Book Review: Bella’s Countryside Christmas by Claire Huston

I’m pleased to be welcoming Claire Huston back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Bella’s Countryside Christmas.

An uplifting festive romance perfect for fans of Hallmark Christmas movies and authors such as Phillipa Ashley, Trisha Ashley, Sue Moorcroft, Rebecca Raisin and Donna Ashcroft.

Fleeing her heartache and horrendous job, Bella stumbles upon a December wedding in the beautiful village of Haileybrook and the spirit of the season moves her to act as a fake date to handsome stranger Jack.

Jack and Bella hit it off, but Bella has to leave in a hurry and their magical evening soon becomes nothing more than a blissful memory.

A year later, Bella is returning to Haileybrook, seeking a fresh start and a quieter life. With a new job close to her cosy cottage home, a peaceful Christmas is surely only days away.

But it’s not long before family surprises, small-town feuds and romantic drama disrupt Bella’s plans, and she has to wonder if being alone is what she really wants for Christmas …

*****

Bella’s visit to Haileybrook was meant to be quick. However, when she meets Jack, the night ends very differently to what she expected. When they meet again a year later, it’s not plain sailing. Can Christmas work its magic on Bella’s life or has she made a big mistake?

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Claire Huston back to Novel Kicks and I jumped at the chance to be part of the blog tour for her latest book, Bella’s Countryside Christmas.

I love this cover. It’s so beautiful and really helps set the festive tone. This continues from the first page to the last as we get to know Bella. She, hands down, has to be one of my favourite fictional characters. Her love life aside, she really doesn’t take any **** and has confidence in situations I could only dream of having.

Jack is also a character with many layers and the relationship between he and Bella was an interesting one. The supporting characters were also great. I’d not read the novels featuring some of the recurring characters in this book but this can be read as a standalone. I have become a fan of these people and will therefore be adding previous novels to my TBR list for sure.

The story is intriguing with twist, turns and a mystery thrown in. There were moments where I was laughing out loud and others that had my heart bursting. The themes, including heartbreak and family issues are woven with care throughout the narrative and had me reading well into the night. I grew very attached to these characters. I also loved the fact that this was set at Christmas. It has me wanting to put up my Christmas Tree (the husband says no which I think is mean. Haha.)

Bella’s Countryside Christmas is a beautiful, uplifting, festive love story that I enjoyed from the first page until the last. This is one that should be on your Christmas book list.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.) 

About Claire Huston –

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire, UK with her husband and two children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but sometimes need a little help to realise it.

A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for over a hundred sweet treats at clairehuston.co.uk. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

Say hello to Claire by clicking here. 

Bella’s Countryside Christmas is part of the Haileybrook Village series and was released on 18th September 2024. Click here to buy.

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.