Series:
Village of Christmas (Book 2)
Twenty-five-year-old Merry is escaping to the Scottish
Highlands for Christmas. Heartbroken by the death of her father, the man who
raised her single-handedly, she needs some time to heal. Hiding away at
Chestnut Cottage with only her Aunt Ava's menagerie of pets for company seems
like the perfect way to spend a peaceful December. But when she arrives, Merry
discovers some curious instructions from her aunt asking her to organise Secret
Santa gifts for the residents of Christmas village.
Merry's determined to try and carry out her aunt's
festive task. But on her first night in the little cottage, everything goes
wrong including upsetting the handsome local vet Theo Ellis-Lee when he arrives
to assist with a crazed turkey and the mischievous rabbit who's torn apart her
aunt's gift list. Merry is completely out of her comfort zone, and it doesn't
help that Theo is both infuriatingly cheerful and insanely attractive.
Merry's plans for a quiet break are quickly thwarted as
Theo starts coming by every day to check on the unruly animals, and she can't
deny he sets her pulse racing. And, one by one, the friendly locals draw her
out of her shell with cosy cups of tea, warm words, and laughter-filled
evenings in the pub. She finds herself embracing the challenge of finding the
perfect gift for each of the kind-hearted people on her list. When Theo offers
to help, sparks fly between them. But when the Secret Santa project forces
Merry to face her heartache, she's not sure she's ready for a fresh start.
At a crossroads in her life, will Merry decide to go home
and hide from her problems or will she open her heart and stay in Christmas
village?
Terrific book. I enjoyed revisiting Christmas village (
Christmas in the Scottish Highlands) and catching up with the villagers I met last year.
This year there are a couple of new residents: Merry, who has come to
house-and-animal sit for her Aunt Ava, and Theo, the new partner at the local
vet's office.
Merry was involved in a car accident two years earlier,
leaving her in a three-month coma. When she woke up, her three previously
overprotective brothers took their overprotectiveness to a new level. Needing a
little breathing room to reclaim her independence, Merry takes her aunt up on
the offer of her cottage in exchange for pet-sitting. Challenges and delays in
getting there meant Merry missed seeing her aunt by a few hours. Still, Ava
left detailed instructions, not only for the animal care but also for a Secret
Santa project that's been in the family for generations. Unfortunately for
Merry, her aunt's pet rabbit Chewy lived up to his name, and shredded/ate most
of the notes - including which villager gets which gift. Worried about the
rabbit after its misadventures, Merry calls the local vet.
Theo has only been in the village for two months and is
still getting to know people. He came to Christmas village after a bad breakup
looking for a new start. Theo is a big-hearted man who lives for caring for
others, whether they are animals or people. His former girlfriend took
advantage of him, leaving him determined to avoid getting involved with another
needy woman. Theo also has a younger brother, Jeff, who he raised after their
parents' deaths. Jeff moved to Australia, far away from Theo's oversight.
The first meeting between Merry and Theo doesn't go well.
Theo jumps to the conclusion that Merry is another one of those needy women
that he needs to avoid. Merry just wants to be sure the rabbit is okay and get
some information on how to care for the animals. Theo tells himself to give her
the information she needs and leave her alone, but he can't seem to stay away.
Before long, he's showing up at least once daily to check on Merry and the
animals. I liked watching Merry do her utmost to maintain her independence,
only accepting Theo's help when absolutely necessary.
Merry is also a writer working on a romance novel. Her
first attempt didn't go well, and she's having trouble getting her confidence
back. She had planned to hole up in the cottage and write, but her need to
figure out the Secret Santa recipients forces her into the village. I loved
seeing her drawn into village life. Belle, a primary school teacher, invites
Merry to speak to her third graders about writing as they work on their
Christmas stories. I loved her interactions with the children and seeing how
they helped Merry find her writing mojo. I especially enjoyed their suggestions
on how to make her story better. Those same children opened Merry up to getting
to know their parents.
Theo quickly discovers that Merry has something to do
with the Secret Santa mystery. He knows she will not accept any overt offers to
help, so he finds subtle ways to expose her to various villagers, enabling her
to make the connections herself. The more time he spends with her, the more he
realizes she is the opposite of needy. I enjoyed seeing how he supported her in
her goal of reclaiming herself. Merry, who initially thought that Theo was just
as overprotective as her brothers, soon sees a different side to him. I liked
seeing her soften her independence just a little bit and accept the occasional assistance
from him.
Merry's brothers were over-the-top in their attitudes.
Calling her multiple times a day, telling her she's not safe on her own and threatening
to come to Christmas village to stay with her make her more determined to stand
on her own. When they get to Theo, asking him to spy on her for them or they
will come up, Theo is caught between a rock and a hard place. If he doesn't
agree, she will lose out on all of the progress she has made. But if he does
agree, he becomes part of the problem. I felt for him and the dilemma he faced,
knowing that no matter what he did, it would come back and bite him.
I loved watching Merry's growth over the month she was
there. Her confidence grew steadily from dealing with the animals to figuring
out the Secret Santa thing. I loved following her writing adventures as her characters
grew along with her. I ached for her feelings of betrayal when she found out
about Theo and her brothers. Theo had her back even there, and I loved his
conversation with her brother Noah. It takes some self-reflection, but Theo and
Merry discover that there's nothing wrong with accepting help when you need it
and that helping each other makes them stronger.
I loved the final scene with the Secret Santa gifts. Their
work was clearly successful, and there were even a couple of surprise gifts!
I hope there will be another Christmas village book
next year.
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