My rating: 5 of 5 stars
When Zander Gillespie checks to see if his rental cottage is free, he's beyond happy when it is. With his live-in girlfriend abandoning him to go to London instead of their planned trip to spend the holidays with his family in Carcasonne, France, Zander decides to avoid his family's questions about his absent girlfriend and heads to his cottage with his canine pal, Alf. However, on arrival, he's shocked to find his cottage occupied… with a single female!
With a cheating boyfriend and a less than friendly family, Livvie decides to get away for the Christmas holidays and makes a last-minute reservation for a rental cottage in the beautiful Yorkshire village of Lytell Stangdale. First impressions, her accommodation outshines her expectations and she quickly makes herself at home. Only, she's shocked when a male stranger to walk in on her whilst she's soaking in the bath!
Another trip to Lytell Stangdale… I always get a slight feeling of homesickness when reading of Ms Scott's novels. The Yorkshire Moors backdrop, the dialect and details remind me of home. This time around her descriptions reminded me of the weather outside my window. Seemingly, winter conditions on the Yorkshire Moors are very similar to ones I have here in Norway, complete with icy impassable roads and seeing roedeer out and about; in my case in the garden!
Oh, how I love a flawed hero and Zander Gillespie is a card wearing member of that club. He first caught my eye in book 3, Violet's Story, so was super excited to discover he was getting his own book. He's the perfect textbook book boyfriend until he isn't! He's the type who tries to do the best he can but somehow fails. In this instance, his action is almost unforgivable. Thankfully, he's humble, sincere and owns up to his faults. Livvie is a heroine you can't fail to root for. Despite her background and the life she's temporarily escaped from, she's delightful and a fun person to be around. The contrast in their backgrounds makes them unlikely pair so I enjoyed how Alf managed to play a significant part in getting the strangers together romantically.
Full of Christmassy feels, this is my favourite novel in this series so far. It's fun to catch-up with the familiar cast of supporting characters. Those who know the series will already adore them. However, this is standalone, so you can enjoy Livvie and Zander's romance without a previous visit to the Life on the Moors series. Although I strongly recommend you read them all.
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