A Skye Full of Stars – Sue Moorcroft

Published By: Avon
Pages: 384
Released On: 07/11/2024

Ezzie Wynter can’t wait for Christmas on the beautiful Isle of Skye. Her island home sparkles at this time of year thanks to the snow-capped mountains and frosty winter walks, topped off with family gatherings with those she loves the most.

But her peaceful Christmas idyll is upended when she hears that the Larson family – the owners of Rothach Hall – are flying in from Sweden for the festivities. As Manager of their grand Scottish manor house, Ezzie suddenly has decorations to hang, food to source and itineraries to organise.

Life only becomes more difficult when Mats Larson turns up. The owners’ handsome, self-assured son is used to doing things his own way – and he is only another headache to add to her overflowing list.

Yet when unexpected visitors arrive looking for Ezzie, nothing else matters as she is left questioning everything she ever knew about herself. But amidst the Christmas chaos, she might also discover that, when all is lost, it’s sometimes those we least expect who come to our aid…

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Sue Moorcroft + Christmas = I mean, what more could you possibly want?!

It is part of a series but it can definitely be read as a standalone. You might get more out of it, little hints from the previous book, if you have read the first but your reading and enjoyment and understanding of this one is not lessened at all if you haven’t.

Scotland and Sweden; I love Scotland (although I’ve never been to Skye), and I love Scotland in the wintertime. I’ve never been to Sweden but would love to, especially in the winter. So the combination of settings was gorgeous for me.

I am an advocate for reading Christmas books all year round, but I read this one an October weekend where it was 1 degree outside. I had Christmas music on (yes I know, I’m not sorry), and some warm gingerbread, and let me tell you, this book is even more magical when read like that.

Sue is an extraordinary author, but my main praise goes towards her characters. I have always preferred character development over plot (although in this case, both were good), and she creates such recognisable, familiar, human, real people who have flaws and hardship, they love and hate and fear, they’re like a family in themselves but also with the reader, as if you could put the book down and give one of them a call.

Ezzie is a wonderful protagonist, and Mats is a fabulous play off of her. They come from different backgrounds and countries, but I felt this kinship between them and loved their solo journeys as well as their duo. There are many other characters, staff members, family, friends, strangers, and neighbours, and there isn’t a dud amongst them. Some have bigger roles than others and some I liked more than others, but they all have a role to play in furthering Ezzie’s story along.

Whilst at its heart it is a warming, cosy, festive, romance, it doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, such as adoption, divorce, affairs, illness, mental health, criminal activity, fears, money worries, secrets, alcohol dependency, and whether family is who you’re related to, or who you choose?

At almost 400 pages I find books can sometimes drag. It can be a fine line. But this one doesn’t. I read it in less than 24 hours. It is so heart warming and cosy and beautiful and I loved it.