Reviewed by Emma Crowley
No one loves Christmas more than editorial assistant Eve Pilkins.
But when her boss hits her with a huge deadline on Christmas Day, it looks like Eve's favourite time of the year might be cancelled. Armed with as much enthusiasm as she can muster, she travels to the coldest part of England, tasked with ensuring brooding author Edward Priest finishes his latest novel on time.
The festive spirit at Cranberry Cross is as dark as the house itself; without a fairy light in sight, it looks like only a Christmas miracle can save this one. Will Eve be up to the task?
Many thanks to Aria publishing via NetGalley for my copy of Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
After a stressful week I needed something to take my mind off everything and to get me back into the festive frame of mind and Kate Forster’s new book, Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross, did just that. Within the first chapter I just knew that I was going to love this book. There was just this instant feeling of familiarity and it felt like I was completely engulfed by Eve and her story. The brief time that I had to stop reading for one reason or another I just wanted to be back at Cranberry Cross as I was eager to see what would happen next. Yes, it may not be the most overtly Christmas book that I have so far read this Christmas reading season even though it is set in and around Christmas but still I loved every minute of this story. The book has a gorgeous and inviting cover but despite this there are some dark, detailed and realistic themes explored. That’s not to say this book is all doom and gloom. There is a lovely balance between light and shade and you come to empathise and root for all the characters as they are each developed so well. So, I feel you get a lot more than you would expect from a book with such a whimsical and festive cover.
Eve Wilkins has what many book lovers would believe to be the dream job. She works in a publishing house in London as a publishing assistant and has high hopes that she will soon receive the promotion she so richly deserves and therefore become an editor. Eve’s passion for all things books, reading and editing shines through right from page one and her enthusiasm and expertise is there in plain sight for all to see. I loved her as a character from the get go. Her passion, commitment and love for what she was doing made me admire her but life is not throwing Eve the opportunities and positive reinforcement that she needs to make her feel like she is doing a good job. In spite of the fact that she clearly is.
Serena is her boss and instead of being a force for good and building people up and recognising the good things they do and the things people are capable of in particular Eve, Serena is in fact the complete opposite. She was like the evil queen wielding a knife over Eve’s head. It’s evident she is a bully. She is full of lies and empty promises and Eve has become more liker her slave rather than a valuable assist to the team and her potential and capabilities have not been given a chance to shine. Serena is domineering and gets Eve to do everything that she doesn’t want to do and in turn Eve feels under pressure to comply to her boss’ every whim and need, for fear of her being fired. The final straw comes when Eve is ordered to miss Christmas celebrations with her family and travel to the home of well renowned author, Edward Priest, at Cranberry Cross.
Eve is devastated that she will miss the most special time of year with her family especially as Christmas Eve is both herself and her younger twin brothers birthdays and the family really goes all out for celebrating. But Eve really has no other choice because if Edward does not deliver his latest book in time than many jobs including hers within the publishing company will be gone and there is no way that she would have that on her conscience. All Eve wants for Christmas is a new job (as she has reached boiling point when it comes to Serena and her ways) and to spend the season with her family. The way things are going both wishes seem more distant than ever. As Eve travels to Cranberry Cross, an isolated and creepy manor house, she wonders what awaits her. She has no idea of the life changing journey she is about to undertake. Books have always been her escape but this time around her love for her chosen profession may or may not just tip her over the edge the more she discovers what is going on at Cranberry Cross.
Edward lives at Cranberry Cross with his young daughter Flora. His wife Amber left him to live the highlife in LA but the more the story develops we learn things weren’t all that cut and dry and there are a lot of demons swirling around the inhabitants of the house which seems so full of sadness, loneliness and heartache. The themes of poor parenting, addiction and depression soon make themselves apparent and this is what I meant when things are darker than one would expect from this kind of book. But yet, Kate Forster does a very good job of backing up when certain characters are experiencing the above-mentioned themes. Things could have ventured into very heavy territory but Kate skilfully navigated away from this but at the same time the points she was trying to make came across well and allowed the reader to develop empathy for all the characters involved and those that you may have been against or nor that overly keen with in the beginning. Well you will do a complete 360 by the time you reach the end of the book. The housekeeper Hilditch was a brilliant character. She was there as a support system and mother figure to Edward and she does reveal a few surprising things about herself along the way. She blows a bit hot and and cold towards Eve but you can tell that’s simply because she wants to protect Edward. She comes across as having a gruff exterior but really I could sense that deep down she was nothing more than a pussy cat as opposed to a lioness protecting her cubs.
There was a Jane Eyre type vibe off this book for some parts of it and I thought oh is this just going to be too familiar and formulaic. At some junctures it was and just seemed that little bit too cliched but then in other ways I was surprised. As for Edward, initial thoughts would lead you to believe he is mysterious and enigmatic. Step back a bit and you’d find him to be rude, arrogant, intimidating and entitled and to be honest you wouldn’t be that far wrong and Eve thinks the exact same. She feels she has been sent to do a job and that once it's done she can get back to her family and hopefully take a further step up the career ladder.
But the more she gets to know Edward and his family she can’t but help be dragged (not kicking and screaming may I add) into their family dynamic. As she learns why Edward has been so slow to get going with his recent book she starts to understand the way his mind is working and that all is not as it seems both on a personal and professional level. Eve is fierce, smart and not to be underestimated and I was cheering her on as she stood up to Edward once she got to the source of the problem. She is wise, clever and passionate about her job and she lays things on the line for Edward and gives him the confidence to keep going. She sets a strict schedule for him and will read everything that he is writing.
As Edward works away by day Eve’s thoughts turn to other people at Cranberry Cross and to say Flora and her escapades are a little creepy are an understatement. Eve digs more than a little deeper and a surprise occurs that sets in motion a whole series of events that sees her come out of her shell and do the best for those around her. You just wish she could do the same when it comes to her own career. I loved the spark that Eve had about her and yes there may have been a dysfunctional set up at Cranberry Cross but Eve can see beneath this exterior and perhaps a Christmas miracle will occur after all? There are so many layers to this story that are peeled back once the reader has some patience. Of course, some romance does have to feature in a book of this nature and yes to me it seemed a little rushed but then there were a few twists and turns thrown in that leave you wondering will happiness be found at all? Will Edward complete his book on time? Will Flora call a halt to her creepy antics and most importantly of all will Eve find the fulfilment and happiness she so richly deserves?
Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross was the perfect anecdote from all the stresses and strains that we can experience at this time of year. All the characters go on such an emotional journey of exploration and learn lots of valuable life lessons along the way. Eve may have initially been more than reluctant to have her Christmas plans up scuttled but in fact she gets a lot more than she bargained for and maybe destiny was always calling her in the direction of Cranberry Cross. I’ve loved the last number of Kate Forster’s books and I feel she deserves a lot more recognition and for her books to reach a wider audience. I didn’t want to leave when this story ended, even though Kate did wrap things up well. The themes throughout the book were well tackled despite the difficult subject matter and at times this does become an emotional read but there are many glimpses of happiness along the way. Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross is a gem of a read and is one that you should definitely not let pass you by. Make sure to firmly place it on your Christmas reading list this year. In the meantime, I’ll patiently wait for a new book from Kate, which in fact is not that far away as Fly Me to Moongate Manor publishes in April of next year.
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