BLOG TOUR: The Perfect Christmas Village - Bella Osborne

When Christmas-hating Sam moves to Holly Cross, he thinks he's found the perfect home, until he discovers that, each year, Holly Cross transforms into the most Christmassy village in the whole country...

Blythe is just one sale away from being Real Estate Agent of the Month, so she twists the truth to sell a home to city boy Sam, who is looking for the perfect house in the perfect location. Little does he know he's just bought a cottage in the middle of the most Christmassy village in the country. And if there's one thing Sam loathes, it's Christmas.

Sam's arrival puts Holly Cross's chance to win the title of Britain's Most Perfect Christmas Village now in jeopardy, and the villagers are soon up in arms. Meanwhile, Sam is in his own personal hell surrounded by fairy lights and everyone is looking to Blythe to fix things.

But as the festive season looms, maybe there's more than just Christmas in Holly Cross for Sam to fall in love with...

 

What did I think?

I didn't think it was possible to feel festive in October but The Perfect Christmas Village is so full of Christmas spirit that it was impossible to resist (virtually) joining in and I absolutely adored this wonderful book.

Blythe doesn't make the best first impression on me, although she has her reasons for being so competitive at work, and everyone knows that you take what an estate agent says with a pinch of salt.  So Sam only has himself to blame when he finds himself living in the most Christmassy village in Britain, as he really should have done his due diligence before signing on the dotted line.

I know some people can't understand other people who don't like Christmas but it's usually for a very good, and very personal, reason.  Blythe really annoyed me when she kept pushing Sam and making fun of him although she does redeem herself in the most heartwarming way that had me reaching for my tissues to dry my tears.

The community spirit of Holly Cross leaps out of the page and envelops the reader in a huge hug.  I felt as if I was part of this wonderful community and I really cared about what happened to them.  I also loved Turpin the cat and his ability to find new hiding positions - I think he is quite like Sam and just wants to hide away from the community Christmas spirit.

Fabulously festive and wonderfully uplifting, The Perfect Christmas Village is a delightful feelgood novel that completely warmed my heart.  I simply can't recommend it highly enough and I am already planning to visit Holly Cross again next year.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Bella has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full length novel. Since then she’s written nine best-selling romantic comedies, two best-selling bookclub reads and won the RNA Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year Award. 

Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She lives in Warwickshire, UK with her husband, daughter and a cat who thinks she’s a dog. When not writing Bella is usually eating custard creams and planning holidays.

For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com or follow her on social media.

Social Media Links – 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/osborne_bella  

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BellaOsborneAuthor/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bellaosborneauthor/

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@bellaosborneauthor 

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Freya's French Farmhouse (The Blossomwood Bay Series Book 2) - Daisy James

 

Welcome to Freya's French Farmhouse, the second book in a brand new series from the author of the Hummingbird Hotel series and the Cornish Confetti Agency series.

Escape to the French Riviera!

After losing her aromatherapy studio in the Blossomwood Bay fire, Freya Farnham finds herself at a loose end, especially when her trusty Renault decides that it’s time to head to the scrapyard in the sky. Now she has no excuse not to agree to her parents’ request to head to the pretty village of Saint-Julien to find out why her late Uncle Toby’s gorgeous French farmhouse isn’t selling, even when the real estate agent, Xavier Deschamps, advertises himself as "the best in the whole of Provence".

As soon as she arrives, Freya realises what the problem is, and so, with the help of handsome local car mechanic Jacques Jordan, she invests her last euro in a kaleidoscope of cleaning products and sets about transforming the drab and dusty dwelling into a chic and shiny château. Little did she know that in the process she would discover more about her family’s history than she bargained for.

Can she come to terms with her past? Or will the demons that have been snapping at her heels since childhood prevent her from seizing the chance to achieve a much-longed-for sense of belonging in the friendly community where she’s treated as one of their own?

Why not join Freya as she explores the lavender-infused Provençal countryside, and enjoy a trip filled with fun, fragrance, and delicious foodie treats with a dash of heart-warming romance thrown in for good measure!

What did I think?

No matter what the weather is like outside, you can always rely on Daisy James to whisk you off to sunny climes.  Freya's French Farmhouse is the second book in the Blossomwood Bay series but it can definitely be read as a standalone as it has its own contained storyline with cameo appearances from some of the characters we met in book 1 (Tilly's Tuscan Teashop). 

Freya inherited her love of fragrance from her late Uncle Toby so when she loses her aromatherapy studio in the Blossomwood Bay fire, she takes the opportunity to make one final visit to Uncle Toby's farmhouse in France before it is (hopefully) sold.  The farmhouse has been on the market for quite some time and although it is a little unloved and shabby, Freya can't understand why it hasn't sold and it's a mystery she's determined to get to the bottom of.

With family secrets to unearth, romance to blossom and skulduggery afoot, this is a hugely entertaining story in a truly gorgeous setting.  Daisy James writes in Full HD with the vivid sights, sounds and smells of Provence all vying for attention in my imagination.  There's always something unforgettable in Daisy's books that makes me smile and in this instance it's the 'procrastination pixies' - they always visit me too!  

I don't often share quotes from books but Daisy's writing is so beautiful that I wanted to share a small excerpt here as only Daisy James could make dust sound pretty:

"...the shafts of golden sunlight that sliced through the gaps in the shutters highlighting the dust particles as they danced a jolly jig to an inaudible tune."

I don't physically travel but I don't need a passport to experience the world through my books, and Daisy James paints such beautiful pictures through her writing that I feel as if I'm actually in the breathtaking location she has chosen to write about. 

I adored Freya's French Farmhouse and I didn't want my virtual visit to Provence to end, although I'm already looking forward to my virtual trip to Hawaii in the next Blossomwood Bay book: Holly's Hawaiian Holiday.  

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

Daisy James loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. She especially likes to create sunshine-filled settings in exotic locations - the Caribbean, Tuscany, Cornwall, Provence - so she can spend her time envisioning her characters enjoying the fabulous scenery and sampling the local food and drink.

When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea - china plates and teacups are a must.

Social media links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/daisyjamesbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009889775019

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BLOG TOUR: The Dark Flood (Benny Griessel Mysteries Book 7) - Deon Meyer

One last chance. Almost fired for insubordination, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido find themselves demoted, exiled from the elite Hawks unit and dispatched to the leafy streets of Stellenbosch. Working a missing persons report on student Callie de Bruin is not the level of work they are used to, but it's all they get. And soon, it takes a dangerous, deeply disturbing turn.

One last chance. Stellenbosch is beautiful, but its economy has been ruined by one man. Jasper Boonstra and his gigantic corporate fraud have crashed the local property market, just when estate agent Sandra Steenberg desperately needs a big sale. Bringing up twins and supporting her academic husband, she is facing disaster. Then she gets a call. From Jasper Boonstra, fraudster, sexual predator and owner of a superb property worth millions, even now.

For Sandra, the stakes are high and about to get way higher.

For Benny Griessel, clinging to sobriety and the relationship that saved his life, the truth about Callie can only lead to more trouble.

Taut with intrigue, murder and suspense, exploding with action and excitement, The Dark Flood is a masterpiece from the author of Trackers and The Last Hunt.

 

What did I think?

The Dark Flood starts with a bang and the pacing doesn't slow at all; I had to put it down at times just to stop and catch my breath.  It's the first book I've read in the Benny Griessel series so don't be put off by this being book 7 in the series as you can definitely read it as a standalone.  It's originally written in Afrikaans and translated beautifully by K. L. Seegers;  there's even a glossary at the back to explain the words that have been left in for authenticity.

I loved both Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido from the start when they're setting off in pursuit of security van robbers in South Africa.  When it all goes wrong, they find themselves demoted and shipped off to the university town of Stellenbosch.  Their first case is to investigate a missing student that uncovers a lot more than they bargained for.  I loved the camaraderie between the pair and enjoyed finding out about their personal lives too.

Running alongside the missing persons case is a story about estate agent Sandra who is experiencing what it's like to be a woman in a man's world.  It really made my skin crawl when I was reading the passages detailing her interactions with her boss and her client.  Unfortunately, a lot of women have experienced similar things so it's good to keep highlighting it.  Sandra's plotline is superb - I'll never forget it!

So you may be wondering, like I was, how the two stories relate to each other.  Well, it all comes together brilliantly; it's so good that The Dark Flood would be the perfect book to study in a crime writing masterclass.

Accomplished, tense and gripping, I absolutely loved The Dark Flood and it's certainly made me want to read the earlier books.  If you like all the great modern crime writers (such as Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and James Patterson) then you will LOVE Deon Meyer.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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The Forever House - Veronica Henry

Would you know your forever house if you found it?

Hunter's Moon is the ultimate 'forever' house. Nestled by a river in the Peasebrook valley, it has been the Willoughbys' home for over fifty years, and now estate agent Belinda Baxter is determined to find the perfect family to live there. But the sale of the house unlocks decades of family secrets - and brings Belinda face to face with her own troubled past.

What did I think?

I have said previously that I don't read enough Veronica Henry books but with so many books and so little time, I am delighted that The Forever House went straight to the top of my reading queue.  With the boundless charm and sparkling wit I have come to know and love from Veronica Henry, I was completely captivated by The Forever House and started and finished it on the same day.

There is an excellent dual storyline of two very strong women characters: Belinda and Sally who meet when Sally decides to put her beloved family home on the market and chooses Belinda as her estate agent.  Sally's story is quite sad as she doesn't really want to sell Hunter's Moon but rather has to sell due to her family situation.  Belinda tries to make it as painless as possible whilst we learn the stories of these two fabulous women.

Through flashbacks to the 1960's we read about Sally meeting her husband Alexander Willoughby and his eccentric family.  What an absolute HOOT!  There is a scene with a frozen chicken, a hairdryer and the Willoughby's pet where I don't mind telling you I absolutely roared with laughter, I couldn't have kept it in if I tried.  They are such a crazy family but there is much love and laughter in their house, which is why it is so hard for Sally to part with Hunter's Moon.

Belinda meanwhile, throws herself into work as she is more successful in her professional than private life.  She is saving up for her very own forever house and thought she had found it once upon a time but she doesn't like to remember that part of her life as it is filled with painful memories.  Belinda deserves some happiness and you never know what is around the corner for her.

What an absolutely gorgeous book.  From the warm inviting cover to the charming story within, it's a treat from start to finish.  There is laughter but there are also tears and unfortunately such is life.  The Forever House is a perfect life story and I treasured every moment, including the lump in my throat and the tear in my eye at the end.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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