Review: 'Willow Cottage - Christmas Cheer' by Bella Osborne (2016)

Beth is running away. With her young son Leo to protect, Willow Cottage is the lifeline she so desperately needs. Overlooking the village green in a beautiful Cotswolds idyll, Beth sees a warm, caring and safe place for little Leo.
When she finally uncovers the cottage from underneath the boughs of a weeping willow tree, Beth realises this is far more of a project than she bargained for and the locals are more than a little eccentric! A chance encounter with gruff Jack, who appears to be the only male in the village under thirty, leaves the two of them at odds but it’s not long before Beth realises that Jack has hidden talents that could help her repair more than just Willow Cottage.
Over the course of four seasons, Beth realises that broken hearts can be mended, and sometimes love can be right under your nose…
A few months ago I got the chance to read and review the first part of Bella Osborne's latest book series, 'Willow Cottage' (click here to read my review). I had pretty high hopes for the series, mainly because I really enjoyed Bella's novel 'A Family Holiday' which I got to read last year. Today I've got my review of part two to share, 'Christmas Cheer', which is focused on the winter holiday season. I was really looking forward to checking in again with Beth and Leo and see how they were doing in Willow Cottage and whether the holidays had any surprises in store for them!
Sometimes you simply need an escape from your life, to start over, and that is exactly the case for Beth. Together with her young son Leo she has run away to the small Cotswold village of Dumbleford where she has bought a cottage via auction, ready to build up a new life for the two of them. However, Beth gets quite a shock when she first visits Willow Cottage, which turns out to be more of a renovation project than she initially thought. The inhabitants of the village also appear to be a peculiar group of people at first sight, but Beth is not afraid to take on a challenge and decides to go ahead and just make the best of it for both herself and Leo...
'Christmas Cheer' is the second instalment of Bella Osborne's 'Willow Cottage' series, of which each part focuses on a different season. I was really excited to check out this one because I love Christmas-themed books and I enjoyed the first part of the series and was curious to read more. By now, Beth is slowly settling in in Dumbleford and Leo is making friends and enjoying his time at school. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done on Willow Cottage, though, but luckily Jack is there to help whenever Beth needs him. I quite enjoyed reading more about Beth, but also liked the fact that there was a focus on Carly, Beth's best friend, who is having some relationship troubles. This added a nice extra storyline to the read, which I enjoyed.
It took me a bit of time to get back into the story again, which is always the risk when a book is released in instalments. However, I quite quickly remembered what the story was about and loved being back in Dumbleford. I do have a slight feeling that, in the end, 'Willow Cottage' might be better as a full-length novel than a series of separate instalments, but we'll see! So far I am enjoying the series; 'Christmas Cheer' is another fun and interesting addition to the story, and I'm already curious to discover what's coming up in part three!

Rating:8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: 'Willow Cottage - Sunshine and Secrets' by Bella Osborne!

Beth is running away. With her young son Leo to protect, Willow Cottage is the lifeline she so desperately needs. Overlooking the village green in a beautiful Cotswolds idyll, Beth sees a safe place for little Leo.
When she finally uncovers the cottage from underneath the boughs of a weeping willow tree, Beth realises this is far more of a project than she bargained for and the locals are more than a little eccentric! A chance encounter with gruff Jack, who appears to be the only male in the village under thirty, leaves the two of them at odds but it’s not long before Beth realises that Jack has hidden talents that could help her repair more than just Willow Cottage.
Over the course of four seasons, Beth realises that broken hearts can be mended, and sometimes love can be right under your nose…
Not too long ago I had the pleasure of reading Bella Osborne's 'A Family Holiday'; a thoroughly enjoyable and simply wonderful read which I gave 10 out of 10 spoonfuls (click here to read my review)! To my surprise, Bella already has her next release ready for us in the form of a new four-part e-book series titled 'Willow Cottage', and I'm really excited to be part of the blog tour for the first instalment, 'Sunshine and Secrets' (which will be released by Avon on July 7th), today! I've had some good experiences with four-part e-book series (I'm a big fan of Cathy Bramley!), so I definitely had high hopes for this new one!
Sometimes you simply need an escape from your life, to start over, and that is exactly the case for Beth. Together with her young son Leo she has run away to the small Cotswold village of Dumbleford where she has bought a cottage via auction, ready to build up a new life for the two of them. However, Beth gets quite a shock when she first visits Willow Cottage, which turns out to be more of a renovation project than she initially thought. The inhabitants of the village also appear to be a peculiar group of people at first sight, but Beth is not afraid to take on a challenge and decides to go ahead and just make the best of it...
'Sunshine and Secrets' is the first part of Bella Osborne's new e-book series 'Willow Cottage', which consists of four separate instalments, and it's a promising start! This is quite a quick read, with ten relatively short chapters, in which the characters and the setting are introduced to the reader. The story is told from the perspectives of main character Beth and her best friend Carly, and I already like both characters and am curious to find out what is going to happen to them, particularly how Beth will fit in in the small town of Dumbleford. 
I love the familiar plotline of this new story (it's a golden classic that always works well in my opinion) and I really enjoyed the rural atmosphere. I have to admit that so far I'm not as swept away by the story as I was with 'A Family Holiday', where I immediately really warmed to the characters and I didn't want to put the book down. However, it is definitely a promising start and I'm really curious to see what is going to happen next and how the story is going to develop. 'Sunshine and Secrets' is a charming start to this new light-hearted and fun e-book series by author Bella Osborne and you can definitely count me in for part two!

Rating:8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: 'A Family Holiday' by Bella Osborne!

She’ll do whatever it takes to keep this family together…

As the nanny to four quirky but loveable children, Charlie French has learnt that if there was ever a cement shortage Weetabix would be a viable substitute and that YouTube videos can go viral in seconds, much to her horror. But, most importantly, she's learnt that whatever happens you stick together as a family.

When tragedy strikes, Charlie is forced to decide whether it’s time to move on or fight to keep the children she loves. With the distraction of the children's gorgeous Uncle Felix and the chance of a holiday in stunning Antigua, she’s left wondering if turquoise seas can wash away their present troubles. Is the pull of white sand beaches too tempting to resist or will paradise fail to keep them all together?

Last year I was introduced to author Bella Osborne when I got the chance to read and review her debut novel ‘It Started at Sunset Cottage’ (click here to read my review) which I really enjoyed. A few weeks ago I was contacted by Bella herself with the question of whether I would be interested to be part of the blog tour for her newest release ‘A Family Holiday’, and of course I said yes, so here we are! I’m incredibly excited to not only share my review of ‘A Family Holiday’ with all of you today, but I also have an exclusive guest post from Bella herself and a give-away for UK readers to win a special ‘A Family Holiday’ tote bag. Be sure to scroll down to go through all the blog tour content and visit some of the other blogs on the tour to get to know everything about this exciting summer release! 

Twenty-something Charlie French has made her fair share of mistakes in life, but starting working as a nanny for the Cobley family is definitely not one of them. Charlie loves the four kids with all of her heart, so when their parents unexpectedly pass away and a new guardian needs to be appointed, Charlie is anxious and unsure about what will happen to her. The only two possibilities are the kids' aunt Ruth, who seems to be more concerned with getting rid of Charlie than what is best for the kids, and their absent uncle Felix, who has built a life for himself abroad and isn't about to give everything up for a family he hardly knows. Charlie decides the best thing to do is to go on a family holiday with the kids; the perfect chance to relax and forget about everything that's been happening back home. Because even though Charlie doesn't want to think about it, this could be her last chance to spend some quality time with the kids she loves so much...

I was introduced to Bella Osborne's writing last year when I read and reviewed her debut novel 'It Started at Sunset Cottage.' I was curious to see what Bella would treat us to next and I'm happy to say 'A Family Holiday' has definitely managed to even exceed my expectations; what a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable read! I was hooked from the first few chapters onwards and the story managed to keep my full attention until the very last page. One of the absolute strengths of this book is the collection of characters; I simply fell in love with all of them. Protagonist Charlie is the kind of heroine you easily find yourself rooting for, she has a great best friend in the form of Fleur, and I loved how the four kids Ted, George, Eleanor and Millie all had their own personality and were very different from one another. A special mention goes to Millie who just cracked me up with all her great one-liners and actions; I really fell in love with her!

I want to applaud Bella Osborne for managing to make a great and convincing mix of humour, realism and emotions. The kids in this book have experienced something horrible and while they are still dealing with their grief, Charlie tries to help them in whatever way she can, and the story made my eyes water every now and again but also made me laugh out loud. If you ask me to describe what a perfect summer holiday read looks like, it's a novel just like this one. It really has everything I look for in an enjoyable romantic comedy read and it's the perfect read for a day at the beach or in the garden/park. 'A Family Holiday' is a stunning, well-written, warm-hearted book about family and friendship which I loved from start to finish; without a doubt worth picking up this summer!
Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher and author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Guest Post by Bella Osborne!

I'm really excited to welcome Bella Osborne to the blog today with a special guest post as a part of the blog tour for her new novel 'A Family Holiday.' In the post below you'll find Bella's answer to the following question: if ‘A Family Holiday’ were made into a film who would play the main characters?
I love this question because it does open up the idea that somewhere in a rose tinted future that could actually happen! So here are my thoughts on who I would like to cast:
Charlie - Emilia Clarke has starred in Game of Thrones and the film Me Before You. She is a versatile actress and with her big dark locks has the right look for Charlie and I think she could pull off Charlie’s strength, sassiness and stubbornness very well too.
Felix - Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey fame. He has the accent, the body, the blonde wayward hair and most importantly the stunning blue eyes! He also does pensive rather well, so a great choice for my male lead.
Fleur – Bonnie Wright. I am being led a little by the hair colour, to be honest, but I think now that Ginny Weasley is all grown up she could potentially make a good Fleur. We’d need Bonnie to show us her more ditzy side but I’m sure she’s more than capable of that.
Jonathan - Matthew Lewis. I know it’s another Harry Potter actor, for which I make no apology. Seriously - have you seen Neville Longbottom now he's all grown up! He reminds me of a young Jack Davenport, which was who I had in mind when I wrote Jonathan but sadly the lovely Jack would now be a little too old to play the role.
Ted - Rhys Matthew Bond. A young actor best known for the TV series The Ties that Bind and a great fit for the teenage Ted.
So there you have it my main cast for A Family Holiday now all I need is a Hollywood director to knock on my door – I can but dream!

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Give-away!

Be sure to enter the give-away below to win an exclusive 'A Family Holiday' tote bag! The give-away is UK only and will be open until Friday 1 July. Good luck to all! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: 'It Started at Sunset Cottage' by Bella Osborne (2015)

Kate Marshall is slowly getting her life back on track after losing her fiancé. As an author she has been able to hide herself away from the world and its expectations – but now one of her books has been optioned for a film and Hollywood suddenly comes knocking on her door!
When Kate is given the opportunity to stay at a beautiful country retreat and concentrate on the screenplay, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. Encouraged by her best friend, sharp-tongued single mum Sarah, Kate sees it’s finally time to stop letting life pass her by.
Looking for confidence and inspiration in the idyllic Cotswolds countryside, the last thing Kate expects is for Timothy Calder, A-list actor and leading man in the movie adaptation of her book, to turn up on her doorstep, hoping to lie low after his latest tabloid scandal! But after a rocky start, with Tim narrowly avoiding death by watering can, they find they have a few things in common: a liking for Lady Grey tea, walnut whips and bad ‘knock knock’ jokes. Actually, the bad jokes are just Tim.
As an unlikely friendship begins to blossom, and with circumstances repeatedly throwing them together, is Sunset Cottage where both Kate and Tim’s lives will really start?
As soon as I saw the book cover for Bella Osborne's debut novel 'It Started at Sunset Cottage', I fell in love with it. It's gorgeous and I love everything about it: the pink frame around it, the font, the little flowers, the colours... I also think the title promises a great story, so I definitely couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of the novel, which was released in February 2015 by HarperImpulse. So, lucky lucky me when I received a review copy of the book through NetGalley! Last week I finally found the time to sit down with it and couldn't wait to dive into Kate's story!
Kate Marshall has had a rough two years since she lost her beloved fiance. Since then she has been hiding away from the world, spending all her time writing, which wasn't too difficult to do as an author. However, one of her novels is going to be turned into a film and this seems like the right time for Kate to finally step back into the real world. In order to turn her novel into an actual screenplay, Kate is invited on a trip to the Cotswolds for a stay at Sunset Cottage. To her surprise, she is joined by famous actor Timothy Calder, who will play the leading role in the film and is hiding away from the paparazzi. Kate and Timothy develop a friendship, but how will things turn out when they get back to the real world? 
'It Started at Sunset Cottage' is Bella Osborne's debut novel and it's definitely a promising start which has already made me curious to read more of her writing. The book has an enjoyable storyline and quite a large group of characters at its core. There's main protagonist Kate Marshall, who has lost her fiance and is trying to move on; her best friend Sarah, a single mum to cute four-year-old Amy who is still dealing with her horrible ex-husband who keeps harassing her; Andy, the brother of Kate's deceased fiance and the guy who always looks out for Kate and Sarah; and there's Timothy Calder, the world-famous actor who is known as a playboy but might there be more to him than just that? I really enjoyed the various story lines and experiencing the story from different POV's. 
I easily warmed to both Kate and Sarah, and I was intrigued by their stories. However, I do have to admit I kind of missed the spark between Kate and Timothy, which forms part of the romance element in the novel. I just didn't really feel like we got to know Timothy as a character, which was a shame. I would not describe the book as just a romance read; it also has some mystery and intrigue, and this makes the book suitable for all kinds of readers. Overall, 'It Started at Sunset Cottage' is a light-hearted and enjoyable read, and a promising debut by Bella Osborne. I have a feeling we will get to hear more from her in the future and I'm already looking forward to it!

Rating:8/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.