Synopsis
What if the memories of Christmas past were getting in the way of Christmas future?
It’s been nearly two years since Harriet lost Jonno, but she’s finally decided that it’s time to celebrate Christmas again.
Then she finds a stash of graphic novels belonging to her comic book-loving husband in the attic, and suddenly her world is turned upside down once more.
With the help of eccentric comic book dealer Kell Foxton, she discovers that the comics collected by Jonno are not only extremely valuable, but also hold the key to his secret life – a life that throws Harriet’s entire marriage and every memory she has of her husband into question.
As Harriet grows closer to Kell, she begins to feel like she could learn to love Christmas again – but first, she needs to know the truth.
Jane Lovering
Jane was born in Devon and now lives in Yorkshire. She has five children, four cats and two dogs! She works in a local school and also teaches creative writing. Jane is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and has a first class honours degree in creative writing.
Jane writes romantic comedies which are often described as ‘quirky’.
Her debut Please Don’t Stop the Music won the 2012 Romantic Novel of the Year and the Best Romantic Comedy Novel award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
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Ok, I’ve just read this novella in June, but it’s never too early to get in that festive spirit is it? I’m not hugely into novellas as I sometimes find they don’t let me get to know the characters too well, but this one was excellent in that respect. Jane gets the reader to feel Harriet’s sorrow straight away and through this we find out about her personality and that of her late husband. The descriptions are atmospheric, especially the one of Harriet in the attic, and they set the scene remarkably well for a short book most of whose action takes place inside her house. There’s a little mystery among the slow-burn of a new romance and we’re given hints of the parallels between the story of Harriet and the things she finds in her attic, but that doesn’t seem at all contrived, more a comforting and satisfying way for things to happen. Jane’s usual humour is in evidence and that helps to lighten what starts as a sad story. All in all, I found it hard to stop reading this novella, even squinting at it on my iPhone while I was breakfasting. in the café as I couldn’t wait to get home to the relative comfort of the iPad! Highly recommended.