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A Winter's Tale
One of the best writers around!' KATIE FFORDE Full of down-to-earth humour, ' SOPHIE KINSELLA
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
324 people are currently reading
2583 people want to read
About the author
Trisha Ashley
50 books1,093 followersTrisha Ashley is now a full-time novelist, but she has been known to work for stained glass makers and/or plumbers. She likes to paint, eat, drink, and read literary biographies. Her previous hobbies included getting divorced and packing to move. She claims to have once actually eaten Bronte burgers at the Branwell café, but her publisher declines to verify this. She lives in North Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
April 13, 2021
This book was exactly what my mind needed! I've been working 60+ hours at work and coming off of several dark, gritty books, and I really needed something HAPPY and endearing. This was basically an adult fairytale. Who DOESN'T want to suddenly have a beautiful manor fall into their lap? It was great and completely transported me into the story.
March 22, 2012
I'm very surprised with all of the high ratings that this book has. I found A Winter's Tale incredibly dull and unexciting. Whilst the idea was good, a lot more could have been done with the plot - nothing seemed to happen that made me want to read on - it took a lot of effort not to give up on this book completely. I found that the narrative was very well written but my main issue was that I could not connect with any of the characters, they weren't formed well enough and as I've already mentioned, nothing exciting seemed to happen until the end of the book. A very boring story and take note that the title must refer mainly to the family name as Winter/Christmas is only mentioned briefly at the end!
December 13, 2016
8,5 de 10*
Trisha Ashley é uma autora segura, no que toca a romances fofinhos, com ambientes acolhedores e histórias bonitas. "Um Conto de Inverno" não é excepção e soube-me tão bem lê-lo nesta época do ano!
Comentário completo em:
http://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.pt/...
Trisha Ashley é uma autora segura, no que toca a romances fofinhos, com ambientes acolhedores e histórias bonitas. "Um Conto de Inverno" não é excepção e soube-me tão bem lê-lo nesta época do ano!
Comentário completo em:
http://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.pt/...
March 30, 2019
Mais uma vez digo: impossível não gostar dos livros deste autora. Ela escreve sempre os livros com um toque de magia único.
August 7, 2012
The concept of the story was good, the execution of it, however, left much to be desired.
Sophy was annoyingly proper with characters that didn't deserve her kindness, she was also even more annoyingly clueless about some things but rather on the ball with others - no consistency in her character.
The fact that Sophy and the rest of the family just let slide the behaviors and actions of Jack was increasingly frustrating throughout the book, and then in the end when they once again let everything slide and were just so "fond" of him.
The most mature and intelligent character in the book was the youngest.
This could have been done so much better.
Sophy was annoyingly proper with characters that didn't deserve her kindness, she was also even more annoyingly clueless about some things but rather on the ball with others - no consistency in her character.
The fact that Sophy and the rest of the family just let slide the behaviors and actions of Jack was increasingly frustrating throughout the book, and then in the end when they once again let everything slide and were just so "fond" of him.
The most mature and intelligent character in the book was the youngest.
This could have been done so much better.
September 15, 2015
Enjoyable, but not my favorite by Trisha Ashley. Sophy and Seth spend so much time completely clueless about each other that I had a hard time simply enjoying the rest of the story. And the rest of the cast is more mundane than I'm used to in her books—less magical, but also less wacky or (lovably) goofy. Seth is brooding (which prompts a hilarious reference to Cold Comfort Farm but is otherwise simply . . . broody). Sophy is determined. Yes, you see them enjoy themselves together, mostly bickering (though in the way that breeds intimacy and compromise as a team), but you also see them not talking about the important stuff for most of the book. Which is probably my main difficulty in giving this a higher rating: you could cut three quarters of the book out if they'd all sat down and had a bit of a talk.
So like I said. Enjoyable. A reasonable 3.5 but without enough oomph to encourage rounding up.
Small note about publishing/reading order: Ashley is one of those authors who interleaves her books with each other. You'll see a magazine started in one book pop up in another, for example. This book sets a decent amount of ground work for Chocolate Wishes. The town and Winter's End features, if not prominently, then at least frequently in it. That threw me a bit as I read the later book first so had the odd flashes of deja skew because things started out in this book in a very different place than they were presented there. Which means I already knew some of the changes coming, just not how they got there. This didn't spoil anything, and may even have enhanced the reading a bit as I watched to see how things would drift. Still, it felt a little weird.
So like I said. Enjoyable. A reasonable 3.5 but without enough oomph to encourage rounding up.
Small note about publishing/reading order: Ashley is one of those authors who interleaves her books with each other. You'll see a magazine started in one book pop up in another, for example. This book sets a decent amount of ground work for Chocolate Wishes. The town and Winter's End features, if not prominently, then at least frequently in it. That threw me a bit as I read the later book first so had the odd flashes of deja skew because things started out in this book in a very different place than they were presented there. Which means I already knew some of the changes coming, just not how they got there. This didn't spoil anything, and may even have enhanced the reading a bit as I watched to see how things would drift. Still, it felt a little weird.
February 20, 2019
A charming romantic comedy about a hard-up single mum inheriting a stately home – and a host of headaches. Sophy Winter is not your typical Lady of the Manor….When she unexpectedly inherits Winter's End - a crumbling mansion in the beautiful Lancashire countryside - it seems like all Sophy's prayers have been answered. She eagerly swaps life as an impoverished housekeeper in favour of her own team of staff. But Sophy quickly realises the challenge on her hands - the house is decrepit and its eccentric inhabitants are a nightmare. And once it is discovered that Winter's End played host to a young Shakespeare, the entire village of Sticklepond becomes curious about Sophy's plans, especially charming Jack Lewis. But is he really smitten by Sophy…or her newly-acquired cash? Meanwhile, Sophy’s gorgeous head gardener Seth is the strong and silent type. But does his passion bloom for anything beyond the horticultural? As Sophy gets to grips with squabbling relatives, collapsing buildings and the ghostly presence of one of her ancestors, she wonders if Winter's End is not so much a gift from the gods as a mixed blessing…
It took me awhile to finish this book... it didn't grab me. I found Sophy really annoying with Jack. I mean I get it, we all fall for the handsome but obviously wrong guy but at a certain age I thought that would stop. It was just Jack was very obviously what his intentions were.
However, I loved the whole idea of the book, inheriting your dream house when you feel like you hit rock bottom. And, not just your dream house but a beautiful estate that people pay to visit. Reconnecting with your family and becoming lady of the house. Restoring history. It's all very exciting.
Maybe it was too long for me. Maybe Jack really annoyed me. Maybe I needed more chemistry with Seth. It just didn't grab me.
It took me awhile to finish this book... it didn't grab me. I found Sophy really annoying with Jack. I mean I get it, we all fall for the handsome but obviously wrong guy but at a certain age I thought that would stop. It was just Jack was very obviously what his intentions were.
However, I loved the whole idea of the book, inheriting your dream house when you feel like you hit rock bottom. And, not just your dream house but a beautiful estate that people pay to visit. Reconnecting with your family and becoming lady of the house. Restoring history. It's all very exciting.
Maybe it was too long for me. Maybe Jack really annoyed me. Maybe I needed more chemistry with Seth. It just didn't grab me.
December 2, 2020
Imagine you suddenly came to know that you have inherited a big but crumbling mansion in the beautiful Lancashire countryside, what would you do? That’s exactly what happened to Sophy Winter - a struggling single mom who for her whole adult life had been living away from her Winter family - when she was told by her distant cousin Jack Lewis that she, at the age of around 40, had inherited Winter’s End - the family’s mansion.
The premise of the book was so catchy and enthralling, when we have a middle-aged woman, who had been struggling to make ends meet her whole life - now realized her dreams might have come true when she was suddenly given the family’s estate. But that was just the beginning, since bringing a crumbling, neglected mansion back to life and restoring it to its glorious days was definitely not an easy task for Sophy. Especially when surrounding her was Jack Lewis - the ever charming and attractive distant cousin whose motive for Sophy went beyond just the bond between cousins, and who seemed to be trying to talk Sophy into marrying him for the sake of her newly acquired cash. And there was Seth - the head gardener, who was the strong and silent type. His brooding appearance may have hidden something for Sophy that he masked behind his stubbornness and disagreement with Sophy about her decision to prioritize renovating the house over completing the garden that he was dedicated to finishing.
Blending in with the current story of a woman trying her best to honor and renovate her family’s estate was the story of Sophy’s ancestor, Alys Blezzard - a young woman in the 16th century, who was accused of being a witch, who had a book of recipes that was passed on to later generations, and who also harbored a secret that could change the history of the Winter family forever. I’ve always been a sucker for contemporary stories with a rich and interesting past, and this book serves me just that. The parts about different types of roses, and how Sophy and Seth worked together to plant a brand new rose garden was enough for this book to win me over.
The title and the cover of the book may suggest a story taking place during Christmas. However, “A Winter’s Tale” is more about the process of renovating a house and doing your inheritance justice, rather than a cozy Christmas story that readers may come to expect. But Christmas did appear in some final chapters, though, when the characters celebrated “the most wonderful time of the year” together after the estate had been successfully made over. The title of the book was taken from the title of William Shakespeare’s play “The Winter’s Tale”, which would resonate with the secret that was revealed later in the book.
Overall, this is such a delighting, heartwarming and sometimes funny read. There were a couple of characters who I couldn’t stand because of their unbelievably unashamed behaviors. But at the end of the day, I really cherish this reading experience that Trisha Ashley gave me. This is the first book of hers that I’ve read, and surely I will check out more of her books if I have the chance. Again, her depiction of different types of roses and Sophy’s vision of having a garden full of plants and flowers from Shakespeare’s plays just made me want to have a garden like that one in the book!!! That would be “dreams come true” for me!!!
The premise of the book was so catchy and enthralling, when we have a middle-aged woman, who had been struggling to make ends meet her whole life - now realized her dreams might have come true when she was suddenly given the family’s estate. But that was just the beginning, since bringing a crumbling, neglected mansion back to life and restoring it to its glorious days was definitely not an easy task for Sophy. Especially when surrounding her was Jack Lewis - the ever charming and attractive distant cousin whose motive for Sophy went beyond just the bond between cousins, and who seemed to be trying to talk Sophy into marrying him for the sake of her newly acquired cash. And there was Seth - the head gardener, who was the strong and silent type. His brooding appearance may have hidden something for Sophy that he masked behind his stubbornness and disagreement with Sophy about her decision to prioritize renovating the house over completing the garden that he was dedicated to finishing.
Blending in with the current story of a woman trying her best to honor and renovate her family’s estate was the story of Sophy’s ancestor, Alys Blezzard - a young woman in the 16th century, who was accused of being a witch, who had a book of recipes that was passed on to later generations, and who also harbored a secret that could change the history of the Winter family forever. I’ve always been a sucker for contemporary stories with a rich and interesting past, and this book serves me just that. The parts about different types of roses, and how Sophy and Seth worked together to plant a brand new rose garden was enough for this book to win me over.
The title and the cover of the book may suggest a story taking place during Christmas. However, “A Winter’s Tale” is more about the process of renovating a house and doing your inheritance justice, rather than a cozy Christmas story that readers may come to expect. But Christmas did appear in some final chapters, though, when the characters celebrated “the most wonderful time of the year” together after the estate had been successfully made over. The title of the book was taken from the title of William Shakespeare’s play “The Winter’s Tale”, which would resonate with the secret that was revealed later in the book.
Overall, this is such a delighting, heartwarming and sometimes funny read. There were a couple of characters who I couldn’t stand because of their unbelievably unashamed behaviors. But at the end of the day, I really cherish this reading experience that Trisha Ashley gave me. This is the first book of hers that I’ve read, and surely I will check out more of her books if I have the chance. Again, her depiction of different types of roses and Sophy’s vision of having a garden full of plants and flowers from Shakespeare’s plays just made me want to have a garden like that one in the book!!! That would be “dreams come true” for me!!!
July 18, 2018
With all the crime dramas I watch and horrible events of the world I was in the mood for reading something light before turning off the lights. I liked the premise of a poor relation inheriting a rich uncle’s rather run down mansion and how she would turn it around to be able to keep it. It’s pure modern day light British chick flick fiction, and I have to admit three quarters of the way in I skipped to the end as it was pretty predictable. Still, it did the trick to turn my mind off and it was always lovely to be in the British countryside for a bit before closing my eyes.
December 14, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. I was a little disappointed it is not a festive read at all which I was hoping for.
Lovely book though and I now feel like visiting stately homes and gardens.
Lovely book though and I now feel like visiting stately homes and gardens.
February 23, 2017
Lê a resenha completa em: http://the-banal-girl.blogspot.pt/201...
A personagem principal é Sophy Winter: Uma mulher com uma vida difícil. Sophy trabalha em casas senhoriais, por vezes como empregada de limpeza outras como responsável por tornar essas casas interessantes para o público.
No entanto, a sua vida muda quando o seu avô, de quem tinha perdido contacto quando era criança, morre. Sophy descobre que é a herdeira da mansão da família.
A protagonista volta, assim, para a mansão (Winter End) e volta a sentir todo o carinho e amor que sentira quando era criança. Mas nem tudo é um mar de rosas, Sophy encontra-se perante alguns problemas complicados de resolver: a casa precisa de reparações e não há dinheiro para as pagar; O seu primo afastado, Jack, que é sedutor e rico, quer, a todo o custo, ficar com a mansão; O jardineiro-chefe, Seth, bonito mas teimoso, tem ideias bastante diferentes quanto às prioridades de Winter End tornando-se difícil de chegar a um consenso.
Paralelamente, Sophy sente a presença da misteriosa Alys, uma antepassada muito conhecida na terra uma vez que se acreditava que esta era bruxa. Ao longo do livro e através de vários excertos do diário de Alys descobre-se a verdadeira história desta o que é bastante curioso!
Considero o argumento principal bastante interessante. As personagens, como Lucy, Seth e Jack são bastante bem construídas e cativantes. Também gostei de Sophy apesar de achar que esta era demasiado ingénua para quem tinha passado por tanta coisa ao longo da sua vida.
Gostei IMENSO de todo o mistério à volta de Alys e dos antepassados da família Winter; Acho que foi o ponto melhor conseguido neste livro.
A forma como a história foi desenvolvida e aplicada não foi muito original. Confesso que havia acontecimentos que não contribuíram muito para a história e que parecia que estavam lá para, em grosso modo, encher chouriços, o que me fez ficar um pouco enfadada. O romance, apesar de querido, foi um pouco óbvio e deixou bastante a desejar.
No entanto, acho que foi uma leitura agradável e aconselho-a para dias de frio.
Classifico-a com 3,3 (só porque não é um 3,5 mas também não é um 3)
E tu, já leste este livro? Já conhecias esta autora?
Com muito carinho,
-Banal Girl
A personagem principal é Sophy Winter: Uma mulher com uma vida difícil. Sophy trabalha em casas senhoriais, por vezes como empregada de limpeza outras como responsável por tornar essas casas interessantes para o público.
No entanto, a sua vida muda quando o seu avô, de quem tinha perdido contacto quando era criança, morre. Sophy descobre que é a herdeira da mansão da família.
A protagonista volta, assim, para a mansão (Winter End) e volta a sentir todo o carinho e amor que sentira quando era criança. Mas nem tudo é um mar de rosas, Sophy encontra-se perante alguns problemas complicados de resolver: a casa precisa de reparações e não há dinheiro para as pagar; O seu primo afastado, Jack, que é sedutor e rico, quer, a todo o custo, ficar com a mansão; O jardineiro-chefe, Seth, bonito mas teimoso, tem ideias bastante diferentes quanto às prioridades de Winter End tornando-se difícil de chegar a um consenso.
Paralelamente, Sophy sente a presença da misteriosa Alys, uma antepassada muito conhecida na terra uma vez que se acreditava que esta era bruxa. Ao longo do livro e através de vários excertos do diário de Alys descobre-se a verdadeira história desta o que é bastante curioso!
Considero o argumento principal bastante interessante. As personagens, como Lucy, Seth e Jack são bastante bem construídas e cativantes. Também gostei de Sophy apesar de achar que esta era demasiado ingénua para quem tinha passado por tanta coisa ao longo da sua vida.
Gostei IMENSO de todo o mistério à volta de Alys e dos antepassados da família Winter; Acho que foi o ponto melhor conseguido neste livro.
A forma como a história foi desenvolvida e aplicada não foi muito original. Confesso que havia acontecimentos que não contribuíram muito para a história e que parecia que estavam lá para, em grosso modo, encher chouriços, o que me fez ficar um pouco enfadada. O romance, apesar de querido, foi um pouco óbvio e deixou bastante a desejar.
No entanto, acho que foi uma leitura agradável e aconselho-a para dias de frio.
Classifico-a com 3,3 (só porque não é um 3,5 mas também não é um 3)
E tu, já leste este livro? Já conhecias esta autora?
Com muito carinho,
-Banal Girl
September 2, 2016
3.5 stars I really struggled with how to rate this book. Parts of it really are fresh, humorous and fun. But the flaws? Oh my goodness, the flaws are glaring!
A Winter's Tale isn't so much a romance(though there are some romantic bits to it) as it is the story of a heroine getting a fresh start in life and discovering resources she never knew she had. That heroine, fortyish Sophy Winter, is by no means perfect but I did find her endearing. She survived childhood with a drug-addled and neglectful mother, married young and had a child (now in her early 20s and seemingly full of drive to succeed), and has worked in a series of historic homes.
Sophy lost her latest job with a beloved employer when her employer was forced into a nursing home by a combination of ill health and a scheming nephew. Left at loose ends with no way to even pay for her housing, Sophy gets news from out of the blue that is welcome indeed. Her grandfather has unexpectedly left her the family home at Winter's End.
And so begins the fun part of the story. Even though we see from the beginning that Sophy is not the world's best judge of character, her ability to dig right into the decrepit family pile and figure out ways to make it solvent again is refreshing. The relatives Sophy remembers from her childhood aren't as welcoming as they used to be, and Sophy finds herself falling for the oily charms of someone that pretty much every reader is going to recognize as a villain from the word go. Still, there is Seth, the rather hot and brooding head gardener...
Even though she can be airheaded, I did like Sophy. And while the middle part of the book drags a bit, the ins and outs of rehabilitating and running a historic property fascinated me. The Shakespeare tie-ins throughout the story were different and fun as well.
As alluded to earlier, some of the characterizations can be a bit heavy-handed with regard to secondary characters. By way of example, I hate to sound harsh, but if you don't figure out who the villain is by the first third of the book, you might have a blind spot as big as Sophy's. In addition, some of the schemes in this book are way over the top. I could let a lot of that pass because this book is unabashedly improbable in many ways and wild antics are pretty much par for the course in much of chick lit. Even though this novel does have its flaws, it can also be good fun.
A Winter's Tale isn't so much a romance(though there are some romantic bits to it) as it is the story of a heroine getting a fresh start in life and discovering resources she never knew she had. That heroine, fortyish Sophy Winter, is by no means perfect but I did find her endearing. She survived childhood with a drug-addled and neglectful mother, married young and had a child (now in her early 20s and seemingly full of drive to succeed), and has worked in a series of historic homes.
Sophy lost her latest job with a beloved employer when her employer was forced into a nursing home by a combination of ill health and a scheming nephew. Left at loose ends with no way to even pay for her housing, Sophy gets news from out of the blue that is welcome indeed. Her grandfather has unexpectedly left her the family home at Winter's End.
And so begins the fun part of the story. Even though we see from the beginning that Sophy is not the world's best judge of character, her ability to dig right into the decrepit family pile and figure out ways to make it solvent again is refreshing. The relatives Sophy remembers from her childhood aren't as welcoming as they used to be, and Sophy finds herself falling for the oily charms of someone that pretty much every reader is going to recognize as a villain from the word go. Still, there is Seth, the rather hot and brooding head gardener...
Even though she can be airheaded, I did like Sophy. And while the middle part of the book drags a bit, the ins and outs of rehabilitating and running a historic property fascinated me. The Shakespeare tie-ins throughout the story were different and fun as well.
As alluded to earlier, some of the characterizations can be a bit heavy-handed with regard to secondary characters. By way of example, I hate to sound harsh, but if you don't figure out who the villain is by the first third of the book, you might have a blind spot as big as Sophy's. In addition, some of the schemes in this book are way over the top. I could let a lot of that pass because this book is unabashedly improbable in many ways and wild antics are pretty much par for the course in much of chick lit. Even though this novel does have its flaws, it can also be good fun.
September 8, 2013
This wintery novel is an excellent example of the best kind of chick lit. All the required elements are there; a heroine undergoing a transformation (be it in life, appearance, location...), an ounce of mystery, an unlikely love interest, some crazy family members, and a plot that offers something unique and different to the thousands of other chick lit novels out there. Trisha Ashley's tale of Sophy Winter and her sudden inheritance of a stately home in the English countryside is a fantastic read, especially if you're looking to ease your way into the world of chick lit!
Trisha Ashley - A Winter's TaleI really loved this book. Set in the English countryside, Sophy unexpectedly inherits the family home she left so long ago. Amongst mystery, the debts and the dusty rooms of Winter's End, Sophy rediscovers her passions and embarks on a large-scale restoration of the manor house so it can re-open to the public. Along the way, she faces her demons, reacquaints herself with the family ghost, and finds love.
This may sound like a fairly typical chick-lit novel. Perhaps it's my love of novels where they make over something dreary that had swayed me, or maybe my preference for English chick lit authors over American ones (trust me, there IS a difference!), that influenced my opinion of the book. Either way, it was a very enjoyable read. The characters were unique, and quirky, and the plot wasn't trite. In fact, the comparably longer length of this chick-lit novel managed to fit in more than many others do, without making it a heavy or over-long read.
"A Winter's Tale" is a must-read for people looking for something a little different within the chick-lit genre, and a love of swoon-worthy gardeners. Check it out!
Trisha Ashley - A Winter's TaleI really loved this book. Set in the English countryside, Sophy unexpectedly inherits the family home she left so long ago. Amongst mystery, the debts and the dusty rooms of Winter's End, Sophy rediscovers her passions and embarks on a large-scale restoration of the manor house so it can re-open to the public. Along the way, she faces her demons, reacquaints herself with the family ghost, and finds love.
This may sound like a fairly typical chick-lit novel. Perhaps it's my love of novels where they make over something dreary that had swayed me, or maybe my preference for English chick lit authors over American ones (trust me, there IS a difference!), that influenced my opinion of the book. Either way, it was a very enjoyable read. The characters were unique, and quirky, and the plot wasn't trite. In fact, the comparably longer length of this chick-lit novel managed to fit in more than many others do, without making it a heavy or over-long read.
"A Winter's Tale" is a must-read for people looking for something a little different within the chick-lit genre, and a love of swoon-worthy gardeners. Check it out!
August 22, 2011
I read this book in an afternoon. There's something about Ashley that I really like, her writing is relaxed and comfortable, and she maked you care about the places as much as the characters. I find her settings are always wonderful, and in this case the gorgeous house was perfect. I loved the diary extracts throughout it, which gave the whole story a different, slightly darker feel. And as always the minor characters were the best - from the hippy mother (a theme in Ashelys work?) to the crazy aunts, loose village women and the ever present memory of a dead grandfather.
May 24, 2017
Gosto mito desta autora, os primeiros livros que li dela cativaram-me, são estórias simples, doces , românticas com um toque de magia e divertidas.
E este livro é assim mesmo, magico e tão fácil de ler, e passamos uma horas num mundo doce e terno.
E este livro é assim mesmo, magico e tão fácil de ler, e passamos uma horas num mundo doce e terno.
December 11, 2019
I failed to see this as romcom. This book mostly about how to fix a house, a garden and estate financial, there is hardly romance. And comedy? Did I miss something?
Anyway, I'm getting tired of a heroine that cannot stand up for herself and let others walk all over them.
Anyway, I'm getting tired of a heroine that cannot stand up for herself and let others walk all over them.
February 9, 2016
An easy, enjoyable read!
The cover is slightly misleading as 'Winter' refers to the surname of the family rather than the time of year!
The cover is slightly misleading as 'Winter' refers to the surname of the family rather than the time of year!
August 30, 2016
*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Downton Denial (February 2016)
Sophy Winter spent her formative years living in her family's stately home, Winter's End, until she was one day whisked away by her hippie mother without a backward glance. Her life then took on an itinerant feel, never really settling down until she got married and got pregnant. The pregnancy scared the husband off and she made do as a single mother working in great estates like the one she grew up in. Her daughter is now all grown up and teaching in Japan and Sophy is at loose ends, having lost her job and her home in a matter of minutes. That's when the miracle happens; she inherits Winter's End. A cousin she never knew about, Jack, has come to tell her of her good fortune and to offer to buy the house from her. He explains that Winter's End isn't in the best of shape, her grandfather funneled all the money into the restoration of the gardens at the expense of the house. Therefore Jack's solution would solve Sophy's money problems and sooth the wounds inflicted on Jack when he found out he only inherited the title. It's win win. But when Sophy arrives home she realizes she could never sell Winter's End, even to family. She doesn't care how desperately she needs to find money for it's upkeep or how upset Jack will be or how cantankerous the gardener Seth is, she only knows that she will find a way to do what is in the best interest of the house. Her home.
Several people over the years have recommended A Winter's Tale to me knowing of my love of grand English estates and chick lit. So the book had made it's way onto my shelves and languished, until this past December when it sounded like just the right read for a cold Christmas day. The thing is, there's not much Christmas in it... yes, Christmas is there, but it's almost an afterthought, the book actually getting it's title from Shakespeare not from being all yule. Yet for my love of country estates this was perfect. It's not so much a fairy tale as other books I've read go, though it would be a dream come true to inherit such a house, it's more a realistic fairy tale if that makes sense. We are given insight into the nuts and bolts of the day to day struggles to keep a grand house running. Basically the more down and dirty reality of owning Downton Abbey. Keeping the staff happy, keeping the house repaired, finding money to keep the restoration of the garden underway. Finding a happy balance between wants and needs. Prioritizing that which must get done. And cleaning. Seriously, the amount of cleaning a place like this takes, well, if you hadn't thought about it before in your fantasies about becoming on heiress, you will now. And not that that's a bad thing. In fact reading all about this minutiae, it gives you a stronger connection to this way of life than if you were to the manor born.
The minutiae is where this book lives. In the purchase of special beeswax for banisters and brushes for paintings. There's a languid feel that makes this book the perfect bedtime read. You slip into bed and you sink into the story that lulls you into a safe world of hard work with wonderful rewards. The pacing for most of the book continues on in this vein. Hundreds of pages of day by day tasks to have it abruptly changed. As Christmas nears the pace is picked up, soon we aren't spending languid days seeing the house brought back to life slowly, we're zooming along until it's later the next year at the happily ever after is thrust upon us. This is where the book kind of lost me. It's weird when the pace is abandoned in favor of some new narrative style. The book lost some of it's charm by changing tempo. I didn't feel as connected to these characters I had spent so much time forging a bond with. I felt like the bond was severed and I was left on the outside looking in as everything came together, but without me. Yes, if Trisha Ashley had continued the narrative style throughout A Winter's Tale might have been a doorstop of a book, but as I've said before and I'll say again, I don't care how long or how short a book is, it should be exactly as long as it takes to tell the story and do it justice. This book needs a little of the justice that came Jack's way.
Speaking of Jack. He is the major thorn in my side in this book. He is sleazy and scheming yet everyone thinks he's God's gift and why not let Jack have the house? He couldn't possibly do something underhanded, insert ominous music here. I give credit to Sophy that she stays the course, but there is too much of her waffling. Too many times she questions herself and doesn't stand up to Jack. So while Jack is the villain of the piece, with his dirty deals and his desperate ways, the main problem I have is that he illuminates the flaws of our heroine. Sophy is so strong of will and motivated by hard work I find it hard to believe that she'd buy any line coming out of Jack's mouth, no matter how seductive and silken. I mean, how can she be so naive? She just lost her job and her home because of a scheming relative of her employer and here she is in a similar situation and yet she's all, oh Jack, you're so pretty, you could never love frumpy me with my frizzy hair. Gaw. Just no. I know it's a staple of chick lit to have the to go to be true bad boy and the brooding good boy with the befuddled heroine in the middle not knowing what to do, but seriously? Sophy is so much stronger than the average Bridget Jones that I am baffled that she didn't call shenanigans sooner.
What sets this book apart from the run of the mill chick lit or Downtonesque book is the olde thyme stuff, IE Shakespeare! I admit about a few pages in I should have gotten that the title was from Shakespeare, given all the references in the text, but sometimes I'm not quite on the ball and as I mentioned before I seriously thought this was a Christmas book. This Shakespearean element also elevates the book to a kind of historical fiction chick lit fusion that is fun for fans of both genres. But the downside is that I think you'd have to be somewhat to fairly knowledgeable about Shakespeare and his life to get the personal references peppered throughout the story. The extracts from Alys Blezzard's journal are purposefully very cryptic and written for those with knowledge of the Bard. Therefore this book can be read on two levels, the plain old chick lit HEA, and the fusion level. Personally, if I was only reading it on the chick lit level without my knowledge of Shakespeare, I'm not sure I would have been as drawn into the book. It's the mystery woven throughout about Alys being dark of complexion, that connects with Shakespeare's sonnets to "The Dark Lady." The Shakespeare angle adds so much that without it I just don't know if it would work.
Yet that "Dark Lady" Alys is still a questionable addition to the book in my mind. Not her connection with Shakespeare, nothing like that. It's her "other" qualities. IE, the magic of it all. By bringing in a paranormal aspect I think it might be stretching the narrative's credulity to it's breaking point. The Shakespeare secret, the history of the family and the house, that's all well and good, but the magic? I could see it if there were just ghosts and Alys having been condemned as a witch, because well, any smart woman was a witch back then, but that magic... That tangible real magic that gives Sophy insight and visions. It's just a step too far. It's almost like this book so wanted to be everything that it threw in everything and the kitchen sink and sometimes enough is enough. Sometimes being descended from Shakespeare is a big enough twist. Sometimes getting your HEA is enough. And sometimes just saving your family estate is enough. There doesn't need to be "real" magic too. Because isn't everything else magical enough? Apparently not according to Trisha Ashley. But then again, some people just don't know where to draw the line, like Sophy with her "relationship" with Jack.
Sophy Winter spent her formative years living in her family's stately home, Winter's End, until she was one day whisked away by her hippie mother without a backward glance. Her life then took on an itinerant feel, never really settling down until she got married and got pregnant. The pregnancy scared the husband off and she made do as a single mother working in great estates like the one she grew up in. Her daughter is now all grown up and teaching in Japan and Sophy is at loose ends, having lost her job and her home in a matter of minutes. That's when the miracle happens; she inherits Winter's End. A cousin she never knew about, Jack, has come to tell her of her good fortune and to offer to buy the house from her. He explains that Winter's End isn't in the best of shape, her grandfather funneled all the money into the restoration of the gardens at the expense of the house. Therefore Jack's solution would solve Sophy's money problems and sooth the wounds inflicted on Jack when he found out he only inherited the title. It's win win. But when Sophy arrives home she realizes she could never sell Winter's End, even to family. She doesn't care how desperately she needs to find money for it's upkeep or how upset Jack will be or how cantankerous the gardener Seth is, she only knows that she will find a way to do what is in the best interest of the house. Her home.
Several people over the years have recommended A Winter's Tale to me knowing of my love of grand English estates and chick lit. So the book had made it's way onto my shelves and languished, until this past December when it sounded like just the right read for a cold Christmas day. The thing is, there's not much Christmas in it... yes, Christmas is there, but it's almost an afterthought, the book actually getting it's title from Shakespeare not from being all yule. Yet for my love of country estates this was perfect. It's not so much a fairy tale as other books I've read go, though it would be a dream come true to inherit such a house, it's more a realistic fairy tale if that makes sense. We are given insight into the nuts and bolts of the day to day struggles to keep a grand house running. Basically the more down and dirty reality of owning Downton Abbey. Keeping the staff happy, keeping the house repaired, finding money to keep the restoration of the garden underway. Finding a happy balance between wants and needs. Prioritizing that which must get done. And cleaning. Seriously, the amount of cleaning a place like this takes, well, if you hadn't thought about it before in your fantasies about becoming on heiress, you will now. And not that that's a bad thing. In fact reading all about this minutiae, it gives you a stronger connection to this way of life than if you were to the manor born.
The minutiae is where this book lives. In the purchase of special beeswax for banisters and brushes for paintings. There's a languid feel that makes this book the perfect bedtime read. You slip into bed and you sink into the story that lulls you into a safe world of hard work with wonderful rewards. The pacing for most of the book continues on in this vein. Hundreds of pages of day by day tasks to have it abruptly changed. As Christmas nears the pace is picked up, soon we aren't spending languid days seeing the house brought back to life slowly, we're zooming along until it's later the next year at the happily ever after is thrust upon us. This is where the book kind of lost me. It's weird when the pace is abandoned in favor of some new narrative style. The book lost some of it's charm by changing tempo. I didn't feel as connected to these characters I had spent so much time forging a bond with. I felt like the bond was severed and I was left on the outside looking in as everything came together, but without me. Yes, if Trisha Ashley had continued the narrative style throughout A Winter's Tale might have been a doorstop of a book, but as I've said before and I'll say again, I don't care how long or how short a book is, it should be exactly as long as it takes to tell the story and do it justice. This book needs a little of the justice that came Jack's way.
Speaking of Jack. He is the major thorn in my side in this book. He is sleazy and scheming yet everyone thinks he's God's gift and why not let Jack have the house? He couldn't possibly do something underhanded, insert ominous music here. I give credit to Sophy that she stays the course, but there is too much of her waffling. Too many times she questions herself and doesn't stand up to Jack. So while Jack is the villain of the piece, with his dirty deals and his desperate ways, the main problem I have is that he illuminates the flaws of our heroine. Sophy is so strong of will and motivated by hard work I find it hard to believe that she'd buy any line coming out of Jack's mouth, no matter how seductive and silken. I mean, how can she be so naive? She just lost her job and her home because of a scheming relative of her employer and here she is in a similar situation and yet she's all, oh Jack, you're so pretty, you could never love frumpy me with my frizzy hair. Gaw. Just no. I know it's a staple of chick lit to have the to go to be true bad boy and the brooding good boy with the befuddled heroine in the middle not knowing what to do, but seriously? Sophy is so much stronger than the average Bridget Jones that I am baffled that she didn't call shenanigans sooner.
What sets this book apart from the run of the mill chick lit or Downtonesque book is the olde thyme stuff, IE Shakespeare! I admit about a few pages in I should have gotten that the title was from Shakespeare, given all the references in the text, but sometimes I'm not quite on the ball and as I mentioned before I seriously thought this was a Christmas book. This Shakespearean element also elevates the book to a kind of historical fiction chick lit fusion that is fun for fans of both genres. But the downside is that I think you'd have to be somewhat to fairly knowledgeable about Shakespeare and his life to get the personal references peppered throughout the story. The extracts from Alys Blezzard's journal are purposefully very cryptic and written for those with knowledge of the Bard. Therefore this book can be read on two levels, the plain old chick lit HEA, and the fusion level. Personally, if I was only reading it on the chick lit level without my knowledge of Shakespeare, I'm not sure I would have been as drawn into the book. It's the mystery woven throughout about Alys being dark of complexion, that connects with Shakespeare's sonnets to "The Dark Lady." The Shakespeare angle adds so much that without it I just don't know if it would work.
Yet that "Dark Lady" Alys is still a questionable addition to the book in my mind. Not her connection with Shakespeare, nothing like that. It's her "other" qualities. IE, the magic of it all. By bringing in a paranormal aspect I think it might be stretching the narrative's credulity to it's breaking point. The Shakespeare secret, the history of the family and the house, that's all well and good, but the magic? I could see it if there were just ghosts and Alys having been condemned as a witch, because well, any smart woman was a witch back then, but that magic... That tangible real magic that gives Sophy insight and visions. It's just a step too far. It's almost like this book so wanted to be everything that it threw in everything and the kitchen sink and sometimes enough is enough. Sometimes being descended from Shakespeare is a big enough twist. Sometimes getting your HEA is enough. And sometimes just saving your family estate is enough. There doesn't need to be "real" magic too. Because isn't everything else magical enough? Apparently not according to Trisha Ashley. But then again, some people just don't know where to draw the line, like Sophy with her "relationship" with Jack.
January 13, 2018
Comecei este livro quase no fim de 2017, e terminei agora, no início de 2018. Vendo as datas, são imensos dias, mas sei que peguei no livro (no Kobo, na verdade) apenas 4 vezes, portanto até li rápido. Confesso que inicialmente foi um pouco difícil embrenhar-me na história, mas sei que na 3.ª vez que peguei no livro passei de 37% lido para 72%, e na 4.ª vez em que peguei nele, hoje, terminei a leitura :)
Não me desiludiu porque sabia bem o que ia encontrar. As histórias da Trisha Ashley são simples, queridinhas, e previsíveis. São mesmo boas histórias para ler no quente, com uma caneca de chá e umas bolachinhas. O bom é que as suas personagens não precisam de ser maravilhosas, o cenário que ela nos dá faz tudo pela história. De repente, parece que não só vemos a vila como os espaços em que a história se desenrola. Este é o 1.º livro passado em Sticklepond, e foi um pouco estranho não ver personagens que já acompanhei noutras obras referidos. Por outro lado, o bom desta história foi que se concentrou quase por completo em Winter's End, e eu gostei tanto disso! Podia perfeitamente passear naqueles jardins, dormir naquela mansão, ajudar nas limpezas maníacas da Sophy, discutir com o Seth, passear o gorducho do Charlie.
Pensando com clareza, sei que não se passa nada quase o livro todo. Mas gostei imediatamente da Sophy, gostei de ver um lado diferente e mais doce da tia Hebe, adorei conhecer um pouco melhor a Ottie, e o Seth é o verdadeiro Mr. Darcy sem o ser. Mas isso já era o que esperava, não me desiludiu, e confesso até que achei que a autora deu demasiado protagonismo ao palerma do Jack, e à insuportável da Mel...mas eram exatamente esses os seus papeis, por isso nem disso me posso queixar.
Contudo, tenho de admitir que desta vez o que verdadeiramente me entusiasmou na história foi o passado, não o presente. Cada bocadinho do diário da Alys, no início de cada capítulo, deixava mil interrogações. Umas adivinhei, claro, outras nem vi respondidas, mas se escrevessem um livro inteiro só com o diário da Alys, acho que lia contente :p
Sem revelar nada mais de uma história já de si bastante óbvia, resta dizer que as obras desta autora são ótimas para nos distrairmos um pouco das nossas vidas, e que só por isso já valem a pena. Terminamos sempre de sorriso nos lábios :)
Não me desiludiu porque sabia bem o que ia encontrar. As histórias da Trisha Ashley são simples, queridinhas, e previsíveis. São mesmo boas histórias para ler no quente, com uma caneca de chá e umas bolachinhas. O bom é que as suas personagens não precisam de ser maravilhosas, o cenário que ela nos dá faz tudo pela história. De repente, parece que não só vemos a vila como os espaços em que a história se desenrola. Este é o 1.º livro passado em Sticklepond, e foi um pouco estranho não ver personagens que já acompanhei noutras obras referidos. Por outro lado, o bom desta história foi que se concentrou quase por completo em Winter's End, e eu gostei tanto disso! Podia perfeitamente passear naqueles jardins, dormir naquela mansão, ajudar nas limpezas maníacas da Sophy, discutir com o Seth, passear o gorducho do Charlie.
Pensando com clareza, sei que não se passa nada quase o livro todo. Mas gostei imediatamente da Sophy, gostei de ver um lado diferente e mais doce da tia Hebe, adorei conhecer um pouco melhor a Ottie, e o Seth é o verdadeiro Mr. Darcy sem o ser. Mas isso já era o que esperava, não me desiludiu, e confesso até que achei que a autora deu demasiado protagonismo ao palerma do Jack, e à insuportável da Mel...mas eram exatamente esses os seus papeis, por isso nem disso me posso queixar.
Contudo, tenho de admitir que desta vez o que verdadeiramente me entusiasmou na história foi o passado, não o presente. Cada bocadinho do diário da Alys, no início de cada capítulo, deixava mil interrogações. Umas adivinhei, claro, outras nem vi respondidas, mas se escrevessem um livro inteiro só com o diário da Alys, acho que lia contente :p
Sem revelar nada mais de uma história já de si bastante óbvia, resta dizer que as obras desta autora são ótimas para nos distrairmos um pouco das nossas vidas, e que só por isso já valem a pena. Terminamos sempre de sorriso nos lábios :)
December 16, 2023
Quando chega a quadra natalícia adoro ler os livros da Trisha Ashley e este ficou no meu coração por várias razões.
A atmosfera idílica de uma mansão com 4 séculos que passa de geração em geração, Winter's End, a típica cidade rural, toda a familiaridade e aconchego de todo este cenário, misturado com uma pitada de humor, uma história ascentral e um segredo de família tão encantador, sem esquecer uma personagem principal forte foi a melhor receita para mim.
Amei tudo incluído os pormenores de restauro da casa e do amor pelos jardins da mesma.
Impossível não sentir o coração quentinho com este livro.
Recomendo. Em especial nesta época.
Boas festas. 🏰❄️🌲🌹🎄✨️
A atmosfera idílica de uma mansão com 4 séculos que passa de geração em geração, Winter's End, a típica cidade rural, toda a familiaridade e aconchego de todo este cenário, misturado com uma pitada de humor, uma história ascentral e um segredo de família tão encantador, sem esquecer uma personagem principal forte foi a melhor receita para mim.
Amei tudo incluído os pormenores de restauro da casa e do amor pelos jardins da mesma.
Impossível não sentir o coração quentinho com este livro.
Recomendo. Em especial nesta época.
Boas festas. 🏰❄️🌲🌹🎄✨️
December 17, 2023
Narrativa fofinha sobre uma mulher que recebe a herança do avô e regressa à casa ancestral. Faz mudanças e planeia atividades para gerar lucro, uma vez que a mansão está degradada. Como é uma casa histórica e recebe visitas, explora-a por esse lado. Assistimos a muitas limpezas e planos, o que se torna monótono. Os seus pretendentes, um primo distante interesseiro e o filho do jardineiro chefe e enteado de uma tia, não deixam dúvidas sobre quem será o noivo. Há muita comida apetitosa e uma celebração natalícia engraçada, além de um diário de uma antepassada e o seu fantasma.
July 18, 2018
I finished this book in 3 days, a record feat for me considering how busy I am always. It also helped that this book was so lighthearted, so relaxing to read.
In a nutshell, the story is about a 30 something woman named Sophy Winter and how suddenly, she became the heiress to her ancestral home. I am always dreaming of being the sudden recipient of vast wealth from a long lost relative (in Sophy's case it was her maternal grandfather) so right off the bat, I was in love with the concept.
I loved the idea on how Sophy got to go back to Winter's End and how her aunts were portrayed. I admit, I am a little more fond of her Aunt Hebe although this woman was a bit of an antagonist at the start of the book. I suppose I liked how regal and ladylike she was compared to her more outspoken and down to earth twin sister, Ottie.
The novel is not so much a fairy tale as other books I've read go. It would be a dream come true to inherit such a house and it's more a realistic fairy tale if that makes sense. We are given insight into the nuts and bolts of the day to day struggles to keep a grand house running.
Basically the more down and dirty reality of owning Downton Abbey. Keeping the staff happy, keeping the house repaired, finding money to keep the restoration of the garden underway. Finding a happy balance between wants and needs. Prioritizing that which must get done. And cleaning.
I must say, this is the first time I've encountered a heroine who is so happy to clean a house. However, I suppose cleaning will be so enjoyable knowing that the house is yours. Seriously, the amount of cleaning a place like this takes if you hadn't thought about it before in your fantasies about becoming on heiress, you will now. And not that that's a bad thing. In fact reading all about this gives you a stronger connection to this way of life than if you were to the manor born.
There's a languid feel that makes this book the perfect bedtime read. You slip into bed and you sink into the story that lulls you into a safe world of hard work with wonderful rewards. The pacing for most of the book continues on in this vein.
I knew Jack would be a snake in the grass from the get go but I wish there could have been a bit more suspense to it. He is the major thorn in my side in this book. He is sleazy and scheming yet everyone thinks he's God's gift and why not let Jack have the house? He couldn't possibly do something underhanded, insert ominous music here.
I give credit to Sophy that she stays the course, but there is too much of her almost succumbing to his charms. Too many times she questions herself and doesn't stand up to Jack. So while Jack is the villain of the piece, with his dirty deals and his desperate ways, the main problem I have is that he illuminates the flaws of our heroine.
Sophy is so strong of will and motivated by hard work I find it hard to believe that she'd buy any line coming out of Jack's mouth, no matter how seductive and silken. I mean, how can she be so naive? She just lost her job and her home because of a scheming relative of her employer and here she is in a similar situation and yet she's all, oh Jack, you're so pretty, you could never love frumpy me with my frizzy hair. I know it's a staple of chick lit to have the to go to be true bad boy and the brooding good boy with the befuddled heroine in the middle not knowing what to do, but seriously?
On the other hand, I loved Seth's character and could just picture him, I think every romance needs a bit of a rough and moody man at some point. You just know he is going to be a keeper if the guy is handsome but gloomy.
What sets this book apart from the run of the mill chick lit or Downtonesque book is Shakespeare! I admit about a few pages in I should have gotten that the title was from Shakespeare, given all the references in the text, but sometimes I'm not quite on the ball and as I mentioned before I seriously thought this was a Christmas book.
This Shakespearean element also elevates the book to a kind of historical fiction chick lit fusion that is fun for fans of both genres. But the downside is that I think you'd have to be somewhat to fairly knowledgeable about Shakespeare and his life to get the personal references peppered throughout the story.
The extracts from Alys Blezzard's journal are purposefully very cryptic and written for those with knowledge of the Bard. It's the mystery woven throughout about Alys being dark of complexion, that connects with Shakespeare's sonnets to "The Dark Lady." The Shakespeare angle adds so much that without it I just don't know if it would work.
Being also interested in the paranormal and having dabbled in witchcraft myself, I found it fascinating that Alys is a witch and is currently a ghost in Winter's End.
The Shakespeare secret, the history of the family, the house, and the magic, I enjoyed these combination. I could see why Alys was condemned as a witch, because any smart woman was a witch back then.
This is the first book I have read by Ashley and I have already got some of her books on my shelf, that are still waiting to be read. I will be reading more of her books and hopefully it will be similar to this one.
#awinterstale #trishaashley
In a nutshell, the story is about a 30 something woman named Sophy Winter and how suddenly, she became the heiress to her ancestral home. I am always dreaming of being the sudden recipient of vast wealth from a long lost relative (in Sophy's case it was her maternal grandfather) so right off the bat, I was in love with the concept.
I loved the idea on how Sophy got to go back to Winter's End and how her aunts were portrayed. I admit, I am a little more fond of her Aunt Hebe although this woman was a bit of an antagonist at the start of the book. I suppose I liked how regal and ladylike she was compared to her more outspoken and down to earth twin sister, Ottie.
The novel is not so much a fairy tale as other books I've read go. It would be a dream come true to inherit such a house and it's more a realistic fairy tale if that makes sense. We are given insight into the nuts and bolts of the day to day struggles to keep a grand house running.
Basically the more down and dirty reality of owning Downton Abbey. Keeping the staff happy, keeping the house repaired, finding money to keep the restoration of the garden underway. Finding a happy balance between wants and needs. Prioritizing that which must get done. And cleaning.
I must say, this is the first time I've encountered a heroine who is so happy to clean a house. However, I suppose cleaning will be so enjoyable knowing that the house is yours. Seriously, the amount of cleaning a place like this takes if you hadn't thought about it before in your fantasies about becoming on heiress, you will now. And not that that's a bad thing. In fact reading all about this gives you a stronger connection to this way of life than if you were to the manor born.
There's a languid feel that makes this book the perfect bedtime read. You slip into bed and you sink into the story that lulls you into a safe world of hard work with wonderful rewards. The pacing for most of the book continues on in this vein.
I knew Jack would be a snake in the grass from the get go but I wish there could have been a bit more suspense to it. He is the major thorn in my side in this book. He is sleazy and scheming yet everyone thinks he's God's gift and why not let Jack have the house? He couldn't possibly do something underhanded, insert ominous music here.
I give credit to Sophy that she stays the course, but there is too much of her almost succumbing to his charms. Too many times she questions herself and doesn't stand up to Jack. So while Jack is the villain of the piece, with his dirty deals and his desperate ways, the main problem I have is that he illuminates the flaws of our heroine.
Sophy is so strong of will and motivated by hard work I find it hard to believe that she'd buy any line coming out of Jack's mouth, no matter how seductive and silken. I mean, how can she be so naive? She just lost her job and her home because of a scheming relative of her employer and here she is in a similar situation and yet she's all, oh Jack, you're so pretty, you could never love frumpy me with my frizzy hair. I know it's a staple of chick lit to have the to go to be true bad boy and the brooding good boy with the befuddled heroine in the middle not knowing what to do, but seriously?
On the other hand, I loved Seth's character and could just picture him, I think every romance needs a bit of a rough and moody man at some point. You just know he is going to be a keeper if the guy is handsome but gloomy.
What sets this book apart from the run of the mill chick lit or Downtonesque book is Shakespeare! I admit about a few pages in I should have gotten that the title was from Shakespeare, given all the references in the text, but sometimes I'm not quite on the ball and as I mentioned before I seriously thought this was a Christmas book.
This Shakespearean element also elevates the book to a kind of historical fiction chick lit fusion that is fun for fans of both genres. But the downside is that I think you'd have to be somewhat to fairly knowledgeable about Shakespeare and his life to get the personal references peppered throughout the story.
The extracts from Alys Blezzard's journal are purposefully very cryptic and written for those with knowledge of the Bard. It's the mystery woven throughout about Alys being dark of complexion, that connects with Shakespeare's sonnets to "The Dark Lady." The Shakespeare angle adds so much that without it I just don't know if it would work.
Being also interested in the paranormal and having dabbled in witchcraft myself, I found it fascinating that Alys is a witch and is currently a ghost in Winter's End.
The Shakespeare secret, the history of the family, the house, and the magic, I enjoyed these combination. I could see why Alys was condemned as a witch, because any smart woman was a witch back then.
This is the first book I have read by Ashley and I have already got some of her books on my shelf, that are still waiting to be read. I will be reading more of her books and hopefully it will be similar to this one.
#awinterstale #trishaashley
November 24, 2023
I found this book to be quite slow paced with about 150 pages in the middle with near to no clear plot and a lot of repetitive days. However, if you are looking for a sweet book to read in the lead up to Christmas, I would still recommend it as it is very comforting and the scenery is sweet. I will say the blurb overplayed the romance and did not enjoy the cousin romance especially! But if you look at this book as something to get you in the winter spirit, then it wasn't so bad.
January 15, 2025
I didn’t really enjoy this book much. It started so slow and I carried on reading to see if it got better. It improved a bit but I felt like the main plot was quite predictable but also a lot of completely random things pushed in.
February 22, 2019
Tão lindo este conto.
December 9, 2022
A charming and easy Winter read ☺️
March 25, 2025
Really enjoyed this story. Tricia is so good at writing these stories. A good plot and likeable characters. Would recommend to romance lovers
February 10, 2025
Loving these easy to read books by Trisha Ashley (busy time of my life at the moment, and these fulfil my need to read and let my mind relax).
This book brilliantly describes the necessities required to restore an historical, run down, old country mansion and its gardens.
If you’ve ever been privy to what goes on behind the scenes of old properties that open to the public ….well it’s very much like that, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning, and working out ways to bring in money.
Has quirky characters, a light mystery and of course the touch of romance threaded throughout.
This book brilliantly describes the necessities required to restore an historical, run down, old country mansion and its gardens.
If you’ve ever been privy to what goes on behind the scenes of old properties that open to the public ….well it’s very much like that, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning, and working out ways to bring in money.
Has quirky characters, a light mystery and of course the touch of romance threaded throughout.
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