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Twelve Days of Christmas
Christmas has always been a sad time for young widow Holly Brown, so when she's asked to look after a remote house on the Lancashire moors, the opportunity to hide herself away is irresistible -- the perfect excuse to forget about the festivities.
Sculptor Jude Martland is determined that this year there will be no Christmas after his brother runs off with his fiancee and he is keen to avoid the family home. However, he will have to return by the twelfth night of the festivities, when the hamlet of Little Mumming hold their historic festivities and all of his family are required to attend.
Meanwhile, Holly is finding that if she wants to avoid Christmas, she has come to the wrong place. When Jude unexpectedly returns on Christmas Eve he is far from delighted to discover that Holly seems to be holding the very family party he had hoped to avoid.
Suddenly, the blizzards come out of nowhere and the whole village is snowed in. With no escape, Holly and Jude get much more than they bargained for -- it looks like the twelve days of Christmas are going to be very interesting indeed!
Sculptor Jude Martland is determined that this year there will be no Christmas after his brother runs off with his fiancee and he is keen to avoid the family home. However, he will have to return by the twelfth night of the festivities, when the hamlet of Little Mumming hold their historic festivities and all of his family are required to attend.
Meanwhile, Holly is finding that if she wants to avoid Christmas, she has come to the wrong place. When Jude unexpectedly returns on Christmas Eve he is far from delighted to discover that Holly seems to be holding the very family party he had hoped to avoid.
Suddenly, the blizzards come out of nowhere and the whole village is snowed in. With no escape, Holly and Jude get much more than they bargained for -- it looks like the twelve days of Christmas are going to be very interesting indeed!
408 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
307 people are currently reading
4550 people want to read
About the author
Trisha Ashley
49 books1,099 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 707 reviews
November 23, 2012
I just finished reading Twelve Days of Christmas an hour ago, and immediately went back to Amazon to look through ALL the comments, as I was sure someone must share my opinion! I bought this book after seeing so many good and positive reviews, but I was very disappointed as it left me feeling very very bored and frustrated. It seems that I am categorized with the minority.
1. there are WAY too many details in this book for the reader to fully be able to enjoy him/herself and get lost in the story, cooking, cleaning, planning, etc and 2. the writer seems to have no idea how to create realistic dialogues between the characters as it all sounds very contrived, and it seems as though all the characters are excitedly shouting at each other as Ms. Ashley seems to OVERUSE her exclamation marks.
Also, I bought this book hoping to get that warm, fuzzy feeling you usually get when reading a Christmas book but also a ROMANCE novel. And I felt neither. The romance rated lower than 0 for me. And the book lacked SO much on every emotional level. I finished this book feeling as though I've read this boring narrative about how to cook and clean and take care of animals!
As my title implies, this book needs to have life breathed into it, because as of now, it is very dead - dead boring.
1. there are WAY too many details in this book for the reader to fully be able to enjoy him/herself and get lost in the story, cooking, cleaning, planning, etc and 2. the writer seems to have no idea how to create realistic dialogues between the characters as it all sounds very contrived, and it seems as though all the characters are excitedly shouting at each other as Ms. Ashley seems to OVERUSE her exclamation marks.
Also, I bought this book hoping to get that warm, fuzzy feeling you usually get when reading a Christmas book but also a ROMANCE novel. And I felt neither. The romance rated lower than 0 for me. And the book lacked SO much on every emotional level. I finished this book feeling as though I've read this boring narrative about how to cook and clean and take care of animals!
As my title implies, this book needs to have life breathed into it, because as of now, it is very dead - dead boring.
December 7, 2021
2.5🌟 I enjoyed the storyline, but got fed up with the repetition, in particular the menu planning and domestic duties.
March 22, 2012
I was a bit dubious about this book before I read it because I disliked 'Chocolate Wishes', the book I had previously read by the same author but as it's Christmas, I had to give it a read and I'm very glad that I did - I didn't even mind the mention of Chocolate wishes themselves! I adored this book from start to finish. The book was certainly festive and I really enjoyed the plot. I found the writing style a bit hard to get used to at first as I kept forgetting it was written in first person, but once I got used to it and Holly was sharing more of her own thoughts and feelings, it was fine. I found the connection with Holly's grandmother's diary to be interesting and it worked well. There were a large amount of characters but each were formed very well and I could both connect to them and become attached to them - I did feel as though I was living through Holly. I found Jude's character strong from the beginning and although the relationship is very predictable, the journey through it's progression and slight twists made a fantastic read. The only issues for me was that I disliked some of the repetitiveness (about costs, the phone calls etc) and the food did somewhat take over this story, though it's understandable as it's Holly's passion. On the whole, I enjoyed the book and the ending. A superb Christmas read!
July 4, 2017
Charming story but long-winded and very descriptive at times. (especially the food preparations!) (2.5 stars)
December 10, 2019
5 perfect Stars
What an enjoyable story that had my heart melting from beginning to end.
I absolutely LOVED all of these characters and felt that I was cozied up to the giant fireplace with the rest of the family practicing a play, doing a puzzle, or just eating some awesome foods.
This will definitely end up as one of my top 5 reads for the Holiday Reads of 2019!
What an enjoyable story that had my heart melting from beginning to end.
I absolutely LOVED all of these characters and felt that I was cozied up to the giant fireplace with the rest of the family practicing a play, doing a puzzle, or just eating some awesome foods.
This will definitely end up as one of my top 5 reads for the Holiday Reads of 2019!
January 5, 2019
I couldn't get into this at all
February 27, 2019
Este não é o primeiro livro que leio da autora e acho, um pouco impossível, dar menos do que 5 estrelas. Dou todas as estrelas por tudo. Pela escrita, pelas personagens, pela história, pelos cenários, por manter sempre o leitor interessado. Uma história natalícia maravilhosa com um toque de romance no ponto. Não li a história no Natal, mas talvez ainda fosse mais mágico se o tivesse feito.
December 21, 2015
A fun, cheesy Christmas romance. I loved the setting and characters. 3.5 stars.
November 6, 2017
This book legit made me hungry. RTC
December 29, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyable Christmas read.
November 22, 2012
Este livro conquistou-me mais pela capa do que outra coisa, visto que nem me tinha apercebido que era da Trisha Ashley e que não tinha gostado do seu livro anterior. E de facto foi um pouco aborrecido em algumas partes ler este livro.
A história é em volta de Holly, de 35 anos, incrivelmente chata, e tudo o que ela quer fazer, cozinhas, ajudar animais e tudo mais, tem de ser contado com todos os pormenores possíveis e com detalhes excessivos. Eu adoro cozinhar, mas isto chega a ser penoso, pois mais de metade do livro é sobre ela a cozinhar.
Holly é uma chefe conceituada que durante o Inverno cuida da casa dos outros quando estes estão ausentes. E é assim desde que o seu marido morreu,há oito anos atrás. Pensando que iria para casa de Jude Martland, o escultor, e que teria oportunidade de ler os diários da recém falecida avó, os seus planos são sabotados quando se vê a tomar conta da família de Jude que vive nos arredores, e que andam a preparar as coisas para o Natal. Mas devido a sua educação e ao falecimento do marido, Holly não festeja o Natal. O que até é uma boa parte da história saber como ela lida com isto.
Gostava de saber um pouco mais dos diários da Avó de Holly, penso que foi das partes mais interessantes.
Leva algumas páginas, cerca de 120 mais ou menos, para a história começar, ou seja quando a Holly decide ficar para o Natal. Penso que só se tornou mais interessante quando finalmente aparece Jude Martland. Isto porque ele pareceu-me ser uma personagem mais forte, tornando a história um pouco mais agradável. Toda a família estava já junta para a reunião de Natal.
Depois havia Coco, que era super estranha para mim só lá estava para convencer as pessoas que Holly era boa pessoa e que fazia tudo a 5 estrelas.
Gostei das descrições de Natal e das suas tradições, e do espírito da família. Nota-se que Trisha sentiu-se mais empolgada por escrever esta parte, e que descreveu a atmosfera muito bem.
O fim é despejado literalmente em 3 páginas, Holly está apaixonada, e parece que decide isto porque o livro tem de acabar. Não havendo muito envolvimento romântico, que não pareceu tão importante, mas cuidar da casa, como cuidar dos cavalos ou como por uma mesa festiva é algo super importante e com descrições exageradas, que tem de ser contadas ao mais misero pormenor.
Acho que o problema foi que os personagens secundários se tornaram mais interessantes do que propriamente a trama principal. Em geral a história é boa e interessante, mas não foi bem aproveitada.
A história é em volta de Holly, de 35 anos, incrivelmente chata, e tudo o que ela quer fazer, cozinhas, ajudar animais e tudo mais, tem de ser contado com todos os pormenores possíveis e com detalhes excessivos. Eu adoro cozinhar, mas isto chega a ser penoso, pois mais de metade do livro é sobre ela a cozinhar.
Holly é uma chefe conceituada que durante o Inverno cuida da casa dos outros quando estes estão ausentes. E é assim desde que o seu marido morreu,há oito anos atrás. Pensando que iria para casa de Jude Martland, o escultor, e que teria oportunidade de ler os diários da recém falecida avó, os seus planos são sabotados quando se vê a tomar conta da família de Jude que vive nos arredores, e que andam a preparar as coisas para o Natal. Mas devido a sua educação e ao falecimento do marido, Holly não festeja o Natal. O que até é uma boa parte da história saber como ela lida com isto.
Gostava de saber um pouco mais dos diários da Avó de Holly, penso que foi das partes mais interessantes.
Leva algumas páginas, cerca de 120 mais ou menos, para a história começar, ou seja quando a Holly decide ficar para o Natal. Penso que só se tornou mais interessante quando finalmente aparece Jude Martland. Isto porque ele pareceu-me ser uma personagem mais forte, tornando a história um pouco mais agradável. Toda a família estava já junta para a reunião de Natal.
Depois havia Coco, que era super estranha para mim só lá estava para convencer as pessoas que Holly era boa pessoa e que fazia tudo a 5 estrelas.
Gostei das descrições de Natal e das suas tradições, e do espírito da família. Nota-se que Trisha sentiu-se mais empolgada por escrever esta parte, e que descreveu a atmosfera muito bem.
O fim é despejado literalmente em 3 páginas, Holly está apaixonada, e parece que decide isto porque o livro tem de acabar. Não havendo muito envolvimento romântico, que não pareceu tão importante, mas cuidar da casa, como cuidar dos cavalos ou como por uma mesa festiva é algo super importante e com descrições exageradas, que tem de ser contadas ao mais misero pormenor.
Acho que o problema foi que os personagens secundários se tornaram mais interessantes do que propriamente a trama principal. Em geral a história é boa e interessante, mas não foi bem aproveitada.
December 27, 2011
With me, when this author gets it right, she gets it REALLY right and this book was just wonderful!
There are no big romance fireworks and there is no sex in this book, which quite frankly is normally enough to put me off! However, the reason I keep reading Trisha Ashley is that I just absolutely love her anecdotal style of writing and I find myself drinking it in without even trying. I love getting to know her quirky cast of characters and I am always very sad to leave them. I smiled through most of this book at the antics of the characters and I even laughed out loud a lot.
I absolutely loved Holly. Having been bought up by a Widow myself, I always feel very deeply for the Widows that I meet in fiction. Holly is at times a little acerbic, but I recognise that this is her automatic defensive keep-people-out mechanism to protect herself. I totally understand how out of anger and loss she could cut herself off from people and wallow in her grief.
I was fascinated by Holly's job! I am not much of a cook and so I was riveted by her and the ease at which she improvised and calmly took everything in her stride. I am a list-and-timetable sort of a girl myself and so I loved her methods!!
Jude is a wonderfully gruff and grumpy bear of a man. His work was also really interesting and it made me want to dash out and do something artistic immediately!
Little Jess was one of my favourite characters and made me wish I had had a younger sister. As is the way of young teenagers, she very innocently spoke her mind and came out with some outrageously rude comments that only the very young or very old can get away with!
A wonderful, funny and heart warming festive read that exactly hit the spot.
There are no big romance fireworks and there is no sex in this book, which quite frankly is normally enough to put me off! However, the reason I keep reading Trisha Ashley is that I just absolutely love her anecdotal style of writing and I find myself drinking it in without even trying. I love getting to know her quirky cast of characters and I am always very sad to leave them. I smiled through most of this book at the antics of the characters and I even laughed out loud a lot.
I absolutely loved Holly. Having been bought up by a Widow myself, I always feel very deeply for the Widows that I meet in fiction. Holly is at times a little acerbic, but I recognise that this is her automatic defensive keep-people-out mechanism to protect herself. I totally understand how out of anger and loss she could cut herself off from people and wallow in her grief.
I was fascinated by Holly's job! I am not much of a cook and so I was riveted by her and the ease at which she improvised and calmly took everything in her stride. I am a list-and-timetable sort of a girl myself and so I loved her methods!!
Jude is a wonderfully gruff and grumpy bear of a man. His work was also really interesting and it made me want to dash out and do something artistic immediately!
Little Jess was one of my favourite characters and made me wish I had had a younger sister. As is the way of young teenagers, she very innocently spoke her mind and came out with some outrageously rude comments that only the very young or very old can get away with!
A wonderful, funny and heart warming festive read that exactly hit the spot.
December 24, 2018
This story took a while to get going for me but once it did I enjoyed reading about Holly with her gran's notes about a man named Ned. The next part to guess is if she is related to the family and if she's a cousin or a lover to Jude or both? Jude is a little too grumpy for my liking but I'm sure she can cope with his moods.
December 16, 2023
Vielen Dank an Aufbau-Verlag und NetGalley für das kostenlose Rezensionsexemplar.
Meine Meinung wurde dadurch nicht beeinflusst.
Holly ist sehr früh Witwe geworden und hat den Tod ihres Mannes bis heute nicht richtig verkraftet. Er war ihr "Liebe des Lebens" und damit hat sie der Liebeswelt abgeschworen. Im Sommer arbeitet sie als Köchin bei Hausgesellschaften und im Winter hütet sie Häuser. Am besten ganz weit Weg und über Weihnachten damit sie in Ruhe ist und um ihren Mann trauern kann. Jedes Jahr das gleiche Ritual...
Doch ihr neuer Haushüterauftrag entpuppt sich als die "zweit" schönste Fügung ihres Lebens und bringt ein brisantes Familiengeheimnis ans Licht.
Holly ist zum großen Teil die Hauptprotagonistin, die mir einfach direkt sehr sympathisch war. Ich konnte ihren "Leidensweg" sehr gut nachvollziehen. Auch ihr Humor und Sarkasmus hat mir mega gut gefallen. Was hab ich doch ab und zu gelacht.🤭😅
Doch es gibt nur nur Holly sondern vom Hausbesitzer die halbe Verwandtschaft um die sich sich plötzlich kümmern muss.
Ich hab einfach jeder der Nebencharaktere ins Herz geschlossen. Solch tolle Leute, hier war richtig Stimmung in der Bude. Selten so eine schöne abgerundet Geschichte mit mehreren "wichtigen" Personen gehabt.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist sehr flüssig und man fliegt einfach über die Seiten.
Auch wurde hier alles sehr detailliert beschrieben. Man hat den Hof förmlich vor Augen gehabt. Natürlich kommt die Liebesgeschichte auch nicht zu kurz und baut sich sehr langsam auf, was aber super in die Geschichte gepasst hat.💗
Das Weihnachtfeeling hat die ganze Sache super abgerundet und ist somit für mich eins der perfekten Bücher für die Weihnachtszeit geworden.
Eine klare Empfehlung von mir!
5/5 ⭐
Meine Meinung wurde dadurch nicht beeinflusst.
Holly ist sehr früh Witwe geworden und hat den Tod ihres Mannes bis heute nicht richtig verkraftet. Er war ihr "Liebe des Lebens" und damit hat sie der Liebeswelt abgeschworen. Im Sommer arbeitet sie als Köchin bei Hausgesellschaften und im Winter hütet sie Häuser. Am besten ganz weit Weg und über Weihnachten damit sie in Ruhe ist und um ihren Mann trauern kann. Jedes Jahr das gleiche Ritual...
Doch ihr neuer Haushüterauftrag entpuppt sich als die "zweit" schönste Fügung ihres Lebens und bringt ein brisantes Familiengeheimnis ans Licht.
Holly ist zum großen Teil die Hauptprotagonistin, die mir einfach direkt sehr sympathisch war. Ich konnte ihren "Leidensweg" sehr gut nachvollziehen. Auch ihr Humor und Sarkasmus hat mir mega gut gefallen. Was hab ich doch ab und zu gelacht.🤭😅
Doch es gibt nur nur Holly sondern vom Hausbesitzer die halbe Verwandtschaft um die sich sich plötzlich kümmern muss.
Ich hab einfach jeder der Nebencharaktere ins Herz geschlossen. Solch tolle Leute, hier war richtig Stimmung in der Bude. Selten so eine schöne abgerundet Geschichte mit mehreren "wichtigen" Personen gehabt.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist sehr flüssig und man fliegt einfach über die Seiten.
Auch wurde hier alles sehr detailliert beschrieben. Man hat den Hof förmlich vor Augen gehabt. Natürlich kommt die Liebesgeschichte auch nicht zu kurz und baut sich sehr langsam auf, was aber super in die Geschichte gepasst hat.💗
Das Weihnachtfeeling hat die ganze Sache super abgerundet und ist somit für mich eins der perfekten Bücher für die Weihnachtszeit geworden.
Eine klare Empfehlung von mir!
5/5 ⭐
January 8, 2021
This was my first time reading a Trisha Ashley book and I wasn’t disappointed, I have wanted to read this for a while now after hearing such fantastic reviews and that people often read this every Christmas as a yearly tradition and it was one tradition I wanted to get in on!
Holly a house sitter gets tasked with looking after a remote house on the Lancashire Moors over the Christmas period which suits Holly as she likes to avoid the festivities. Taking along with her a trunk of memories left to her by her late Gran. We get to read along with Holly her Gran’s journal from her time as a nurse during the war, these snippets of history were my favourite. I liked the way the two story’s of past and present linked throughout the book.
As Holly spends more time at the Martlands family home it becomes harder for her to leave and I can’t say I blame her. Trisha Ashley creates some wonderful heart warming characters that stay with you long after finishing the book and not forgetting the humour which really made me smile on more than one occasion.
Overall this festive treat put me right into the spirit of Christmas and kept me in a good mood all the way through New Year too!
Holly a house sitter gets tasked with looking after a remote house on the Lancashire Moors over the Christmas period which suits Holly as she likes to avoid the festivities. Taking along with her a trunk of memories left to her by her late Gran. We get to read along with Holly her Gran’s journal from her time as a nurse during the war, these snippets of history were my favourite. I liked the way the two story’s of past and present linked throughout the book.
As Holly spends more time at the Martlands family home it becomes harder for her to leave and I can’t say I blame her. Trisha Ashley creates some wonderful heart warming characters that stay with you long after finishing the book and not forgetting the humour which really made me smile on more than one occasion.
Overall this festive treat put me right into the spirit of Christmas and kept me in a good mood all the way through New Year too!
Read
December 19, 2022This tale of a house sitter who finds herself drawn into family intrigue, holiday escapades and possibly a romance sounded promising. I had read positive reviews, but after getting halfway into the book, I just had to bail.
I was intrigued when I started the story, but there were just too many plot threads and I kept getting bored. Also, even by the halfway point, the heroine and her possible love interest had done little more than exchange insults by phone. This one just didn't do it for me.
I was intrigued when I started the story, but there were just too many plot threads and I kept getting bored. Also, even by the halfway point, the heroine and her possible love interest had done little more than exchange insults by phone. This one just didn't do it for me.
September 8, 2014
Not too bad, but it should be edited into something better and shorter. So many unnecessary sentences, and if I had my way, quite a few characters would bite the dust, too. Ah well, I've read worse, and it's nice to look at.
December 27, 2024
Another fantastic Christmas read, which I read every year. I just love this book and puts me in the festive mood every year.
January 3, 2019
Unfortunately I didn’t like this book as much as I thought I would.
I like the story and some of the characters I really liked too but I wasn’t too keen on the writing style and I felt like exclamation marks were used more than they needed to be.
I also prefer more slow burn romances rather than a sudden proposal after a couple of weeks of knowing someone but it was nice in its own way.
I like the story and some of the characters I really liked too but I wasn’t too keen on the writing style and I felt like exclamation marks were used more than they needed to be.
I also prefer more slow burn romances rather than a sudden proposal after a couple of weeks of knowing someone but it was nice in its own way.
November 27, 2024
A 4.5 star review. Rounded up, because it's one of my very favourite Christmas novels.
I'm always on the lookout for cozy Christmas reads, but haven't had too much luck so far, so when I had this book recommended to me by two different people only a couple of days apart, I figured I had to try it. I almost put it down again within the first few chapters as I didn't care much for the writing style, but I trusted the people who'd recommended it to me, so stuck with it, and am really glad I did, as it turned out to be the perfect Christmasy read :) I don't know if the writing style changed, or if I just got more used to it, because I stopped paying much attention to it, and just dived into the the story itself.
It had everything I'd like in a Christmas story - lots of details about Christmas preparations, engaging characters, a child to experience Christmas through, and of course a suitable romance to tie it all up in a nice little bow :)
It was sweet without being sugary and had me wanting to celebrate Christmas together with Holly, Jess and all the others... although I guess I could do without Coco and Guy!
Reread 2020: Just as good as on my first read-though. This is going to be a firm stable of my Christmas reading I think. But I got so HUNGRY!!! There many descriptions of Holly making delicious-sounding food.
On this readthrough I didn't mind the writing style at all. It reads more like Holly's diary than anything else, which really worked for me this time around, so I have no idea what my issue was with it the first time. So I've rounded up instead of down :D
Reread 2024: I'd forgotten how sudden the ending was! From 0 to proposal in no time! Ah well - I still love it, so I'm going to leave it at 5 stars, even if the ending is kinda silly.
I'm always on the lookout for cozy Christmas reads, but haven't had too much luck so far, so when I had this book recommended to me by two different people only a couple of days apart, I figured I had to try it. I almost put it down again within the first few chapters as I didn't care much for the writing style, but I trusted the people who'd recommended it to me, so stuck with it, and am really glad I did, as it turned out to be the perfect Christmasy read :) I don't know if the writing style changed, or if I just got more used to it, because I stopped paying much attention to it, and just dived into the the story itself.
It had everything I'd like in a Christmas story - lots of details about Christmas preparations, engaging characters, a child to experience Christmas through, and of course a suitable romance to tie it all up in a nice little bow :)
It was sweet without being sugary and had me wanting to celebrate Christmas together with Holly, Jess and all the others... although I guess I could do without Coco and Guy!
Reread 2020: Just as good as on my first read-though. This is going to be a firm stable of my Christmas reading I think. But I got so HUNGRY!!! There many descriptions of Holly making delicious-sounding food.
On this readthrough I didn't mind the writing style at all. It reads more like Holly's diary than anything else, which really worked for me this time around, so I have no idea what my issue was with it the first time. So I've rounded up instead of down :D
Reread 2024: I'd forgotten how sudden the ending was! From 0 to proposal in no time! Ah well - I still love it, so I'm going to leave it at 5 stars, even if the ending is kinda silly.
January 7, 2021
I had such a wonderful time reading this book over the Christmas holidays. It made me feel all warm and Christmassy. The book is quite slow paced and relaxing and not full of a whole lot of drama, though it does have a pretty good storyline (along with Holly’s granny’s letters).
And the fact that Holly describes everything she does in detail made me feel so much more immersed in her world. I might be a big biased as I love cooking and baking myself, but I feel food plays a huge role over Christmas and it is so important.
It was also beautiful to see how Holly built connections with the people she met and started doing things for them out of love. It inspired me to do things ‘just because’.
And the romance element was quite fun too. It wasn’t all out there and I found it to not take over the entire story, which is great, since this isn’t entirely supposed to be a romance novel. But I enjoyed it thoroughly until the end.
This is definitely a book I would reread every Christmas because it would put me right into the Christmas spirit. I just LOVED it! <3
And the fact that Holly describes everything she does in detail made me feel so much more immersed in her world. I might be a big biased as I love cooking and baking myself, but I feel food plays a huge role over Christmas and it is so important.
It was also beautiful to see how Holly built connections with the people she met and started doing things for them out of love. It inspired me to do things ‘just because’.
And the romance element was quite fun too. It wasn’t all out there and I found it to not take over the entire story, which is great, since this isn’t entirely supposed to be a romance novel. But I enjoyed it thoroughly until the end.
This is definitely a book I would reread every Christmas because it would put me right into the Christmas spirit. I just LOVED it! <3
December 23, 2014
This is a book in need of editing. There are too many exclamation marks, too much repetition of facts and not enough plot at the start of the novel.
I'd got a third of the way through and was despairing at the lack of action, but I persevered and thankfully my loyalty paid off, as the story became more intriguing, to the point that it became hard to put down by the final chapters.
In some ways 'Twelve Days of Christmas' reminded me of 'Cold Comfort Farm' with its miscellany of rural oddballs. It uses the device of being snowed-in to keep the characters together, (as demonstrated brilliantly in Pahmuk's 'Snow'), and the reader watches the situation pan out.
I'd read this on recommendation after having read a couple of depressingly dismal reads. I wanted something light and fluffy, set in the UK and Christmassy, and in the round, this fitted the bill. As I say, just a shame it wasn't more finely polished by an editor before publishing.
I'd got a third of the way through and was despairing at the lack of action, but I persevered and thankfully my loyalty paid off, as the story became more intriguing, to the point that it became hard to put down by the final chapters.
In some ways 'Twelve Days of Christmas' reminded me of 'Cold Comfort Farm' with its miscellany of rural oddballs. It uses the device of being snowed-in to keep the characters together, (as demonstrated brilliantly in Pahmuk's 'Snow'), and the reader watches the situation pan out.
I'd read this on recommendation after having read a couple of depressingly dismal reads. I wanted something light and fluffy, set in the UK and Christmassy, and in the round, this fitted the bill. As I say, just a shame it wasn't more finely polished by an editor before publishing.
December 16, 2015
Un romanzo che sa di buono, di famiglia, di sentimenti e di Natale.
Un ambiente ristretto, la neve complice che blocca un gruppo eterogeneo in una villa accogliente e calda. Pranzi natalizi da leccarsi i baffi, relazioni interpersonali tra le più disparate e anche una delicata e sfuggente storia d'amore tra i due personaggi principali, che si attraggono e si respingono fino a capitolare sui rispettivi sentimenti.
Ho amato questa lettura, anche se a tratti risente di una certa lentezza narrativa, ma l'allegria che trasuda mi ha accolto, mi sentivo quasi un membro della famiglia, presente a fare il puzzle o a scaldarmi davanti al camino, o a mangiare strani manicaretti.
Se ci si aspetta il romance classico, si rischia però di rimanere delusi, perché qui i veri protagonisti sono i legami famigliari, ma se non vi interessa solo la storia d'amore, e volete respirare l'aria del Natale, è il libro che fa per voi.
Un ambiente ristretto, la neve complice che blocca un gruppo eterogeneo in una villa accogliente e calda. Pranzi natalizi da leccarsi i baffi, relazioni interpersonali tra le più disparate e anche una delicata e sfuggente storia d'amore tra i due personaggi principali, che si attraggono e si respingono fino a capitolare sui rispettivi sentimenti.
Ho amato questa lettura, anche se a tratti risente di una certa lentezza narrativa, ma l'allegria che trasuda mi ha accolto, mi sentivo quasi un membro della famiglia, presente a fare il puzzle o a scaldarmi davanti al camino, o a mangiare strani manicaretti.
Se ci si aspetta il romance classico, si rischia però di rimanere delusi, perché qui i veri protagonisti sono i legami famigliari, ma se non vi interessa solo la storia d'amore, e volete respirare l'aria del Natale, è il libro che fa per voi.
November 3, 2016
This has to be one of my favourite books of Trisha Ashley's so far it's so warm and well written and has you wanting to read more to find out what happened. Holly has had a tragic past and decides she doesn't want to celebrate Christmas so house sits for people who are away. She has a very remote place this Christmas and is pleased as is looking forward to a quiet Christmas on her own. She takes her late grans diary to read and wants to get into that. But things turn out very differently and it's set to be a busy time for her will she be happy or does she find it to much.
December 15, 2010
I really loved this one- got me into the festive spirit. Holly takes on a housesitting job and unexpectedly finds herself in charge of organising a huge house party for the house owner's relatives and a couple of people stranded in the village by the snowstorm.
December 26, 2013
The most dull, repetitive and badly written book I have ever read. It did not make me feel festive in the slightest. The characters where wholly unlikeable resulting in zero investment in them or their dreary stories.
November 25, 2015
Romance and Fantasy for Cosmopolitan Girls
Lasciatevi trasportare dal clima natalizio di questo splendido romanzo che con il suo incedere saprà trasportarvi in un mondo innevato; una storia contemporanea che si intreccia a quella di un'ava nel tempo di una delle Guerre Mondiali.
Quando iniziai questo romanzo mai mi sarei immaginata di ritrovami in uno in cui presente e passato si intrecciano, lasciandoti con la voglia di iniziare un nuovo capitolo per poter così scorgere parte della storia della nonna di Holly, che con abilità e maestria è servita proprio in piccole parti, in modo da lasciarti con una curiosità a dir poco immensa, facendoti immaginare dapprima nei panni di un'infermiera ai tempi della guerra e poi in quelli di una chef contemporanea.
Innanzitutto chi è la nostra cara Holly?
«Laura, non siamo usciti insieme, volevamo solo vedere lo stesso film. Ed è almeno trenta centimetri più basso di me».«Che esagerazione: sette o otto al massimo! Comunque, ha detto che gli piacciono le donne che sanno il fatto loro, e che la tua pettinatura gli ricorda Nefertiti».«Davvero?», ho chiesto poco convinta. Ho i capelli neri, forti e lisci che porto in una sorta di caschetto un po’ lungo che si incurva un po’ in fuori, come due ali. «Secondo me voleva solo essere gentile. Non sono molti gli uomini che vogliono uscire con una donna più alta di loro».
Da quando anni fa il suo compagno di vita, nonché marito, è venuto a mancare, giorno dopo giorno Holly si è resa conto che l'unica persona cui importi qualcosa di lei è la sua amica fidata Laura, una ragazza di quelle che si donano con tutte se stesse in nome di un'amicizia vera e sincera.
A questo pensiero è giunta alla soglia dei trentacinque anni, un figlio che non vuole saperne di arrivare ed un vuoto al petto da colmare, soprattutto dopo la recente morte della nonna, l'ultimo membro in vita della sua famiglia. Così, ecco spiegato il motivo dell'astio della ragazza nei confronti del Natale, una ricorrenza in cui son mancati molti dei suoi cari, lasciandola a trascorrere quelle vacanze con un motivo sempre più valido per non festeggiarle.
La differenza? Quest'anno la nostra protagonista si ritrova a passare queste festività in un villaggio, chiamato Little Mumming, a fare da house-sitting ad una dimora situata sotto una torretta, in cima ad una collina. Una coincidenza del destino che l'ultimo nome pronunciato dalla nonna in punto di morte fosse Ned Martland e che la casa di cui deve tenere conto appartenga ad una antica famiglia di Martland?
Appena prende servizio in questa luogo (alquanto dimenticato da Dio), il proprietario Jude si fa vivo sin da subito parlandole al telefono, e con toni per nulla pacati.
Il risultato? Da quella telefonata ha inizio un susseguirsi di chiamate che terminano con uno dei due che chiude il telefono in faccia all'altro. Possiamo dire che fan scintille o sbaglio?
Due caratteri molti vivaci, teste molto dure e due menti predisposte a non cedere di un millimetro.
Divertimento assicurato, soprattutto se la persona in questione busserà alla sua porta proprio all'incombere del Natale, gli invitati in quella casa diventeranno sempre di più e, dulcis in fundo, la nostra Signora Brown si ritroverà sempre più spesso a guardare quegli occhi così profondi, gli stessi che sembrano scrutarle nell'animo.
Jude ha sfilato la coperta a Lady e mi ha scattato qualche altra fotografia accanto a lei anche se mi sono rifiutata di togliermi gli stivali e ho acconsentito con riluttanza a levarmi il piumino. Jude ha persino fatto un altro paio di schizzi, anche se la luce a quel punto non era delle migliori e Lady continuava a sbocconcellargli i fogli.«Sei diventata la sua musa, Holly!», ha esclamato Becca interrompendo per un attimo il ritmo delle spazzolate. «Ho letto cosa succede tra gli artisti e le loro muse ispiratrici! Sarà meglio che tu faccia attenzione», ha esclamato scoppiando in una calda risata.
Il tempo, inevitabilmente, cambia gli umori delle persone e con esso i loro animi.
Se dapprima il nostro Jude pensava che la ragazza fosse solo un'avida persona, con il passare dei giorni si rende conto che la nostra Holly nasconde dentro di se' un mondo unico e particolare, un mondo con dolori che in parte anche il nostro scultore sente suoi. Se a queste cose aggiungiamo il fatto che la nostra "lei" sembri incastrarsi perfettamente nella vita dei Martland in maniera quasi impressionante, il nostro bel ragazzone non può che rimanerne sbalordito e sempre più incuriosito da ciò che potrebbe nascondere la sua cuoca favorita.
Le apparenze spesso ingannano e sarà proprio il nostro uomo a pagarne lo scotto, perché persone altruiste come la nostra protagonista raramente se ne trovano, soprattutto nel mondo del più grande dei Martland, dove prima si guarda il portafogli e poi il proprietario.
«Mi pare una buona notizia, perché dall’altra sera, non riesco a smettere di pensare a te e mi stai facendo diventare pazzo!».«Anche tu mi fai diventare pazza, Jude Martland, ma di rabbia!», ho replicato, sulla difensiva come al solito. Anche se ormai avevo capito che era solo perché non volevo soffrire, e Jude avrebbe potuto ferirmi, se glielo avessi permesso. Poi lui si è illuminato con quel suo sorriso improvviso. «Non possiamo riprovarci? Magari ci pensi e con un bacio cambi idea!».
Un romanzo in cui i due protagonisti non sono i soliti bellocci, ma son persone vere e proprie, descritte in una maniera tale che sembra di trovarcele di fronte, mano a mano che il romanzo prende vita davanti ai nostri occhi. Personaggi che non vivono in un mondo perfetto ma che conoscono le sfumature della vita, i dolori che inevitabilmente si susseguono nella vita di ognuno, non rinunciando però a viverla lo stesso a trecento sessanta gradi, come facciamo noi tutti ogni giorno.
Lo so che vi ho già riempito di citazioni, ma vorrei strappare anche a voi un sorriso, lo stesso che è spuntato a me nel momento in cui ho letto questa scena, una delle molte che si susseguono in questa commedia degli errori (Eh sì, perché ogni tanto i fraintendimenti sembrano all'ordine del giorno e vedrete che non potrete non apprezzarli!)
«Come, scusa?», ha risposto Michael trasecolando.
«Certo che non lo sa, idiota, semplicemente perché non sono affatto incinta!».
«Non sei incinta?», ha esclamato Jude sorpreso. «Ma, allora… perché quel libro?»
«Non sono affari tuoi, ma ho deciso che in primavera cercherò di avere un bambino con la fecondazione assistita».
«La fecondazione… assistita?»
«Sì, l’inseminazione artificiale».
«E perché mai?», ha domandato Jude incredulo. «Cos’hanno gli uomini che non va?
Lasciatevi trasportare dal clima natalizio di questo splendido romanzo che con il suo incedere saprà trasportarvi in un mondo innevato; una storia contemporanea che si intreccia a quella di un'ava nel tempo di una delle Guerre Mondiali.
Quando iniziai questo romanzo mai mi sarei immaginata di ritrovami in uno in cui presente e passato si intrecciano, lasciandoti con la voglia di iniziare un nuovo capitolo per poter così scorgere parte della storia della nonna di Holly, che con abilità e maestria è servita proprio in piccole parti, in modo da lasciarti con una curiosità a dir poco immensa, facendoti immaginare dapprima nei panni di un'infermiera ai tempi della guerra e poi in quelli di una chef contemporanea.
Innanzitutto chi è la nostra cara Holly?
«Laura, non siamo usciti insieme, volevamo solo vedere lo stesso film. Ed è almeno trenta centimetri più basso di me».«Che esagerazione: sette o otto al massimo! Comunque, ha detto che gli piacciono le donne che sanno il fatto loro, e che la tua pettinatura gli ricorda Nefertiti».«Davvero?», ho chiesto poco convinta. Ho i capelli neri, forti e lisci che porto in una sorta di caschetto un po’ lungo che si incurva un po’ in fuori, come due ali. «Secondo me voleva solo essere gentile. Non sono molti gli uomini che vogliono uscire con una donna più alta di loro».
Da quando anni fa il suo compagno di vita, nonché marito, è venuto a mancare, giorno dopo giorno Holly si è resa conto che l'unica persona cui importi qualcosa di lei è la sua amica fidata Laura, una ragazza di quelle che si donano con tutte se stesse in nome di un'amicizia vera e sincera.
A questo pensiero è giunta alla soglia dei trentacinque anni, un figlio che non vuole saperne di arrivare ed un vuoto al petto da colmare, soprattutto dopo la recente morte della nonna, l'ultimo membro in vita della sua famiglia. Così, ecco spiegato il motivo dell'astio della ragazza nei confronti del Natale, una ricorrenza in cui son mancati molti dei suoi cari, lasciandola a trascorrere quelle vacanze con un motivo sempre più valido per non festeggiarle.
La differenza? Quest'anno la nostra protagonista si ritrova a passare queste festività in un villaggio, chiamato Little Mumming, a fare da house-sitting ad una dimora situata sotto una torretta, in cima ad una collina. Una coincidenza del destino che l'ultimo nome pronunciato dalla nonna in punto di morte fosse Ned Martland e che la casa di cui deve tenere conto appartenga ad una antica famiglia di Martland?
Appena prende servizio in questa luogo (alquanto dimenticato da Dio), il proprietario Jude si fa vivo sin da subito parlandole al telefono, e con toni per nulla pacati.
Il risultato? Da quella telefonata ha inizio un susseguirsi di chiamate che terminano con uno dei due che chiude il telefono in faccia all'altro. Possiamo dire che fan scintille o sbaglio?
Due caratteri molti vivaci, teste molto dure e due menti predisposte a non cedere di un millimetro.
Divertimento assicurato, soprattutto se la persona in questione busserà alla sua porta proprio all'incombere del Natale, gli invitati in quella casa diventeranno sempre di più e, dulcis in fundo, la nostra Signora Brown si ritroverà sempre più spesso a guardare quegli occhi così profondi, gli stessi che sembrano scrutarle nell'animo.
Jude ha sfilato la coperta a Lady e mi ha scattato qualche altra fotografia accanto a lei anche se mi sono rifiutata di togliermi gli stivali e ho acconsentito con riluttanza a levarmi il piumino. Jude ha persino fatto un altro paio di schizzi, anche se la luce a quel punto non era delle migliori e Lady continuava a sbocconcellargli i fogli.«Sei diventata la sua musa, Holly!», ha esclamato Becca interrompendo per un attimo il ritmo delle spazzolate. «Ho letto cosa succede tra gli artisti e le loro muse ispiratrici! Sarà meglio che tu faccia attenzione», ha esclamato scoppiando in una calda risata.
Il tempo, inevitabilmente, cambia gli umori delle persone e con esso i loro animi.
Se dapprima il nostro Jude pensava che la ragazza fosse solo un'avida persona, con il passare dei giorni si rende conto che la nostra Holly nasconde dentro di se' un mondo unico e particolare, un mondo con dolori che in parte anche il nostro scultore sente suoi. Se a queste cose aggiungiamo il fatto che la nostra "lei" sembri incastrarsi perfettamente nella vita dei Martland in maniera quasi impressionante, il nostro bel ragazzone non può che rimanerne sbalordito e sempre più incuriosito da ciò che potrebbe nascondere la sua cuoca favorita.
Le apparenze spesso ingannano e sarà proprio il nostro uomo a pagarne lo scotto, perché persone altruiste come la nostra protagonista raramente se ne trovano, soprattutto nel mondo del più grande dei Martland, dove prima si guarda il portafogli e poi il proprietario.
«Mi pare una buona notizia, perché dall’altra sera, non riesco a smettere di pensare a te e mi stai facendo diventare pazzo!».«Anche tu mi fai diventare pazza, Jude Martland, ma di rabbia!», ho replicato, sulla difensiva come al solito. Anche se ormai avevo capito che era solo perché non volevo soffrire, e Jude avrebbe potuto ferirmi, se glielo avessi permesso. Poi lui si è illuminato con quel suo sorriso improvviso. «Non possiamo riprovarci? Magari ci pensi e con un bacio cambi idea!».
Un romanzo in cui i due protagonisti non sono i soliti bellocci, ma son persone vere e proprie, descritte in una maniera tale che sembra di trovarcele di fronte, mano a mano che il romanzo prende vita davanti ai nostri occhi. Personaggi che non vivono in un mondo perfetto ma che conoscono le sfumature della vita, i dolori che inevitabilmente si susseguono nella vita di ognuno, non rinunciando però a viverla lo stesso a trecento sessanta gradi, come facciamo noi tutti ogni giorno.
Lo so che vi ho già riempito di citazioni, ma vorrei strappare anche a voi un sorriso, lo stesso che è spuntato a me nel momento in cui ho letto questa scena, una delle molte che si susseguono in questa commedia degli errori (Eh sì, perché ogni tanto i fraintendimenti sembrano all'ordine del giorno e vedrete che non potrete non apprezzarli!)
«Come, scusa?», ha risposto Michael trasecolando.
«Certo che non lo sa, idiota, semplicemente perché non sono affatto incinta!».
«Non sei incinta?», ha esclamato Jude sorpreso. «Ma, allora… perché quel libro?»
«Non sono affari tuoi, ma ho deciso che in primavera cercherò di avere un bambino con la fecondazione assistita».
«La fecondazione… assistita?»
«Sì, l’inseminazione artificiale».
«E perché mai?», ha domandato Jude incredulo. «Cos’hanno gli uomini che non va?
December 5, 2010
This book not only has a great seasonally designed cover, it also contains a great story inside! Trisha Ashley has done it again by producing another five star read. I have recently become a fan of Trisha Ashely's writing and I think Katie Fforde has got it right when she states that Trisha Ashley is, 'one of the best writers around'.
'Twelve Days of Christmas' is a romantic comedy, full of the fun for the festive season and some delicious tales about cooking as well! The book tells the story of the young widow Holly Brown who is asked to look after a remote house in the Lancashire moors. Without providing any spoilers, lets just say the fun and romance starts to begin here! There is always some down to earth humour in Trisha Ashley's writing and her descriptions of her characters always leave a lasting impression in my mind. The characters of Holly Brown and Jude Martland are no different within this particular story! This is a story that once started is hard to put down.
Fans of Trisha Ashley will not be disappointed with 'Twelve Days of Christmas'. This title has been consistently at the top of the Tesco book charts for the past number of weeks and it has also been in the top of the Amazon charts for a number of weeks as well. This book is very reasonably priced within the UK for a 408 paged paper backed book, both with Amazon and Tesco. It would make a very affordable Christmas present or stocking filler for a friend or family member who would like reading this type of story!
'Twelve Days of Christmas' is a romantic comedy, full of the fun for the festive season and some delicious tales about cooking as well! The book tells the story of the young widow Holly Brown who is asked to look after a remote house in the Lancashire moors. Without providing any spoilers, lets just say the fun and romance starts to begin here! There is always some down to earth humour in Trisha Ashley's writing and her descriptions of her characters always leave a lasting impression in my mind. The characters of Holly Brown and Jude Martland are no different within this particular story! This is a story that once started is hard to put down.
Fans of Trisha Ashley will not be disappointed with 'Twelve Days of Christmas'. This title has been consistently at the top of the Tesco book charts for the past number of weeks and it has also been in the top of the Amazon charts for a number of weeks as well. This book is very reasonably priced within the UK for a 408 paged paper backed book, both with Amazon and Tesco. It would make a very affordable Christmas present or stocking filler for a friend or family member who would like reading this type of story!
December 26, 2020
A good festive read.
December 29, 2010
This was my second seasonal read, and I really liked it. The plot is fairly simple and it plods along quite contentedly. I've seen other reviewers criticise this book because not a lot happens, I found myself enjoying the book for this very reason. The book is set in a tiny sleepy village full of mildly eccentric characters, I think this is the reason I got so drawn into the book - as a country girl I could really identify with the book.
I enjoyed Holly as a character though I couldn't always understand her motivations. Partway through the book she suddenly reveals a huge plan for the forthcoming year when she's on the phone to her best friend, I was completely taken back by this as it came out of nowhere. The character I found the most interesting was Holly's grandmother, though she only really featured through entries from her diary that Holly was reading.
One slight problem that I did have with the book was with the tenses, a couple of times it seemed that Holly's narration changed from the past tense to the present tense. This jarred with me, and broke my reading flow. It was a minor thing though and may well have just been a writing style feature that I didn't appreciate.
I can imagine this book wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea due to its gentle and steady nature but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I enjoyed Holly as a character though I couldn't always understand her motivations. Partway through the book she suddenly reveals a huge plan for the forthcoming year when she's on the phone to her best friend, I was completely taken back by this as it came out of nowhere. The character I found the most interesting was Holly's grandmother, though she only really featured through entries from her diary that Holly was reading.
One slight problem that I did have with the book was with the tenses, a couple of times it seemed that Holly's narration changed from the past tense to the present tense. This jarred with me, and broke my reading flow. It was a minor thing though and may well have just been a writing style feature that I didn't appreciate.
I can imagine this book wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea due to its gentle and steady nature but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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