This one's a slow burner and it took me a while to get into it. At first, I really didn't think that it would be my kind of book because it took so long to get started, but the pace gradually sucks you in, which I think has a lot to do with the fact that you genuinely care about the characters. As the story switches between the two timelines, you want to read just one more chapter to find out what happens next and before you know it, you're more than half way through and all you care about is seeing whether everyone gets their happy ever after or if it will all go horribly wrong.

There are some lovely little twists at the end and some unexpected touches as well as one final mystery for the reader to solve. This gentle romantic thriller is highly recommended.

I loved this book,when her husband is killed she does away with her son,then she realise not evertything as it looks,great read a must.

Absolutely loved this book! Set in two different eras, this story shows that so much has changed but really nothing has changed. Excellent characters who are brought to life in this very well written tale.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved how the story spanned decades, telling us the tale of one family and their complexities. I couldn't put it down once I started; keen to know how their stories would evolve and link them together. It was extremely well written and i loved the little twist concerning the family's heirloom! Would totally recommend this book

4.5 Stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lulu Taylor and Pan for giving me a copy of this book.

Well this book certainly had me hooked for the start, although it took a while to read because of other commitments I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

I thought that Lulu kept my interest really well throughout and made me believe in the characters a huge amount so much so I got a little emotional at t times. I don't think this is the last book I will be reading by Lulu although this is my first. I am very impressed.

I don't want to say too much about the book as I feel it will spoil it for those who wish to read it and I also feel that there are too many reviews out there that reveal the plot in one way or another.

What I will say though is that I recommend this book. It is a very enjoyable read.

Love the fact that this book is set in two different times, a fantastic read which I highly recommend.

This was a cleverly written book following the lives of a family in two different generations. You follow the family in the large family home just after the war trying to survive during the big freeze. Also the recent family wondering if they will be able to afford the upkeep of house in the years to come. As well as the family you get to know their friends that come to stay and what is going on in their lives. I'd recommend this book to my book loving friends.

Her Frozen Heart revolves around two women who have become widows but set in different time periods, the 1940’s and the present day. A dual timeline, a beautiful Jacobean manor, an old mystery surrounding a famous painting, a couple of deliciously bad villains - and lots of snow! A highly satisfying way to spend a wintry weekend. My thanks to Net Galley for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the twists and turns, could not put it down.

'Her Frozen Heart, by Lulu Taylor follows the lives of two women separated by a generation. Tommy (Thomasina) lives with her extended family in a large country house at the end of the Second World War. Widowed during the war, Tommy is struggling to hold home and family together during one of the hardest, coldest winter in a very long time. Relations are strained in the household under their enforced confinement and long-held secrets are beginning to emerge. Meanwhile, fast forward to the present and Caitlyn, also widowed as a result of a serious car accident, is trying to rebuild her life for herself and her son Max following the death of her husband Patrick. Best friend Sara however, seems determined to undermine her memories of her life with Patrick, and as pieces of a jigsaw begin to come together Caitlyn is starting to understand what her husband was trying to tell her just before he died.
I felt I should have enjoyed this book more than I did. Parts of the story seemed to take longer than necessary in the telling of it and I did find myself speed reading through sections to avoid what seemed like mundane padding.
I give this book 3 stars.

A story of two remarkably strong women one in the 1940’s and one today, both going through hardships and coming out of the other side. A delughtful book with the two stories well interwoven.

This was a fabulous book, set in the present but also the winter of 1947. The parallel stories had me gripped and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book.

Although the main characters, Caitlyn and Tommy, are separated by 70 years, the two womens’ lives share many commonalities. Both have been widowed at a young age. Both have children who need a mother’s love as the family navigates the trauma of an untimely loss. Both are admired by eligible bachelors who understand the need to proceed gently with their courtship. And both have another woman in their lives who seems intent on disrupting the widows’ grieving and cutting short any shoots of romance before they get a chance to grow and flourish.
Lulu Taylor’s novel weaves an intriguing thread through dual time-lines with individual stitches drawing the two stories together into a single patchwork of lost love, hope, and betrayal. The misfortunes experienced by the present-day Caitlyn being a mirror of the adversity confronting Tommy who is living through the extreme winter conditions of Oxfordshire in 1947 Britain. Both widows are forced to counter the indomitable influence of the other woman. For Caitlyn that other woman is the seemingly glamorous, successful, and irrepressible Sara. For Tommy, amid the deprivations of post war Britain, it’s the scheming, manipulative, and increasingly antagonistic Barbara. But this is not a simple tale of romance and jealousy, an underlying mystery melds the two widows’ lives together. The backdrop for both stories is Kings Harcourt Manor, the home of an exceedingly valuable Gainsborough portrait of Venetia, a beautify wife who lived in Kings Harcourt Manor in the 18th century, and who was found dead one morning in the main bedroom leaving her husband inconsolable.
All the characters are well-rounded and astutely portrayed. Every reader will surely have had the dubious pleasure of knowing someone with the spitefulness of Sara or the avaricious of Barbara. Indeed, as the plot develops, the depiction of Caitlyn and Tommy, and the struggles they face, is conveyed with a tenderness of detail that is bound to have you fighting their battles alongside them, willing them to overcome their individual plights and to find happiness in the guise of second-chance love.
Written devoid of sensationalism, and with a pace that never slackens, this novel uncovers the dark underbelly of human emotions. Keeping its secrets until the denouement, it transforms what would otherwise be a routine romance tale into a story that tugs at the heartstrings from a different, but ultimately uplifting, perspective. It is crafted with a hard realism that betrays a 21st century reincarnation of the guile of Catherine Cookson.
If you like the sweetness of your romance dished up with a pinch of sourness, then this is a book you’ll definitely enjoy.

Her Frozen Heart by Lulu Taylor is a marvellous contemporary and historical psychological thriller that will have you questioning the truth from the start.
United by a house, the action alternates chapters between 1947 and present day. The house is an old house seen by some as a prison, by others as a sanctuary. It holds its secrets that unfold.
The novel explores character traits as action in both time periods mirrors each other. There will always be people motivated by control, money, power, position and jealousy. They contrast with those who know the real riches in life are people and relationships.
The novel explores the theme of what is real? What is imagined? Where does the truth lie? Characters, skilled in the art of manipulation twist the truth - or do they? The dead cannot speak, therefore will we ever know the real truth?
An air of menace permeates the whole novel. The reader races towards the conclusion with pounding heart.
Both time frames have the theme of loss. The horrors of World War II were not too far behind 1947. "There are... horrors - that I'll never unsee." Present day shows the fragility of life. How it can be snuffed out in a moment.
Family is important. Depending on your motivation, a mother's love may be an unbreakable bond or a loose thread.
There are the uncomfortable themes of rape and manipulation. Seemingly strong characters have had much to overcome.
Her Frozen Heart definitely messes with the reader's mind as we desperately try to separate the truth from the lies.
A marvellous and compelling read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

A fantastic story that slips between present day and the terrible winter of 1947 which follows the lives of two amazing women who are betrayed by their best friends who are motivated by greed and jealousy.
In present day Caitlyn recently widowed suddenly doubts her marriage as her best friend undermines her memories by feeding her lies.
During the winter of 1947 Tommy and her family are cut off from civilization when they are snowed in due to the big freeze.
Tommy was widowed at the beginning of the war and her sole purpose is the welfare of her family and the other inhabitants of the house., but in the background is Barbara an old school friend who has cheated and lied her way into the house and is help bent on causing a rift in the family so that she can benefit financially.
A fantastic book I just could not put it down.

This is a story of two women and how their stories eventually cross. Tommmy lives in her large family home in a rural county in the south of England. We join her just after the British army were evacuated from Dunkirk. Times were very hard and very cold that winter. During the previous summer Tommy receives a telegram telling her that her husband has been killed. She then sets about getting her family and their home, complete with a Gainsborough painting through a very hard winter. Caitlin lives in modern times and attends Oxford University where she meets Sara, a very strange and needy woman and her husband Patrick. The stories grow with a wonderful end. I really enjoyed this book.

I have read several of Lulu Taylors novel's before and so was delighted to be given the chance to review 'Her Frozen Heart'. I was not to be disappointed as this was a great dual time frame story which I slid into and thoroughly enjoyed. The story evolves around the lives of two woman, both widowed and the family and friends around them. In both cases there are evil characters afoot and also love to be found. The accounts of the hard and relentless winter of 1947 were very interesting and brought back thoughts of ageing relatives accounts of life in rural England at that time. and how tough it must have been. A property deep in the Oxfordshire countryside brings the two stories together and mystery and intrigue from both of the plots, each with a great finale. A highly satisfying way to spend a wintry weekend of reading.

Finally, at long last I have gotten around to reading my first Lulu Taylor book. I don’t know what’s taken me so long to do so considering I have a few of her books on my TBR pile but I’m certainly glad I have now rectified that. Having now finished Her Frozen Heart, I think I made a wise choice in starting with this one as I have seen other people's views with regard to this book and I have to agree that this is a real slow burner but around a quarter of the way through it does start to get under your skin. This is not an action packed read by any means but yet there is enough here to really draw you in and have you hooked wondering what the eventual outcome will be. Her Frozen Heart definitely has sinister, dark, compulsive and even some gothic undertones and the more I reflect on the overall story I would definitely class it as a mystery with a hint of thriller thrown in. There is no big who dunnit but more so why have certain characters so ingrained themselves in others' lives and why have said characters allowed them to do so?

Her Frozen Heart has a dual storyline following two women separated by over 70 years. The more the story develops it is evident to the reader that there are more than a few similarities between the situations the two women find themselves in. Each chapter alternates between Caityln in the present day and Tommy (Thomasina) in the bitterly cold winter of 1947. Normally in a dual storyline that dips between the past and the present, I prefer the character in the present day to be uncovering more about the story of the past seeking clues to uncover a great mystery. Here that wasn’t the case as it was more of a comparison story which highlighted two very manipulative, psychotic women and how they worked their way into the lives of ordinary families with the greatest of repercussions.

The prologue opens in the summer of 1940, the war has been raging for a year and Tommy is left to step up and take care of King’s Harcourt Manor. Then the news that nobody wants arrives, her husband Alec has been killed. Now Tommy is in sole charge of her children Harry and Antonia she must be the strong one and take care of her mother and siblings as well as managing the family estate in her brother's absence. Right from the opening few pages there was a real sense of darkness, of bad things to come, that there would be elements within the story that would thrill, shock and surprise. That’s not to say this book was a tough, gloomy read that you would struggle through. In fact it was far from that as I read this in two sittings so hooked did I become.

In the present day Caitlyn Balfour is married to business man Patrick. They share a young son Max who hates going away to boarding school. Their life is one of luxury but at the same time Caityln seemed to be quite the doormat, who couldn’t stand up for herself or form her own firm opinions. Caityln’s word is torn in two when Patrick is unexpectedly killed. It's like an earthquake shatters her life and she is forced to go over her life in minute detail. Everything she believed to be true including the man she believed loved her with all his heart and soul as she did him may be in fact all false and just a dream not a reality.

Caityln's best friend since college Sara is there as a support to her but honestly Sara was a character whom no one would like. In fact I’ll go as far to say that I detested her. I could see the games she was playing, that her offerings of friendship and support were false. She was compulsive, psychotic, always wanting to be in control of everything. She makes Caityln doubt her own beliefs and viewpoints. The more Sara wiggled her way into Caityln's life the more worried I became. Caitlyn makes a big move to Oxford to escape old memories. Hoping for a new start she meets old college friend Nicholas, now a lecturer in the university. Here is where connections to the past slowly start to emerge and the tension mounts and mounts until you think things are really going to go belly up pretty soon. Caityln was a character who I would initially say was weak but as her mind grew ever more curious she grew in strength and was clever enough to question things. The more Sara fed her lies and half truths about her marriage, the more I wanted Caitlyn to confront her but if that had occurred too early the book wouldn't have been half as good as it was.

Normally with a dual time-line story I usually prefer one plot over the other and in this case I think it was Tommy's story I kept wanting to read more of. Not that I didn't find it fascinating to read about Caitlyn, it's just the atmosphere created in Tommy's story was pure chilling and so beautifully crafted that it made for a haunting, thrilling, tense, powerful read that I couldn't bare to leave out of my hands. Tommy is a very strong, resilient woman and the winter of 1947 brings plenty of challenges. As massive snowstorms paralyse the country and the house becomes cut off her metal is certainly put to the test. She has the constant worry of trying to keep everyone and the house warm in continuous sub zero temperatures and the dwindling supplies of food don't help things either.

I quickly got the sense that Tommy wasn't completely happy with her life, that she was hiding something and always putting on a brave face. She did her best for her family at all times but would a point be reached where she cracked. The arrival of her brother's friend Fred to stay sets in motion a chain of events that will test all involved to their very core. Romance does feature ever so slightly but it's more how Tommy and her family cope being so cut off. I could picture everything so clearly in my mind. This vast house in the middle of the country side surrounded by snow drifts while all the time more sinister events begin to occur.. Another unexpected guest in the form of a so called old school friend of Tommy's, Barbara, really set the cat among the pigeons. Control, possessiveness and manipulation are the words that spring to mind.

After a run of fairly OK books, nothing that would really make me want to scream and shout about them, along has come Her Frozen Heart and restored my faith that I would discover another excellent book before years end. I am frustrated with myself the fact I took so long to read a Lulu Taylor book but on the other hand I know can go back and devour her back catalogue especially with the Christmas holidays coming.

Here Frozen Heart is a very well written story that keeps you guessing. The comparisons that can be made between the two female characters were expertly woven in. I enjoyed how everything was drip fed to us despite my misgivings about the slow start as after reflection I realise it was probably necessary to the overall plot. I can't say there was one stand out, mind blowing twist instead there were several more minor twists one of which still slightly confuses me but still it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. Take your time and savour every moment of this brilliant read it was stunningly atmospheric and one I will remember for quite some time. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to it this Christmas.

A heart-warming, intriguing read set in two time periods with some nice twists at the end. One strand of the story is set in 1947, the time of the big freeze, in a large house with a Gainsborough. The other strand is 2016, a modern marriage, a fatal car crash and truths to be found. The two stories are interwoven but it is only towards the end that the connections are made. I did find some of the storyline in the modern setting a little hard to believe but overall I liked the characters (with obvious exceptions!) and was kept interested, engaged and looking forward to reading more. Thoroughly recommend.

Another fabulous read from Lulu Taylor. I love this time of year as there is a new Lulu Tayor being published, just in time for Christmas.
An excellent read with brilliant characters.
I give this fab book 10/10.