I have loved reading Lulu Taylor books over the years, but I have to admit its been a while since I last picked up one of her books. So, I decided this years I would read her new winter book A Midwinter Promise, and I’m glad I did as it have made me fall in love with her books again and find those that are lurking on my shelves. A Midwinter Promise has a split timeline between the present where Alex and her brother Johnnie receive the news that their father has had a stroke and is not expected to recover. This event makes them assess their relationship with their father and their stepmother Sally who they blame for their difficult relationship with their father and for the sale of their mother’s family home Tawrey. The second timeline takes us from the 1980’s to 1990’s and tells the story of Julia, Alex and Johnnies mother who died when they were young children. Alex and Johnnie need to understand their mother’s story in order to deal with the present and their father’s illness and their relationship with him and their step-mother.

A Midwinter Promise is a book that once you sit down to read it you won’t be able to put it down. Lulu Taylor’s writing is magnetic and pulls you into the story and won’t let you go until you read the last page. Her description of Tawrey in beautiful Cornwall makes it sound idyllic; the stunning gardens, the many rooms, the window seat for reading and the family mural on the walls. Tawry becomes a character in itself in the book, it is a place of comfort and healing for Julia as she becomes an adult, for Alex and Johnnie it is a place where they can remember their mother and a place that captures their mother’s spirit. Lulu Taylor doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including mental health, addiction, and multiple miscarriage which are all treated with empathy and knowledge.

What really drew me in was Julia’s story. From a childhood where she felt lonely and had to cope with her mother being very unwell during her pregnancies. Her aunt and grandmother weren’t particularly loving, but she did have her half sister Lala who came to visit during the holidays and who became an important part of her life. I really felt for her, her addictions and mental health which gave her a fragility and the sense of needing to be cared for and that had such an impact on her life. What this part of the story opens up is Julia’s relationship with her husband David, her love for her children and the ever present spectre of Sally who became stepmother to Alex and Johnnie. I found this part of the book beautifully written, and absolutely compelling to read.

A Midwinter Promise is a heart-warming story of loss, love, family and motherhood. The characters and their feelings, lives and worries are very realistic and relatable which makes you empathise with them. This is such a beautiful and captivating read and I’m looking forward to catching up with more Lulu Taylor books that are on my shelf; Simply stunning.

This was an interesting read as it was told in two different times, the present day and the 70s and 80s. The earlier time, besides being Julia’s story also gave snippets of the main news at that time. Julia was a person who needed specialist help in her earlier life, but didn’t get it. It was a time when certain subjects were not discussed with children. Julia was a complex character and I really felt for her. The events and memories of her children also help piece together what happened in the past. I think the main reason that I gave this book three stars was because it left me feeling sad and that’s not what I look for in a story. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A brilliant saga told through the last and present centuries.
Fantastic characters that you will come to love and have empathy with.
A great book to read on a cold winters night.
Fully recommend it
Five stars all the way.

Lulu Taylor is one of my absolute favourite authors so I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of this book. The story is about the Pengelly family and has a dual timeline: 1970s/1980s combined with the run-up to Christmas in the present day.

In the past we see Julia grow from a troubled child into an adult. She believes she's put the tragedies of her past behind her and can now concentrate on her children and restoring the beautiful family home, Tawray. In the present day, Julia's grown-up children try to solve the mystery of what happened to their mother, along with their own personal problems, before Tawray is lost to them forever.

The cover for this book is absolutely gorgeous and, as the title suggests, this is more a winter-themed book than a Christmas one. Christmas is briefly mentioned at the start and end. This was one of my favourite parts of the book because Julia's daughter Alex has taken over the tradition of decorating Tawray with dried flowers and I loved the descriptions of the process, which reminded me of Cotehele.

Alex and her brother Johnnie were my favourite characters. Alex is a people-pleaser, whereas it is only just beginning to dawn on the rebellious Johnnie that he might be taking his wife (and happy family life) for granted - and that if he doesn't buck his ideas up, he'll lose both. Their step-mother Sally makes a splendid Dolores Umbridge style villain. I'm old enough to remember the 80s, so it was fun spotting all those references too. One of the characters works for Princess Diana. The behind-the-scenes glimpses into her life are fascinating. There are also a couple of great twists at the end. In addition, the story does cover darker subjects (which I probably shouldn't mention specifically because of spoilers) but this is done in a very sensitive way.

A Midwinter Promise is a brilliant book and I found it utterly addictive. Recommended, especially if you like historical timelines, big old houses, something a little bit different to your usual Christmas read, and authors such as Eve Chase (Black Rabbit Hall), Harriet Evans (The Garden of Lost and Found) and Kate Morton (The Forgotten Garden).


Thank you to Lulu Taylor and Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Set in one of my favourite locations, Cornwall, this was the epic story telling we have come to expect from Lulu Taylor.

Set to two timelines, it weaves effortlessly from Alex's story and Julia's, a story of family secrets and mystery, featuring the Atypical Stepmother that you love to hate. or at least really dislike!

Really enjoyed this book, easy to get into and just let yourself be taken along the adventure.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

This is a great story that shifts between the past and present. In the present Alex is divorcing her husband and coping with a floral business whilst secretly annoyed that she no longer is in possession of the family house Tawray which lies across the fields. This magnificent house was the home of Julia her mother who was a sensitive and dreamy child of a second wife and when very young she lost her mother which gave her problems later in life. In the seventies Julia had gone off the rails and then met David who was on leave from the navy and working for Diana and Charles which meant that he worked longer and longer hours as the Royals split up. Julia befriends Sally who seems to provide comfort to her when she has an episode whilst pregnant with Alex and thus begins the start of Sally's influence on the pair. Later it is Sally who marries the widowed David and brings her spoilt son known as Mungo into the mix with consequences for all. As the tale goes between past and present we learn that her brother Johnie and his wife are struggling to cope with an autistic son as well as twins and their marriage is effected by this. The stepmother Sally is devastated when David has a stroke and the story plays out as his life slowly ebbs away. The descriptions of the early lives in the house and the beautiful countryside of Cornwall are beautifully crafted. A really page turner of a novel!

A beautiful gothic novel that stays with you long past your bedtime. Incredibly brave characters. Highly recommended.

So what better way to spend an evening with a power cut!

I love books that jump between past and present and have enjoyed Lulu Taylor’s books in the past, so thank you for this ARC. This book follows the story of two generations of the Pengelly family as David, a beloved husband and father, is dying following a stroke. His care is overseen by his second wife Sally and his adult children, Alex and Johnnie.

Their stepmother Sally was never a loving figure in their life and they can’t understand why their father was always so distant, then there is Mungo the wicked step-brother. Each character has a clear voice within this story and it was a great place to escape to during a power cut

Told by different characters in different timelines we gradually learn the fate of David’s first wife, Julia. The family home of Tawray, now glimpsed from Alex’s cottage but not lived in by the Pengelly’s holds secrets of the past and is where the story unfolds. Fearing that the house has been sold from under them Alex and Johnnie try to get to know it’s newest inhabitants with mixed success and eventually the ownership of the house and the children’s future is made clear much to the annoyance of some!! No spoilers here.
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Welcome to Tawray, the majestic stately home standing tall above Cornwall. Life here is perfect, or at least that’s what Julia has always believed, having lived in the big house all her life. But a generation later, Tawray is no longer the family home, and Julia’s daughter Alex is still struggling to deal with the aftermath of her mother’s death years before. But what really happened all those years before? Towray has hidden many secrets over the years, and Alex is determined to finally bring them into the light, no matter the cost...

This is one of my favourite types of books - dual timeline narratives! The present day narrative focuses on Alex and covers a period of just a few months, while the section in the past focuses on Alex’s mother Julia, and spans all the way from her childhood to her death. It did take a little while for the rhythm of this one to emerge, but once it did I found it really strong, and I loved how the narrative from the past covered such a huge time period without skimping on detail and depth.

Now, in this next bit I’ll be discussing the plot a bit, so please don’t read on if you’ve not read it - POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!

So the book starts with Alex’s father David having a stroke, and so she and her brother Johnnie rush to his side. At this point, we’re also introduced to Alex’s stepmother Sally, and there is instantly a sense of unease about her, and how exactly she came to be married to David, considering that Sally was once Julia’s best friend. There is clearly tension in the family, made worse by Alex and her husband divorcing, and Johnie and his wife struggling to cope with the growing demands of a severely autistic son. It sounds like a lot going on, and in some ways it is, but it’s also written in such a way that it doesn’t feel like an overload of info, and instead feels like well fleshed out and fully formed characters.

As for Julia, things aren’t any easier in the past! Julia has a tough childhood, being made to feel unwanted by the extended family for being the child of a second wife. Things become even worse when her mother, desperate to provide her husband with a male heir, dies during pregnancy, and is discovered by Julia herself. This sets into motion a chain of events that leads Julia down a dark path, and as the novel progresses she becomes gradually more and more unstable, even as she desperately tries to be happy. This was absolutely brutal to read, and watching Julia growing ever more fragile and vulnerable was absolutely heart wrenching.

Now, there are some elements of the plot that are quite odd. For example, David works for Diana and Charles, and there were sections where the focus on the royal couple seemed an odd choice, although as the action nears its end you can understand why the choice is made. I also found the ending a tad too neat for me - everything is wrapped up a little too easily, if you know what I mean, with bad behaviour being written off by a flimsy excuse, and a neat and tidy ending for everyone.

All in all, it was a good enough book, especially as the winter nights begin to draw in. I personally didn’t feel it was as strong as some of her other novels, but that is not to say it is bad, just a personal preference towards the more sinister tone of books like ‘The Winter Children’. However, this one is definitely worth a read if you’re already a fan of the author, and the way in which the authors has managed to portray the complexities of family life shows a true talent for writing (watching Johnnie and his wife navigate the difficulties in their marriage was just beautifully done). Finally, I have to give a massive well done to Taylor for writing possibly the best portrayal of mental illness I've ever read - to portray it so accurately and respectfully, especially when writing from the POV of that character, is just amazing. Well done!

This is a book about family secrets and rivalries, set in Cornwall and London. David works in the household of Diana, Princess of Wales, and there are parallels drawn between her and David's first wife, Julia. Now Julia's children want to find out what really happened to their mother and why she apparently committed suicide. A convoluted and engrossing read.

Found this book very hard to get into at first but kept going. Still bit confusing with the going back and forward in time with all the main characters.

A Midwinter Promise by Lulu Taylor is a story set in Cornwall and told in two timelines.
This is a family who cannot get over the death of their mother or forgive their father for marrying a family friend shortly afterwards.
Secrets and lies have left this family desperate to know the truth about their mothers death.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having read previous books by Lulu Taylor, I was looking forward to this one and it certainly lived up to my expectations.

Tawray is the childhood home of Johnnie and Alex Pengelly. It’s where their mother Julia died and their young lives changed forever. When their father, David, remarries Julia’s friend, Sally, it leaves them feeling abandoned and alone. When David decides to sell their old childhood home, Johnnie and Alex are left wondering if they will ever discover what really happened to their mother.

A story told in two different timelines, It follows Julia’s life and her marriage to
David in the past and Johnnie and Alex's relationship with their father and his wife in the present day.

An excellent book with a heartbreaking storyline. The author handles the subject of depression, deceit and rejection with sensitivity. A compelling read which I would recommend.

Alex and Johnnie's father is dying.
They are a divided family since the death of their mother many years ago and their father remarried a family friend very soon after. She has not been an easy step-mother and her son has been horrible to them both.
They are not ready to forgive either of them.
This is set around a large house in Cornwall which was their mothers, with all its secrets. Will the truth ever be known about their mothers death and can they all move on?

A Midwinter Promise is a book that has utterly consumed me, for the last however long I have been oblivious to my life, while I had to finished the book in one just the one more sitting, and that was from around 40% onwards. And the second I hit part 2, well I knew my day was doomed until I had finished the book.

Just wow, such fabulous writing, it really got under my skin as we get to see in dual time lines the history of the Pengelly family at Tawray, a bit Cornish house.

I was fascinated by Julia's story from childhood onwards, seeing how she changed, how her own mother affected her deeper than anyone realised, her marriage to David, friendship with Sally and her struggles with pregnancy.

There are themes of mental health and demons and addiction even within these sections all written sensitively and in a way that you felt as though the author had really done some research. I was completely and utterly gripped and had a few of my own theories.

And then at the same time me meet Julia and David's now grown up children, and their families as David is on his sickbed. We learn about their relationship over the years with their stepmother and stepbrother, and how it has affected them.

I just found this a compulsive book to read, I needed more of it and I need it faster than I could read the words. I was utterly addicted as I read about this family across the years. I perhaps was more enthralled by the Julia's story, but that may be because it was still having an effect on the present day family.

I am starting to think that Lulu Taylor is becoming better and better with each book, and this was no exception. Utterly gripping and left me practically speechless.

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

This was a complex read, it has it all, heart wrenching, secrets, misplaced feelings, lies, infidelity and a wicked stepmother, I admit to reading it in sections as it went backward and forwards, if you enjoy deep, emotionally charged and intrigue then this is the book for you.

Sympathetically depicted characters reveal thie believable plot as the past and present are relayed from the perspective of different people. As you learn more about the truth, you also learn more about each character as you're given chance to walk in their shoes.

Another solid book by this author. I have read all of her others, this is just as good. Kept my interest throughout and a great wintry cover.

I’ve read Lulu Taylor’s books from her first one and I have always enjoyed them. Great characters, locations and a damn good story to lose yourself in. This book is no different. Family history, secrets and something you want to delve into and uncover it all. Flirting between current day and the late 70’s onwards, it pulls in a significant royal relationship as part of the backstory which makes it all the more poignant. I raced through it and loved every minute. Definitely add it to your reading list. It’s worth it. Thank you for letting me review this book, it was a complete pleasure to read and enjoy xxx

This is the story of the Pengely family and their home Tawray in Cornwall. It begins with Julia as a young girl and her interactions with her family and the lovely relationship she had with her half sister Lala , then looks more broadly into grown up Julia’s relationships and marriage to David. They have two children Johnnie and Alex. On Julia’s death David marries Sally and that introduces a half brother Edmund, known as Mundo into the mix. This is a story of family dynamics, an analysis of marriages which encompasses loss, sadness, fear and revenge, includes issues like depression and how that impacts of a family, the effects of a child with severe autism on family life and relationships and how control can ruin a family. It’s a busy book!

I like the setting of Tawray and Cornwall and the house sounds wonderful. I like the traditions that are included especially with using dried flowers in Christmas decorations for Tawray and how that became part of the fabric of celebration in the area. I like that Alex picks up this mantle from her mother when she grew up and made a living from it. Some of the characters are very likeable such as Alex and Johnnie. I think that Julia as a child is a wonderful character with her energy and imagination and her relationship with Lala is lovely. Lala is honest, funny, cynical and very talented. However, some of the characters don’t work as well for me. Mundo is so odious he is almost unbelievable and Sally is the stereotypical and rather predictable wicked stepmother.

There are some good descriptions but in some sections there is over explanation and some of that is very predictable. The storyline is told from multiple perspectives and takes the story backwards and forwards from the 1970’s to the present day. Whilst that works fairly well it does lead to a lot of backtracking and some repetition and I also feel there is a lot of navel gazing which halts the flow. Johnnie and his wife Netta have a son Bertie who is severely autistic and I think the author clearly shows how the care of a child with special needs impacts of family life and is a life long commitment. Whilst I think Netta is a cactus she does make very good points about how all the family needs are principally met by her.

Whilst there are things I like about this book I feel the ending when it all comes good with a rush and a gush, is too sudden. The damage the family dynamics leads too are too big and the issues too great to heal overnight. The title is misleading too. A midwinter promise is occasional mentioned but gets lost in the tale of families tearing themselves apart.

Overall, an ok read with some enjoyable parts and others that didn’t work so well for me.