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Eva has spent the past three years burying herself in her work, trying to forget the heartbreaking events of the Christmas that ripped her world apart. And this year, on the eve of her shop launch, the last thing Eva wants is to drive to the wild moors of Cornwall to attend her friends Hallie and Kian’s Christmas party. But at her husband James’ insistence, here they are. Worse still, Hallie announces she is pregnant, bringing Eva’s pain to the surface. It is a dazzling decade, and Barbara Bond is a beautiful young singer torn between her fierce desire for independence and her deep, abiding love for her husband, a brilliant doctor. She has trained for years to sing grand opera, but soon after her marriage to Harvey Perkins, she learns that he has accepted an assignment as a medical missionary in the country of Siam. Suddenly Barbara is forced into the duty of a “good wife"—to support her husband’s career, not her own. As resentment slowly grows, she travels with Harvey first to the jungles of Siam, then to the capital city of Bangkok.
What a beautiful and heartwarming story! I am so glad books like this exist. It makes you think about life and put things into perspective. So many lessons she must learn, and to see how her sadness has affected those around her! It's not good! In a series of events, Eva is forced to look at Christmas day from the perspectives of the people closest to her. The storyline is a clever twist on a Christmas Carol. Our main character Eva has lost her way and, without giving anything away, a series of events provide her with some much needed perspective.
Eva's focus is on the opening of her new business, but she promises her husband, James she'll spend Christmas with their close friends, Hallie and Kian at Penhallow, a manor house in Cornwall. She knows she needs to keep her word, but the childhood memories and her family's connection to this manor house haunts her. If you love Christmas romance books with family drama and a chance at love, Christmas at the Shelter is a novel you don’t want to miss in 2023. This debut novel is a compelling combination of magical realism, romance, and seasonal storytelling. It is emotionally intense for a Christmas story, but the redemptive conclusion made living with the protagonist’s angst worthwhile. The book I didn't know I needed to read - gorgeous, Christmassy and compelling” - Ella Allbright, The Last Charm
Eva is having Christmas, again and again. On the plus side lots of lovely meals and no calories. On the downside she seems to be condemned to waking up as a different guest of the Cornwall house party each Christmas morning until she can work out just what has gone wrong with her life. A mixture of Groundhog Day and it’s a Wonderful Life it looks like Eva is going to get the perspective of true friends and onlookers until she gets her life lesson.Wow! Wow! Wow! I want everyone to read this book that so we can talk about all the twists and turns as I am so worried about inadvertently giving away a spoiler!! Instead I’m going to try and tell you about the story line, as best as I can without giving too much away! In One Christmas Morning, Rachel Greenlaw gives us the precious and eye-opening opportunity to walk in the shoes of others... this is a heartwarming, magical Christmas story that should not be missed!" — Courtney Cole, author of Home of Christmas While out in the wilds of NYC, Iris meets Gio, the charming owner of a struggling gelateria on the brink of closing. Much to Iris’s surprise, her mother’s gelato, and their gelato are one in the same. With the recipe hanging in the balance and Gio’s uncle in a coma, Iris must decide how to tell him she knows the recipe. I loved this being themed around Christmas, traditionally a time of excess food, drink and extended arguments. The focus on Eva rediscovering what she has missed through the eyes of her friends and revealing the mystery to the reader of what happened to her three years before the book starts is completing intriguing. Greenlaw's modern take on a classic is enhanced by multidimensional characters and their realistically complex relationships. The result is a heartwarming tale about prioritizing the things that matter most in life.”— Publishers Weekly
If you enjoy Groundhog Day kind of stories, this is a good one. While it takes the same trope of a day being repeated while the character makes some changes in their thinking and their choices, it adds a twist in the way the day is repeated. I'll not reveal the twist to you, but I will say that it adds a lovely novelty to a tried-and-tested formula. Such a moving and emotional book… I honestly cannot recommend this book enough.’ NetGalley reviewer,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ And fo Rachel Greenlaw is the author of ONE CHRISTMAS MORNING, WITH THE FROST and the COMPASS AND BLADE trilogy. She lives on an island in the middle of the Atlantic, where you'll find her wandering the white sand beaches, searching for cowrie shells and writing her next story. This was a very well done twist on the whole "ghosts of Christmas past" theme. I liked how Eva gets to experience how everyone sees her, while she gets to live as someone else each day. MBA student Caroline Sedlacek knows her personal balance sheet is a little lopsided. On the asset side, at twenty-two she’s got an NCAA trophy, a great education...and the two million dollars she unexpectedly inherited. Liabilities? She's never had friends, a boyfriend, or any life experiences away from the tennis court or the classroom. She'd love to invest herself in everything else, but "everything else" never came easily for her.The story then turns into a kind of modern take on A Christmas Carol, where Eva, guided by the spirit of her beloved (but now dead I really enjoyed this book, as it was very reminiscent of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, and a little like The Midnight Library - both of which I loved. I had never read anything by this author before, but the blurb intrigued me, and I am so glad I read it. Traveling writer and researcher, Stella Fisher, is working in London when she's called home to her family’s farmhouse in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee to help her mother through the first Christmas without her father. Compounding the situation, her younger sister Lily has run off to get married without telling anyone. Haunting, magical and sparkling with Christmas spirit, One Christmas Morning is a festive love story with a difference . . . A warm and powerful debut’ Holly Miller, The Sight of You
Hayes said: “ One Christmas Morning is a beautifully transformative and festive tale of love, self-discovery and second chances. From the moment I met Eva, it was love at first sight. Rachel takes us on a spellbindingly emotional journey with her writing and by the end I didn’t want to let go. I can’t wait to share Eva’s story with readers next year.” This was a really good story, with a sliding door take and a Christmas Carol vibe. This romance will make you question your life choices, much the same as the character does, at times it was rather sad and quite emotional. With a complex storyline, the plot is slowly revealed as Eva sees herself through the guests at the Christmas party's eyes. I think it was a good idea for a novel, but not well executed. I expect a lot from "Groundhog Day" style books. You're already taking someone else's idea, so you have to deliver on characters and story. This did not. Stars One Christmas Morning by Rachel Greenlaw is an emotional and wholesome journey through grief and understanding. The premise of the novel reminded me of a mix of A Christmas Carol and Groundhog Day, with the main character reliving the same day over again, but as different people in her life. She‘s on the verge of losing these people until she gets to see their experiences of Christmas Day through their eyes. Each experience gives her a new perspective and helps her process the grief of the loss she experienced in the past and figure out what she wants from her future. For readers looking for new Christmas romances that tell a tale of friendship, self-discovery, and love, One Christmas Morning is a 2023 must-read.In truth, this novel was a grower; the more I read, the more invested I came into Eva’s story. Honestly, I didn’t really like Eva at the beginning and I think Greenlaw wants readers to dislike her. She is completely obsessed with her business, treating those around her incredibly poorly – from her suffering assistant to her husband of many years. Although she has been invited to a Christmas party in Cornwall, she is estranged from her friends because of how much she has immersed herself in her work – and Eva knows this is her doing. Yet, as far as she is concerned, it is all work, work, work, regardless of the day of the year and the hurt is causes to her nearest and dearest.
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