Christmas At Emmerdale by Pamela Bell @TrapezeBooks

Book Description:

A wonderful Christmas gift for fans of ITV’s Emmerdale and readers who love heartwarming and heartbreaking stories set in wartime.

August 1914, and a terrible war begins, one that will affect the lives of everyone in the village of Beckindale. For Maggie Sugden, left to run Emmerdale Farm on her own while her husband, Joe, is at the front, it will bring grief and loss but also independence and the chance to find a place to belong – and perhaps even to love again.

Christmas At Emmerdale is the first in a sweeping new saga series, exploring the lives of Emmerdale’s much-loved families during the run up to the Great War.

My Thoughts:

I have to admit to being a bit of a soap addict with Emmerdale, East Enders and Coronation Street being my firm favourites. When I saw that there was a book coming out set in and near Emmerdale Farm, well I couldn’t resist.

The story is mainly set in 1914 with the start of the world war. Even living in the country, you could still feel the fear and despair of what was happening. Maggie I took to instantly. She is a strong, proud woman who does what she needs to. She certainly doesn’t win many friends with her outlook but I liked that she remains true to herself.

Rose is another great character. She doesn’t seem to have much luck in her love life but she is a young lady with a good heart and head. I could feel her frustrations as she wants to get involved in the war effort of which her father especially, is totally against.

The story is one of community. We get to see the good and not so good side of a small village where your business is everyone’s business. Through Maggie we see the struggles of running a farm and living in a marriage of convenience. There are certainly a lot of highs and lows a long the way.

Christmas At Emmerdale is the perfect read for fans of the television series as well as readers who enjoy the likes of Pam Howes and Sandy Taylor. It is a captivating read that I was truly sad to get to the end of. I am of course delighted to see that this is the first book in a new saga with the second book being out next year. An emotional roller coaster of a read and one I really enjoyed.

My thanks to NetGalley and Trapeze for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

Christmas At Emmerdale is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).