Calling all book cover art fans! If you’re excited by book covers with painted designs and charming landscapes, you’re in for a treat! With winter’s chill settling in, it’s the perfect time to snuggle up with an aesthetically cozy, heartwarming holiday read. And Tule author Kate Hewitt has just the thing– a special talent for drawing us into charming worlds, especially through her enchanting book covers. From snow-dusted landscapes to cozy village scenes, her holiday titles exude warmth, comfort, and a touch of Christmas magic. Each cover not only sets the mood for her beloved stories but also invites us into that cozy, festive atmosphere we all crave this time of year. Let’s discover how Kate Hewitt’s holiday book aesthetics bring to life the essence of the season, inviting us to curl up and lose ourselves in the simple joys of Christmastime.

Christmas at Embthwaite Farm (The Mowbray Sisters series)

Welcome to Embthwaite Farm, a charming English home in North Yorkshire, belonging to the fractured Mowbray family…

~Cover Art~: A thick layer of snow carpets the path, sits heavy in the pine trees, and covers the cottage up ahead; a couple in red and green long coats that match the mistletoe above them is nestled arm and arm, a chocolate pup by their side…nothing says home for the holidays more than this cozy cover!

With older sister Rachel home to help run the family farm and navigate their father’s terminal illness, Harriet Mowbray feels untethered, yet surprisingly free. She wants to embrace her future but continually trips over the insecurities and hurts from her fraught family relationships. When a mysterious millionaire purchases a derelict manor home to renovate into a hotel set to open before Christmas, Harriet pushes herself out of her comfort zone and approaches the owner to become a client for her fledging bakery business.

Former gaming entrepreneur Quinn Tyler has sunk everything into this new venture, and Harriet finds him utterly unexpected. Confident, impulsive and fun, he sweeps Harriet off her feet and their friendship blossoms to Harriet’s surprise and delight. As they work together on the hotel’s finishing touches, Harriet and Quinn battle their insecurities and demons and make surprising revelations as they build their fledgling relationship.

As Christmas looms, will they have the strength of conviction to fight for the hotel—and their newfound love?

Embrace the warmth of love and family this season—order Christmas at Embthwaite Farm today! Plus, be sure to check out the rest of the beautifully, seasonally designed Mowbray Sisters series covers here!

A Casterglass Christmas (Keeping Up with the Penryns series)

To save Casterglass, all the Penryn children will need to return home, rebuild their lives among the ruins, and find love that has proved elusive…

~Cover Art~: A snow-covered English castle, white caps covering the channel, and a colorful, bundled up couple in jackets and scarves, all surrounded by fresh reds and greens of holly…it’s giving all the exciting chills of a Christmas castle family drama!

The Penryn family have always been eccentric—living in a dilapidated castle in the wilds of Cumbria with an orchid-mad father and a classicist mother who likes to re-enact Greek myths, who wouldn’t be? Penniless and proud, patriarch Walter Penryn resists selling his birthright and family legacy until taxes, bills, and the need for a new roof force him to reconsider.

Well-heeled Londoner Althea Penryn doesn’t expect a divorce and job hunt over the Christmas holidays, but her husband claims he’s done and the prenup is solid. She packs up her reluctant teenage children and heads home to Casterglass Castle to confront the ghosts of her past—including the real one her mother claims lives in the old guard tower. And then there’s her unexpected romance with local sheep farmer, John Braithwaite, who is everything her adulterous, solicitor ex-husband isn’t.

This Christmas, amid the renovation and potential heartbreak of losing her family home, can Althea find a new purpose and the happiness that has so long eluded her?

Spend this Christmas in the Casterglass castle by ordering your very own copy TODAY! Then, feast your eyes on the enchanting book covers of the entire Keeping Up with the Penryns series for more cozy castle charm!

A Cotswold Christmas (Willoughby Close series)

Welcome to Wychwood-on-Lea… a not-too-quaint village where frosty evenings, welcoming fires, and second chances will make this a Christmas you’ll never forget…

~Cover Art~: A cozy manor coated in snow, yellow warmth twinkling in the windows, and frosted pine trees catching the endless snowflakes falling all around…could the setting for this forced-proximity Christmas get any cozier?

Anna Vere has escaped to the Cotswolds for Christmas to try to heal from her broken engagement and, far worse, her broken dreams. When her reserved room at a bed & breakfast is flooded, she takes up the offer of camping out in Willoughby Close, the converted stables of the nearby manor house… and is taken under the wing of sexy local carpenter Colin Heath.

What starts out as merely helping a neighbor in need turns into far more as Colin and Anna share a surprisingly intense and emotional connection, weaving their own Christmas magic as they spend the holiday together. But Anna has a secret she’s scared to reveal, something that could destroy the fragile bond they’ve just created, and Colin knows she’s only in England for a short time. Can these two sudden soul mates risk their hearts for a love that has yet to be tried and tested?

Get the full cozy cottage experience with your own copy of A Cotswold Christmas NOW! And look forward to four more charming book covers illustrated in the Willoughby Close series, where everyday miracles and happily-ever-afters are guaranteed!

Cupcakes for Christmas (Return to Willoughby Close series)

Welcome back to Willoughby Close, with four new residents and happy endings to deliver…

~Cover Art~: A small-town bakery filled with treats and tea, brushstrokes painting the storefront with bright reds and greens…there can’t possibly be a sweeter place for romance to brew during the season of love!

Olivia James has always been happy running a tea shop and bakery in the Cotswold village of Wychwood-on-Lea, and helping her friends find their happily-ever-afters, topped by the perfect wedding cake. But as Christmas approaches, Olivia is home alone and questioning her choices while eating too many of her own specialty confections.

When Simon Blacklock, a handsome, whimsical stranger, breezes into her shop and buys a cupcake and then returns the next day and the day after, Olivia begins to dream. Can romance blossom amidst the sugar and flour? And after a lifetime of living on the side lines, is she brave enough to star in her own story? Simon may be hiding a painful secret, but Olivia harbors secrets of her own. If they can dare to risk their hearts, this Christmas might be the most magical yet!

Treat yourself to a sweet holiday romance—order Cupcakes for Christmas TODAY and indulge in a delicious read! Then, satisfy your craving for more cozy book art by exploring the rest of the heartwarming Return to Willoughby Close series!

A Vicarage Christmas (The Holley Sisters of Thornthwaite series)

Welcome to Thornwaite, a quaint village tucked up in England’s beautiful but rainy Lake District… where homecomings happen and surprises are in store for the four Holley sisters…

~Cover Art~: A quaint village with pastel-colored cottages and forest green pines, all blanketed in mountains of snow–this is quite the charming invitation to a small-town English Christmas!

Welcome to Thornwaite, a quaint village tucked up in England’s beautiful but rainy Lake District… where homecomings happen and surprises are in store for the four Holley sisters…

Anna Holley, the third of four sisters, has always felt a little bit forgotten. A family tragedy when she was a child had her retreating deep into shyness, and social anxiety kept her on the fringes of the cozy chaos of the busy vicarage.

After several years away from home, Anna returns for Christmas… and an important announcement from her father. As much as she once loved the village, coming back is hard and puts Anna’s social capabilities to the test.

Avoiding her sisters’ bossy questions, she heads out to the local pub one night, and meets a handsome stranger nursing a pint. Somehow, unburdened by expectations, Simon seems like the perfect person to spill all her secrets to—including a hopeless, long-held crush on her sister’s boyfriend. Confident she’ll never see him again, Anna returns home… only to discover the next day that Simon is actually her father’s new curate!

Unwrap the charm of unexpected love this season with A Vicarage Christmas–order NOW! And don’t forget to explore the rest of The Holley Sisters of Thornthwaite series and the quaint village book art depicted in their covers!

It will be December before we know it…so what better way to embrace the holiday spirit than with these charming titles, ones inviting us to cozy up with heartwarming tales of family, romance, and holiday magic? Imagine these hand-painted covers tucked in your lap on a chilly night–the fire is crackling, the smell of hot cocoa fills the air, and your favorite blanket is wrapped around you–I think winter just got a whole lot cozier thanks to Kate!

And from the autumnal hues of Yorkshire to the snow-covered villages of the Cotswolds, each book cover evokes a unique, picturesque winter wonderland. Twinkling lights, festive wreaths, and inviting cottages adorn these covers, all promising a delightful escape into quintessential English countryside Christmases–ones filled with love, redemption, and the sweet aroma of freshly baked treats. 

Cheers!

By: MJ Gryzik, Tule Marketing Intern

Kate Hewitt stopped by the Tule blog to discuss the first book in the Keeping Up with the Penryns series, A Casterglass Christmas!

The Penryns are quite the family. Where do you get the inspiration for this series and the characters?

It was so much fun writing this family with all their quirks and eccentricities. I had a little inspiration from the classic book I Capture the Castle, and also from the castle Casterglass is based on, in Cumbria, Muncaster.

How do you relate to Althea, your heroine, and how do you hope readers will relate to her? How do you relate to John?

I relate to a middle-aged woman struggling to figure out what the rest of her life is going to look like. I think everyone gets to an age where time doesn’t stretch out as endlessly as before, and it makes you think more seriously about your choices. I relate to John as someone who has been slow and steady and dependable, faithful in the little things, who is looking for more in life.

What was your favorite scene to write and why?

My favourite scene to write was probably Althea’s arrival, when she is plunged into this crazy family and their amazing castle, with all its quirks.

Here is a snippet:

“Come on,” she told her two children who were lagging behind, and she headed for the kitchen door. Its handle turned easily enough, and Althea breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the kitchen, the comforting rumbling of an Aga like a soundtrack to the room as well as her childhood. In the gloom lit only by the moonlight outside, filtering from behind the storm clouds, she saw everything exactly as it had always been: the battered red Aga along one wall, the rectangular table of scarred oak seating twelve taking up one end of a room the size of a basketball court, or at least half of one. Several Welsh dressers lined another wall, filled with dusty Willow Ware. On the other end of the kitchen there was a sofa and several squashy armchairs, every one of them piled with old newspapers and magazines.

“What is that smell?” Poppy exclaimed in disgust as she stepped into the kitchen behind Althea. “It’s absolutely rank.”

Althea took a sniff, and then wished she hadn’t. The usual musty, dusty smell of home had definitely been dialled up a notch or five. And knowing her family, it could be originating from anything or anywhere.

“I’m not sure,” she hedged as she put down her bag by the door. “Maybe some milk’s gone off.”

“Or a whole cow.” Poppy shuddered as she looked around the room. “This looks like something from an episode of Hoarders.”

Do you have any favorite Christmas or holiday traditions?

Yes, lots, and readers might recognize them from some of my Christmas books! We have shepherd’s pie on Christmas Eve, and also read Luke 2 and sing Silent Night before hanging our stockings. On Christmas Day, we all go around one at a time and open presents, and then there’s a scramble at the end. And of course we have a Christmas roast dinner, and Christmas crackers (a particularly English tradition!) and pavlova for dessert.

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading a sweeping epic set in Colonial India, called Zemindar. 

About the Author

Kate Hewitt wrote her first story at the age of five, simply because her older brother had written one and she thought she could do it too. That story was one sentence long—fortunately, they have become a bit more detailed as she’s grown older.

She studied drama in college and shortly after graduation moved to New York City to pursue a career in theatre. This was derailed by something far better—meeting the man of her dreams who happened also to be her older brother’s childhood friend.

Ten days after their wedding they moved to England, where Kate worked a variety of different jobs—drama teacher, editorial assistant, church youth worker, secretary, and finally mother.

When her oldest daughter was one year old, she sold her first short story to a British magazine, The People’s Friend. Since then she has written many stories and serials as well as novels. In 2007 she received ‘The Call’ from Mills & Boon for her first Harlequin Presents novel, The Italian’s Chosen Wife. Since then she has written over 25 books for Harlequin, and also writes women’s fiction for Carina UK and Lion Hudson Press. She loves writing stories that both tackle tough issues and celebrate the redeeming power of love.

Besides writing, she enjoys reading, traveling, and learning to knit—it’s an ongoing process and she’s made a lot of scarves.

Kate lives in a tiny village on the northwest coast of England with her husband, five young children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever.