Author: Helen J. Rolfe
Full of sparkling festive magic, Little Woodville is all set for Christmas…
Belle Nightingale hasn’t celebrated Christmas properly since she lost touch with her Gran and left the tiny village in the Cotswolds behind two decades ago. But back in Little Woodville to sell up and move on to start a new business venture with her boyfriend, Belle finds herself wondering whether her own dreams have been pushed aside in her quest to please everyone else.
The cosy cottage, nostalgia and her tenant Sebastian’s ties to her own family, bring a lot of emotions to the surface for Belle, particularly when she begins to form a bond with Sebastian who isn’t the old man she was expecting, but a tall, dark and ridiculously handsome man her age and with a very kind heart.
When the snow blankets the tiny village and Belle comes up against a community that pulls together to look after their own, she begins to discover the true meaning of Christmas and wonders whether it’s time to confront the past in a last attempt to bring her family back together.
Grab a hot chocolate and escape to the quaint Cotswold village and the thatched cottage where the perfect recipe for Christmas may just contain a whole lot of love, friendship and kindness. And it may just be everything Belle is looking for.
Find It On: Goodreads / Amazon
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Christmas at Snowdrop Cottage is my first read by Helen Rolfe. Since it looks like she has a ton of novels available, I cannot wait to read more in the future, especially as some of them are holiday reads. This story follows Belle Nightingale as she returns to the small town of Little Woodville where she hasn’t been in the past twenty years. After Snowdrop Cottage went into her name, she plans to fix it up and sell it, however, this plan is easier said than done. This sale would help her on her new business venture with her boyfriend. The current tenant, Sebastian, creates some kinks in her plans.
There is a lot of layers in this story. The first is Belle’s estrangement from her grandmother, who gave the cottage to Belle. As a child she used to visit her grandmother, but an event changed this relationship. The mystery of this situation was captivating as I, as a reader, was anxious to see what tore the family apart. While I enjoyed the mystery of this and learning about the family dynamic, it did feel a little underwhelming compared to what the writing seemed to build up. The second main one is Belle’s dreams as she reacquaints herself with the small town that she left behind. This one, for me, was the most enjoyable and relatable as sometimes memories can help trigger a change for the future. This was all well-done in the story and the writing itself was enjoyable.
The story was sweet, and I loved the beautiful setting. The writing is very descriptive, so it was easy to picture the scenery and small-town life. There is a lot of heart-warming moments in the story with some lovely characters. I love Belle’s journey to reacquaint herself with her past. This story was an easy read for a single sitting, and I look forward to reading more from the author.
chonkybooksreview.com 