A Burracombe Easter & Christmas

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this is the last post in my Burracombe book series review. I’ve absolutely adored this series. I wasn’t sure if I would like all of the books because there are so many. Having said that, I need not have worried because each book had its own theme which was great.

Catch up with the rest of the series:

The Bells Of Burracombe & A Stranger In Burracombe

Storm Over Burracombe & Springtime In Burracombe

An Heir For Burracombe & Secrets In Burracombe

Snowfall In Burracombe & Weddings In Burracombe

Celebrations & Surprises In Burracombe

Farewell & A Child In Burracombe

The last three books are prequels to the rest of the series. If read in order, they are read at the end of the series and answer so many questions you have throughout the series. Here is the last two Burracombe book reviews for you to enjoy…

A Burracombe Easter

The Blurb

Everyone has a secret in their past: discover the hidden lives of some of the best-loved residents of Burracombe.

Escape to the little Devonshire village that feels like home with this compelling Burracombe short story.

On Easter day in 1918, as the Great War entered its closing stages, Frances Kemp looked out atthe little thatched village in the valley below and promised that, one day, she’d come back…

For long before Miss Kemp became headmistress of the village school, when she was just a teenager, she had reason to know and love Burracombe. Sent to stay with family in the village, young Frances treasured her summers there and the friends she made.

But as she grows up, she admits that there is someone there who is more than just a friend. Yet just as they realise their childhood bond is deepening into something else, war is declared and life will never be the same again.

As Frances watched so many of her friends and family get called away to war, she must struggle to find a way to play her part, a way to get by while her sweetheart is away and a way to think about what lies ahead in a world where every day brings ever more uncertainty.

A Burracombe Christmas

The Blurb

A short story to whisk you away on a festive trip to the Devonshire village where live is full of surprises…

Steal a glimpse at the past lives and loves of your favourite villagers in this captivating Burracombe short story.

Autumn 1918 has brought young Alice Whiddon to the Tozer’s farm to work as a maid. Alice soon falls in love with the little village and with life on the farm. But that’s not all she’s falling for. Youngest son, Ted Tozer is half promised to young Ivy Prowse, daughter of a neighbouring farmer, yet Alice and Ted feel a powerful bond forming.

But while the first peacetime Christmas in years beckons, romance must wait as influenza comes to the farm and threatens to bring tragedy with it, just as the Tozer’s eldest son Joe returns from the front to Burracombe and his sweetheart, Dottie.

As Alice and the family wait and hope for the new year to bring long-awaited joy and peace, no one knows whether the bells will peal in sorrow or in celebration as the year turns.

My Thoughts

I thought I would review these last two books together in one section. As they are short stories, I was able to read both of them in one sitting and I have to say it was a great way of spending an hour. Like with all of the other Burracombe books, A Burracombe Easter and Christmas were both such heart-warming stories. It was lovely to read this prequel because I was able to learn so much more about the older generation.

The books that were set in the 1950s showed the likes of Alice and Ted as grandparents so it was great to read about them as happy and young teenagers. If anything, I would have loved the series to have started from here and gone on because I feel like there is a large chunk of life I’ve missed out on.

Final Thoughts

I’m sad that this series has come to an end because I have thoroughly enjoyed reading each book. They were on my TBR list for so many years and I actually had the first couple of books when they were initially released. It took me so many years to pick them up to read and for that I have no excuse. I’m glad I waited until now to read them because it gave me something to focus on throughout this pandemic. When it felt like the world was falling apart, I was able to dive straight into Burracombe village.

If you ever see a Lilian Harry book, definitely pick it up. Of all of her books I’ve read, I have never had one that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. They are each written from the heart and with such care for the characters. They pages brings each character to live, and the descriptions place you straight in that setting. Through this, Lilian Harry has become and will always be, one of my favourite authors.

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