Blog Tour: The Winter That Made Us By Kate Field

Toady i’m sharing my review of The Winter That Made Us  as part of the Blog Tour by Rachel’s Random Resources. Many thanks to Rachel and author Kate Field for allowing me to take part in this wonderful tour. I hope you enjoy reading my review.

Synopsis

When Tess finds herself unexpectedly alone and back in Ribblemill, the childhood village she thought she’d escaped, she’s sure she can survive a temporary stay. She’s spent a lifetime making the best of things, hasn’t she?

Determined to throw herself into village life, Tess starts a choir and gathers a team of volunteers to restore the walled garden at Ramblings, the local stately home. Everything could be perfect, if she weren’t sharing a cottage and a cat with a man whose manner is more prickly than the nettles she’s removing…

As winter approaches, Tess finds herself putting down her own roots as fast as she’s pulling them up in the garden. But the ghosts of the past hover close by, and Tess must face them if she’s to discover whether home is where her heart has been all along.

Review

The Winter That Made Us is the tale of Tess who has recently returned to her childhood village of Ribblemill without husband Tim as he has taken a year’s sabbatical in Dubai. Deciding to take a year away from her job as a high-flying Lawyer and head home Tess is reluctant to live with her overbearing Mother who is determined to stifle her with over protection. Instead she moves into secluded Cobweb Cottage, full of character and perfect for her needs, the only catch is she must share it with Noah Thornton.

Tess has a vague memory of Noah from her school days, but she isn’t expecting the aloof somewhat detached character she finds herself living with. All Noah wants is peace and quiet which he hopes to find at the cottage, it’s certainly an upgrade from his Mum’s sofa!  The pair soon find a way to make their living arrangements work with unsaid agreements from both parties, however this new ‘relationship’ is fragile, and it soon becomes clear they each have problems they are trying to deal with. But can they help each other and are they willing to share their secrets to help them to heal?

This is a beautifully written story filled with characters who are all trying, in their own way, to escape the past and deal with unspoken secrets that threaten to spill over into their present. I fell in love with Tess immediately as it was clear from the outset that despite the smile and ‘uniform’ she wears and the image she tries to portray to the world, she is in fact extremely vulnerable. As the story progresses we learn more about Tess’s childhood as well as her more recent past and what eventually drove her back to Ribbleton. Parts of her story are truly heart-breaking and filled with emotion which just oozes from the page.

Noah in complete contrast to Tess doesn’t even attempt to cover his heartache and misery, yet the similarities between the two characters are clear to see. They both choose to hide from their problems and try to deal with them alone without involving their loved ones. This book touches on mental health with several character’s clearly experiencing issues with depression and anxiety and author Kate Field has done a great job of portraying the behaviours and issues faced.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and sped through it in a matter of days! I sometimes find books I have loved reading have a somewhat lacklustre ending, but I can safely say the conclusion of this book was just perfect. Highly recommended and ideal for reading snuggled under a blanket with a brew as the temperature outside drops.

About The Author

Kate writes contemporary women’s fiction, mainly set in her favourite county of Lancashire,
where she lives with her husband, daughter and hyperactive cat.

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Kate’s debut novel, The Magic of Ramblings, won the RNA’s Joan Hessayon Award for new writers in 2017.

You can find out more about Kate and keep up to date with news via her Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The Winter That Made Us is a available to purchase from Amazon

* I was gifted a copy of his book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own