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The Dressmaker's Secret by Susanne Dunlap #Review

We are diving into the past to the nineteenth century with the Regency romance, The Dressmaker's Secret Earl by Susan Dunlap . It was published by Comfortable Prose Publishing on 25 Mar. 2025 .   A marriage of convenience to a scoundrel? Not if Augusta can help it. The impoverished daughter of a baronet, Augusta has no intention of being bartered away like a prize horse. Instead, she flees to London, determined to forge her own path as a modiste. But fate has other plans. On her very first day in the city, she crosses paths with a brooding earl—one burdened with a clubfoot and a reputation nearly as scandalous as the proposal she ran from. His captivating sister, Mariana, is not only Augusta’s employer’s best client but harbors a secret ambition of her own: to marry the one man society deems wholly unsuitable. Drawn into Mariana’s reckless schemes of masquerades, cross-dressing, and Whig intrigue, Augusta soon finds herself entangled in more than just scandal—she’s lo...
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The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne #Review

 

Today we have a lovely festive tale from The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne which was published by Aria on 20th October 2023.


When Christmas-hating Sam moves to Holly Cross, he thinks he's found the perfect home, until he discovers that, each year, Holly Cross transforms into the most Christmassy village in the whole country...

Blythe is just one sale away from being Real Estate Agent of the Month, so she twists the truth to sell a home to city boy Sam, who is looking for the perfect house in the perfect location. Little does he know he's just bought a cottage in the middle of the most Christmassy village in the country. And if there's one thing Sam loathes, it's Christmas.

Sam's arrival puts Holly Cross's chance to win the title of Britain's Most Perfect Christmas Village now in jeopardy, and the villagers are soon up in arms. Meanwhile, Sam is in his own personal hell surrounded by fairy lights and everyone is looking to Blythe to fix things.

But as the festive season looms, maybe there's more than just Christmas in Holly Cross for Sam to fall in love with...

My Thoughts

The whole premise of a village preparing for a huge Christmas display, involving much of the houses, lends itself to the story so well. Centred on the community, you feel the coming together of the village as they look out for each other and work together to make everything perfect. Everyone is invested except for Sam, who has recently moved into the village. You have to wait to find out why he is so opposed to Christmas. 

    Blythe has been desperate to prove herself as a successful business woman and you realise that her father is at the root of her insecurity. In her step-father and father, you are presented with two different approaches to fatherhood and  the value of a loving, accepting family. There is plenty of humour in the story. Turpin, the almost feral cat, provides plenty of laughs as does the various house hunters and house sellers who Blythe has to try to accommodate. There are also some touching moments, especially when you realise why the Christmas competition is so important to the village. This is a delightful festive read, in all, full of feelgood moments, humour and romance.

In short: Countdown to Christmas

About the Author

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. Since then she’s written nine best-selling romantic comedies, two best-selling bookclub reads and won the RNA Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year Award.

Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She lives in Warwickshire, UK with her husband, daughter and a cat who thinks she’s a dog. When not writing Bella is usually eating custard creams and planning holidays.

For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com or follow her on social media.

 For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com follow her on Twitter - @osborne_bella or Facebook ur TikTok

Book links: Amazon UK |  Kobo |  Apple

Thanks to Bella Osborne, Ariw and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
 
Check out the rest of the tour!
 
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