Christmas at Thornton Hall

Christmas at Thornton Hall
Lynn Marie Hulsman

Don’t miss this terrific debut from a witty new voice in romantic comedy!When Juliet Hill unwittingly discovers a most-definitely-not-hers-rhinestone-studded lace thong in her high-flying lawyer boyfriend’s apartment, this usually feisty chef is suddenly single and facing a very blue Christmas – with only a ready meal for one to keep her company!So when she’s personally requested to cater for the family at Thornton Hall three days before Christmas, it’s not long before Juliet’s standing at the (back) door of the Earl of Gloucester’s impossibly grand ancestral pile.The halls are decked, the guests are titled, those below the stairs are delightfully catty, and all-American Juliet sets to work cooking up a glorious British Christmas with all the trimmings.But other flames are burning besides those on the stove… Sparks fly with Edward, the gorgeous ex-soldier turned resident chef, and are those sidelong looks Juliet’s getting from her boss, the American tycoon Jasper Roth?As the snow starts to fall on the idyllic Cotswolds countryside, so does the veneer of genteel high society and there are more than a few ancient skeletons rattling out of the Hall’s numerous dark cupboards!CHRISTMAS AT THORNTON HALL is a country house rom com for the modern age, a must-read for fans of the scandals and drama of Downton Abbey and the charm and wit of Helen Fielding.

Christmas at Thornton Hall

Lynn Marie Hulsman

A division of HarperCollinsPublishers

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

Contents

Lynn Marie Hulsman (#u416d4120-25c0-5457-bea2-3d95128855e6)

Dedication (#u7bb64b4b-4589-538e-894b-90e27936eaf4)

Chapter One (#u1b62b30f-15dc-562c-bc7d-27ca2f0f3235)

Chapter Two (#u9ba26336-58c5-5c42-a1c5-6f0f68e321e4)

Chapter Three (#u7fe06857-1eb3-5296-930e-c624b8d6ed23)

Chapter Four (#u377c985c-b83f-5e3d-a09b-c86dc63c90b8)

Chapter Five (#u7119767c-dfbe-5a71-a277-86e10d817978)

Chapter Six (#u5b315cfa-6126-5615-aa8c-59629b04c0e7)

Chapter Seven (#u1610deb7-314c-5553-91bc-20ad6fced9f1)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Summer at Castle Stone (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)

About HarperImpulse (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Lynn Marie Hulsman (#uf1b5ef45-3943-5979-97cc-31da17dc6063)

I’m a writer. My mother’s death brought an epiphany. “Life is short,” said my inner voice. “Thanks, I.V.,” I replied. “I know what I have to do.” In short order, I got an agent, co-wrote two books, ghost-wrote another, published an article, and sold a novel.

Kentucky-born, tall tales and hyperbole are in my bones. I love story. My real jobs? Equity actor. Ad copy writer for casinos, (“Loose slots!”) Stand-up comic. Pharma editor. Cheese cube passer-outer (admitted low point). I’m an Ideation Agent (sounds fake, right?) and run an improv company in NYC. My favorite, favorite thing to do is write Romantic Comedy.

I live with my family in Hell’s Kitchen, and am seen around town auctioneering for charity, hosting gay men’s fashion shows, and calling bingo games.

You can follow me on Twitter @LynnMarieSays.

For my dear friend Kate Bushmann.

Chapter One (#uf1b5ef45-3943-5979-97cc-31da17dc6063)