This is such a lovely story. It is extremely sad in places. It is the story of two women coming to terms with the deaths of their husbands. Tommy is struggling to look after the family home during World War Two when her husband is killed in action. Her family live in a large Manor House, and the story occurs in 1947, when very bad weather virtually shut the country down, roads were unpassable, and very little rationed food was getting through to towns and villages. Tommy has to care for her two children, brother, sister and mother, two staff, a friend of her brother and an old school friend of hers with her daughter who had been foisted on her just before the weather closed all transport down.

The seemingly unconnected story of Caitlyn who lost her husband in a very tragic road accident is in the present day, so the stories are more than sixty years apart. She is totally lost without Patrick, and she has a friend, Sara, who constantly undermines her confidence, and implies that Caitlyn was not good enough for Patrick, which is why he was having an affair with her. Caitlyn finds information amongst her husband's paperwork that suggests Sara might be telling the truth, which adds to her distress.

The story of each woman is told in alternate chapters, and although their problems are slightly different due to the difference in time they are nevertheless similar in effect and complexity, and you feel great empathy with both women. They both have to be brave to solve the issues that feel insurmountable until they tackle them. Both stories have an uplifting ending, with both women finding happiness with a new partner.

I have not read anything by Lulu Taylor before, but I will certainly seek out her books. She writes emotion exceedingly well, and also gives you a clear feeling of time and place. She has clearly researched well. I heartily recommend this book .

I don't know what I expected from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book is two stories in one, linked by a house- King's Harcourt, at the heart of both worlds. In the present day, Caitlyn is married to Patrick with a 12 year old son, Max, and appears to have the perfect life, until one day she finds herself having to question the very foundation of her world. What is the truth? Who can she trust? Meanwhile, Tommy Carter, widowed early in WW2 is keeping her ancestral family home and the wide and varied family and friends going through the devastating winter weather of 1947. We jump back and forward between the stories, which held my interest and had me wondering how the two worlds were going to tie together, and what the outcome of each story would be. The linkage is excellent, as is the ending and the pulling together where the one ending clears up both stories. I've chosen this as the next book for my book club, so my advanced review copy from NetGalley has borne fruit.
Edit

Delete

Beautiful, heartwarming read. Read it straight in one afternoon. Well drawn characters and intriguing twists. Would like to read more from this author.

Caitlyn is blissfully happy with Patrick. Their marriage is exactly the way Patrick wants it to be and Caitlyn is happy to go along with his wishes. He is, after all, the one man who is not secretly in love with her best friend! When a terrible accident happens, Caitlyn’s world is turned upside down. She begins to wonder who the real Patrick is. Perhaps she never really knew her friend either. Her cautious investigations slowly reveal the truth…

Thomasina Carter, a feisty war widow, finds herself and her family cut off by the devastating winter of 1947. Their home, Kings Harcourt Manor, is isolated and running on empty. Tommy keeps the family together, but the arrival of a manipulative old school friend changes the household dynamics irrevocably. Can she manage to save her family and secure her future in the Manor?

Taylor lulled me into thinking that this was to be a gentle love story. Then, just as I dropped my guard, she turned up the heat. All was not as it seemed. Secrets and lies emerged and innocent characters revealed unexpected traits. The dual timelines, past and present, took turns in jolting me out of my complacency.

The timelines dovetail in the end and Taylor manages to tie up loose ends with skill and imagination. Clever twists and turns made it impossible to put the novel down and I found myself unable to extricate myself from either of the scenarios. Although Taylor’s characters are fascinating and believable, there were times when I wanted to be right inside their heads. A touch more in-depth characterisation of the protagonists would have satisfied that whim.

The theme song of Play Misty For Me began reverberating in my brain as I read and if this novel is ever made into a film a fitting tune would need to be sourced. Lulu Taylor has sparked my interest and I’ll be looking out for more of her novels. Her Frozen Heart is a good read and would make the perfect Christmas stocking filler. It is also a novel I’ll be adding to my book club’s collection in 2018.

Gigi

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A bit of a slow start but had me hooked as the story progressed. Two plots in different timelines both good. I would recommend this book and would read this author again.. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

An interesting story set in two time periods.There are parallels between the two main female characters Tommy and Caitlyn, and the past meets the present in the middle of the book. The characters are strong and believable; both women have emotionally difficult lives despite superficial wealth.

The plots are easy to follow, but there are enough twists to hold your interest. The setting is particularly vivid in the historical chapters. The description of the snow and cold was rich in detail and realistic imagery.

The female antagonists in the story hide their deceit and obsessive behaviour behind a cloak of friendliness and vulnerability. The psychological thrills are subtle but make the plot darker than you would first imagine.

The writing showed insight into human emotions and coupled with the vivid imagery it turns an ordinary plot into something worth reading.

I received a copy of this book from Pan Macmillan via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This novel portrays the lives of two widows in different eras - the 1940's and the present. It was intriguing to discover the individual ways the women coped losing their husbands. The characters were very solidly painted. Thomasina discovered her dead husband wasn't the person she thought she'd married. It was well written and sensitively written. I enjoyed reading it. I shall post this review on Amazon, Kobo and GoodReads as well as my blog. Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for letting me read it.

This was a lovely story about one family in different generations. The stories run in parallel and come together at the end. Some really good characters in an excellent storyline which made it east to become involved in the story. So much realism which brought the story life. I thoroughly enjoyed every hour it took to read and was sorry when it ended but the conclusion was as good as the rest of the book.

I struggled to get into this book and kept putting it down and having to reread the beginning as it wasn’t grabbing me enough to stick. The book is told in two timeframes - one in 1947 and one present day. The connection between the two is not clear until quite near the end and I think this made it feel like two completely separate books. I got about halfway through and had a longing to just read a book set in one strand for once - so many use this two strand writing technique lately.

The main characters in each timeframe, Tommy (short for Thomasina) in 1947 and Caitlyn in present day are struggling with losing their husbands and both have a girlfriend who isn't quite the friend they thought. I actually got quite annoyed with Caitlyn as if my best 'friend' Sara had done or said half the things she did to Caitlyn she'd have been well and truly off my Christmas card list some decades earlier.

The story did pick up towards the end and I was keen to read the conclusion. Although I am still not 100% sure what the outcome was re the Gainsborough painting.

This book tells the story of two women - one in the 1940s and the other in present day.
Both women suddenly lose their husbands and struggle to cope going forward with their lives.
The chapters alternate between Tommy in the 1940s and Caitelyn in the present.
I found this a bit annoying at first as I got drawn into Caitelyn’s story more, and just wanted to know what happened in her life. However Tommy’s story soon became just as intriguing and I was hooked on both stories!
The ending is very good and brings both stories to a gripping conclusion
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy to read and review.

Caitlyn thinks her marriage to Patrick is a success. He is one of the few people who had not fell head over heels for her beautiful friend , Sarah. When an accident turns her existence upside down, Caitlyn is forced to reassess everything she thought about her marriage. In an old Manor House, she begins to discover the truth. The worst winter in decades hits England, cutting off entirely the inhabitants of Kings Harcourt Manor.

This book has two plots running alongside each other. Caitlyn and Tommy (Thomasina), stories are told in their point of view. In alternating chapters. The story takes a while to het into but please don't let this put you off as its well worth sticking with it. This is a historical fiction with a mixture of suspense and mystery thrown in.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Pan McMillian and the author Lulu Taylor for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really satisfying read that kept my attention throughout. The opening lines gripped my interest from the start and the author, Lulu, was able to,generate the exact feeling of,frustration, fear and hatred that Barbara and Sarah deserved. Set in 2 different times made the storyline interesting and the link,between them became clear as the story unfolded.

A thrilling, Single White Female type of plot that had a few twists and unexpected turns.
A great lead character whom sometimes I just wanted to shake and say "open your eyes" because of her naivety, I did warm to her though and really hoped for a happy ending.
This book was well written and fast paced with just the right amount if suspense, I will read more by this author.
#HerFrozenHeart

Well written mystery told in two different time periods - both were described vividly and there was no confusion switching between the two different settings. Likeable lead female characters, occasionally stretched reality but enjoyable and gripping to the end.

This was a slow burner for me, it took absolutely ages for it to start getting under my skin, and once I was fully interested, it still didn't really hook me, although the lead up to the finale in both storylines was very good and I did care what happened to the characters.

This is a dual timeline story - every other chapter we are treated to 1947, and the story of Tommy and her family who after surviving World War Two now have another massive challenge to deal with - the worst winter for decades, with them being rather cut off in their manor house.

I'm not really a fan of anything set historically but I found myself far more interested in this story than the contemporary one, and I was continually wondering how Tommy's family were coping, while reading Caitlyn's sections. Caitlyn is recently widowed, suspects her husband was about to reveal something critical just before his death, and discovers that her best friend isn't all that she seems either.

With both stories I could see parallels at all points, with the sets of characters, and their circumstances, despite the 70 year gap between them. However it took about half a book to see where the stories could converge and why they were both present.

There are mysteries in both halves of the story but they didn't grip me. What did grip me were the descriptions of life during the freezing cold of 1947, and just how tough life must have been, while at the same time , there were assorted sub plots going on, and the introduction of Barbara really shook things up.

I did find though that following two complete stories I was starting to get confused with the sheer quantity of characters as to who was relate to who and what their purposes were.

Plenty of misdemeanours and secrets to discover, and plenty of story line. I liked the writing, I just didn't feel that this was Lulu Taylor's best book, but it did have lots to enjoy about it, especially if you are more of a fan of dual timeline stories than I am.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Caitlyn is happily married to Patrick and has a lovely son Max and a beautiful best friend Sara, but when Patrick is killed in an accident she starts to realise that everything is not as it seems and how well does she know Sara.... needing to get away she and Max go to stay in a beautiful Jacobean manor house

In 1947 Tommy had been widowed and is glad, but living in the coldest winter just after the war with no money for the upkeep of the beautiful crumbling manor house is not easy, her children keep her going but what secrets is she hiding?

I love all of Lulu Taylor's books and this is no exception, full of intrigue and secrets that keep you guessing and great characters..... some definitely not pleasant! Comes highly recommended by me.

This is a light and atmospheric book perfect to read at this time of the year. Two different time frames and stories, two women suffering, connected by a house. Beautiful

Loved the way the story moved between the two women in different times, but who were, in the end, linked by the same house.

I had - sort of - known that the winter in the UK in 1947 was bad, but not quite as bad as was shown in this novel.

It must have been dreadful to experience when the UK had not yet recovered from WW2 and there were still shortages of basic foods and heating materials  - the coal had frozen in the mines and the drifts were too high for the miners to get to work or coal to be transported.

An anti-cyclone sat over Scandinavia and there were 6 weeks of snow falling - 55 days in total. The temperature dropped to -21C in Bedfordshire and this was before people had thermal underwear and outdoor clothing that was suitable for this type of weather.

Newspapers were cut to 4 pages.

There were no electric fires (the main alternative to coal in most houses) between 9-12am and 2-4pm.

And no afternoon Greyhound Racing!

Over 20,000 acres of corn was destroyed by the cold.

That said, I personally experienced the winter of 1963 as a schoolgirl in the days before 1. Tights, and 2. Trousers were permitted to be worn.

I walked to school.

3.5 miles each way.

I thought my knees would never stop chapping and warm up!

I'm not sure how I've managed to avoid reading Lulu Taylor all these years, as she seems to write my favourite kind of book! A dual timeline, a beautiful Jacobean manor, an old mystery surrounding a famous painting, a couple of deliciously bad villains - and lots of snow! - I absolutely loved this story!

Her Frozen Heart is the story of one house and two women - who have both experienced something so traumatic it has left them 'frozen'. In the present day we have Caitlyn, barely coping after a tragedy shatters her world, now left wondering who she can trust. In the 1940s Tommy (Thomasina), after struggling to keep the family home going during the war, is facing one of the coldest winters on record. Food and fuel are rationed, and the risk of freezing to death or starving is very real. Tommy has no support from her family. Her mother is openly hostile, saying she should behave more like a lady and leave the running of the estate to her (lovable but hopeless) brother. Then two strangers arrive and Tommy's life is changed irrevocably.

Caitlyn and Tommy's stories are told from their point of view in alternate chapters. In the 1940s I loved the descriptions of Kings Harcourt Manor and the relationships between the characters. I particularly loved Tommy and Gerry. I loved how Caitlyn and Tommy experienced the same problem, seventy years apart, and the mystery surrounding the house's famous Gainsborough painting. And I loved the horribly manipulative villains!

I read Her Frozen Heart in three days. I was completely gripped, reading faster and faster, desperate for it to turn out the way I wanted. Lulu Taylor racks up the tension, right up to the last few pages, and there were a couple of twists I didn't see coming (as they say). I've added it to my list of favourite reads this year - and the author's entire backlist to my wishlist!

If you love old mysteries, and authors such as Kate Morton and Eve Chase, then this is the book for you. Recommended!


Note: I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book, which will be published on 30th November 2017.

Thank you to Lulu Taylor, Pan Macmillan, and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

I am already a fan of this author and this book did not disappoint. A great story with interesting characters. Well worth a read.