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Love The Gift
Can a woman who has been dead for over one hundred years help Mark overcome the grief of his mother’s death and find the woman he’s always loved?
Love the Gift is a love story with a difference. It’s set in the present and in 1905.
Mark Hamilton accepts his friend’s offer to visit her in the New South Wales Highlands. He and Beth have been best mates since university days. Beth had returned to her family home at Sutton Forest four years ago to help her mother turn their family home into a boutique hotel.
Mark had spent those years devoting himself to his art, when he wasn’t working in the art shop to help pay the bills. At least until his mother fell ill. She had been everything to him since his father had died years before. She was his friend, his rock, and his inspiration. He was pleased that at the end, he had been her rock. But he could not save her. Despite hours spent at her bedside willing life into her, she slipped way from him and took his happiness and inspiration with her.
Mark knows that Beth has brought him to ‘The Magnolias Boutique Hotel and Spa’ to help him recover from his grief, but he doesn’t mind. She has always known when he needed her.
Beth gives Mark a room she doesn’t normally use for guests. It belonged to her Great, Great-Aunt Charlotte who died in 1905. The room has been kept just as Charlotte left it. Mark thinks it is quaint and happily settles in. He feels immediately drawn to a portrait of Charlotte that is on the bedroom wall.
After dinner, over a nightcap in front of the fireplace in Beth’s room, she declares her love for Mark. He wonders why he has never guessed. This discovery would have been welcomed at another time but not now when his grief consumes him. Shaken, he returns to his bedroom. Drawn once more to Charlotte’s portrait, he steps outside into her walled garden that leads off the bedroom and is shocked to find he is in a sunny afternoon with Charlotte in the garden to greet him.
Is it a dream? Or has he somehow stepped into 1905? It’s beyond Mark’s comprehension. Then he discovers that it is only three days until her death, and he becomes desperate to save her. In the end it is Charlotte and Beth who save him.
Love the Gift is a love story with a difference. It’s set in the present and in 1905.
Mark Hamilton accepts his friend’s offer to visit her in the New South Wales Highlands. He and Beth have been best mates since university days. Beth had returned to her family home at Sutton Forest four years ago to help her mother turn their family home into a boutique hotel.
Mark had spent those years devoting himself to his art, when he wasn’t working in the art shop to help pay the bills. At least until his mother fell ill. She had been everything to him since his father had died years before. She was his friend, his rock, and his inspiration. He was pleased that at the end, he had been her rock. But he could not save her. Despite hours spent at her bedside willing life into her, she slipped way from him and took his happiness and inspiration with her.
Mark knows that Beth has brought him to ‘The Magnolias Boutique Hotel and Spa’ to help him recover from his grief, but he doesn’t mind. She has always known when he needed her.
Beth gives Mark a room she doesn’t normally use for guests. It belonged to her Great, Great-Aunt Charlotte who died in 1905. The room has been kept just as Charlotte left it. Mark thinks it is quaint and happily settles in. He feels immediately drawn to a portrait of Charlotte that is on the bedroom wall.
After dinner, over a nightcap in front of the fireplace in Beth’s room, she declares her love for Mark. He wonders why he has never guessed. This discovery would have been welcomed at another time but not now when his grief consumes him. Shaken, he returns to his bedroom. Drawn once more to Charlotte’s portrait, he steps outside into her walled garden that leads off the bedroom and is shocked to find he is in a sunny afternoon with Charlotte in the garden to greet him.
Is it a dream? Or has he somehow stepped into 1905? It’s beyond Mark’s comprehension. Then he discovers that it is only three days until her death, and he becomes desperate to save her. In the end it is Charlotte and Beth who save him.
118 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2015
40 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Read
31 books102 followersMulti Award Winning, multi genre author, Ellen Read, is the author of The Thornton Mysteries – cosy murder mysteries set in Australia. Ellen also writes ghost stories and thrillers. Her latest book is a fantasy, based on the Triple Goddess of Celtic mythology and soon to be published by Serenade Publishing.
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, painting or taking photographs.
Ellen loves to read fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She particularly loves history and stories of ancient myths and legends. Authors such as Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, Robert Graves, Edgar Allan Poe, and Victoria Holt have influenced her work.
www.ellenread.com
https://linktr.ee/ellenreadauthor
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, painting or taking photographs.
Ellen loves to read fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She particularly loves history and stories of ancient myths and legends. Authors such as Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, Robert Graves, Edgar Allan Poe, and Victoria Holt have influenced her work.
www.ellenread.com
https://linktr.ee/ellenreadauthor
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 28, 2022
This is a wowzeegood novella takes us through grief that a man has for his mother, heartbreakingly sad he finds himself in another world, "a dream within a dream" a woman, Charlotte appears and Mark is confused, is this real?
Mark stays at Beth's place, they have been mates since the good old school days, to get over his grief (the death of his mother). Through patience and understanding Beth explains to Mark another side of love that he hadn't seen before.
No wonder I keep coming back to this poignant, meaningfulness novella time and time again, you are always left with the sense of love, renewal, enlightenment and a sense of euphoria, a love drug ... the ending always gets me.
If you like wading through Sutton Forest (It does exist) wandering through magnolia trees and looking at tulips in Bowral, Corbet Gardens and how to achieve and maintain a sense of eternal and external love, then this so.... so worth picking up.
I want to thank Ellen Read for giving me the opportunity to proofread the ARC of Love The Gift, the interior of both the ebooks and paperbacks are formatted by Platform House Publishing .... yes it has been re-released, but I assure you the storyline hasn't changed. In addition though, is the new book cover plus the beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.
.
5 star review 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Genres
Contemporary Fiction
Womens Fiction
Contemporary Romance
Timeslip. Healing
Feel good
Australian Fiction
Historical Fiction
Romance
.
Mark stays at Beth's place, they have been mates since the good old school days, to get over his grief (the death of his mother). Through patience and understanding Beth explains to Mark another side of love that he hadn't seen before.
No wonder I keep coming back to this poignant, meaningfulness novella time and time again, you are always left with the sense of love, renewal, enlightenment and a sense of euphoria, a love drug ... the ending always gets me.
If you like wading through Sutton Forest (It does exist) wandering through magnolia trees and looking at tulips in Bowral, Corbet Gardens and how to achieve and maintain a sense of eternal and external love, then this so.... so worth picking up.
I want to thank Ellen Read for giving me the opportunity to proofread the ARC of Love The Gift, the interior of both the ebooks and paperbacks are formatted by Platform House Publishing .... yes it has been re-released, but I assure you the storyline hasn't changed. In addition though, is the new book cover plus the beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.
.
5 star review 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Genres
Contemporary Fiction
Womens Fiction
Contemporary Romance
Timeslip. Healing
Feel good
Australian Fiction
Historical Fiction
Romance
.
February 14, 2016
This was a very sweet, clean romance novella. The setting for this story was in a location not far from where I live, so I enjoyed that added element.
The story is spread over two eras which was beautifully written and flowed smoothly between the two times.
I enjoyed this lovely, feel good and at times, emotional story.
The story is spread over two eras which was beautifully written and flowed smoothly between the two times.
I enjoyed this lovely, feel good and at times, emotional story.
July 10, 2016
I was a bit hesitant about reading this as I'm usually not a big fan of romance novels but Love the Gift did not disappoint me!
The story follows Mark, who goes to visit a friend after the death of his mother. The romance within the story is so lovely (and completely clean) , and I liked how it wasn't the main focus of the story. I enjoyed the time travel aspect of the story, and I loved the mystery surrounding Charlotte, and how she helps him to deal with grief. One of my favourite elements of Love the Gift was the use of setting, and how Ellen describes the garden is just beautiful.
I devoured this novella, and I only wish there was more of it! I look forward to reading more of Ellen's work in the future!
The story follows Mark, who goes to visit a friend after the death of his mother. The romance within the story is so lovely (and completely clean) , and I liked how it wasn't the main focus of the story. I enjoyed the time travel aspect of the story, and I loved the mystery surrounding Charlotte, and how she helps him to deal with grief. One of my favourite elements of Love the Gift was the use of setting, and how Ellen describes the garden is just beautiful.
I devoured this novella, and I only wish there was more of it! I look forward to reading more of Ellen's work in the future!
May 29, 2016
'Love The Gift' is a tender-hearted love story where the past and present mingle. An old friend helps Mark in his grief when his mother dies. This novella explores the timelessness of love and caring. A clean romance set over two eras in the Southern Highlands. Great to read a romance written from a male point of view. Well done Ellen Read.
October 15, 2016
A captivating portrait, a private walled garden, love and grief in the same breath, and a romance . . . Love the Gift has it all. Oh, with the addition of time travel, or is it a dream?
So atmospheric, Ellen Read has a lovely way with description, I could almost smell the magnolia blossom emanating from the page. The story is well paced, without being rushed, with a core of believable characters who express real emotions; Mark’s inner turmoil and grief are tangible.
The romance is beautiful yet gentle, with the main thread of the storyline being of new beginnings.
This is a must for all who love a good time-slip romance . . . lose yourself for the afternoon.
So atmospheric, Ellen Read has a lovely way with description, I could almost smell the magnolia blossom emanating from the page. The story is well paced, without being rushed, with a core of believable characters who express real emotions; Mark’s inner turmoil and grief are tangible.
The romance is beautiful yet gentle, with the main thread of the storyline being of new beginnings.
This is a must for all who love a good time-slip romance . . . lose yourself for the afternoon.
May 18, 2016
Love The Gift was an enjoyable read, with elements of romance amongst beautiful garden settings, grief by an open fire and some time travelling/dreams to mix things up! The characters are sweet and charming, even though they are working through some of life's obstacles.
A beautiful novella.
A beautiful novella.
June 21, 2018
Mark, an artist grieving for the loss of his mother, takes up his old friend Beth’s invitation to stay at her country home. Here he sleeps in a rarely used bedroom, a room that once belonged to a woman who died very young. Her imprint is everywhere and Mark soon connects with Charlotte from centuries past. The main characters were finely drawn and the story told from Mark's point of view. Art, the beauty of nature and the poems of romantic Tennyson all find a place in this poignant time slip story of love and loss. A tale from the heart.
March 21, 2017
When I read the review that this book had some time-travelling element, I was intrigued. The fact the novella was beautifully written and the time-travelling part (which could be hard and tricky to write) was smooth and enjoyable to read. I really enjoyed the storyline and felt the connections with the characters. I finished reading the novella in one day and loved it!
June 20, 2017
This is a short, bittersweet, read, which perfectly fitted a lunch break. Told, unusually, from a male point of view, it's the story of Mark - adrift and discontented, after the death of his mother, he goes to visit an old friend, Beth, at the beautiful, boutique, hotel she owns in the country. Never having been to Australia, I found the author's vivid descriptions of the countryside around the hotel, and it's gorgeous, mature, gardens very atmospheric, in that, I could almost feel I was there, standing in the old-fashioned, walled garden, smelling the scent of the blooms, and enjoying their lush beauty. This is plainly a part of the world the author knows intimately, and this knowledge shone through every descriptive word, giving a depth and richness to the writing.
Mark is given the bedroom of one of Beth's ancestors, Charlotte, who died over 100 years earlier. Captivated by the portrait of Charlotte, hanging on his bedroom wall, Mark finds himself increasingly fascinated by this long dead woman, and it is almost inevitable that he slips, almost effortlessly, back through time, to where Charlotte awaits him, in her beautiful, private, garden, mere days before her death.
Being a novella, the pace was fast, possibly a little too fast. Also, and this is one of the reasons I only gave it four stars, instead of the five the plot deserved; there was a distinct lack of commas and other punctuation to slow the reader down. Instead, incredibly long sentences with no breaks or pauses, hurtled me through the text at a breakneck speed, far too quickly for my taste. I wanted to savour each word, take each plot twist and dialogue slowly, examine Mark's actions and motives in a more leisurely pace. However, that was me, once an editor, always an editor, for whom punctuation is a pet peeve.
The story reminded me of Somewhere in Time, that fabulous sob-fest movie with Jane Seymour, and the now deceased, sadly missed, Christopher Reeve, with it's time-slip plot device and Edwardian overtones. However, without giving any spoilers, Love the Gift, has a much happier ending. But, the ending also gave me slight problems, in that, it was achieved too quickly and too easily, Mark overcoming his heartbreak with a rather fickle speed. I appreciate, being a novella, the action will always be less drawn out than in a standard length novel, however, an elapse of time could, perhaps, have been implied, to avoid giving the impression that Mark is rather shallow, his emotions shifting quicker than the tide.
However, these are tiny niggles, personal only to me. Overall, Love the Gift, is a charming, feel good, story, which, as already stated, perfectly fills a lunch break, leaving the reader with happy thoughts and a sense that all is right with the world.
Mark is given the bedroom of one of Beth's ancestors, Charlotte, who died over 100 years earlier. Captivated by the portrait of Charlotte, hanging on his bedroom wall, Mark finds himself increasingly fascinated by this long dead woman, and it is almost inevitable that he slips, almost effortlessly, back through time, to where Charlotte awaits him, in her beautiful, private, garden, mere days before her death.
Being a novella, the pace was fast, possibly a little too fast. Also, and this is one of the reasons I only gave it four stars, instead of the five the plot deserved; there was a distinct lack of commas and other punctuation to slow the reader down. Instead, incredibly long sentences with no breaks or pauses, hurtled me through the text at a breakneck speed, far too quickly for my taste. I wanted to savour each word, take each plot twist and dialogue slowly, examine Mark's actions and motives in a more leisurely pace. However, that was me, once an editor, always an editor, for whom punctuation is a pet peeve.
The story reminded me of Somewhere in Time, that fabulous sob-fest movie with Jane Seymour, and the now deceased, sadly missed, Christopher Reeve, with it's time-slip plot device and Edwardian overtones. However, without giving any spoilers, Love the Gift, has a much happier ending. But, the ending also gave me slight problems, in that, it was achieved too quickly and too easily, Mark overcoming his heartbreak with a rather fickle speed. I appreciate, being a novella, the action will always be less drawn out than in a standard length novel, however, an elapse of time could, perhaps, have been implied, to avoid giving the impression that Mark is rather shallow, his emotions shifting quicker than the tide.
However, these are tiny niggles, personal only to me. Overall, Love the Gift, is a charming, feel good, story, which, as already stated, perfectly fills a lunch break, leaving the reader with happy thoughts and a sense that all is right with the world.
January 15, 2021
Loved this book about love. It’s so captivating that before I knew it I found myself at The Magnolias Boutique and Spa along with Beth and Mark. Mark is trying to adjust to the recent loss of his mother which has left him in emotional turmoil and doubt. Then there’s Beth, a long time friend. Is there more? Ohhhh, yes, there’s more. Sooooo much more! Charlotte, who has been dead for more than a hundred years, makes an unforgettable and subtle appearance in the story! Love and a ghost story... OK, a spirit not a ghost; but still! Love the Gift is so much more than a mere love story! It begs the question; what is the color of your soul? You’ve got to read this! Trust me...
Love is a gift. Love the debt
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson
The Miller’s Daughter
Love is a gift. Love the debt
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson
The Miller’s Daughter
November 9, 2020
A story of love and loss which takes place in two time periods. I loved the story, the beautiful descriptions and the ending. Once again well done Ellen Read.
June 10, 2016
I found it very absorbing. It kept me reading. I didn’t want to stop. The characters were compelling and the story was written well. There was some beautiful imagery. Being a man, I wondered if I’d like it, but I did. It was amazing.
July 23, 2016
Review to come
June 7, 2016
Love The Gift is really a love story like no other. The story is set in two era's, so different I never knew they could be brought together.
I adored the writing in this book. It's so fantastic that the words just felt right while reading. Every scene's detail is so artistically explained, everything just felt like a dream.
For the plot, setting and charcters:
The plot is nice. Friendship is definitely the foundation of everything. I know the story is quite short but it must had a great read for me if the book dwelled more on bond between Beth and Mark. Yes, Charlotte is a great part of the story for she has awakened Beth and Mark's feelings but it must have been great if the story was not entirely focused on her. I wish this has been longer so everyone had their exposures and everything will be just right.
For the setting, The Magnolias Boutique Hotel and Spa is such a wonderful place to be. If you are a lover of nature, you'll blend right in!
And for the characters, I am sad that I didn't have a strong connection with them. Don't get me wrong, Beth and Mark are wonderful characters. I also have nothing against Charlotte. They were great persons, all molded by time, love, experience and pain. But it's just that I hoped to know them deeper.
This is not a bad book but my detachment with this book is so high that even the later parts should be deftly sad and moving, I wasn't moved and felt sad. At all. I don't exactly know why but I just can't connect with the whole story.
To sum it all, I give Love The Gift 2.5
I adored the writing in this book. It's so fantastic that the words just felt right while reading. Every scene's detail is so artistically explained, everything just felt like a dream.
For the plot, setting and charcters:
The plot is nice. Friendship is definitely the foundation of everything. I know the story is quite short but it must had a great read for me if the book dwelled more on bond between Beth and Mark. Yes, Charlotte is a great part of the story for she has awakened Beth and Mark's feelings but it must have been great if the story was not entirely focused on her. I wish this has been longer so everyone had their exposures and everything will be just right.
For the setting, The Magnolias Boutique Hotel and Spa is such a wonderful place to be. If you are a lover of nature, you'll blend right in!
And for the characters, I am sad that I didn't have a strong connection with them. Don't get me wrong, Beth and Mark are wonderful characters. I also have nothing against Charlotte. They were great persons, all molded by time, love, experience and pain. But it's just that I hoped to know them deeper.
This is not a bad book but my detachment with this book is so high that even the later parts should be deftly sad and moving, I wasn't moved and felt sad. At all. I don't exactly know why but I just can't connect with the whole story.
To sum it all, I give Love The Gift 2.5
December 18, 2023
This is a real sweetheart of a love story, but so much more than just a love story. Bitter sweet, heartwarming and yet heart wrenching, Mark's grief, desperation, despair and heartache is palpable but at the same time, Beth's gentle and strong love gives him the lifeline that he is looking for.
Being a novella, it is a read that could be finish in one sitting, but it is unrushed and perfectly paced. I would totally recommend it for a great feel good read
Being a novella, it is a read that could be finish in one sitting, but it is unrushed and perfectly paced. I would totally recommend it for a great feel good read
January 11, 2021
I first wrote Love The Gift in 2015. It has been re-released with a new cover and illustrations.
It's the story of a man's point of view of grief but it is an uplifting story set in the beautiful countryside of the New South Wales Highlands. If you love a love story, if you love flowers and poetry, you'll love this book.
It's the story of a man's point of view of grief but it is an uplifting story set in the beautiful countryside of the New South Wales Highlands. If you love a love story, if you love flowers and poetry, you'll love this book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews