Holly ruminates about her marriage to Alan and how she went overboard with the whole idea of Christmas by roasting turkey with all the trimmings and gifting each other stocking full of odd surprises. Sitting by her ailing grandmother, Holly realises that her grandfather had not been the only man in her reserved Gran’s life when she calls out ‘Ned Martland’ before breathing her last. For a living, Holly cooks for house parties in summer and retreats into a house-sitting job in winter to stay away from the festivities. Though as a child she was secretly envious of her school friends for being able to do Christmas like everyone else did – with gifts, gluttony and excess. Add to it her Strange Baptist upbringing that forbade her from indulging. At the centre of the events is young widow Holly Brown for whom Christmas has always been a sad time as it brings back painful memories of her husband Alan’s death in an accident. For the fans of Charles Dickens, particularly the ones that ardently flip through the pages of ‘A Christmas Carol’ on 25th December, here is a heartfelt tribute to the sense of nostalgia Christmas brings with it. A quintessential Christmas story with the right proportion of romance, wit, atmospherics, morals, festivity, and lots of ‘mince pies’, the author makes no mistake in cracking the winning formula. Twelve Days of Christmas, published in 2010, is her eleventh novel and was dubbed a Sunday Times Bestseller with critics remarking on her ‘down-to-earth humour’.

Author of bestsellers such as ‘A Winter’s Tale’, ‘Chocolate Wishes’ and ‘Wedding Tiers’, Trisha Ashley brings newness to the romantic comedy by deftly blending her interests in food, gardens and old houses with her passion for writing.

Only an avid food lover can whip up such a delicious Christmas tale.

12 days of christmas trisha ashley