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January Joy
Sometimes the coldest season brings the warmest beginnings...
Joanna Hartwell arrives at Hawthorn Cottage with nothing but a battered suitcase and a lifetime of wounds. After a decade of caregiving and a marriage that ended in betrayal, she's forgotten who she is beyond being useful to others. The cottage should be temporary—just somewhere to hide while she works out what comes next.
But Hawthorn Cottage has other ideas.
Fires that light themselves. Warmth that defies winter's grip. An amaryllis that blooms impossibly fast. The cottage is trying to heal her, but Joanna has spent so long being broken she's not sure she remembers how to be whole.
Then she meets Hugh Morrison, the quiet bookshop owner with kind eyes and his own carefully hidden grief; he knows what it's like to feel guilty for wanting happiness again.
As January deepens and the village works its gentle magic, Joanna must will she keep hiding behind her walls, or will she allow herself to bloom—even in the coldest season?
Sometimes healing isn't about forgetting the past. Sometimes it's about having the courage to reach for the future.
A tender story of second chances, found family, and the quiet magic that lives in the spaces between winter and spring.
Joanna Hartwell arrives at Hawthorn Cottage with nothing but a battered suitcase and a lifetime of wounds. After a decade of caregiving and a marriage that ended in betrayal, she's forgotten who she is beyond being useful to others. The cottage should be temporary—just somewhere to hide while she works out what comes next.
But Hawthorn Cottage has other ideas.
Fires that light themselves. Warmth that defies winter's grip. An amaryllis that blooms impossibly fast. The cottage is trying to heal her, but Joanna has spent so long being broken she's not sure she remembers how to be whole.
Then she meets Hugh Morrison, the quiet bookshop owner with kind eyes and his own carefully hidden grief; he knows what it's like to feel guilty for wanting happiness again.
As January deepens and the village works its gentle magic, Joanna must will she keep hiding behind her walls, or will she allow herself to bloom—even in the coldest season?
Sometimes healing isn't about forgetting the past. Sometimes it's about having the courage to reach for the future.
A tender story of second chances, found family, and the quiet magic that lives in the spaces between winter and spring.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 27, 2025
12 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Annie Seaton
175 books703 followersAnnie Seaton lives near the beach on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. She is fulfilling her lifelong dream of writing and has been delighted to discover that readers love reading her stories as much as she loves writing them. Her career and studies spanned the education sector for most of her working life until she took up a full-time writing career. Each winter, Annie and her husband leave the beach to roam the remote areas of Australia for story ideas and research.
Readers can contact Annie through her website annieseaton.net or find her on Facebook and Instagram.
Readers can contact Annie through her website annieseaton.net or find her on Facebook and Instagram.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 4, 2026
My second visit to this enchanted village in The Cotswolds, the village that has magical cottages, cottages that seem to be able help people heal and grow, this time it is Hawthorn Cottage that maybe will make a difference with Joanna Hartwell when she arrives in the middle of winter, feeling broken.
Joanna has lived that last ten years after her husband left her for someone else caring for her parents and now she is alone with nowhere to go except Hawthorn cottage, the cottage that was left to her by a cousin in a small village this will be a place where she can hide away until she can work out what she wants from her life now, but when she arrives she soon finds out that this cottage has made other plans for Joanna. There is magic here with fires that light themselves and plants that defy winter and are blooming in the conservatory that is always warm not matter that it is snowing outside.
Soon Mrs. Willoughby is visiting and encouraging Joanna to get out into the village visit the bookshop pick up a book to read and also explains about the enchantment of not only the cottage but the village as well and when she finally makes the trip to the bookshop she meet Hugh Morrison and there is a kindness in him and also a past grief could there be something between them, a spark?
As January moves closer to February Joanna is encouraged by her cottage and Mrs. Willoughby to start to re-think her feelings and spending time with Hugh and his daughter Emma this sees Joanna’s life changing for the better, will the cottage and the village see another person find themselves and learn to trust and move forward to find a love that they deserve?
I loved this one so much it is moving, and heart-felt and uplifting, I was smiling and cheering Joanna on throughout this one, Hugh is wonderful as is Emma, these magical cottages and the enchanting village are perfect and I highly recommend this one and am really looking forward to book three.
Joanna has lived that last ten years after her husband left her for someone else caring for her parents and now she is alone with nowhere to go except Hawthorn cottage, the cottage that was left to her by a cousin in a small village this will be a place where she can hide away until she can work out what she wants from her life now, but when she arrives she soon finds out that this cottage has made other plans for Joanna. There is magic here with fires that light themselves and plants that defy winter and are blooming in the conservatory that is always warm not matter that it is snowing outside.
Soon Mrs. Willoughby is visiting and encouraging Joanna to get out into the village visit the bookshop pick up a book to read and also explains about the enchantment of not only the cottage but the village as well and when she finally makes the trip to the bookshop she meet Hugh Morrison and there is a kindness in him and also a past grief could there be something between them, a spark?
As January moves closer to February Joanna is encouraged by her cottage and Mrs. Willoughby to start to re-think her feelings and spending time with Hugh and his daughter Emma this sees Joanna’s life changing for the better, will the cottage and the village see another person find themselves and learn to trust and move forward to find a love that they deserve?
I loved this one so much it is moving, and heart-felt and uplifting, I was smiling and cheering Joanna on throughout this one, Hugh is wonderful as is Emma, these magical cottages and the enchanting village are perfect and I highly recommend this one and am really looking forward to book three.
December 23, 2025
This was such a cosy, comforting read, infused with just the right touch of gentle magic. From the moment Joanna arrives at Hawthorn Cottage with her battered suitcase and a lifetime of emotional wounds, I was completely drawn in. After years of putting everyone else first, her need to rediscover who she is felt very real and easy to connect with.
I loved the quiet magic woven through the story-subtle, warm, and never overdone. The cottage itself feels nurturing, almost like a character, gently encouraging healing rather than forcing it. The village setting adds to that sense of calm and comfort, and the slow, thoughtful pace allows the story to unfold naturally.
Joanna and Hugh are both beautifully written characters, each carrying their own grief and hesitation about hoping for more. Watching their connection grow felt tender and genuine, and the themes of second chances and found family were handled with such care.
Delightful from start to finish, this is a soothing, uplifting read with heart, warmth, and a little magic - perfect if you’re in the mood for something comforting and quietly hopeful.
I loved the quiet magic woven through the story-subtle, warm, and never overdone. The cottage itself feels nurturing, almost like a character, gently encouraging healing rather than forcing it. The village setting adds to that sense of calm and comfort, and the slow, thoughtful pace allows the story to unfold naturally.
Joanna and Hugh are both beautifully written characters, each carrying their own grief and hesitation about hoping for more. Watching their connection grow felt tender and genuine, and the themes of second chances and found family were handled with such care.
Delightful from start to finish, this is a soothing, uplifting read with heart, warmth, and a little magic - perfect if you’re in the mood for something comforting and quietly hopeful.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews