One Winter's Night by Kate Frost

 Captivating, Comprehensive, Page-Turner

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance

One Winter's Night by Kate Frost - Author

When life takes an unexpected turn, as it is so often prone to do, Molly Bliss is forced to re-evaluate her priorities for an undeterminable period of time. However, whilst she is attempting to care for someone who means a great deal to her, and what little life they may have left, elements of her's start to fall apart remaining unmonitored. It's not until the undeterminable period comes to an abrupt halt, that she is faced with the stark realisation that what remains, may not be salvagable or possibly worth saving. With Christmas at her sister's on the horizon, she resolves to make the most of the time away, hoping to resuscitate one, if not several bonds that have remained un-nurtured for far too long.

I'll be honest, I don't read romances that often, but I spotted a post from this Author about this lovely novel I usually see something in the title or the cover design, that draws me in and compels me to read, but I think in this case, it was the simplicity of both that piqued my curiosity. Plus her being British, not that it generally worries me where the Author of my chosen read hails from, but it is always good to support one of your own. I was initially a bit concerned that this was going to be the typical formula of boy and girl break up, girl meets another boy, lots of sex....... However, this took several different directions and instead of it being obvious who is destined to end up with who, the Author presents the Reader with a number of scenarios, leaving them guessing the outcome for much of the story.. and I was wrong by the way....

The setting of this narrative is so different to anything I've read before, and it is clear that the Author knows her stuff about the festive destination in which she has chosen to take her cast of fun, dynamic, complex and adventurous characters. I learnt a thing or two about the location of their Christmas adventures, and googled pictures alongside my journey through the book, so that I could envisage the beautiful landscape and the places that the group visited.

Elgar and Claudia's Lodge sounded stunning. Their little oasis away from the cold. The perfect destination, the perfect couple. I felt for Molly after all she had been through, having something so awful happen to her that, she evidently did not see coming. I think I did, but when you want to believe in the good more than the bad in someone, and you feel that you are, in part to blame for what's happened, it's easy not to see what's obvious. Kat and Lil were a game pair of broads and made me smile, imagining them unsteady on their feet, making their way across the icy ground having had that bit too much to drink. For James and Jen, I did feel that what played out was inevitable and I have to say, although I have never intentionally looked for what Jen was clearing seeking in a partner, I'm not sure that this particular vacation would have been my cup of tea either. So I saw a bit of me in her in that sense. I wonder if our thrill seeking, deep thinking Scotsman, saw it as his revenge. I can also understand why Jen chose to reveal her true feelings when she did, with it being a time for truths and revelations. The timing may have been a bit off though for such a big bombshell though. Leifur was a temptation hard to resist I think. I was aware of the Christmas Eve tradition of giving and reading books. I may have to start encouraging friends and family to buy into that one.

The Epilogue finishes off this novel of adventure and self-discovery beautifully, but I never reject the notion of a sequel for a good read, which this.most certainly was. In the meantime, I shall be reading more from Kate Frost.