Suze's Reviews > Home for Winter

Serena and Luna are identical twins, but while they look exactly alike their characters couldn't be more different. Serena is kind and thoughtful and Luna is difficult and sometimes incredibly mean. She's selfish and she manages to hurt her sister plenty of times. Eventually she betrays her in a way that breaks Serena's heart.

Serena's boyfriend Will is a vicar. They move to a rural village to start over. There they open their house for those who need it. Finally their days are filled with company and sometimes happiness again and they can start to heal. They need to find their place in the village, there's a whole new way of life they have to get used to, and an alleged curse on the house is keeping Serena busy. When Serena and Will finally feel like they can breathe a little again Luna disrupts their lives once more. Will Serena be able to overcome yet another hurdle or will her sister be able to destroy her this time?

Home for Winter is a wonderful original story. I immediately loved Serena, she's calm, levelheaded and she's kind and caring. She opens her home for two people who need a place to stay and deserve a second chance to find happiness. While what Serena has been through is awful she's still there for others and I loved that about her character. Fortunately she's found a warmhearted man to share her life with. Will is always there to support her. She needs an ally, someone who always has her back and that's what their relationship provides. They're obviously made for each other and I enjoyed reading about their daily life.

Luna is unstable and she doesn't care about the damage she causes, she does whatever she likes. She doesn't want Serena to have anything she doesn't have. I often felt bad for Serena and it broke my heart to see what Luna did to her. Fortunately Serena is strong and she can deal with a lot. Rebecca Boxall alternates Serena's life in the present with a chronological account of what happened to her before she moved to the countryside. Luna is always an uncertain factor, she's someone who disrupts and destroys. That makes the story interesting and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I knew something big was about to happen, but I had no idea what it would be. I love stories about sisters and Home for Winter is definitely interesting enough to make it a really good one.

Rebecca Boxall writes about life in a parish and she does this in a way that makes her story great for both readers who are and aren't religious. I enjoyed reading about the visitors of the house, the inhabitants of the village and their annual events and the countryside way of life. Rebecca Boxall's descriptions are vivid and thorough. I could almost taste, hear, feel and smell everything she writes about and that's what I loved most about this book. I enjoyed reading this fantastic winter story very much.