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Bella's books are always fun, light-hearted romances. I enjoyed reading Blythe and Sam's story. They have great banter and this delicious tension you cannot help but devour. If you like it when your romances take place in a small town full of quirky characters, then you will enjoy this book. The residents of Holly Cross are incredibly passionate about Christmas, and their love for the holiday season is infectious. I always enjoy a small-town romance because I love that feeling of community and togetherness. Beth does a wonderful job at bringing this tiny village to life, and I enjoyed spending time there. I do love the setting and the enthusiasm they have for Christmas. There’s quite a lot of competitiveness and almost military-style planning to set up the annual event. The stakes are higher this time due to the contest. In Holly Cross, a little village with a big heart –estate agent Blythe needs one last sale to clinch the target she has been working for all year. Sam Ashton has rejected every house she has suggested, with a big move from city to countryside any house has to meet Sam’s idea of the ideal home. When Sam unexpectedly turns up the next day, Blythe is determined to get her sale whatever it takes, and if it means a few white lies then so be it! With the house being the center of the village’s Christmas activity (which they take very, very seriously), things get difficult for Sam and Blythe. Holly Cross Village has a chance to win the title of Britain's Most Perfect Christmas Village if not for Sam. The responsibility falls on Blythe to fix things. Maybe a Christmas Miracle can help her.
The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne is a delightful holiday romance set in the charming village of Holly Cross. She remembers a home on the Green whose owner recently passed away and she knows it will be sold. However, as it’s not currently listed for sale, she takes a chance and shows it to a man named Sam who wants to move to the area. She has a key to the house as she had promised the previous owner she would feed his feral cat, Turpin. It took a little time, but she finally got a call from a solicitor for the deceased and arranged to sell the house to Sam. 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.Blythe doesn’t like it when a fellow agent records more sales than her. She is determined to be the Real Estate Agent of the Month and, in a desperate attempt, manages to sell a house to Sam Ashton (by hiding certain truths). While Sam loves the house, he doesn’t like Christmas. Thank you, NetGalley and Aria & Aries, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Osborne's writing style is warm and inviting, immersing readers in the cozy atmosphere of Holly Cross. The vivid descriptions of the village's Christmas decorations, bustling markets, and festive events evoke a sense of holiday magic. The author effortlessly captures the essence of small-town charm and community spirit, making the village of Holly Cross come alive. The story occurs over seven months, starting at the end of May and ending on Boxing Day (December 26th). While this gives enough time for the lead couple to get to know each other and fall in love, the results are mixed. The town is all abuzz with trying to decorate everything in hopes of winning the award for the Perfect Christmas Village. All residents usually participate, but this year, there is a new resident that is a bit of a gump. That makes the story special, to see if the Christmas spirit can change him.
This is a lovely story about diving deeper into a person’s character than what is seen on the surface. Many of the people in the story do not show their true self to others. It was very interesting to experience getting to know them.
I really liked Blythe, and I felt for her every time she got insecure, and felt like she had to prove herself I really cheered for her when she finally stood up for herself with her dad, I had this huge grin on my face because I was so pleased for her! I actually really loved Sam, his grinchyness reminded me a little of my husband who is not as keen on Christmas as I am, but he's not Sam's level of Grinch lol But it did just endear him to me that little bit more. I only tend to choose a couple of Christmas books to read and review each year, as like Sam in this particular story, Christmas is not my favourite time of year, plus I often find the rom-com storylines a little too banal and 'cheesy'. Having spent almost thirty subsequent Christmas and New Year periods in Disney World, Florida, you might wonder why my non-committal attitude towards the season; which I can only really explain as the difference between the ready-made festivities laid on by Disney, versus the unimaginative British tradition of too many people crowded around too small a dining table, over-eating on what is usually, by the time it is all served up, a mildly lukewarm, full English roast dinner, followed by the fight for a semi-comfortable easy chair and an afternoon with the television on, playing to itself, while everyone talks over it. Call me 'Bah! Humbug' and I'll willing put my hands up to it!! 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 to be perfect.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. Blythe's potential client Sam Ashton, who is relocating from London and has very specific ideas of what he expects from a property, is also unaware of her deception, when he falls in love with the cottage she shows him, around the village green of Holly Cross, unaware that this is her last ditch attempt to bag that all important end-of-month sale. He is even more annoyed when he discovers too late, that despite him making it clear to Blythe just how much he dislikes the festive season, the cottage is located in one of the most Christmassy villages in the country, which regularly participates in a national Christmas competition, with each and every inhabitant being expected to take part in proceedings. Even more unfortunately for Sam, the previous owner of the property, an elderly gentleman called Murray, was one of the most staunch supporters of the HCCC (Holly Cross Christmas Committee), putting his own cottage up as a front and centre exhibit. So Sam is up against it almost from the very moment in September, when the sale finally completes and he moves in.
Blythe and Amir are in competition for most sales this month at the Happy Homes Estate Agency. The end of the month is near and Amir is one sale ahead of Blythe. She must sell one more place. 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. The village of Holly Cross was charming, and I would love to visit. It reminded me of a town where we stayed in Colorado. Maybe not to the extent of the Christmas decorations, but certainly the strong sense of community. The characters were all perfectly drawn to the point that I could almost feel some of the wonderful hugs that were passed around. However, I’m not going to discuss how delicious Norman’s sausage was! Blythe is an estate agent who lives in Holly Cross, a small little village that wants to be known as the most amazing Christmas village ever. When Blythe sells Sam, who unbeknownst to everyone, is kind of a Grinch, the house at the center of the village’s display, Blythe takes it upon herself to befriend Sam and turn him into a Christmas loving villager filled with holiday spirit like the rest of them. How the village and Sam learn to understand each other as they go through the course of the year and the holidays approach was really heartwarming. Blythe is an ambitious estate agent who is trying to beat her colleagues Amir for estate agent of the month. Therefore, she sells a rececent becoming available cottage to Sam Ashton, but the only problem is that he hates everything about Christmas. Blythe has to try to convince Sam to get involved in the community to become Britain's Most Christmassy Village. Will she be able to convince him?
The story really made you feel as if you were spending Christmas in a cosy village and it had a lot of funny scenes that had me laughing out loud on thr couch. Yes, it’s only July but I love Christmas romance books and read them year round. I also love British authors and recently discovered Bella’s books. A must read for fans of romance, Christmas, and fans of Bella Osborne. The Perfect Christmas Village was exactly the heart warming Christmas filled story I had hoped for. As far as the story goes, it really kept our interest - an elderly person going broke is not all that uncommon
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