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Winter's Wishfall

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About this listen

You're never too old to believe . . .

After losing her job, boyfriend and flat just a few weeks before Christmas, Ellie Lancaster makes some resolutions:

  1. Exact revenge on ex.
  2. Be unboring.
  3. Find a job.

With #1 complete, Ellie manages to tick off #2 and #3 simultaneously by accepting a mysterious archiving job on a tiny Scottish Island that doesn't seem to exist on any map.

In the new year, her equally new bosses - celebrity baker Clementine Jones and her straight-laced twin brother Cole - introduce Ellie to the archives: a vast network of underground caverns, filled with scrolls dating back centuries, each addressed to the same person, in a multitude of languages: Dear Father Christmas . . .

Despite the strangeness of it all, Ellie quickly falls in love with her new life - but things are never simple, and just as she and Cole seem to be overcoming their mutual distrust, Ellie makes a fourth resolution - one that threatens everything she's come to hold dear. As the big day itself draws near, she has one chance to put things right and bring about her own Christmas miracle . . .

©2023 Ceri Houlbrook (P)2023 Bonnier Books UK Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fiction Genre Fiction Holidays Magical Realism Romance Fantasy Winter Christmas Magic Funny Highlander

Critic reviews

'A heart-warming, magical story, bright with festive folklore and kindness, perfect to cosy up with this winter' Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs and The Girl Who Speaks Bear
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This is a magical, cosy speculative novel set in a contemporary world. Ceri Houlbrook’s Ellie tells her magical tale in first person, and a magical mystery unfolds, centring on my the mythology of Father Christmas and Christmas traditions. It was just what I needed in the run up to Christmas but equally, I think this could be listened to at any time of the year. Wonderfully narrated by Laura Brydon.

Magical & cosy, with a good sprinkling of romance

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The world created was original and exciting and the characters homey and welcoming. I loved the touches of folklore, the descriptions of place and the passions of the main character.

Fantastical and cosy fiction

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