I love Bella Osbornes books, always beautifully written and full to the brim with love, laughter and heart and this one was no different.
“The Perfect Christmas Village” is a gorgeous read filled with the joy and magic of Christmas. The writing style is both engaging and humorous bringing to life the cast of charming and quirky characters who make up the village of Holly Cross and transporting the reader right to its heart. The author skillfully weaves together a number of plot lines that keep you engaged and the pages turning, exploring themes of love, community and the magic of Christmas. The main love story between Sam and Blythe has plenty of ups and downs to keep you guessing but their chemistry positively crackles off the page and leaves you rooting for them from the off. I’m essence it is a perfect cosy piece of romantic escapism guaranteed to put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart. One to snuggle up with on a cold day.

As always Bella has developed a set of characters that are more interesting than the main protagonist. I liked this story and would love to hear the stories of some of the other villagers.

This is a fantastic Holiday Rom-Com a perfect Grumpy/sunshine romance. I love love love this! I read it inbone sitting it was so good!! I LOVE and English village christmas story and I can't get enough of Sam and Holly. 5 star read!
I just reviewed The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne. #ThePerfectChristmasVillage #NetGalley
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I really enjoyed this book. Very Christmassy and heartwarming, I found myself smiling to myself numerous times whilst reading. Lovely supporting characters, especially Turpin the cat! I struggled to warm to Sam at first but by the end he had won me round. Just a lovely, lighthearted Christmas read, I’m a bit sad to have finished it!

This was an easy read, good but not brilliant. A bit unbelievable at times but it is a good story. It did make me laugh at times. I am not sure if there are whole villages that come together and decorate the whole village for Christmas with such precision but it is a nice idea. Typical Christmas book with a character that is a typical Grinch who is eventually won round to the idea of Christmas.

I loved this book! The plot was always unpredictible and made it un-put-down-able. Osborne did a wonderful job of describing the characters and the village to the point that I wish I lived there. I loved Blythe and her relationship with her stepfather and her complicated relationship with her bio-dad. I also loved Vicky and her enterprising, can-do attitude. The relationship between Blythe and Sam was unpredictible - especially Sam. I loved the community feeling I got while reading and it inspired me. I read a lot of Christmas themed books and this one kept me interested and guessing what what happen next. I think it would be marvelous if Ms. Osborne continued the story of these great characters.

You had me at Christmas! I’ll be buying this for Christmas presents for sure! I even curled up with a blanket & a hot chocolate to enjoy this & get myself fully into the Christmas vibe 😍

A sweet read . Blythe is areal estate agent and she sells a cottage to Sam but the only problem is that he hates everything about Christmas . The village is most Christmassy village and everyone is against him .
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own .

"I know it was an accident, but you very nearly wrecked our biggest night of the year." This sentence summed the entire book up for me.

Meet the residents of Holly Cross village who are hell bent into making their village a perfect Christmas village so that they can win an award. Who cares if someone has just had an accident or who cares if the new resident, Sam Ashton doesn't like Christmas? The lack of actual Christmas spirit that these people had was astonishing - they were selfish and completely lacked consideration and respect for others' wishes.

This book was disappointing and fell completely flat for me. The conversations that Blythe and Sam had were repetitive and there was zero chemistry between them.

It’s never too early for a Christmas book! This latest read from one of my favourite authors was a true delight. We meet estate agent, Blythe, who is trying to beat her fellow colleagues to be estate agent of the month! When Sam comes to the agency, Blythe thinks she’s found him the perfect home…but neglects to tell him that the little village of Holly Cross is the most Christmassy place in the country! Not a problem you think, but Sam hates the festive session with a passion!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really got into the storyline almost immediately! I liked Blythe’s character, and whilst you might think her competitive nature is a little too much, it’s always good to have an aim in life!! Her relationship with Sam was fun, initially being very businesslike (despite there being a spark between them), with them then becoming friends. There are some obvious issues that both of them need to deal with in their lives, with the main one being Sam’s hate for Christmas and the reason why. The storyline flowed well between, not only them, but the other villagers as well. I loved the side storyline of Blythe’s late friend, Murray and really enjoyed the twist to his story at the end.

All in all, this was an easy to read, light-hearted and romantic story with more Christmas bells, baubles and tinsel than you could shake a Christmas tree at! The chapters flew past and before I knew it I was coming to the end, and was sad to be finishing it. My first Christmas read of the year and what a book to start with! Would definitely recommend!

Perfect Christmas book and would make an ideal Christmas gift. The story is set in a pic village which is seemingly centred around Christmas decorations but is so much more. Fab characters and lots of Estate Agent sidelines with Office politics. All in all a wonderful read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blythe sells a house to Christmas-hating Sam, except she's not told him the village loves Christmas or that she hasn't actually got permission to sell the house. Gradually Sam starts to enjoy life in the village, but still can't face Christmas. When disaster strikes the Christmas Village competition, will he save the day?

I love cheerful books set at Christmas (basically anything with a plot that could be a Hallmark movie) - this was one of those.

The characters were complicated (I didn't see the 'who owns the cottage' twist coming) and had interesting backstories.

The Sam/Blythe romance felt a little rushed in the end but it was lovely festive feelgood romance.

I'll be checking out Bella Osborne's other books now as well.

BLURB:
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 Christmassy 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.

REVIEW:
I thought this was a cute read, although I confess to being confused as to why there are political statements within the book. Living outside of the USA, I have no interest in US politics, and skimmed over these parts. It was, however, jarring, and drew me out of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review. This review will also be posted to my Instagram account (@kathleenryderauthor), as well as to my blog (daydreamsinthedesert.com) closer to the release date.

I received a free copy of, The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was enjoying reading about Blythe, Eden, Sam, and the other until the Donald Trump comment, there is no need for politics in a Christmas book, the book did nothing for me after that, what a let down.

The Perfect Christmas Village is a seasonal heartwarmer. Full of interesting characters, stalwarts of the village that am sure anyone living in smaller communities might recognise.

The action centres around Blythe a friendly young woman, always keen to help out and very active in the community. She had a close friendship with an older resident, Murray, who sadly passed away recently. Her father is a high flying estate agent in the city and she is so keen to be the top seller at the local estate agency she works at, to make him proud of her, she “sells” Murray’s cottage before it actually goes on the market.

To make the situation more complicated she sells the village life perfectly to the new owner, without mentioning the most important aspect, how massive Christmas preparations and celebrations are to everyone living there. In particular the fact that the cottage is always lit up and fully decorated the literal centre of the display. Not something the owner can duck out of and essential to winning the Perfect Christmas Village competition. Complicated by lies but mainly by the new owner, Sam, who doesn’t like Christmas in any shape or form.

I enjoyed reading the book. I love the sense of community it evokes. To be honest Blythe frustrated me a little with her competitive nature, naivety and determination to prove herself to her Dad but her honesty and kindness won me out in the end.

The story comes with it’s own little mystery as to why Murray had a funeral in Manchester, when he had no family there. I liked this addition to the story as it added depth to the final chapters. I also loved reading about Turpin the ferral cat and his madcap attempts to sleep in weird comfy spaces inside the cottage despite the humans that actually live there.

Lots of love and laughter are to be found inside the “Perfect Christmas Village”

Another gorgeous romantic book from Bella set around Christmas. Enter Sam who absoutely hates Christmas so when he moves into the village of Holly Cross, he's walked into his worst nightmare..

But could a worse nightmare actually be a place where Sam falls in love with Blythe, the woman who tricks him into buying a house in the world's most Christmas place?

Find out in the latest offering from Bella which is perfect for Christmas 2023.

This is such a cute and fluffy Christmas romance, a village obsessed with Christmas and a newcomer who hates it, I really enjoyed it, such a delight to read

Blithe only needs one more sale to get Real Estate Agent of the Month, so she twists the truth just a bit to make a sale to Sam. The only problem is, Sam is the Grinch, and their little village is very enthusiastic about Christmas!

This is a feelgood holiday romance, Hallmark style. The characters are loveable and realistic, and it's fun and heartwarming to watch the relationship between Sam and Blithe grow slowly over the course of the story. Sometimes the villagers are a little over-the-top with the Christmas stuff, but that's half the fun of getting on Sam's last nerve! I loved watching Sam come around to appreciate the season.❤️

Wonderful Christmas romance to curl up next to the fire with. Definitely would recommend this one if you're looking for something to give you happy feels!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The story is set within Holly Cross, an idyllic village community, with lots of friends and neighbours. Sam hates Christmas, and all it involves, but when Blythe (an estate agent) sells him a house, she fails to tell him that Holly Cross is the most Christmassy village in the country. This sets the tone for their relationship as they become to know each other better.
I like the easy, light hearted writing style and vivid descriptions of the characters and village, the author brings them alive with a stroke of the pen. Lots of humour and a good storyline which keeps pace as the story unfolds.
The book is about friendships, developing romance between Blythe and Sam, and the ongoing adventures of Turpin, the mischievous cat. Blythe and her friend Vickie write their own stories. Blythe is busy getting Christmas trees and decorations sorted, while chemistry sizzles between her and Sam. Vickie is a single mum and doing her best to look after her daughter.
Delightful winter read.

The Perfect Christmas Village was exactly the heart warming Christmas filled story I had hoped for.

Set in the idyllic village of Holly Cross with Estate Agent Blythe leading the story we are introduced to an array of colourful characters who all hold a special place within the village. As we learn of the community spirit to come together and celebrate the years celebrations along with the desire to create the best Christmas display yet newcomer Sam doesn't seem as taken with Christmas as the rest of the village and as such a battle of wills begins.

The addition of characters such as Vicky, Murray, Arthur and Leonora helps to build on the community feel of the village that helps draw the reader in and give a great sense of the village and its inhabitants. Their stories however are limited in areas and not fully explained leaving me to wonder if we may in the future hear more from Holly Cross.

For anyone who loves Christmas, this story certainly covers all bases! Like other reviewers I do appreciate that at times the pressure on Sam's character to conform to the wishes of others can appear rather strong and unsympathetic to his personal history. However I feel that the underlying story of Christmas being a time for community, human connection and giving people a sense of purpose, helps to balance this viewpoint and give greater meaning to the strength of wanting all to take part in events.