Book Review / The Winter Children by Luly Taylor

Behind a selfless act of kindness lies dark intentions . . .
Olivia and Dan Felbeck are blissfully happy when their longed-for twins arrive after years of IVF. At the same time, they make the move to Renniston Hall, a huge, Elizabethan house that belongs to absent friends. Living rent-free in a small part of the unmodernised house, once a boarding school, they can begin to enjoy the family life they've always wanted. But there is a secret at the heart of their family, one that Olivia does not yet know. And the house, too, holds its darkness deep within it . . .










Published:     3rd December 2015
Publisher:  Pan
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned Copy

MY REVIEW

I am slowly making my way through all the novels written by Lulu Taylor, in chronological order, and they just keep getting better and better!

In this story we follow mainly Olivia as she and her husband Dan struggle to conceive.  Their relationship is obviously affected by this.  The idea of IVF comes up and they decide to go for it.  Luckily, it works and they become parents of twins but, as always, there are secrets.  Secrets that someone is keeping from the other that would most certainly break their relationship apart.  They are currently living at Renniston Hall, which is owned by a friend and used to be a school, but that favour could cost them more than they realise.

There is a duel timeline also in this book where we follow two teenage school girls who attend school at Renniston Hall.  At that time, in the past, there are also building works going on.  The girls are forbidden to make contact with any of the men working on the building site but teenage girls don't always do what they are told.  Maybe they should have done this time!

I have to be honest and say that I enjoyed the story of Olivia in the present day a lot more than the past day timeline only because there was so much more happening in the present day than the past, for me.  But that doesn't mean the story wasn't suspenseful, it certainly was.  I just could not wait to turn the page and find out what happens next.

For me, there were no surprises in this book but that didn't spoil the story one bit.  The enjoyment in this story for me was the journey of the characters and watching them as they find out secrets they wish they never had to know.