Winterland at The Secondhand Bookworm: Book Eleven

It's the Winterland Festival in Castletown so The Secondhand Bookworm, a rickety old English bookshop crammed full with over 27,000 used and antiquarian books, a couple of ghosts, some dastardly history, eclectic staff and eccentric customers and managed by Nora Jolly (a young woman with a lot of patience indeed), has been decorated for the season with all things wintry!

The three hectic floors (plus attic), winding staircase, snow-filled yard, higgledy-piggledy bookshelves, twinkling bay window and even the staff are enjoying the theme, even though a heavy snow storm has arrived to cause bedlam (but it certainly adds to the festivities). James, the Duke of Cole (and Nora Jolly's fiancé), is playing a huge role in the weeks' events. But a threat immediately arrives in the form of Sir Robert Knightley, the Duke of Cole's cousin, who believes himself to be the rightful owner of the infamous D'Aubigny Book of Hours, currently on display in the front room of The Secondhand Bookworm, in a special, sealed and alarmed case.

Sir Robert is convinced the ancient book holds the key to a lost family treasure and he will stop at nothing to get his hands on it, even if that means threatening James, crossing swords with Erik Lodbrok, stalking, terrorising and harassing Nora and even daring to break into the Duke of Cole's castle in an effort to discover the hidden secrets.

Meanwhile, Nora's cousin has opened his own bookshop at the top of the hill, the cast of Frozen are performing in the town square; the Festival of Hours is taking place in the town museum; Erik Lodbrok is converting the sprawling and slightly terrifying Gravestone Asylum; Humphrey and Amy are back together again and Roger has a run-in with an Elf. There's a terrifying discovery in an ancient old book; an End of Days cult has taken up residence in the forest just outside the town (Spencer Brown is in his element, naturally); the Igloo Craft Market and the Lapland Huts are causing a stir and Cara's written a book about an ancient Castletown legend involving an ice dragon and its links to the Duke. There are feasts, parties, mince pie eating competitions, Sumo Snowman Wrestling, a Castletown Bake-off, the anticipated Saint Nicholas Hour, icicle duelling, a morning of hair-raising bookshop calls involving frozen lakes, gargoyles and a Las Vegas singer (has Georgina found a new love?); a delivery from Dora Magic, a new arrival in the form of a large white poodle called Snowball, and of course, books, books and more books!

The week heads gradually towards the greatly anticipated Winterland Snow Ball taking place in the castle, where the Duke of Cole is planning to make a very important announcement that will change Nora's life forever. Only Sir Robert Knightley and the D'Aubigny Book of Hours can stand in the way.

Book Eleven in The Secondhand Bookworm series of novels is a 'funny, romantic and nail-biting' read - to be enjoyed as part of the bookshop series.

This book is available to purchase on Kindle Via Amazon.  All books also available via Kindle Unlimited and in Paperback.

Emily Jane Bevans lives in Sussex, England.  For ten years she worked in and helped to manage a family chain of secondhand and antiquarian bookshops.  'The Secondhand Bookworm' is her debut novel and 'Winterland at the Secondhand Bookworm' is Book Eleven in the Series.