Homemade mulled wine, freshly baked mince pies and plenty of Christmas cheer...
It's the most wonderful time of the year, they say. And in the little Cotswolds village of Honeycote, the festive season looks set to bring people more than a few surprises under the tree.
As Lucy Liddiard plans the festive lunch for her nearest and dearest, she has little idea of the dramas about to play out before the crackers are pulled and the corks popped. She knows the family brewery, Honeycote Ales, has seen better days. She knows her husband, Mickey, is an incorrigible flirt. But does she realise how close both are edging towards disaster?
As the nights draw in, garlands deck the halls and the carols ring out, there are secrets and lies, love and lust all waiting to be unwrapped.
Welcome to Honeycote, and a Christmas no one will ever forget...
** A Country Christmas was originally published as 'Honeycote' **
Irresistibly good fun and bursting with heart, A Country Christmas is the first book in the Honeycote trio, followed by A Country Life and A Country Wedding. Each can be read as a standalone, or they can be read as a series.
Review: As a relatively recent, but now confirmed, fan of Veronica Henry’s books, I have been promising myself for some time to catch up on some of her older works. Hence, I chose the trilogy of books set in the lovely Gloucestershire village of Honeycote. The books are, in order, A Country Christmas, A Country Life and A Country Wedding, although they were known by different names originally.
Central to all parts of the trilogy is the Liddiard family, who have lived in Honeycote House for generations, running the brewery that produces Honeycote Ales. At the beginning of the first book, the occupiers of the house are Mickey, wife Lucy and their children. Unfortunately, Mickey is not to be trusted with money or the local ladies, and his neglect of the business is causing the brewery to run into trouble. Son Patrick is also a bit of a ladies man and is not really paying enough attention to troubles at the brewery. A big employer in the local area, it is essential for the village as well as the Liddiard family that the business stays afloat. As the story progresses through the books, new characters are introduced who settle in the village and are woven into the picture, becoming major players in the drama and sometimes potential investors in the brewery. There is certainly plenty of drama throughout the narrative, with major incidents as well as romance.
This is a marvellous saga, spread over the three titles. The books definitely must be read in order to gain full benefit of the ongoing story. New characters pop up as the story progresses, each with a really interesting back story and all arriving in the village of Honeycote for different reasons. I can’t say that I found all of the characters likeable; some were far too fond of using others to satisfy their own needs and there was certainly rather a lot of cheating within the various marriages. However, these situations are true to real life. I can wholeheartedly recommend the series to other readers, but it is definitely worth reading all three books, and in order, to appreciate the whole story and have everything slot into place.
To order A Country Christmas just click here
To order A Country Life just click here
To order A Country Wedding just click here
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