EXCERPT: The office was empty and the street outside was quiet as most people had rushed home to enjoy another glorious summer's evening. But Blythe wasn't joining them. She was stubborn and wasn't going to give up just yet. She checked her phone for the umpteenth time: still no reply from the young couple. The only other vague possibility was Mr Ashton. The client she'd had on her books for almost five months and who had never actually visited any of the properties she had suggested. She was going to give him one last try.
Blythe went through the property portfolio and packaged up the best homes that ticked Mr Ashton's numerous 'must have' boxes and she pressed send on the email. She made herself a coffee, figuring this would give him enough elapsed time before she called him.
She dialled Sam Ashton's number and with each ring her optimism lost another life like a hero dying in a computer game.
'Don't go to voicemail,' she whispered, in the hope the God of property sales was looking kindly on her.
'Sam Ashton.'
Blythe threw up her free hand in delight before focusing hard.
'Hi, Mr Ashton. It's Blythe Littlewood from Happy Homes estate agents. I'm sorry it's late, but -'
He spoke over her. 'Sorry, I'm in the middle of some -'
'That's fine. I don't need your time now but I do need it tomorrow,' she butted in. Keen not to lose her opportunity, she spoke as fast as she could. 'I've just sent you a fabulous selection of our top properties, which all meet your exacting criteria. You're going to be spoiled for choice. So have a look tonight and we'll talk offers tomorrow. I'll come into the office specially.'

ABOUT ' THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS VILLAGE: 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...

MY THOUGHTS: I usually enjoy Bella Osborne's books, but The Perfect Christmas Village left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

I really didn't like the main character, Blythe. While she might see herself as an honest estate agent with scruples and a conscience, that's not how she comes across at all. She railroads Sam into buying a house in Christmas-mad Hollycross - the decorations on the houses have to be coordinated - even though he has told her he detests Christmas without revealing to him that Hollycross is known far and wide as the Christmas Village and that participation is mandatory. She could see no further than winning some award that she has won for goodness knows how many years in a row, but the competition for which is currently being led by another agent. Grow up Blythe!

This story is full of the competitive spirit with none of the joy or spirit of Christmas in evidence. Blythe continually lies to and manipulates Sam without any real thought for his feelings. And it is not just Sam Blythe lies to and belittles - she does it to almost everyone and still comes out on top.

There are a couple of other threads running through the book - a mystery about the previous owner of the cottage Sam purchases and the paternity of Vicky's child. I can't say I enjoyed either of these.

My favorite character was Turpin the feral cat, although he didn't get it right either, attacking Sam rather than Blythe.

Sorry, but I didn't enjoy this at all.

⭐⭐

#ThePerfectChristmasVillage #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: I've been jotting down my stories for as far back as I can remember... well that's not exactly true. I remember writing a story when I was about nine and I was in Mrs Hurran's class. The story was about a thief who stole the crown jewels but then didn't know what to do with them. It went on for pages and pages, in my spiders dance handwriting, so my teacher typed it up and pinned it to the classroom wall. It was a proud day!

Somehow life took over, I got a sensible job and the writing remained a hobby which other people puzzled over and which I adored. Over the years there have been dalliances into poetry, short stories and five unfinished novels. But I decided that 2013 would be the year that was going to change. I joined the Romantic Novelists Association New Writer Scheme which gave me a deadline to chase - a full-length novel had to be completed and submitted for review by 31st August. I beat the deadline by a month!

In my spare time I love to read, cook with my daughter, plan holidays and rehabilitate rescue hedgehogs.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Aria & Aries for providing a digital ARC of The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I combined reading and listening to The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne. The audiobook was well narrated by Helen Phillips.

The Perfect Christmas Village was published October 20, 2023.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances I was unable to download and review this book on time. That said, I have since purchased this book and have read it, there fore would still love to complete this review.

This was the perfect little book to give you all those Christmas feels. Blythe and Sam had just the right amount of chemistry to make the story believable and kept you wanting to read on and finish their story

Sweet book, a little slow to start but a good embodiment of Christmas spirit!
I have enjoyed several books by this author.

I had high hopes for this book having read multiple books by this author and also being a huge Xmas book fan. I am pleased to say that this did not disappoint.

It was funny, heart warming, festive and romantic. A joy to read. Really enjoyed it, thank you.

"The Perfect Christmas Village" by Bella Osborne is a heart-warming holiday tale that captures the magic of Christmas in a charming English village.

When Christmas-hating Sam unexpectedly finds himself living in the picturesque village of Holly Cross, he is less than thrilled. Little does he know, Holly Cross is famous for being the most Christmassy village in the country, and Sam's arrival threatens to disrupt the town's chances of winning the coveted title.

Osborne's storytelling is delightful, blending humour, romance, and holiday cheer in equal measure. As Sam navigates his newfound surroundings, he discovers that there is more to Holly Cross than he initially thought, and perhaps even Christmas has its charms.

The characters are endearing and relatable, each with their own quirks and desires. From Blythe, the determined real estate agent, to the villagers who rally together to save their beloved Christmas traditions, readers will find themselves drawn into the heart-warming community of Holly Cross.

"The Perfect Christmas Village" is a festive treat that will leave readers feeling warm and fuzzy inside. With its enchanting setting, lovable characters, and uplifting message, this novel is the perfect read to get into the holiday spirit. Whether you're a fan of feel-good romances or simply love the magic of Christmas, this book is sure to leave you smiling.

The whole premise of a village preparing for a huge Christmas display, involving much of the houses, lends itself to the story so well. Centred on the community, you feel the coming together of the village as they look out for each other and work together to make everything perfect. Everyone is invested except for Sam, who has recently moved into the village. You have to wait to find out why he is so opposed to Christmas.

Blythe has been desperate to prove herself as a successful business woman and you realise that her father is at the root of her insecurity. In her step-father and father, you are presented with two different approaches to fatherhood and the value of a loving, accepting family. There is plenty of humour in the story. Turpin, the almost feral cat, provides plenty of laughs as does the various house hunters and house sellers who Blythe has to try to accommodate. There are also some touching moments, especially when you realise why the Christmas competition is so important to the village. This is a delightful festive read, in all, full of feelgood moments, humour and romance.

In short: Countdown to Christmas

This book was actually really good however I think the only thing that let it down was how rushed it felt. I actually wish this book had been longer to develop all the stories going on properly or cut the friends story which really didn't make a big impact on the overall story and her plot really happened off screen (as they say).

Good book, bit rushed but full of potential.

I have read a few Bella Osbourne Books and love her writing style, Who doesn't want a perfect Christmas village for crimbo? Great story with love and community spirit. A recommended read.

A quick festive read. This made for a great palate cleanser but didn’t knock my socks off. It marked all of the boxes for a festive read but lacked the magic to bring it to the next level.

A fun Christmas read. Blythe, a hard-working estate agent, is looking for recognition at work. Trying to boost her sales figures, she is economical with the truth when selling a picture-postcard cottage to Sam. The cottage, complete with resident cat, is in a village keen to win the national title of 'Perfect Christmas Village' with Sam's cottage on the green central to the villager's plans. Sam, who hates Christmas, refused to join in... and Blythe is left to sort out the mess! 'The Perfect Christmas Village' is a lovely holiday escapist read.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

A perfect festive read full of cozy charm and well rounded characters. Grab a. Hot chocolate and a blanket and snuggle in for this winter treat.

The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne is an absolutely feel-good festive treat to curl up with this Christmas. This book will transport you to a world where love and holiday cheer are all around.

Meet Sam. He hates Christmas and has just moved to Holly Cross. He thinks he's found the perfect home, until he discovers that Holly Cross transforms into the most Christmassy village in the whole country. Every year.

Meet Blythe. She is one sale away from being Real Estate Agent of the Month. She twists the truth to sell a home to city boy who is looking for the perfect house in the perfect location.

Holly Cross's chance to win the title of Britain's Most Perfect Christmas Village is now in jeopardy, and the villagers are soon up in arms. As the festive season looms, maybe there's more than just Christmas in Holly Cross for Sam to fall in love with… will this Christmas cynic have his frozen heart melted by festive magic?

Osborne weaves a heartwarming tale of love, community, and holiday magic. The charming setting, quirky characters, and delightful storyline make it a perfect read for the holiday season. If you're looking for a book that captures the spirit of Christmas, this one is a delightful choice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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.

Lovely read, heart warming and fun throughout. Perfect for the Christmas and any other season! The village setting is idyllic with lovely characters. Lots of mini stories within the main one and they dove tail together perfectly. Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley

The community spirit displayed in this book was good. I wasn’t too keen on the main character Blythe. She was annoying along with Leonora. They were a bit too fanatic about Christmas. Besides these little quirks, it was entertaining.

Pay no attention to me, sitting here requesting a Christmas rom-com due to the adorable cover alone. What is a description anyway? Although, if the cover was not enough to hook me, the description definitely would have! A Christmas grumpus is tricked into moving to the most Christmassy village in England? Surely holiday cheer must ensue and our former grouch can learn to love his new village and embrace the spirit of Christmas! Did I just write the plot of Hallmark movie? Quite possibly.

While The Perfect Christmas Village should have been just the warm and fuzzy read I needed it to be, the villagers and the novel left me feeling cold. The village made our Christmas grumpus Sam out to be the villain and forced Christmas on him. Not everyone embraces Christmas and those people should be accepted for who they are, rather than being forced into celebrating a holiday that may be painful to them. Also, the dual pov typically works for me, but rather than having Sam’s pov, we got Blythe’s friend…which seems like it was not entirely thought through. While I do enjoy Bella Osborne’s novels, sadly this one will not being making it to my Christmas collection.

*Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Great festive read, heart-warming and full of romance!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

A perfect end to my Christmas reading. Bella filled this book with her usual humour and Christmas spirit.
A beautiful story of The Perfect Christmas Village. Blythe is a local estate agent who is desperate to sell one more property to win the highest sales, when she meets Christmas hating Sam she finds herself being liberal with the truth about the Village.
Christmas is a massive part of the Holly Cross Community and can that change the way Sam feels about Christmas.
A lovely festive book.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC Of this book.

The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne has the most beautiful festive winter wonderland cover and between that cover you will find the most delightful Christmas read which was entertaining and heartwarming. This is a book to make you happy and feel all festive but alongside the humour (which there was plenty of) there were a few more serious issues to be dealt with as well but everything balanced itself out perfectly. The characters, the setting and all the little Christmas details are just brilliant and it’s not long before you are wishing that you to could visit the village of Holly Cross and enjoy everything that it has to offer. For you soon come to realise that Holly Cross is not only about Christmas but a community that gives people a purpose. It provides a chance to get together and to support one another and create something special that benefits others.

Holly Cross turns into a winter wonderland every year and the village raises money for charity. Everyone always pulls together to make the village the best that it can be and there are a whole host of special and unique characters that work diligently to achieve this. There is Norman, the local baker, two elderly sisters that live in Rock Cottage, Leonora who spearheads the Christmas committee, Sarvan and Jassi from the Highway Inn and the two main characters of the book Blythe and Vicky alongside many more. But this year there is an absence in the village as their dear friend Norman has passed away. They wonder who will buy his cottage and if they will be up for participating in the Perfect Christmas Village Competition which they are determined to win. Plans have been set in motion and in the months leading up to the festive season there is a flurry of activity to transform the village to make it the most Christmassy village in the country.

Blythe is an estate agent who is in a completion with fellow co-worker Amir to secure the most sales every month for a year. By doing so she hopes to gain a promotion from boss Ludo but Blythe is angry when Amir is given the job of office manager and wants to try and out do him. She tries to sell Norman’s cottage even though she doesn’t exactly know who now owns it. A deal is soon struck with a man named Sam who provides props for films and tv series but there is one major stumbling block. Sam detests Christmas with every fibre of his being and that is a huge problem considering the village is about to engage head on with preparations for the Christmas competition.

Sam instantly came across as someone who preferred his own company just wanting peace and quiet and to avoid all things Christmas. He is angry with Blythe that he was apparently hoodwinked when buying the cottage, not being told how big the village goes in for Christmas. How can they win the competition if Sam refuses to decorate the outside of his house? It will be like a black hole amidst the village where every inch of it is adorned with lights, trees and decorations. Blythe has a huge challenge on her hands to make Sam change his mind and in one way I totally understood why she wanted to do this but on the other I thought she was putting unnecessary pressure on Sam as there must have been a very valid reason for the stance that he took and when this is revealed later on in the book you do fully understand but also wish that things could have been different for him.

Blythe in my mind had only her own interests at heart when selling the cottage to Sam, that being the competition in the estate agency office but soon she came to realise there is a more personal, human and emotional side to this deal. She devises a subtle plan to gradually introduce Sam to village life in the hopes that he will take part in the Christmas festival. We read about Halloween, pumpkins, trick or treating and Bonfire Night and admittedly I was wondering at this point when would a more Christmassy feeling develop. But when it did it was full on Christmas and I loved every minute of the madcap exploits and activities that occurred in the village.

There was a Christmas Fayre, Christmas tree auction and a Sexy Santa Auction which was just pure genius and provided plenty of laugh out loud moments and I was thinking god this should be an activity that is run somewhere every year. For despite its simplicity it was a highlight of the Christmas festivities. As the weeks pass by and things between Sam and Blythe thaw a little you could see the tiniest of sparks igniting between the pair but given how much of a polar opposite viewpoint they each have when it comes to Christmas I wondered whether anything could happen at all between them? I didn’t like Blythe at the start simply because of her actions regarding the house sale but as the chapters flew by I really warmed to her and in a way she was trying to right a wrong whilst still doing the best for the village which meant so much to her.

Vicky is the other female protagonist in the story and at times I thought she got too much of a focus as initially she was more like a sidekick to Blythe. But over time she grew on me. She is a single mum to daughter Eden and she works in a candle factory but has set up a dog walking business to try and earn more money as things are quite tight. Herself and Blythe are best friends and they confided an awful lot in each other. But in the lead up to Christmas an ex of hers Owen starts poking his head in her life again which stirs unwanted emotions and memories which she would rather keep buried and just keep moving on with her life. She had loved Owen but she had messed up their relationship and with his reappearance a whole can of worms is once again opened up and she has to battle on knowing that one way or another the truth will have to out at some stage. There is a connection there with him as she had deeply loved him but at the same time she finds him extremely irritating and he definitely was anytime that he featured. Will things resolve themselves for Vicky or has she erected too many barriers around herself for them to be broken down?

The Perfect Christmas Village was a great book that by the time I reached the end I was sad that it was over and I was left with that feeling of wanting more. I’d love to revisit these characters again perhaps to see how they are getting on in the summer but that’s just a wish of mine but in the meantime this is the ideal read to enjoy as you relax over the festive season and it’s definitely one of the Christmas books not to be missed out on this year.