Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
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.
#netgalley
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.
#netgalley
