Winter's End

by Clarissa Cartharn

Recently widowed, Emma Winston moves to the quieter Breakish in the Isle of Skye with her two children in the hopes of a new beginning. But in Breakish, she meets the mysterious Mrs. Kinnaird who believes that Emma will make the ideal bride for her wealthy playboy grandson, Chris Cameron- who has his own deep dark secrets. She sets them up and when they do meet, sparks fly and they're not quite that of love. In fact, they hate each other. However, when Richard Winston, Emma's brother-in-law, follows her to Skye to tell her he loves her, Chris is suddenly determined to make Emma, his wife. Will Emma finally learn to follow her heart?

Genres: Romance, Amazon, Chick Lit

210 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 2013

About the author

Clarissa Cartharn is the author of romance novels such as Captive,Perfect Vengeance and the action/romance Jar series.

Traveling, learning new languages and cultures are some of her interests which have inspired her books. She turned her love for writing into a full-pledged passion with her first romance, Winter's End and has since never looked back. After almost ten romance novels, each with eclectic themes ranging from angsty Cinderella inspirations to thrillers set in the barren war torn lands of Afghanistan, Clarissa is currently on a new adventure to find her next love story.

Her Writing Style:
1. A premise
2. Romance
3. Realism
4. Heat. Yep, yep and yep
5. Vulgarity- where needed be. Oh come on, if she's gonna be writing about warlords, arms dealers, drug traffickers and rough-necked soldiers, then please don't expect them to be minding their tenses and grammar.
6. Oh yes, and a plot! Especially, a plot! A darned good one!

If this is your kind of romance too, then please hop on board and check some of her books out!https://www.clarissacartharn.com

For her latest rants on the book world, check out her blog:
https://acupofromance.blogspot.com

If you wish to grab a free copy of any of her books to review, then please feel free to drop her a message at any time or simply follow the link to fill in your details:
https://www.clarissacartharn.com/your...

Reviews

[Diane Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began reading Winter's End on my new Kindle Fire and it took me a long time to get used to this new device, but because the story was so enjoyable I persevered.
I loved how each chapter led so nicely into the next with descriptive scenes so that I could imagine being there. I could also relate to the various passages of time as Emma's mind drifted back into various memories. Emma's relationship with Ethel Kinnaird was interesting since she could see past her wrinkles to see her as a young woman,
I could identify with all the characters since they were described so well in every way. Her children, Jai and Hannah, were also described so well that I felt that I knew and understood their moods.
Made me want to visit Skye and the various places like Loch Coruisk.

This love story with its complications and twists and turns kept me enthralled especially the part where she meets Chris, Ethel's grandson, and right to the end.

I found this to be an enjoyable read and would recommend it especially if you were going on a flight where you could lose yourself in it without interruptions.

Diane Griffith

[Cecily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this book an enthusiastic 4 stars.

The story is about Emma, a widow with two young children (Jai age 10 and Hannah age 5), who moves her family out of London for a fresh start after the death of her husband. Emma is a very likable character. She is a good person with a good heart. Her new neighbor, Mrs. Kinnaird, is quite the character. I enjoyed reading about her immensely. She is an elderly woman who's family had seen many tragedies. Mrs. Kinnaird has led a difficult life but still is able to to treat Emma and her two children as family, even though the town regards Mrs. Kinnaird poorly. These two amazing women build a close friendship.

Emma and the children are still close to her late husband's brother, Richard. Emma met Richard right after meeting her husband, Robert, before she and Robert started dating. Emma and Richard became friends right off and they maintained that friendship through Emma's marriage to his brother. It is clear that Richard has loved Emma from the beginning. Even though Emma moved out of London, Richard visits often to maintain his relationship with them. I find Richard kind of scary with his temper. But, he proves to genuinely love her and the children and treats them well.

Mrs. Kinnaird feels Emma is the perfect woman for her grandson, Chris, who is a famous American actor. She plays matchmaker and has Chris come for a visit to meet Emma. Chris gives the first impression of being a complete jerk. As Emma gets to know him better she finds he is actually a good person. This starts a love triangle between Emma, Richard and Chris.

Mrs. Kinnaird's butler, Theodore and cook, Nancy are very enjoyable characters, also. Their loyalty to Mrs. Kinnaird and the relationship they build with Emma and her children is so sweet.

I thought this but could be longer. There wasn't much about her late husband, Robert, and what their marriage was like. I would've like to have seen more details of Chris. He is introduced later in the book. The story ended too abruptly. Hopefully, there will be a sequel.

It is a wonderful story of love for family and knowing your own heart. The author does an amazing job of describing the details of the scenery.

[Kristal Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Thoughts:

The love story involving Chris, which could have been longer. I love the elements that Ethel the grandmother to Christ Cameron offered. Richard played a great, well rounded role in this book and came out as a great under dog.

This book fell down with missing and over used words. I found myself wanting to edit and I'm not the best editor in the world.. I hate giving a book less than 4 stars but the lack of edits made it impossible for me to give it higher than three stars. It's a story I strongly recommend you read. I think the author has a lot to offer us and we have yet to see the full talent she has yet.


I hope that you will check out The Winters End because its a great story that it just needs another edit.

[Tony Breeden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically avoid romance novels. Two reasons: I'm a guy and... and I'm a guy. I'm just not the market.

Having said that, I mostly enjoyed Winter's End. It was a slow, rambling exploration of a widowed woman's healing, re-marriage and romance [pretty much in that order]. I won't give any spoilers, but the basic plot involves the widow, a scheming old lady, an handsome but callous actor, and the emotionally constipated brother of the widow's deceased husband.

The descriptions of the Isle of Skye made me want to visit someday. The characters with their decidedly UK sensibilities were interesting. The plot has enough twists and turns to leave you guessing. As with many of the chick flicks I've watched with my wife, I admit to being frustrated here and there. At one point, I clearly recall thinking, "Why would she want to be with either of these dudes?" yet the end resolved itself nicely. There was even a twist in the protagonist's identity that was like an "Ah! I should've picked up on that" moment for me.

My only complaint was the way the character development was handled. It reminds me of the way Doyle sometimes wrote Sherlock Holmes: we couldn't solve the mystery ourselves because a single critical detail was left out until the end. Once we knew that detail, we could put the pieces together and have a hope of solving the mystery before it was revealed. Cartharn likewise leaves out critical pieces of her characters' backstory, leaving this male USAmerican reader angry and confused until it all came together. At which point, I said, "Oh, well, that makes sense now." I'm only deducting one star for this because I suspect it might be an oddment of storycrafting from my fellow authors across the pond.

For those of you who shy away from romance novels because some of them degenerate into torrid sex scenes, I note that there's nothing more objectionable in Winter's End than we might read in Biblical Song of Solomon.


All in all, a pleasant read, one I'm surprised as a guy to be recommending.


-Tony Breeden
From the Bookwyrm's Lair

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Natasha House · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winter’s End is about a woman named Emma and her two children who move to a new place. Pretty soon Emma meets an elderly woman named Ethel Kinnaird and hears about the Kinnaird curse. I really liked the relationship that forms between Emma and Ethel. Half way through the book Emma’s late husband’s brother, Richard enters the picture. You can tell there is tension between them and an odd relationship. In this part of the book I didn’t really care for their flickering relationship. In fact, it seemed a bit strange, if they liked or didn’t like each other. Parts of it felt slow, I really missed Ethel in the book at this part. Soon afterward Richard leaves and goes back home. Ethel is now on a mission to set Emma up with her famous actor grandson, Chris Cameron. She sets her up on a blind date with him to a dance. I really liked this twist in the book. It felt more interesting and fun to follow along. Pretty sure people who eat romance novels up would like Winter’s end! Ethel convinces her grandson to marry Emma and for one I thought this was kind of crazy. I mean, I know Emma really loves the old lady but marrying a complete stranger seemed insane! The author’s characters are very unique though and very easy to like. I think I would have liked to get to know Chris Cameron a little better and see him and Emma connect more. It felt like their relationship was rather weird. They hated each other and then they loved each other. Overall a very cute romance novel that I think most people would enjoy.

[Nicola Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a beautiful story line and i couldn't wait to see what happened in the end. Emma is a mum of two and relocates her family to the Isle of Skye after her husband dies. She is trying to set up a new life for her and the children. She meets a lovely lady and her and the children start to think of her as family, until Ethel has an unexpected proposition for Emma. Will she agree?

I really enjoyed the story line and couldn't put it down. It is definitely a page turner. It was a little slow to start with but soon had me gripped. I have to say that there are a few grammatical and spelling errors but i could ignore them because i wanted to read on. I would recommend this book if your a sucker for a love story.

[Elodie Parkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet love story

A lovely story of lost and then found love. We meet Emma as she looks back on what we soon discover is her lost love. Emma is easy to see as a reader and to understand. The author uses the flashbacks and dream sequences very well to inform the reader not only of the incidents leading up to where we meet Emma, but also to understand the complexity of her character. This is a sweet love story, with misunderstandings, and unpleasantness between the characters well resolved. Excellent descriptive narrative sets the scenes. It’s a complex plot that would spoil with more description, but has a very satisfying end. Great realism, interesting characters, love and poignancy make this a good read.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a refreshing new romance by Clarissa Cartharn! Do not get me wrong, I am all for the run of the mill romance novels where you know straight from the start what is going to happen, no twists and turns. It's easy reading. This book however, made me wish that more authors would put some thought into there plots. Clarissa takes you on a journey of love, where around each corner there is a new angle that I would not have thought of. I also enjoyed the fact that it was not just another virgin with no real depth to her character.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline was good but I 'm kind of on the fence about whether I liked it or not. It just seems like something is missing from the story and it started out to slow for me but in some areas it went to fast and I had to reread parts to understand what was happening. I didn't like how it ended I feel that the ending could have been a little more than just "he admitted he loved her the end." I think this may have been the first book for this author and for a first book it wasn't bad.

[Mary Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect love story. A widow with two children move from London to the Isle of Skye, she finds more than Mrs Kinnaird. She finds Chris, the grandson of Mrs Kinnaird, whom Grandma wants to see married before she dies and according to her could be any day. She sets them up and the fireworks are not love at first sight. They hate each other but begin to feel something almost immediately. I loved it and will be on the lookout for more from Clarissa Cartharn, great job!

[Lesley Book Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read in some ways, but I felt as though it was missing a lot, like we didn't find out the full story about Robert, and what exactly had gone on in the past. A few errors along the way too, so with a bit of tidying up, and a few more explanations, there could be the basis for a good book.

[Jessica Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man! This one is like the classic romance reads I used to read once upon a time... like the kind of books you take on a beach holiday or something and read relaxing with a cup of tea... while Bach plays in the background...Loved it!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very easy book to read. My one gripe about the story must be that Chris doesn't appear in the book until half way through. I think it would have made more an interesting and effective read if there had been more of a struggle for Emma to choose if both Richard and Chris were there from the start. That said I enjoyed.

[Roseanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

*There are slight spoilers that were unavoidable to accurately describe what I thought of this book. I tried to limit them. *

I am on the fence with this book. The overall beginning has too much of going back and forth from present day to past. I generally like to read about things happening as they occur, or just a reflection or two of the past, but the amount of energy keeping up with past and present was just too much. It would have been better to have one chapter in the beginning set up the stage for current day. After many chapters in, the big build up was occurring, and the time hopping stopped. I began to actually like Emma and her little family. New characters were coming into the story, and it worked well. From the synopsis of the book, I was expecting Richard to follow her to the Isle. After reading him showing up, I don't really think that he followed her, as much as was just checking on her. Richard was weak willed and a total let down to me. I am trying not to give too many spoilers here; it's tough because to say what I did not like about the book does give spoilers away. So I will do my best here. After Richard left the Isle for business, she is left looking for a date to a dance. Considering her options, which were funny to read about, she decided to let Ethel fix her up. Let's just say it turned out to be the date from Hades. Ugh, I would have clubbed the guy with my shoe! Meeting every dating disaster, the date ends. But then suddenly she is supposed to not only see the grandson of her friend, they propose the most outlandish situation. This is where Emma starts going weak willed. She follows what everyone is telling her to do, blindly. This leads up to her standing ground with Richard, and she comes to realize her relationship/feelings with Richard may not be all they seemed to be. So she follows this plan to appease her friend, Chris's grandmother. Chris's behavior was all over the freaking place, made me wonder if he needed medication. Seriously, I did not think their relationship ever blossomed. Near the end, it was like oh yeah, I love you. Really? Didn't see that one coming. The end was so rushed, and it seemed so forced compared to all the other chapters of this book. I did enjoy seeing and the development of other relationships in this book like between Ethel and the children, and some of the children and Chris. Nancy and Theodore were great sub characters. The romance level of this book is practically nonexistent. Honestly, if the writer left off the forced romance side of the book while rewriting only the widow making a new home for her and her family it would have been much better. It could be about learning to live again after the death of a loved one. Or was he truly a loved one? It could have been about her focused on learning about the man she truly married, that this version hinted about.

*Reviewed by Satin Sheets Romance Review Blog*

[Toni Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

Emma, a somewhat reclusive young widow with two children, leaves her old life in London to make a new home on the island of Skye, in Scotland. Her elderly neighbor, Ethel (my favorite character!), is determined to put her estate in order and see to the wellbeing of her only grandson before she dies, no matter who she has to manipulate to get the job done.

Clarissa Cartharn has a lovely, romantic style of writing, fitting for a quiet night in a cozy chair, but Winter's End reads more like a window into a young widow's life than a romance.

Yes, there were many technical errors that should have been caught and corrected, but the writing style is smooth and easy to follow. A little poetic even. The characters were certainly well developed and the setting was just lovely. I received a copy of Winter's End in exchange for an honest review.

-Reasons I didn't fall in love with Winter's End-

Emma adores the old woman (so do I!), but is unsure if her deceased husband's brother, who has always been there for her and the kids, will ever want more than friendship. She's not even sure if SHE wants more than friendship. But when Ethel proposes that she marry her grandson, who is a raving jerk from the start, too famous for his own good, and unable to imagine why anyone would be in the kitchen besides the cooking staff, Emma hopes to get out of the whole ordeal by marrying her brother-in-law instead. However, her brother-in-law wants to consider how it will look if he marries his dead brother's wife, so she immediately accepts Ethel's proposal because...she can't say no and it would make the woman happy. Maybe it's just the neighborly thing to do? It's a sham wedding anyway, and they plan to divorce after the old woman dies. Luckily, Emma's kids are exceptionally sweet and they adore everyone.

The relationships look strange and unappealing on the outside, in fact, I was rooting for the guy Emma met on the dance floor who seemed legitimately charming and was clearly the easiest person for Emma to be around. But in the words of Ethel's butler: "a soul recognises its mate long before the eyes does.” Or the reader in my case. I'll just have trust that it all works out.

[Mati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes, a love story isn't just about the romance, and perhaps that is what appealed to me so much about Winter's End. Emma Winston moves to the Isle of Skye after being recently widowed, and the charming setting feels like something out of another time. This is the sort of book I would love to curl up in front of the fire with, and I enjoyed having the chance to read it.

There were a few things that knocked this down a star rating for me, however. The biggest was that I didn't really like the men Emma had relationships with. There seemed to be something forceful and controlling in their nature, and it was hard to want Emma to end up with anyone like that. Emma felt passive when it came to these situations, and while she occasionally seemed to stand up for herself, in the end it felt like it was just okay they had acted that way. Emma felt a bit like a possession from time to time, and that made me a little uncomfortable.

I did give a bit more leeway to Mrs. Kinnaird, because I felt the relationship between Emma and her was genuine. There was a little manipulation, but there was a love and a sense of family that stayed in those interactions. Mrs. Kinnaird was a very grandmotherly figure, and while she could be a little bossy, I really felt she meant well. Their interactions were perhaps my favorite ones, and I enjoyed seeing these elements in a 'romance' novel.

The other characters felt well thought out, and I liked the occasional shifts in narration where I could see things from another characters point of view. The flashbacks were a little awkward in places (I felt the first two were placed too close together), but they gradually revealed more about the characters, which I enjoyed. By the end, I felt like the story was balanced well enough, and the writing itself was refreshing. I would look for more work by Clarissa Cartharn in the future.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here I am again sitting on the fence. Torn.

I devoured this book in just a few hours, yet I constantly questioned what Ms. Cartharn was doing. In "Winter's End" we switch between past and present often and I had to wonder why the story couldn't just be told in chronological order? Why all the italics of past thoughts? In doing this, somewhere along the way confusion sprung forth and something felt like it was missing from the story line, or maybe it made a relationship with the characters harder to form... I can't put my finger on it.

Still, the plot was engaging and the characters were likable enough that once I feel into rhythm with Ms. Cartharn's writing style I had to keep turning those pages. I began this book expecting something completely mediocre but ultimately finished it wanting more when it came to a somewhat abrupt ending.

As for the characters, there were so many 'heroes' introduced all at once and I had a hard time retaining all of the information, unsure which one I was suppose to follow and root for. Once I figured that out, he left a lot to be desired and clearly had to redeem himself to make this book worth reading. I really enjoyed the heroine, Emma, until she disappointed me too. As a wife and mother I found her response to the book's climax to be pretty unrealistic. Still, maybe that's how they do things across the pond so I read on. Plus, I really was beginning to be interested to know how their truly unbelievable (at least to me) situation would resolve itself.

Overall, it was okay and I would recommend someone who finds the synopsis interesting to go ahead and pick it up. I think with a little more plot and character polishing this book could be a 4 star read, but for now I have to give it 3 stars.

[Tonileg]

I loved visiting the Isle of Skye. The hiking and picnics in the heather are all wonderful memories for myself and my little family so when I found this freebie story on kindle, I jumped into and started reading. But it wasn't what I was looking for because it is really just a widow looking for a clean start in a small town which could have been anyway 'small town' in an English speaking countryside.
Emma Winston takes her two kids out of London to the middle of nowhere countryside of Breakish where she has lot so kind neighbors like Mrs Kinnaird. Mrs Kinnaird has a wealthy playboy grandson, Chris Cameron who she is trying to set up with the widowed Emma, but there is competition because her dead husband's brother, Richard Winston is also interested in more.
I'm totally out of patience with love triangles and mysterious neightbors so I couldn't finish this one at this time. Maybe I'll try again this winter...
294 pages and kindle freebie

[Char Sowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

To read the entire review please visit: my link text
This British import is a sweet and fun Romance that is a rare combination of family mystery, attraction to best friend (who in this case happens to be the brother of the deceased husband), and a marriage of convenience. Did I mention there is a celebrity "kicker", as they say in poker. But somehow this all works well and not at all chaotically.
This book has many points of view. Emma's, Richards, Ethel's, and Chris'. but it never becomes confusing nor do the transitions, from one POV to the next, feel too quick. "Winter's End" is, according to my e-reader, less than 200 pages, but it doesn't feel rushed nor does it feel as if the ending is abrupt. There are one or two additional surprises that arise but they aren't merely for the sake of "shock value". They do contribute to the story.

This novel is from my personal bookshelf therefore it is a honest review.

[Kudakwashe Muzira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Read and a Wonderful Love Story
I was drawn to Winter's End after reading a sample chapter at the end of Red Collar in addition to the growing attention this book has been gaining.
I was impressed by this author's writing in Red Collar that I was tempted to pick this book up as well. And sure enough, she didn't disappoint. The love story is different and very refreshing. The characters are the sort you will fall in love with over and over again. And the setting on the Isle of Skye is so real makes me wish I could visit it.
For anyone looking for a good quality romance, I highly recommend it.

[Greer Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

As another reviewer puts it, it is indeed a story of love.. lost and found. The story captivated me from the start and held me to the very last page. It is set in the beautiful Isle of Skye and as I was reading the author drew me in, making me wish I were there! Then there is the romance itself. Sometimes I felt it was a Jane Austen set in modern times. Emma was sweet, caring and perfect and then suddenly Chris pops up and there is havoc. While they hate each other, they are also drawn to each other. It is definitely a different and refreshing love story. I must say I really enjoyed it!

[F.W. Pinkerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a nice relaxing story, although if I am honest I enjoyed the second half far more. I loved that is was set on the tranquil island of Skye - which I have fond memories of. It was also nice to read a good old fashioned love story (with a smooth flowing writing style that was poetic at times), although I did find the ending a little quick, after the slower beginning phase. The whole way through the book I hoped Emma would find happiness, and I am glad her children got a loving new Grandma in the form of Ethel. If I ever visit Skye again, I will think of this book.

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book left me mixed in my view of it. It had peaks and troughs of interest. The story is essentially enjoyable particularly from about 20% of the way through. The second love interest Chris just didn't seem that credible and I didn't feel like I had got to know him by the end. The story was rushed in the last section.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

My Review: Wow where do I start. The writing and errors in this book are some of the worst I have ever seen. I really hate to give bad reviews but this is not going to be pretty. I can’t honestly say what it is about because I could not even get through the first chapter and there are very few books that I stop reading. Usually I can find something good to say even in the worst ones. Guess the cover is nice. I can give this one no more than 1 star.

[Debbie]

I rarely give up on a book once I start it. This is one of those rare occurrences. There are so many grammatical errors, words missing from sentences making them meaningless. No matter how good the story, and I didn't get far enough to determine whether it was a good story or not, there are so many errors that they completely detract from it.

This book has obviously never been proof-read or edited either by the author or by anyone else.

[Erin W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me on my toes and made me want to keep reading to see what was going to conspire between the characters. You easily fall in love with Emma's character and feel her struggle with her feelings. You laugh at Mrs. Kinnaird, the crazy old lady, and her antics. All in all it was imaginative and the descriptions painted the perfect picture.

[Hazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one started out well--the use of flashbacks set up a little air of mystery about the main character's past that was intriguing and I began to get invested in the characters and where their stories were taking them. And then the author skipped to the end and it felt as though she simply forgot to write the middle of the book :/

[Victoria Spradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed reading this it was quick and not really stressful. However I personally did not like how the male main character verbally attacked the heroine of the story. It made me feel terrible for her regardless of his history he shouldn’t have done what he did. I loved how the children were portrayed, rather like my own daughter. It was a quick entertaining read

[Big Col · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice and easy going story. A little too predictable and girlie for me but I did enjoy it all the same.