Review. A Winter Flame

 

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'Tis the season to be jolly...But can Eve find happiness through the frost...? Eve has never liked Christmas, not since her beloved fiance was killed in action in Afghanistan on Christmas Day. So when her adored elderly aunt dies, the last thing she is expecting is to be left a theme park in her will. A theme park with a Christmas theme...And that's not the only catch. Her aunt's will stipulates that Eve must run the park with a mysterious partner, the exotically named Jacques Glace. Who is this Jacques, and why did Aunt Evelyn name him in her will? But Eve isn't going to back down from a challenge. She's determined to make a success of Winterworld, no matter what. Can she overcome her dislike of Christmas, and can Jacques melt her frozen heart at last...?

Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: October 2012

Offensive content: none

Review:

I loved, loved, loved this book! The Winter Flame made me laugh and cry at the same time. Eve and Jacques have both experienced tragic losses, but while Jacques has overcome his and learned to enjoy every minute of life, Eve is still stuck in the past, keeping alive the flame (literally) of her long lost fiancé and suspicious of anything that may resemble happiness, to which she believes she's no longer entitled. 

The cast of characters is all great: aunt Evelyn must have been a wonderful person, and her presence is felt throughout the book, even if she has passed away before the story starts; Effin the contractor is just hilarious; and everything revolving around Winterworld makes you wish it really existed and you could spend some time there in real life. 

Love does triumph in the end, in a very touching way, and those last few pages of the book brought tears to my eyes. Everyone should have its own Jacques Glace.  

Without being overtly religious, I think this ends up being a story with a higher meaning. Even Eve's candle, the one she believes represents the forever love of her fiancé, adds it's own magic to the book. 

So, I loved everything about it, the plot, the characters, the cover. It's very well written, with very clever wording at places, and I don't think anyone who loves romantic fiction should miss it! 

 

Oh, and Milly Johnson  has published more books in this series, one for each season of the year and I've downloaded them all already. If they're half as good as The Winter Flame, they are a sure bet!

Happy readings,