Blog Tour - The Little Village Christmas by Sue Moorcroft

Today I am pleased to welcome Sue Moorcroft to my blog to celebrate the publication of her latest book, The Little Village Christmas. I really enjoy Sue's Christmas books each year and eagerly await each one. They often feature strong women with interesting careers and in this one we, the reader, are introduced to ALexia Kennedy, an interior designer. I was first introduced to this career watching Changing Rooms or other programmes where professionals are
brought into transform dreary drab rooms into beautiful living spaces. In The Little Village Christmas I think there is also an air of Challenge Anneka about it as local companies and residents are encouraged to help support her project. Another character within the book is Ben Hardaker, a man who works in the woods of the local big house, but it is also his pet, a cute owl he rescued with an injury, a broken wing, and who he is nursing back to health, although he can never be returned to the wild. 

Another fantastic element of the book is the village setting, Middledip, which readers of Sue's previous books will recognise and several previous characters return in this book too. 

As readers can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book and I don't want to give any spoilers away as I would love you all to get engrossed in the story too. Suffice to say this is a great book to start one's Christmas reading. I wish I could live in a village like Middledip and get involved in village life too.

The #1 bestseller returns with an irresistibly festive tale that you won't be able to put down!

Alexia Kennedy - interior decorator extraordinaire - has been tasked with giving the little village of Middledip the community cafe it's always dreamed of.

After months of fundraising, the villagers can't wait to see work get started - but disaster strikes when every last penny is stolen. With Middledip up in arms at how this could have happened, Alexia feels ready to admit defeat.

But help comes in an unlikely form when woodsman, Ben Hardaker and his rescue owl Barney, arrive on the scene. Another lost soul who's hit rock bottom, Ben and Alexia make an unlikely partnership.
However, they soon realise that a little sprinkling of Christmas magic might just help to bring this village - and their lives - together again...

Settle down with a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine as you devour this irresistibly festive Christmas tale. The perfect read for fans of Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley.

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN: 9780008260019         

    

Avon Books and Sue have very kindly given me a short extract from The Little Village Christmas to share with my readers. Enjoy ..............

Alexia settled on the rug with her back against an armchair so she could feed the dancing fire as Ben poured the whisky.

He settled himself against the opposite chair. ‘So you’re completely done, you and Sebastian?’

She was suddenly conscious that his legs had come to rest close to hers. She took a sip of the neat whisky, feeling its fiery kiss in her throat. ‘Completely. Jodie always said I’d settled for him because he was nice and kind. Maybe she was right.’

Ben snorted. ‘I’m pretty sure most men would hate that description. Might as well say “dull and boring”.’ His eyes glittered at her over the rim of his glass, the reflection of the fire flickering like flames in the whisky.

She took another sip, feeling lassitude weigh her limbs as it combined its effects with the beer she’d drunk earlier. ‘Aren’t you “nice and kind”?’

‘Not so you’d notice. Why did you “settle” for Sebastian?’ He shifted slightly and their legs brushed.

Alexia felt a tightness in her belly. Was he doing it on purpose? ‘The boyfriend before him was “high maintenance and awkward”. It was exhausting.’ She circled back to the question he’d side stepped. ‘I’d describe myself as “bright and bubbly”. Your turn.’

He screwed up his face in a mock-ferocious frown. ‘I’m “prickly and disorientated”.’ The frown faded. After several moments he added, thoughtfully, ‘And horny.’

Alexia, taking a sip of whisky, choked.

Ben flushed fierily, giving a laugh that ended on a groan. ‘And cringingly out of practice! Sorry, that was dire. Wipe it from your memory. I’ve obviously forgotten how to do this.’

Alexia giggled. Despite his show of embarrassment, she

noted that his gaze didn’t drop entirely, hinting that he was interested in her reaction.

His legs still grazed hers. Heat reached her through the fabric of their jeans, a heat Alexia doubted came from either stove or alcohol – though the latter probably encour­aged her to be more airily direct than she would usually have been. ‘You haven’t, erm, put in any “practice” since your marriage ended?’

He sobered. ‘I needed recovery time. And now I’m floundering.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘Hints and clues gratefully received.’

Alexia was entertained by his frank request. ‘Well,’ she mused, lounging a little more deeply against the armchair. ‘Bringing the tea and whisky on one tray was smooth but not pushy, allowing me the opportunity to choose whether to drink more alcohol. And mirroring the way I’m sitting is supposed to be the right thing to do to make me trust you, isn’t it? So you’ve got that right as well.’

‘Ticks in two boxes.’ His eyes smiled.

Alexia turned her expression reproving. ‘But, seriously, if you invite a girl home to see your barn owl, you really ought to have one.’

He jerked upright. ‘Barney! He’s in his box. I haven’t fed him yet.’

He dumped his glass on the tray, scrambled up and shot into the next room.

Rolling to her feet more slowly, possibly because the room was getting a little fuzzy, Alexia followed him into his kitchen in time to see him ease an open box of translucent white plastic out from under the counter. An indignant rustling came from within. Carefully, Ben posi­tioned the box on the red quarry tiles. ‘Alexia, meet Barney. Barney, you just wait in your tub for a minute while I get your supper. Alexia’s going to keep you company.’

Ben busied himself elsewhere in the kitchen while Alexia sank down beside the tub and peeped inside. ‘Ohhhhhh . . .’ she breathed. Peeping back was a pair of round black button eyes topping a hooked beak that looked way too big for the little plate-flat face and ball-of-fluff body. One wing hung badly, like an empty sleeve.

The beak opened and emitted a surprisingly loud HEHHHH, like gas leaking under pressure.

Delighted, she laughed. ‘You are so gorgeous.’ Extending a cautious finger, she touched the off-white fluff of Barney’s chest. ‘As soft as down.’

Thank you to both Avon Books and Sue Moorcroft for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.