The Winter that made us by Kate Field ** Blog Tour Review**

How fantastic to be featuring Kate Field's latest novel, The Winter that made us. Her debut novel, The Magic of Ramblings won the Romantic Novelists' Association Joan Hessayon Award for new writers, 2017, so she has quite a pedigree.

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.

 

My Thoughts

This was such an enjoyable read. The community of Ribblemill is beautifully described through the cast of characters who we meet and it feels like a welcoming, inclusive place to be. How poignant then that Tess's childhood was limited by her mother's concern to keep her safe and therefore she was kept indoors away from village events. Tess and Noah both have issues from the past to work through. Tess is shown to be hiding behind a veneer of perfect Disney princess smiles and the desire to be liked. It is her vulnerability that leads her to connect with the traumatised Noah. They both try to hide their sadness from others and seem to connect through recognising each other's coping mechanisms. 

    With many secrets and deceptions waiting to be unravelled, the story moves along at a good pace.  As well as the central promised romance, there are some serious issues around coming to terms with loss, grief, and damaging traumatic events. Characters are shown to have difficulties with their mental health and we are shown the effect of not addressing them effectively. I appreciated how looking after others, whether it is an animal, a child or an older parent is also shown to help both Tess and Noah. The ability of the community to heal and accept people is a hopeful theme. Despite these darker aspects, this is a heart-warming and uplifting read.

In short: A beautifully written story of the power of love to heal.  

    

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 follow Kate here:  Twitter  |  Facebook

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Kate Field and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

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