25 Days of Christmas: Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley
It is book time again. Okay. I love reading Christmas stories... blah blah. I know I've said this before. So another great one that I literally have read every year since I discovered it is Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley... not to be confused with the one by Debbie Macomber.
Description: Christmas has always been a sad time for young widow Holly Brown. So when she's asked to look after a remote house on the Lancashire moors, the opportunity to hide herself away is irresistible - the perfect excuse to forget about the festivities.
The owner of the house, Jude Martland, is also avoiding Christmas since the last one saw his brother run off with his fiancee. But forced to return home unexpectedly, Jude arrives to find that his family are running amok - with Holly seemingly at the centre of it all.
As the blizzards descend, there is no escape. With nowhere to go, Holly and Jude get much more than they bargained for - and a Christmas they will always remember!
My Review: There was a bit of an adjustment for me as I'm American and this is a very English story. Still I found it fascinating and enchanting and one of the best Christmas time romances I've come across in a long time. Holly doesn't celebrate Christmas due in part to her upbringing and tragedy but she's rather forced into it when her house sitting job turns into a gathering for the family of the man who's house she is watching. Holly is a smart and kind person who you feel the desire to hope for her happy ending.
Jude is a bit rough around the edges but it becomes clear quite soon that he like provoking Holly just to see what happens.
My favorite thing about this story is that half of it is just Holly getting to know Jude's family and pets before he even appears. Then it is all cooking, celebrating and artistic endeavors than lead to two hearts finding what they've lost. And to top that off, there is a bit of a mystery that links Holly's grandmother to Jude's family!
It is a brilliant story and one I highly recommend. Oh and I love reading about all the British Christmas goodies. So much fun.
Do you have a favorite Christmas story you love to read?
Days Til Christmas: 14