Synopsis
Once upon a Cornish Christmas …
It’s almost Christmas at the Pencradoc estate in Cornwall which means that, as usual, tea room owner Sorcha Davies is baking up a festive storm. And this year Sorcha is hoping her mince pies will be going down a treat at ‘The Spirit of Christmas Past’ exhibition being organised at the house by new local antiques dealer, Locryn Dyer.
But as Locryn and Sorcha spend more time together, they begin to uncover a very special story of Christmas past that played out at Pencradoc more than a century before, involving a certain ‘Lady’ Holly Sawyer, a festive dinner party and a magical secret encounter with a handsome author …
Book 3 – Cornish Secrets. Book 1 – A Secret Rose. Book 2 – Lily’s Secret. Book 4 – Summer’s Secret Marigold.
Kirsty Ferry
Kirsty Ferry is from the North East of England and lives there with her husband and son. She won the English Heritage/Belsay Hall National Creative Writing competition and has had articles and short stories published in various magazines. Her work also appears in several anthologies, incorporating such diverse themes as vampires, crime, angels and more.
Kirsty loves writing ghostly mysteries and interweaving fact and fiction. The research is almost as much fun as writing the book itself, and if she can add a wonderful setting and a dollop of history, that’s even better.
Her day job involves sharing a building with an eclectic collection of ghosts, which can often prove rather interesting.
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This lovely, Christmas, story takes you to Cornwall and Pencradoc House. This is one of a series of books, but like the others stands alone, but it will encourage you to read the others. Sorcha and Locryn are our hero and heroine and their meeting over a Christmas exhibition leads to a passionate romance that spans the years. A joyous read at any time of the year but in the lead up to Christmas will start the festivities off well, but is an easy read to pick up and put down if you decide to snatch the odd five minutes during the holiday. All the important things are in the story, food, parties, antiques, stories, ghosts and fun. Enjoy.
Yay a new Kirsty Ferry. Double yay it’s a Christmas one. Triple yay it’s a time slip. Kirsty Ferry never disappoints, and this is up to her usual standard. With sparkle and frost from the get go, settle down for a festive fairy tale to get you in the mood for Christmas.
I have to admit that, unless Kirsty Ferry completely loses it, she can only write winners for me, never disappoints. I read every word, no skipping, and savour them all. Once again, this got finished in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down, and is a super story, giving us two for one in Kirsty’s time slip style. I liked Elsie’s games – about peanuts and mittens – and really loved the little inside story of the Ice Princess and her shoes – aahhh …. worth a children’s book on its own. (You’ll have to read it to see what I mean!) So in conclusion – if you haven’t already guessed my opinion – I heartily recommend this great little read, and I am, as usual, looking forward to the next.
A delightful festive read
It seemed so strange sitting down on a gloriously sunny autumnal day and reading a book set Cornwall in the middle of winter, but within minutes I was immersed in Pencradoc’s Christmas preparations.
For anyone who has read Kirsty Ferry’s books about the Pencradoc Estate they’ll recognise old friends and encounter a few new ones.
Sorcha, the owner of the Tea Rooms, meets newcomer to the village, Locryn, when he requests her help to cater for his Christmas exhibition. Later when they’re walking around the main house together they catch glimpses of people from times long since past. No-one else has reported these ghostly appearances, they are only showing themselves to Sorcha and Locryn. It seems that the supernatural might bring two people together just in time for Christmas.
A cheery story, whatever the time of year.