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3⭐
Genre ~ Holiday fiction
Setting ~ Holly Cross (fictional) inspired by Eathorpe, Warwickshire
Publication date ~ October 20, 2023
Page Count ~ 344 (40 chapters p+e)
POV ~ dual 3rd
Featuring ~ dated chapters, small town, slow burn, no steamage
Blythe is a real estate agent in competition with a coworker to make the most sales for the month of May. She has only 2 days to win and she’ll do anything she can to make the sale, even if it means lying through her teeth. In steps Sam, who is anti-Christmas, but gets bamboozled into buying a house in the most popular Christmas village in the country.
First of all ~ the cover is cute and I liked the small town community vibe. It is in full force with year round events the residents are expected to participate in. They all seem to get along and have great rapport for the most part, even if they’re Christmas crazy. Norman is the local baker and his treats sounded quite delightful, especially a passion fruit curd eclair and I wish I could try one. Phyllis was a hoot and seemed like she’d be fun to be around. 5 year old Eden seemed very mature and well behaved for her age, which I liked. Blythe’s mother and step father were pretty great too.
Second of all ~ there is a lot of disrespect in this book.
Blythe, quite frankly, is a lying judgey mcjudgerpants who jumps to conclusions. Sam was pretty much disrespected from the get go by everyone. I felt like he was being bullied and I didn’t like it. Someone should not be forced to do something they don’t want to do. And even to go so far as to say he has a Christmas phobia and call him a Grinch when they have no clue of his reasoning (which was sad) is rude. He doesn’t want to participate, plain and simple. I was really hoping he would put that house on the market and high tail it outta there back to London.
Our second POV comes from Blythe’s bff, Vicky, who is a single parent to Eden. I can’t say I was a big fan of hers. While I did appreciate her tenacity in providing for her daughter I, also, felt she was somewhat rude. From one business venture to the next, she expects, and doesn’t really even ask nicely, her friends to help her, which left a bad taste in my mouth. And why did we get her POV when this is a holiday romance, shouldn’t it be from Sam?
Speaking of holiday romance ~ it’s very slow burn and I was not feeling their chemistry at all. They’re frustrated with each other from May to December, but then all of the sudden they like each other. I wasn’t buying it.
We have a side little mystery about the former owner of Sam’s cottage, Murray, who passed away. That was an interesting and surprising turn of events, which I didn’t hate, but I wish we could have gotten to know him a little more.
Overall, this was a mixed read for me and I don’t feel this should be in the romance category, more like holiday fiction. It’s perfectly titled too because they did indeed need everything perfect.
*Thanks to the author, Rachel’s Random Resources, Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Book blurb:
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…
Purchase Links
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Christmas-Village-Bella-Osborne-ebook/dp/B0BM2DP2PK
KoBo – https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-perfect-christmas-village-1
Apple – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/the-perfect-christmas-village/id6448858762
Author Bio – 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
