Christmas at the Vicarage — Rebecca Boxall

A love affair that springs from childhood friendship is all the more intense for its gradual development and, when the affair is severed at a tender age through tragic circumstances, the sting of first love is sharper than ever. Rosamunde, a vicar's daughter, becomes quite convinced that, just as lightning never strikes twice, she will never know love like her first love again. She ends up settling for second best until - more than a decade later - her past catches up with her in an astonishing fashion, leaving her at a crossroads in her life and, ultimately, at her lowest ebb. The only option seems to be to disappear. Fifteen years later Rosamunde, now 44, decides the time has come to return home to the Vicarage. Peaceful, contented, she is determined to remain single. But as Christmas starts to weave its magic on Potter's Cove and its residents Rosamunde begins to wonder whether real love can strike more than once in a lifetime after all... Set over four decades, Christmas at the Vicarage is an old-fashioned tale of love, heartbreak and family by a writer inspired by the comforting sagas of Rosamunde Pilcher. Praise for Christmas at the Vicarage: - "I finished your book and thought it was really enjoyable - and very readable." Robin Pilcher, bestselling author of 'A Matter of Trust' and 'The Long Way Home.'