Welcome to the gorgeous little Scottish village of
Christmas, where snow is falling, presents are being wrapped and the locals are
writing their festive wish lists. Will this finally be the year that Belle's
dreams come true?
Thirty-year-old Belle Albany is feeling lonely this
Christmas. Another whole year has passed and her life is… exactly the same as
it was last December. She longs for true love and a little bit of winter magic
– but she's almost given up on finding it in the sleepy Scottish community
where she lives…
When Belle crashes into elderly Edina on her cherry red
bicycle, it's not the meet-cute she'd been hoping for. But she immediately
recognises the lost look in Edina's watery-blue eyes and resolves to organise a
Christmas to remember for them both – brimming with mince pies, mulled wine and
lots of sparkle. Although Belle hadn't counted on Edina's home being a
crumbling Scottish castle and she certainly hadn't been expecting Edina's
handsome long-lost grandson Jack Hamilton-Kirk to turn up on the doorstep in
the middle of a snow storm…
Jack is arrogant, rude and bossy and Belle is convinced
he's about to ruin the seasonal cheer she has worked hard to create. He's
basically the Grinch in human form, so why does her heart race every time they're
in the same room? They disagree on almost everything, from menu choices to
music, and yet she starts to glimpse a softer side hidden behind Jack's clipped
words and brooding countenance.
As they hunt down costumes for the annual nativity show
and save a donkey from a snowy disaster, Belle can't ignore their growing
attraction. But will a secret from Jack's past come between them? Or will this
finally be the year Belle falls in love?
Good book. Thirty-year-old, single, primary school teacher Belle
lives in Christmas Village, a tiny town in the Scottish Highlands. A caring,
compassionate woman, Belle tends to put everyone else's needs before her own,
often leaving no time for herself. As the book opens, Belle feels a little
out-of-sorts because nothing in her life seems to change. But as she rides her
bike home from school one day in the snow, she accidentally runs into elderly
Edina Lachlan, causing an injury to the lady's ankle. Determined to make
amends, Belle offers to stay with Edina and take care of her while she heals.
Edina is a sweet and feisty woman who has lived alone in
Evergreen Castle since the death of her curmudgeonly husband. Her daughter,
Tara, lives on Skye, runs a donkey refuge, and rarely visits. Edina recently
reconnected with her grandson, Jack, who only just found out she was still alive
but hasn't visited yet. She loves having Belle stay with her, especially when
Belle's class comes to visit.
During one visit, the children write letters to Santa,
and the adults do too. When Belle ends up with Edina's letter, its contents
inspire her to make Edina's wishes come true - without giving away how she
knows about them. I loved seeing how Belle involved others in helping and how
her actions encouraged Edina to become part of village life again. One of the
first wishes to come true was for Edina to dye her hair pink. It's around this
time that Edina's grandson Jack shows up for that long-delayed visit.
A successful London divorce lawyer, when Jack learns of
Edina's injury and Belle's moving in, he cynically believes Belle has nefarious
intentions. He rushes to Evergreen Castle, sure he'll find Belle in the process
of stealing anything not nailed down. At the same time, he thinks Edina
shouldn't live there alone and wants her to move to a retirement home.
The first meeting between Belle and Jack doesn't go well
as each is suspicious of the other. Jack doesn't trust women at all, thanks to
his father. Belle thinks Jack wants Edina out so that he can have the castle
and her money for himself. I loved seeing Belle slowly draw Jack into
everything from Edina's Santa list to the school's Nativity play. It isn't too
long before both realize that they may have misjudged each other. The more time
they spend together, the more the attraction between them grows, but their
trust issues may prevent anything from coming of it.
Complicating matters, Belle attempts to end the
estrangement between Jack and his mother, Tara. I wanted to shake Jack for his
obstinate refusal to even listen to Tara's side of the story. A confrontation
between Jack and Belle over his stubbornness ends with them having to face some
uncomfortable truths. It takes an eye-opening conversation with his best
friend's soon-to-be-ex for Jack to see the benefits of looking at things from
another's point of view. I liked the ending as both Jack and Belle face their
pasts, and in doing so, overcome the obstacles that kept them from having the
future they wanted.
The romance between Jack and Belle isn't the only one
going on. Belle's friend, Kenzy, has been crushing on local handyman Logan for
a long time. But Kenzy believes love doesn't exist thanks to her family
background, and Logan doesn't do casual affairs. I loved watching his gentle
way of chipping away at her walls and Kenzy's bewildered reaction to his
refusing to take what she offers.
I also enjoyed the various aspects of village life. When
a family loses their rental lease right before Christmas, Belle lets them have
her house while she stays with Edina, and they search for a new place to live.
Everyone jumps in to help Belle make Edina's wishes come true. Local curmudgeon
Tavish steps up to carry Edina up and downstairs while she's healing. I got the
feeling that there was a very subtle romance going on between those two. I
especially enjoyed the villagers' support of Edina staying in her home when
word of Jack's plan got out. I loved how so many people got involved in making
the school's Nativity play happen.
The secondary characters added to the richness of the
story. Besides Tavish, Logan, and Kenzy, one of the most important ones was
Tara. My heart broke for her as more of her backstory came out. She wants to
reconcile with Jack, but standing up to his anger doesn't come easy. The
various children in Belle's class were adorable, and I liked how each one found
the perfect role in the play. My favorite secondary character was Bob, Edina's donkey.
He made me laugh with his frequent walkabouts as he searched for friends. I
also loved how he attached himself to Jack.
No comments:
Post a Comment