A Winter's Wish
A perfect, feel-good festive read about love, life and family.Tis the season to be jolly…isn’t it?Amelia is at breaking point. She’s just lost her job and Doug, the love of her life, still hasn’t broken up with his girlfriend. Surely a trip to the quiet countryside is just what she needs?Phil is about to leave beautiful Buttersley for the other side of the world! The sunny shores of Australia will mean a new life with his girlfriend, but something is holding him back…Ella has never felt this way before – Jake O’Donnell is the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen. And the more time she spends babysitting his kids, the more her feelings grow!Stan should be happy. He loves his wife and their adorable baby girl more than anything! So why, when everything’s finally going right, are they arguing more than ever?One thing’s for sure, even when Buttersley’s first snowflakes begin to fall, it’s never too cold for love to blossom…Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Cathy Bramley and Claire Sandy.Praise for A Winter’s Wish:‘A great, comfy read- curl up in the armchair with a lovely cuppa and lose yourself with everyone in Buttersley.’ – Bookworms and Shutterbugs‘Heartwarming and touching.’ – Sweet is Always in Style‘Unpredictable and joyous!’ – Lilac Diaries‘A lovely seasonal feel-good book…a joy to read.’ – Lisa Houston (NetGalley reviewer)‘A great read at any time of the year, but especially leading up to Christmas!’ – Gemma Gray (NetGalley reviewer)
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Tis the season to be jollyâ¦isnât it?
Amelia is at breaking point. Sheâs just lost her job and Doug, the love of her life, still hasnât broken up with his girlfriend. Surely a trip to the quiet countryside is just what she needs!
Phil is about to leave beautiful Buttersley for the other side of the world! The sunny shores of Australia will mean a new life with his girlfriend, but something is holding him backâ¦
Ella has never felt this way before â Jake OâDonnell is the most gorgeous man sheâs ever seen. And the more time she spends babysitting his kids, the more her feelings grow!
Stan should be happy. He loves his wife and their adorable baby girl more than anything! So why, when everythingâs finally going right, are they arguing more than ever?
One thingâs for sure, even when Buttersleyâs first snowflakes begin to fall, itâs never too cold for love to blossomâ¦
Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Cathy Bramley and Claire Sandy.
Countryside Dreams
An Autumn Affair
A Summer of Secrets
A Winterâs Wish
Forty Things to do Before Youâre Forty
A Winterâs Wish
Alice Ross
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2016
Copyright © Alice Ross 2016
Alice Ross asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © June 2016 ISBN: 9781474058155
Version date: 2018-07-23
ALICE ROSS
escaped her dreary job in the financial services industry a few years ago and has never looked back. Dragging her personal chef (aka her husband) along with her, she headed to Spain, where she began writing witty, sexy romps destined to amuse readers slightly more than the pension brochures of her previous life. Now back in her home town of Durham, when not writing, she can be found scratching out a tune on her violin, walking her dog in wellies two sizes too big (donât ask!) or standing on her head in a yoga pose. Alice loves to hear from readers, and you can follow her on Twitter at @AliceRoss22 or on facebook.com/alice.ross.108.
A huge thank you, as always, to my fabulous editor, Charlotte Mursell, for all her input, guidance and hard work on this book. It is very much appreciated.
A special thanks to the HQ Digital design team for all three covers in the Countryside Dreams series â I absolutely love them.
And finally, a humongous thank you to Kaisha and Eva for their invaluable help with all my (many) child-related questions. âWowatoesâ â who knew!
For the gorgeous girls in Galashiels
Thank you for all your encouragement with the book â and the laundry!
Contents
Copyright
About the Publisher
A few days earlier
âGuess whoâs coming to stay,â announced Annie OâDonnell in the kitchen of The Cedars.
Seven-year-old Sophie began jumping up and down. âWho? Who?â
âAunty Amelia.â
Sophie ceased jumping and yanked the zip of her tiger onesie all the way up to her hairline.
Husband Jakeâs cheese and pickle sandwich came to a halt midway to his mouth.
Two-year-old Thomas dunked Mr Potato Head into his full pot of yoghurt.
And Pip the dog rolled over and played dead.
The response was much as Annie had expected.
In her walk-in wardrobe, clutching the handle of her empty suitcase, a surge of panic swept over Amelia Richards.
What on earth had inspired her to accept her sisterâs invitation to Yorkshire? Yorkshire for heavenâs sake. She couldnât even recall the name of the out-in-the-sticks village where Annie lived. Buttersworth, or Butterton, or something resembling a low-fat spread. More to the point, what did people wear there? She very much doubted the residents of Butters-whatever-it-was-called would be tottering about in Ted Baker pencil skirts, fitted jackets and six-inch Manolos. Her usual weekday attire.
Not, she hastily reminded herself, that she would have need of such attire again. Not for a while at least. Because it wasnât just sartorial problems triggering this fit of panic. Her job situation â or, rather, lack of job situation â was adding to her fragile state.
