A Lion Is Not Just For Christmas

by Henriette Gyland

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA

Is there life after the circus has left town?

Circus performer Justine Belmont works with big cats, but when the circus is disbanded and the old lion is sold to a private menagerie at a stately home in Norfolk, she is asked to spend a few weeks settling him into his new environment. When she arrives at the estate, however, she receives a mixed welcome.

The groundsman Tom Yates resents her presence as he doesn’t feel he needs her help with the lion. He revises his opinion when he sees the bond between her and the big cat, and she and Tom grow closer, although Justine remains torn about her feelings for him. The lady of the house, Priscilla – who is married to the reclusive owner, Lord Brooks’s, grandson – is not so easily convinced. She perceives Justine as a threat for the male attention and her plans for the manor. And her two young daughters are a little too curious about the lion for their own good.

When unsettling events occur, Justine begins to wonder if there is more to Priscilla’s animosity than meets the eye. Can Justine keep herself and everyone else safe until it’s time for her to leave again and start a new life elsewhere?

 

My Rating:

My Review:

 

This quick and entertaining tale was hard for me to classify as it had a little of everything – a tight-knit small circus, big cats, a bit of suspense, murder, family drama, bratty over-privileged children, a dash of romance, and a secret identity – and all within one-hundred-thirty-four pages.  Impressive! The characters were likable and the storylines were easy to follow and quickly paced yet also engaging and unpredictable with a variety of hissing and petty villains to despise, after all, every hero story needs at least one.

 

Author Bio 

Henriette Gyland grew up in Northern Denmark but moved to England after she graduated from the University of Copenhagen. She wrote her first book when she was ten, a tale of two orphan sisters running away to Egypt, fortunately, to be adopted by a perfect family they meet on the Orient Express.

Between that first literary exploit and now, she has worked in the Danish civil service, for a travel agent, a consultancy company, in banking, hospital administration, and for a county court before setting herself up as a freelance translator and linguist. Henriette recently began to pursue her writing in earnest winning the New Talent Award in 2011 from the Festival of Romance and a Commended from the Yeovil Literary Prize.

Henriette lives in London.

Social Media Links 

Website: henriettegyland.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/henriette.gyland

Twitter: @henrigyland

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