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 …

This standalone festive romance is set in the village of Haileybrook. The Haileybrook stories can be read in any order.

We meet Bella, while she is attending a works function in the Cotswolds. She decides to visit a local church nearby in the village of Haileybrook where she had planned to get married, that was until her relationship ended with her ex-boyfriend Ethan after he called the wedding off.

As fate would have it, she encounters a falling Christmas tree and a handsome man named Jack. Bella learns that Jack is there to attend the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Ashley, and his date hasn’t turned up, so Bella comes to his rescue and agrees to be his date for the duration under the alias Helen Snow.

However, after having the best time, Bella has to rush off to help her sister Summer, and doesn’t get the chance to say goodbye to Jack or even exchange phone numbers.

Fast forward a year and having had enough of her London life and job, Bella is back in Haileybrook taking a new job as Finance Manager at the Brookfield Park retirement complex. Little does Bella know that Jack (known as John) also works there as a handy/odd job man. When they set eyes on each other again, Bella is met with a frosty welcome and Jack seems to hold a grudge over what happened 12 months ago.

As they set about working together and helping the community can Bella explain why she left and will Jack warm up to Bella and the reasons behind her sudden departure?

I thoroughly enjoyed this festive treat, Claire Huston had a way with her characters that made us fall in love with them. Both Bella and Jack were lovely people and they certainly deserved a second chance. The community as a whole added depth to the story and who couldn’t help falling in love with the village of Haileybrook?

I liked the way the first part of the story told us how the couple first met and then the second part brings us up to the present day. The story is full of festive feelings perfect for snowy days and cosy nights in front of the fire under a blanket. Bella’s Countryside Christmas is one book you won’t want to put down once you start, so grab a copy today!

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire, UK. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but sometimes need help figuring that out.

A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in her first novel, Art and Soul, on her website along with over 150 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.