Portobello Book Blog

One thing I love about Isabelle Broom’s books is that you know you are going to be swept away to a wonderful location and swept up by the story. In One Winter Morning that location is New Zealand and given that this book is set mostly in December, it’s maybe not quite as wintry a story as you might expect! Having said that, part of the story takes place in the UK so it is a bit colder here.

It is the story of Evangeline, known as Genie. Grieving for her mother and convinced her death was her fault, she has found it very difficult to move on at all in the year since Anna passed away, becoming rather reclusive. She has always known that she was adopted but is shocked when her father, David, tells her that he knows who and where her birth mother is and that he and her adoptive mother always did know. David encourages Genie to go to New Zealand hoping that meeting her birth mother will help her find some answers and begin to come to terms with her mother’s death.

Genie has felt so guilty since her adoptive mother died and it was lovely to see her allow herself to begin to live again and find moments of happiness. She does not find what she expects when she gets to New Zealand, I won’t say any more, you’ll need to read it to find out for yourself what I mean. But she does begin to develop friendships with handsome Kit and endearing Tui. Tui was a character who was so easy to like with her irrepressible cheerfulness and openness. She was a character who had lots of challenges to face in the world but also lots of people determined she would enjoy life to the full. I wasn’t surprised that it was through her connection with Tui that Genie began to put the past behind her and start doing the things she most enjoyed.

One Winter Morning is a moving portrayal of one woman’s journey through grief to find herself again. It has a beautiful setting, memorable characters and a lovely romance which develops along the way. It is a story to warm your heart, so snuggle up with a hot drink and a cosy blanket and prepare to be taken on a wonderfully uplifting journey.

My thanks to the publishers Michael Joseph (Penguin UK) for my review copy of this book. It is available to buy now in all formats. You can order a copy online from Hive (where every purchase supports your local High Street) here: One Winter Morning At the time of writing the Kindle version is only 99p (but please do check before you buy). You can order that here: One Winter Morning

From the back of the book

Genie isn’t feeling very festive this December.

The frosty mornings and twinkling fairy lights only remind her it’s been a whole year since she lost her adoptive mother, who took her in as a baby and raised her as her own.

She’s never felt more alone – until she discovers her birth mother’s identity.

And where to find her: New Zealand, half the world away.

Travelling there could be her one chance to meet the woman who gave her up.

But will she find the answers she has been looking for? Or something she could never have expected?

About the author

Isabelle Broom was born in Cambridge nine days before the 1980s began and studied Media Arts in London before joining the ranks at Heat magazine, where she remains the Book Reviews editor. Always happiest when she is off on an adventure, Isabelle now travels all over the world seeking out settings for her novels, as well as making the annual pilgrimage to her true home – the Greek island of Zakynthos. Currently based in Suffolk, where she shares a cottage with her dog Max and approximately 467 spiders, Isabelle fits her writing around a busy freelance career and tries her best not to be crushed to oblivion under her ever-growing pile of to-be-read books.

If you like pictures of dogs, chatter about books and very bad jokes, you can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @Isabelle_Broom or find her on Facebook under Isabelle Broom Author. To find out more about her books, visit her website http://www.isabellebroom.com