Book Extract: Wildflower Park: Build Me Up Buttercup by Bella Osborne

Published January 2, 2019 | By Laura

Happy New Year everyone.

It’s lovely to be welcoming back Bella Osborne to Novel Kicks (we’ve missed you,) and the blog tour for the first part in a four-part serial, Wildflower Park: Build Me Up Buttercup.

Life’s not always a walk in the park…Escape the everyday with Part One of a brand-new four-part serial from the author of Coming Home to Ottercombe Bay.

Anna thought she’d found The One… until he broke off their engagement exactly one year before their wedding day. Now faced with a different type of countdown, Anna moves into her own place on the edge of the gorgeous Wildflower Park, hoping that a bit of greenery and a fresh start will do her the world of good.

With a little help from her good friend Sophie, a no-nonsense rescue cat and an attractive new work colleague, Anna is doing well moving on with her life… until her ex fiancé is hired into her team at work. But that proves to be the least of her worries, because she’s been swept off her feet by someone she really shouldn’t be falling for…

As much as she needs a new beginning, can Anna overcome her the difficulties in her past that prevent her from moving forward?

I have reviewed the novel below but first, Bella and Avon have shared an extract from part one of Wildflower Park: Build me up Buttercup. Enjoy.

***** beginning of extract*****

Seven o’clock came and Anna checked her mobile. She wanted this to be over. She wanted Liam to come in, take his things and go with as little small talk as possible. She was moving on with her life and this was a key milestone along her journey. The knock on the door made her jump and she shook her head at her own silliness.

‘Hi,’ she said, opening the door. Liam appeared relaxed and casual, the polar opposite of how she was feeling. ‘Come in.’

They walked through to the lounge and Anna pointed at the box of random items. ‘Here you go. I think that’s everything.’

‘This is nice,’ said Liam, having a good gawp around the room.

‘Thanks,’ said Anna. She wanted to pick the box up and thrust it at him but she wouldn’t be so rude.

‘So,’ said Liam, rubbing his hand across his chin. ‘Have you been okay?’

‘Yes, terrific, thanks.’ She said it too enthusiastically and Liam looked a little taken aback. Or was that hurt?

‘Oh, that’s good.’ He pursed his lips. Liam wasn’t paying attention; he was still inspecting the room and it annoyed her.

She wondered why he wasn’t just taking the box and leaving. He sat down on the sofa. Her sofa. Anna folded her arms. ‘Did you want a coffee or something?’ she asked out of politeness, which irritated her further. She was so British.

He smiled and she wondered why. ‘A coffee would be great – or something stronger. Have you still got the bottle of Châteauneuf you took?’

***** end of extract*****

My verdict on Wildflower Park: Build Me Up Buttercup.

Anyone else got the song in their head now? Haha.

Anna, having recently been dumped by her fiancé, has decided to focus on her career rather than love. She has moved into a small home on the edge of the exclusive Wildflower Park and loves everything about it. The last thing she wants is love. This is not made easier by her new handsome co-worker and mysterious texts from a stranger.

Sophie (Anna’s neighbour and work colleague,) is a stressed out mother of two. Her children are a source of new swear words and her husband is a constant frustration.

Sophie and Anna have one another and the sanctuary of Wildflower Park. Can they both find happiness?

Welcome back, Bella. I know that I could be seen as a little biased but I adore settling down somewhere comfortable and delving into one of Bella’s novels.

Immediately, I loved Anna. She is shaping up to be a wonderful, relatable main character. She has found herself alone yes but she is trying to make the most of the situation.

Sophie is a character that makes me want to reach into the novel, give her a hug and tell her that ‘you’re doing an amazing job.’

Hudson is a little bit of an enigma in this part of the novel. I don’t know what to make of him. I am also intrigued to find out who Anna’s mysterious text man is.

As this is only part one, I don’t want to give too much more away but I think it is an excellent beginning and I can’t wait to read part two, which I am hoping will be sooner rather than later.

An honourable mention needs to be made for this book cover. Just stunning.

Wildflower Park: Build me up Buttercup is part one in the Wildflower Park series. It was released by Avon on 28th December 2018. Click on the picture below to view on Amazon UK.

About Bella:

Bella has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full length novel.
In 2016, her debut novel, ‘It Started At Sunset Cottage’, was shortlisted for the Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year and RNA Joan Hessayon New Writers Award.

Bella’s stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She likes to find the humour in the darker moments of life and weaves these into her stories. Her novels are often serialised in four parts ahead of the full book publication.

Bella believes that writing your own story really is the best fun ever, closely followed by talking, eating chocolate, drinking fizz and planning holidays.

She lives in The Midlands, UK with her lovely husband and wonderful daughter, who thankfully, both accept her as she is (with mad morning hair and a penchant for skipping).

For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com
Say hi to Bella on Twitter – @osborne_bella