The Christmas Fayre on Holly Field by Lilac Mills
Harriet is facing her second Christmas on her own since her husband walked out. With little child support, she’s struggling to manage financially, not helped when daughter Sara is invited to a posh birthday party and needs a new outfit.
When Owen, a passionate environmentalist and popular blogger, overhears Harriet bemoaning her situation, he challenges her to only buy second-hand until Christmas, and Harriet accepts. What she doesn’t know is that Owen is reporting her journey anonymously to all his followers…
Though the challenge is proving successful, it’s not without its troubles. Can Harriet really keep her children and bank balance happy this way? As Owen’s feelings toward Harriet deepen, he begins to panic about the blog – how will she react when she finds her life documented online?
Foxmore’s inaugural Christmas fayre is fast approaching and will either be the toast of the town – or the downfall of their relationship.
A festive romance with buckets of heart, for fans of Holly Martin, Jessica Redland and Sue Moorcroft.
Review
‘The Christmas Fayre on Holly Field’ is a perfect read for this time of year but is also thought-provoking at the same time! Despite not reading a lot of romance it turns out I love reading it when it involves Christmas. This is the first book that I have read by the author but I will look out for her new releases, especially those in this series as I totally fell for the village of Foxmore!
Harriet is facing her second Christmas on her own since her husband walked out on her. With little or no child support she is struggling to make ends meet. When Owen, a passionate environmentalist and blogger, overhears her conversation bemoaning her situation, he challenges her to buy only second-hand goods till Christmas. What she doesn't realise is that Owen is blogging about the challenge to all of his followers. Though the challenge is proving to be successful, there are stumbling blocks and Harriet needs to balance both her purse and her children’s expectations. Will she complete the challenge?
Harriet was a great protagonist and reminded me slightly of my mum in places! We grew up poor due to her ill health and I remember having second-hand clothes and a veggie diet as that's all we could afford. Therefore, I really resonated with this book and the message at its core. That materialism is killing our planet and we should be looking at preloved goods when we can! A lot of my clothes are preloved and as a vintage bookseller on eBay, I totally subscribe to this message. The relationship between Harriet and her kids was a delight to read and they came across as a happy and secure unit.
This was a cosy and fun read, perfect for this time of year. I raced through it in one sitting and I was engrossed right to the end! The pacing was spot on and had a distinct voice in the narrative. Also, Owen can come and cook me a meal anytime he wants!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
