Christmas job, and lands at Thornton Hall, where the aristocracy hang out, alongside more down-to-earth beings, and a satisfying number of gorgeous, hunky, sexy guys. Sizzle sizzle! I easily identified with Juliet, and was truly rooting for her, the whole way through her complex journey to her happy ending. She is surrounded by an intriguing cast of well drawn characters, who add to the the perfectly created atmosphere and detail – any Downton Abbey fan will LOVE this modern day version. The action takes in a whirlwind of guests, snowstorms, gun shots, with all the non-stop drama we associate with English country piles, and their inhabitants. I loved that alongside the humour (yes, there are lots of laugh out loud moments) and lighter side, there was also deeper, darker, emotional exploration. This is Lynn Marie Hulsman’s debut romance, but her writing and insight are flawless and intelligent, and I look forward to seeing lots more from her. Fun, festive, fabulous, this is a classic holiday rom com, with deliciously satisfying extra depth. If you only treat yourself to one festive read this year, it has to be this one.