Beth left home at 16 when she discovered she was pregnant and her grandmother told her she had to have an abortion. She hasn't been home to Glendale Hall in 10. She then discovers that he grandmother is dying and wants to see her.

I loved the ‘Summer at the Kindness Cafe’ by this author so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. It didn’t disappoint! I’m going to be recommending it to our library bookclub as a Christmas read. I know they are going to love it!

WOW! From the first page I was absolutely hooked! I was finding it so hard to put down but at the same time I didn’t want it to end! I felt like I was in the village and was part of the community! Such a beautiful read and didn’t once get boring! Would highly recommend this book to read during the festive season to get you in a feel good mood!

This was a lovely holiday homecoming filled with second chances.

I enjoyed the story of Beth and Izzy's homecoming. Family is complicated and many times have conflicting ideas about whats best for everyone.

In a way this story was somewhat predictable but was well done and kept me hooked. It really gave me all the holiday feels and a lovely happily ever after.

I would definitely look into reading more by this author.

A fantastic cosy book for the festive season! Brilliant characters and settings really felt you were there along side them. My first by this Author will be looking out for more absolutely loved her style of writing

I enjoyed this cozy holiday story. I liked the strong main character and her love interest. She’s a good role model for her daughter and parents took

Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a great romance/women's fiction novel. The setting worked perfectly in this book. I loved that it was set in a small village in Scotland and that it was during Christmas. It really gave me a cozy feeling. I will not go too much into the plot of the story, because the synopsis gives a great summary of the story. This book was about family coming together and forgiveness. The main character Beth Williams has stayed away for ten years for a reason. But regardless of your issues with your family, you'll always come when they need you. This was also the case for Beth, she goes home with her daughter after being gone for ten years. I absolutely loved the relationship Beth had with her daughter Isabelle (Izzy). She was a single teen mom but did everything in her power to give Izzy a good life. Beth is very strong and independent and I loved her character a lot. When Drew – Beth’s first love is visiting as well, things get a bit complicated.

This book had so many great elements. It was just a well-rounded contemporary romance with strong aspects focusing on the community and family. All the characters were great and elevated the story. This book definitely made me feel good and smile. I was happy that the romance didn't overwhelm the story. The author gave the right amount to satisfy my romantic heart. I definitely didn't want the story to end, because I really enjoyed spending time with the characters and seeing them grow. Every character in this book went through major character development, which I loved a lot. I would've liked maybe a chapter or two told from Drew's POV, just to get an insight into his thoughts. But it wasn't something I needed to fully enjoy this book. I can't finish this review without mentioning that I love the cover, it really fits this book.

This is a really lovely book, great to cosy up with over the winter months. A warming story with lovely characters, I really rate this author!

Absolutely fantastic had me gripped!!! Loved it! Can't wait for more from.this author. Storyline was great, characters were easy to.connect with

Thank you for the advanced copy

I loved this book it's so cosy and happy it's the sort of book you can curl up on a cold day to read it.
I managed to read it in 2 days I couldn't put it down.
I'm so glad it had a happy ending and everything was ok in the family. Apart from mum and dads marriage.
I can just see the snow on the ground, better than what we get in England, and the christmas trail.
I can't wait till this book is published.
5* all the way xxx

It may only be the middle of summer, but there’s always something so magical and cosy when reading a book set around winter time.

Glendale Hall is a wonderful property on picturesque grounds. It made me wonder how Beth had managed to stay away from it for so long, but then as we find out a bit more about what happened in the past to make her move away, I started to understand.

It was sad to see the decline of the small town that Beth finds herself returning to. Things have certainly changed since she was last there. One thing that hasn’t, is her friendship with Heather, her childhood friend. I enjoyed seeing the friendship between these two as it was so effortless and comfortable.

There’s lots going on within the story to do with Beth’s family, her childhood sweetheart and the decline within the small town. It all blends wonderfully together though making for an all engrossing read.

Coming Home To Glendale Hall is as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside. It promises so much and delivers it all and more. It’s a feel good, heart warming read bursting to the seams with family bonds, romance and hope and goodwill. Definitely one you need to add to your to be read file if you’re a fan of this genre.

This is a great novel.
The setting was lovely a small Scottish village at Christmas
This book gave me a cosy feeling.
This book had so many great elements within it
The characters developed throughout the book due to the authors excellent writing style.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has a great plot, excellent main characters and I read it in one sitting! I would highly recommend this book.

This was so good! I wish there was a sequel. I think the characters have so much more to say! I read this in one sitting because I needed to find out what was happening. I liked all the twists and turns and the imagery was great. The characters were fun and interesting.

Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a week written story of forgiveness and second chances. Love this author’s writing style and will definitely be reading more of her books. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a perfect festive read which I found myself losing myself in so quickly. There's romance, family tensions and challenges along the way and I just couldn't put this down once I had started it. The setting is vividly created and the characters written in such a genuine and relatable way; I could picture the village and its residents clearly and I was rooting for them to get their happy ever afters.

This was the first book I have read from Victoria Walters but I'll now be looking for more.

Just as described, a feel good story. Well written, in a believable manner, this is a tale of romance, family, friendship and love lost and found, This characters were all very interesting and believable. A book I could not put down.

A great Christmassy, heart-warming story proving that yes, you can go home again. After 10 years away, the impending death of her grandmother brings Beth and her young daughter back home. But while she has been gone, home has changed. The village is on the edge of ruin, and some relationships are in danger as well. With the same grit and determination that sustained her 10 years ago, Beth is determined to forge a new future.

This book is as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside. There are so many things going on in this story- decline of Glendale, family relationships and secrets.
This was a book which was really lovely to read and difficult to put down. The style of writing was engaging and the plot is easy to follow.
The characters in the book are easily relatable and the book has an extremely picturesque setting which makes this a stunning read.
This is the first book I've read by Walters, but it definitely won't be the last. This is a story which has left me smiling.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lovely feel good read. It was well written and flowed well. I enjoyed it very much. The plot was good and interesting. Hard to put down

I enjoyed this book. It is well written, and the characters are well developed. It’s quite long, but there are multiple threads of plot, so it doesn’t feel excessively lengthy.

It’s nice to see characters behaving in a relatively sensible manner, actually communicating rather than just trying to hide things from each other. And not just flying off in a temper at not having been told sooner. It felt more realistic in a lot of ways than many of the romances I have read.

I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a lovely Christmas tale of a family coming back together, and rebuilding the local community.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really lovely christmas read. I enjoyed it imensley. Easy to read and unputdownable. Thank you netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

What a sweet and heartfelt book this was. Cosy and touching with just the right amount of Christmas themes thrown in. Glendale hall sounds amazing, I kind of wish someone would adapt this story for tv or film.

Beth and Izzy had a great relationship to read about, it’s nice when a mother daughter bond is portrayed so positively. Even Beth’s backstory at home had a nice plot in the end. I liked that everything wasn’t tied up too tidily and a little bit of mystery was still left for the reader.

All in all a very satisfying and cosy read.

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #cominghometoglendalehall #netgalley

Beth Williams is 26 years old and is a single mum to her daughter Isabelle. She ran away from her family 10 years ago when she found out she was pregnant. Can Beth's return to Glendale Hall for Christmas provide the answers she desperately needs and will her future remain the same as her past.

Although it is only September, with the weather turning colder, i fancied reading a christmas book. The cover of this book enticed me in with the beautiful Glendale hall and snow covered cover.

Once opening the book it is a page turner. Each chapter has a cliff hanger. The next chapter answers the previous chapters cliff hangers and then provides more cliff hangers. This is something i love within a book and it also makes the book a page turner. I read this book in 48 hours. Any spare time i had i felt myself wanting to oixk this book up.

This book is a great cosy read and you never feel that you are missing anything from the story line allowing you to follow it through until the end with confidence that you will get a good ending. Although their are some emotional subjects included in this book such as parents divorce and teenage pregnancies and single parenthood. I do not feel this takes away from the cosy feel of the book.

I would love a follow on book in this series regarding Beths relationship with Drew and her new life at the hall.

Beth and Izzy are doing just fine! It had been just the two of them for 10 years and, returning to Glendale was purely to see Beth's grandmother before she passed away. Beth and Izzy live in London where Beth had fled after her grandmother made it clear that an illegitimate child would not be welcomed at Glendale Hall. Abandoned by her family, Beth had done her absolute best to make a good life for them both. Her heart still ached for what could have been but, Beth knows that she would never have prevented Drew from taking his University place in Boston.

Arriving back in Scotland, Beth remembers happier times and, bumping into her childhood best-friend, Heather is bittersweet. Happy to reconnect but devastating to learn that the Village of Glendale is in terrible decline and that her Father is involved in a money making scheme that would see Glendale turned into lodges and no shops or the library left.

Beth's life changes when her grandmother confesses to having manipulated the situation and effectively driving Beth away. Beth's parents are estranged with her Father having an affair and her mother drinking to excess. When things look hopeless, Izzy''s Father, Drew, returns for a visit and he knows nothing about his daughter except for what Beth told him in a letter to which he never responded.

Can Beth unite the villagers and save Glendale? Can she repair the damaged relationship with her parents and, is there any hope that Drew will be interested in learning about Izzy?

This is a magical tale with the perfect mix of well described characters and scenes coupled with the anguish of unfinished business.

This is my first official Christmas read of 2019 and what a magical start!

Coming Home To Glendale Hall has all the ingredients you'd want in a wonderful festive fiction treat; warmth, tradition, family, joy and hope.

Beth has so much to struggle with on her return to her Scottish childhood home with her now 10 year old daughter, Izzy. Her relationship with her Mum is strained, her father is mostly absent, her Grandmother is gravely ill, her childhood friends are surprised to see her back, and the village she cared about has changed dramatically since she left. Add in the mix the simultaneous return of her first love, Drew, and things become ever more complicated. However, determined to make this the best Christmas possible for Izzy, they share so many festive delights, traditions and memories that thaws even the coldest hearts.

There's so much to say about the hall itself; as a fan of stately homes I could visualise the gardens and the large kitchen, and picture how grand it all was at the centre of the community in Glendale. The beautiful picture on the book cover really does it justice and provides that spectacular Scottish backdrop to this tale. There were little touches throughout the book that really added something a bit special to the plot, and I truly enjoyed every page.

This is a story about what matters at Christmas (and any time); family, forgiveness, magic and hope. Though it's not all snow flurries and hot chocolates. As secrets threaten to tear the fragile bonds of both the family and the community apart Beth isn't the only one that has to reconcile with the past and decide what the future holds.

An utter treat full of heart and guaranteed to life your spirits.

This is so much more than a Christmas book, although the festivities do take up a good part of the story. It is more a book about family, forgiveness, and a fight to save a local high street and thus the community of Glendale.

It's the first time that Beth has been back to Glendale Hall in 10 years, and the first time her daughter Isabelle has ever been to Scotland, not to mention the Hall. Beth has only returned because it may be her grandmother's last Christmas, and it felt like the right thing to do, even though it may have been her fault that Beth left the Hall all those years ago.

There is 10 years of hurt to try to get past, and Beth is amazed how much has changed in Glendale, and how at home she and her daughter seem to feel there. There are so many fabulously heart warming storylines in this book, and they all work so well.

I loved everything about this book especially all the festive celebrations, but also ... well no I do mean everything. I'm not going to list fabulous things about this book, you are best discovering them for yourself.

From the first few pages this story captured my heart, and it was a sheer joy to read it. Between old friends, old loves, and rediscovering a love of Glendale and her family, it truly is a wonderful book. I enjoyed curling up with it and throwing myself into loving every second of it.

Definitely a book to add to your winter reading pile!

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

This book warmed my insides in a wave of rapture. Beth returned back home after 10 years with her daughter Izzy as grandma was ill. Secrets got revealed, and she decided to take action to mend her family, smoothen the rough edges, patch up with Izzy's father, and bring the village of Glendale back to its thriving grandeur.

My first book by author Victoria Walters saw me smiling almost throughout the read. The writing was smooth with emotions frolicking in it, sometimes bringing a lump in my throat, other times a gurgling laugh. Secrets revealed were pretty shocking, and I wondered how someone with so much love could rip a family apart.

Beth was the sweetest character ever written. At 16, she found herself pregnant and was forced to run away to London, after being apparently shunned by her family. Her love for Izzy started in utero and was palpable in the entire book. They were a strong team; their dialogues reflected the joy in each other's company. It warmed the cockles of my heart.

Set in a small village in Scotland, at Christmas time, the author brought out the emotions which signified the true spirit of Christmas. Second chance romance with Drew was powerful and felt just right.

This was a strong book written in a loving manner where each character showed changes as the pages turned. Author Victoria Walters has made me her loyal fan with this fabulous book. A beautiful read, indeed.

An amazing novel, heartwarming and entertaining. It's an excellent Christmas book and I loved it.
I liked the cast of characters, the atmosphere and the setting.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I feel as if every Christmas season, I need to read at least one book that's all about coming home - usually featuring a long-standing, maybe even unfounded, grudge and a family needing to grow back together.
If you feel like this season you haven't got that fix yet? Coming Home to Glendale Hall has everything you need.
From the idyllic background of Scotland, to multiple snowy mornings - and even a white Christmas! Combine that with a double miscommunication that is about to be resolved after 10 years of distance... And of course to top it all off: a more realistic view of a happy after - where that might mean getting the man, or just finding the strength to continue on your own. Not to forget Beth's daugher Izz, who was basically me as a ten-year-old...
Honestly, this book somehow manages to deliver just about every element you could be looking for in a holiday read. And it is narrated in such a clever way that it had me gasping and reeling at a plot twist I did *not* see coming. Mind you, that was right after putting tears in my eyes for a goodbye that was very obviously coming. I will definitely need to check out Victoria Walters' writing!

Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming. A really nice story that is the perfect escapist read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great story with lovely characters. will definitely be looking out for this author in the future

Wow! This book was amazing - kept me hooked from beginning to end. Once I started I just wanted to keep reading. Kept me up late.

The story line kind of reminded me of Gilmore Girls.

We follow Beth Williams the now 26 year old through her return to Glendale Hall. At 16 years of age Beth became pregnant and left home. For 10 years she has done everything for her daughter Isabelle and kept away from Glendale Hall as she was sure her family didn't respect the choices she had made.

However Beth returns home when her Gran is sick and is told she may not make it through the Christmas. When Beth returns home she finds out things weren't really as she thought and that her Gran had kept secrets. Can Beth forgive her Gran before she passes?

However Glendale isn't the same as Beth once remembered, its now run down and possibly will be lost to a developer. Beth is reunited with her best friend Heather and together with her mum will the three of them be able to save Glendale?

Isabelle the sweetest kid ever has always wonder about her father and always wanted to meet him. On their return to Glendale Beth runs into Drew - Isabelle's father. Will she tell Iz that he is in town or will she keep the secret to herself? The other question is does Drew even want to be in Isabelle's life? Beth tried to contact him once and he never responded but she has some serious decisions to make! Will she make the right ones?

Well you'll just have to read on to find out yourself. Thankyou Netgalley, Hera Books and Victoria Walters for allowing me to read this book.
Fantastic writing skills, made me feel I was right there in the book and along for the journey!

After finding herself pregnant at 16, Beth leaves her home in Scotland to start over in London and raise her daughter. 10 years later, daughter in tow, Beth returns upon hearing her grandmother is on her deathbed. Beth's return causes her to deal with family matters, build a different kind of relationship with her daughter, mend fences with others, and help try and save her hometown.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I could not put it down. I started reading it expecting it to be a traditional Christmas book and found so much more. The characters were well developed, the stories were interesting and unique, and I enjoyed every minute. I found myself invested in what happened not only to the characters but to the town of Glendale as well.

I always love a nice festive book, and this one was set in Scotland. I love Scotland, and I love reading books that are set there. I have read a previous book by Victoria Walters, and really enjoyed it. I was happy to have an early copy from Netgalley and the Publisher to review.
This book starts off with Beth, as she returns home to Glendale Hall with her daughter Izzy. She has lived away in London for 10 years, after falling out with her family. Her Grandmother is dying, and she needs to see her one last time. With her family back together, secrets are revealed, along with misunderstandings. Beth is shocked to see how much things have changed in the village in her absence.
I thought that this book was enjoyable, and an easy read. It was good to read about the community rallying together.
Snow at Christmas, as well as a Christmas event give the book a very festive feel.
The book was fairly predictable, although there were a few surprises along the way, and I still enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book for a fun and festive easy read.

"No matter how far you go, home is where the heart is...

Beth Williams hasn’t been home for ten years. After falling pregnant at sixteen, she ran away from the imposing Scottish estate where she grew up rather than risk her family’s disapproval, working hard to build a life for herself and daughter Isabelle - but now she’s finally returning to Glendale Hall.

As Beth tries to mend her broken family ties, and fights to bring the community of Glendale back together, she realises that the story she has told herself for a decade might well be a very different one from the truth. Even though she ran from Glendale it has never left her heart. And, she soon realises, neither has Drew - Beth’s first love.

Will Beth be able to forgive her mother and grandmother (and herself) for what happened ten years ago? What will Drew say when he discovers the secret she’s been keeping from him for so long? Can a festive trail bring the village back together?

Will Christmas work its magic on Glendale - or will Beth be forced to run away from it all over again?

A charming, uplifting novel that will warm your heart - the perfect read to curl up with this autumn. Fans of Trisha Ashley, Debbie Johnson and Cathy Bramley will love this gorgeously romantic read."

Like a Christmas Scottish Gilmore Girls!

Oh my goodness this storyline had everything, twists and turns, romance and a mother daughter relationship to rival that of the Gilmore Girls! Seriously if you love Lorelai and Rory, you will love this book too!

This is a Christmas story but this just happens to be set at the most wonderful time of the year so this would absolutely be alright to read at any time of year. I loved the festive touches here and there and the effect the cold had on our main characters but this book is really a homecoming and everything that comes with that. There are secrets to be uncovered, romances to be had, more secrets to be uncovered and bonds to be rebuilt and I loved the balance of all of these aspects f the plot, they were just woven together so beautifully.

Of course I love the characters and well, Beth and Izzy are a great mother daughter combo. Beth is such a great character because she is independent and yet she isn't quite sure how she's going to move forward from the position she has found herself in. I loved her vulnerability whilst still being so strong! Izzy just provides the counteracting point to some of Beth's moments and together they are just such a cute little family. Of course Beth is home to see the rest of her family and there are many skeletons in closets and past mistakes that need to be explored there but I loved watching them reconnect and grow together.

And then there are the friends the Beth left behind, we have Drew, Rory and Heather and they form a great squad when they are all in the same place. I loved Rory's comedy moments, he and Izzy really do lighten the atmosphere sometimes.

This book is also about a sense of that lost community spirit from so many of our smaller towns and villages, I loved watching Beth rediscover what is was like to grow up in a small town and see the perils facing that community as a whole. This is a great take on what modern society can and has become and possible suggestion in how to fix it.

I would love to see a sequel to this book, perhaps with a business plan from lovely Beth and I really really hope there will be one because I would love to revisit these characters and Glendale hall again. Highly recommend.

Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a lovely Christmas book that kept giving me the best kind of Gilmore Girls vibes. At 16 Beth feels she has no choice but to leave her home, Glendale Hall, and escape to London to give birth to her daughter, Izzy. For 10 years they've been on their own, with only strained relationships with Beth's family. When Beth receives word that the matriarch of their family is ill, she realizes she has no choice but to return home for Christmas. Coming home offers unexpected opportunities, disappointing discoveries, rekindled friendships, and clarity to decisions made 10 years ago.

This book keeps you entertained and wanting to read more, but is light and stress free. It is a wonderful read and definitely worth adding to your holiday season reading list.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of Coming Home to Glendale Hall in exchange for my honest opinion.

❄A young single mother learns you CAN come home again: cozy and charming!🎁
👍😊🎄👨‍👩‍👧
What a heartwarming story of second chances. It's full of family connecting, rehashing mistakes and might-have-beens, and taking action to achieve a better, happier life. Beth, the narrator of the tale, comes north to Scotland with her young daughter Izzy to see her failing grandmother and finds a small community fading away, parents withdrawing from each other, a dying, regretful grandmother, and a surprise reunion with the love of her life. The character Izzy is energetic, joyful and the center of Beth's world. For her, she makes efforts to reconnect with her family, community and Drew, the man she's afraid is lost to her forever. In one Christmas school holiday in Scotland, their lives are set on a new course.

I really enjoyed the story and its cozy chats over hot chocolate and holiday feel. I did find it somewhat longer than necessary and repetitive in rehashing Beth's feelings rather than just getting on more quickly with the action. Telling it from only Beth's point of view also restricted me from connecting better with characters like Drew until his inner thoughts finally came out in a letter like the hero in Austen's Persuasion. Beth frustrated me by dragging her feet and not taking sound advice as she avoids expressing her true feelings time and again.

Thanks to publisher Hera Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

This is the time of the year when I look forward to more "Feel-Good" novels, something comfy to read that makes me smile and feel warm inside.
Coming Home to Glendale Hall completely delivered.

Ten years after having run away from home, young, unmarried and pregnant, Beth Williams, rebellious daughter of the family from the "big house" returns. Her grandmother, matriarch of the family, is down to her last days. It is time to clear the air and make peace, before time runs out.

It seems that Grandmother is not the only one running out of time. The entire village seems to be dying. Can Beth find it in her heart to do something about a place she once loved?

Speaking of love -- someone very special from Beth's past is home for the holidays. Is it time her daughter meets her father? How will he respond to this incredible young person he never knew?

Change is inevitable but it comes from so many angles this holiday in Glendale.
Who will be strong enough to survive it all?

With aspects of Gilmore Girls as well as a bit of the formality of Downton Abbey (the later years) this is a heart warming read about what can be accomplished when you put your mind and heart together for a purpose.

16 and pregnant, Beth makes the very hard decision, after a ultimatum from her grandmother, to leave home to have her baby. Now 10 years later she and her daughter are back in Scotland. Returning to the grand home she ran away from for Christmas.

Beth is saddened to see the village she once loved has fell into disrepair, so she encourages the community to stand together and fight against the developers. Repairing family feuds and friendships along the way.

But, she isn’t the only one who has returned to Glendale this Christmas. Her first love is also home, is this a second chance for Beth to have the family she always wanted?

This was a great story. It was very Gilmore Girls-y. I felt emotionally connected to the characters from the first chapter. I really would like to revisit Glendale and read more about the supporting characters.

My first festive read of the season! I am so disappointed by Christmas books that are barely Christmassy, but this one is full of festive fun. There’s snow, lights, family dramas…everything you expect at Christmas. Actually, most people don’t have snow.

The book is mostly set over Christmas and New Year and in the fictional village of Glendale in Scotland. It’s a lovely romance with lots of secrets and miscommunication causing problems. Forgiveness features strongly throughout the book too.

This has got me feeling all Christmassy with 3 months to go until the big day. I was even reading it whilst listening to Michael Bublé’s Christmas album, and eating a Terry’s chocolate orange (I didn’t mean to eat the entire thing in one sitting…!)

Fantastic book to add to your friends stockings this Christmas.

Heartwarming Family Tale, Women's Fiction
This is a heartwarming tale of several generations of a family becoming closer over the Christmas season. I don't want to spoil the plot, but this book is so good it's almost haunting. I will be re-thinking this book for quite a while. I know that I will re-read it again soon. I love that the story is tied up at the end, but leaves plenty of room for the reader to daydream about the characters and their futures. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

It is absolutely impossible not to fall in love with Victoria Walters’ charming, feel-good and emotional page-turner, Coming Home to Glendale Hall. A spellbinding tale sure to appeal to fans of Harriet Evans and Veronica Henry, Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a wonderful treat for romantics everywhere.

When Beth Williams had fallen pregnant at sixteen, rather than risk the censure and disapprobation of her family, she had run away from the Scottish estate she had called home in order to make a new life for herself and her beloved daughter, Isabelle. Beth hasn’t been home since that day she had decided that Glendale Hall was no longer her home, however, the time has come for her to face the music and to go back to the house that is full of memories and to the family she hasn’t had any contact with for years.

Returning to Glendale, Beth finds herself confronted by echoes of the past and bittersweet memories that have shaped and moulded the past ten years into a narrative that might not have been as truthful as she had initially believed. As old ties are restored and broken bonds renewed, Beth realizes that Glendale has always had a very special place in her heart – especially as it was where she had met and fallen madly in love with the person whom she has never quite managed to forget: Drew. As the two come face to face after so long, feelings that have been buried and suppressed for quite some time come rushing back to the fore with a vengeance leaving them to wonder whether a second chance at love might be on the cards for them…or whether their relationship should be consigned to ancient history once and for all.

As she begins to feel at home once more in Glendale, Beth wonders whether she can lay old ghosts to rest and forgive her family and herself – or whether she should run away once more and never set foot in Glendale ever again…

I loved this book! I started reading Coming Home to Glendale Hall thinking that I was going to get a wintry romantic comedy, but I got so much more besides. A brilliantly written, highly emotional and immensely captivating tale of healing from the past, redemption, forgiveness, renewal and love lost and found, Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a book that will stay with you and linger in your mind and heart weeks after you’ve finished reading this book.

Victoria Walters is my new favourite author and I shall not only devour every single thing she’s written since, but also count down the days until her next release. Full of charm, heart, humour, pathos and emotion, Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a brilliant read I absolutely adored.

Thank you to Rachel for letting me take part in this tour and to Hera for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I read part 1 of Vicky's A Random Acts of Kindness last year and I loved her style so when I saw Vicky had written a Christmas book I was so excited!

Before you start this book I would check your hot chocolate stocks because this book really gave me the winter cravings. I was snuggled up on my sofa with a hot chocolate and my blanket and it was heaven.

Beth hasn't been home to Glendale Hall for 10 years. Her family turned their backs on her and she felt she had no option but to leave. Now she's returning with her daughter Izzy for what might be her Nan's last Christmas. Beth Williams was very easy to like. She is strong, independent and a wonderful mum. Izzy and Beth have a very strong and close relationship.

Also back in Glendale is Drew. Drew and Beth dated before she left Glendale but she left suddenly and broke his heart. I fell a little bit in love with Drew I won't lie. I mean he's a Dr, he's sweet, kind, caring and I've always had a secret love of redheads.

This book is more than just a Christmas romance though. This book is about family, community spirit and forgiveness. It's about following your dreams and letting go of the hurt and pain of the past.

This is my first Christmas book of the season and let me tell you it was a great one to start with. I can't wait to see what Vicky brings us next.

After ten years, Beth Williams is ending her self-imposed exile in London to finally return to her childhood home, Glendale Hall in Scotland, just in time for Christmas. However, coming home means digging up old ghosts and facing the family that turned her away when she became pregnant at sixteen. As the holiday ramps up and secrets unravel, she discovers a past unlike the story she was led to believe. And after an old love shows up in the village, she realizes the happy ending she’s waited for might just be possible.

Family is complicated and Beth Williams certainly understands that better than most. She’s lived her life cut between two separate ones: her mother, father, and grandfather, who she feels abandoned her when she became pregnant as a teenager, and Isabelle, the daughter she’s devoted her every moment since then to. But circumstances spurred by the Christmas season force these two sides together in an unavoidable clash.

Author Victoria Walters milks this tension for everything it’s worth. This is a group of people who have suffered from a breakdown in communication long ago, and Walters drops hints at the start that everything could work out if only everyone would start actually talking and listening. It’s incredibly effective, more so because Beth reads like such a grounded, well-balanced woman. It’s easy to read into her side of the issues, casting her mother and father as unreasonable, almost callous. And yet when everything clicks into place through an expert reveal, it’s impossible not to want to see these characters work everything out.

While this makes for an entirely satisfying book in its own right, Walters weaves in an even bigger complications. If Beth hasn’t been home in ten years, she might as well tie up all of her loose ends in one go. Drew, Isabelle’s father, shows up in Glendale, and she has a few surprises for him. Their scenes together are utterly charming as their worlds are pulled together after so long without speaking. It’s a tour de force for anyone who enjoys a solid second chance romance.

Of course, no Christmas love story is complete without a charming, idyllic village, and Walters does not disappoint. Glendale is looking a little shabby at first, with rundown shops and a library on its last legs— a far cry from what Beth remembers. Yet as she finds an understanding with her family, she also senses an opportunity to do something about her hometown.

In the end, this all combines to form a beautiful examination of family and community in all of their shapes.

This is my first Christmas read of this year and Coming Home To Glendale Hall was hard to resist with its gorgeous snowy cover and the magnificent Scottish mansion in the background. I would class this more of a winter read, so don’t feel that it has to be saved for the festive season.

The main character is Beth who hasn’t been back home to Glendale Hall since she fled at the tender age of sixteen. She returns with her young daughter when she gets a call to say that her grandmother is extremely ill. Beth is hesitant to return to Scotland for Christmas and intends to leave straight after, back to her flat in London and her job at the local school.

However, it appears that a break down in communication has taken place with both her parents, grandmother, and ex-boyfriend Drew. Beth begins to realise how many wonderful memories she has of her childhood home. With Christmas approaching, Beth and her family host a community project to unite the residents of the village and save the high street shops from closure.

I loved the community spirit within the story and the special relationship between Beth and her daughter. The author adds plenty of suspense, secrets, and tension which keeps the plot flowing nicely. The Scottish mansion location is an idyllic setting for a winter romance novel. The story is about family and friendship, rediscovering roots and the magic of first love.

Reluctantly driving up to her family home in Northern Scotland, Beth Williams journey is a reluctant one. Along with her daughter, they are spending Christmas with her family because her grandmother is ill and her father pleaded with her to come. However, once she's back at the place she ran away from, it triggers memories and awakes passions she's long forgotten. So when fate steps in to shake up her life, she has to decide whether she can fall in love again with the place she called home and the man she ran away from. 

There's plenty within the narrative I guessed would happen but still, the author manages to inject surprise elements which warmed my heart. As a mum with such a child, I particularly appreciated the references to red hair and the prejudices often faced by those lucky to have such a striking physical feature. I admire the inclusion, highlighting both the negatives and the positives of which I'm a firm admirer of the latter. 

The message of this poignant narrative is righting the wrongs, to make peace with the past so to clear the way for the future. This sentiment is true for Beth's family as well as her relationship with Drew. It's a reminder of how damaging words can be and how they can shape peoples beliefs. Sadness aside, there's plenty of wonderful Christmassy references with a strong emphasis on community spirit. The characters are all loveable and with the beautiful Scottish backdrop, you'll be wanting to pack your bags to spend Christmas there, within this beautiful part of the world. 

Plenty of Christmas themed novels are around now and if you're interested in a story filled with hope, second chances and a happy ending, this one is definitely worth a read. 

***arc generously provided by the publisher Hera via NetGalley***

It's official! I am now in the festive spirit thanks to this wonderful and uplifting novel.

The settings of Glendale Hall and Village in Scotland are perfect for this festive family drama and romance novel.  I just wanted to put my pyjamas on and curl up on the sofa with hot chocolate whilst reading it.  The hall is a home most people would kill for and I was completely invested in saving the village - especially the library. 

Beth is just charming and although not always mature, it is easy to forget how young she is despite having a ten year old daughter.  I applaud Victoria Walters for highlighting how amazing single and teen mothers can be whilst also bringing attention to the loneliness and sacrifices that have to be made.  The character and story of Beth is written sensitively and with compassion.

Families are complicated and often, even as adults, things are not always handled well.  For me, the family drama is at the heart of this novel.  Mistakes and misunderstandings from years ago have haunted most of the main characters some moments in this book had me in tears.  Watching the Williams family piece their town and their relationships back together slowly was so heartwarming and comforting to read.  When you add the romantic element of the story into the mix this is a novel that just leaves you with a warm glow.

An entrancing feel good read, well written with lovely characterisation.
A story of building bridges and learning from past mistakes, a perfect Christmas read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.