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This is full of festive charm and the joys of the season, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every word. Definitely one to put on your Christmas reading TBR this year. 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. In a Nutshell: An imperfect Christmas story. Could have been really good had the characters behaved better. Not my favourite Bella Osborne work by far.
Blythe has to sell one more house to become real estate agent of the month so she bends the truth to sell a new house to city boy Sam. The sale works itself out – with a bit of a mystery attached – but Sam, who hates Christmas with a passion, is horrified to find that he’s moved somewhere that’s in contention for the title of the UK’s Most Perfect Christmas Village, with a community for whom success means so much and whose efforts are managed with military precision by the redoubtable Leonora, with firm plans for his house to be the centrepiece of their display that it’s always been. When he absolutely refuses to engage, Blythe doggedly sets about trying to change his mind – with an adopted semi-feral cat (the wonderful Turpin) who needs feeding, she’s a regular visitor, chipping away at his reluctance to join in, their friendship growing as she begins to find that he’s not quite the miserable so-and-so he at first appears to be. botox physician - to the point that her appearance distracted big time from what was going on. To Hallmark's credit, though, they gave Marlo a lot to do in this movie. The rom is almost invisible. Sam and Blythe are at loggerheads with each other, until they suddenly aren’t. There’s no mention of attraction, there’s no friendship that slowly warms up to something deeper, there’s no “sparks flew” meet-up. No build-up at all! Basically, it is like a Sophie Kinsella novel, where the idiotic self-centred heroine can do what she wants without any concern for others, and the good guy still falls in love with her. So unfair and unrealistic!I enjoyed all the activities in the village from the pumpkin carving, fireworks and amongst others of note the Sexy Santa dinner, which I would have loved to have been at in person! 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… 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! A heart warming cosy read, perfect for curling up with a hot chocolate and losing yourself in the spirit of Christmas.
Blythe lives in the village of Holly Cross, succeeding in work she needs to sell just one more house to top the monthly sales chart. To do so she doesn’t tell Sam the whole truth about the cottage in Holly Cross or the villages passion for Christmas, and later finds out that he hates Christmas. This doesn’t go down well in the village, and they all expect Blythe to turn this around in time for the festive season. 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. I love Holly Cross, it’s residents, I love how infectious their enjoyment of the Christmas period is, their passion for all things seasonal is so cute I want to go join them. Sam and Blythe’s story is just so lovely, it’s lighthearted abd full of great humour, the witty banter was fabulous. The supporting cast of characters, the community play just as important a part in this story and I love that so much, because who doesn’t love reading about feisty friends and neighbours, wondering and hoping if your favourite supporting character might get their own story one day. 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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Of course, this is only a romcom, so I can’t really expect much on character development and festive accuracy. So let me gauge it as a romcom. Basically, there are a few good holiday moments herein, but on the whole, it was a meh experience for me. I’d rather read Jaimie Admans, who does a much better job at handling holiday romances in vivid settings. Holly Cross felt very pale in comparison to the stunning locations Admans envisages in her novels. 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.
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