My enormous thanks to Georgia Hill for sending me a copy of New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure to share that review today.

I can’t believe it’s over 7 years since I last read anything by Georgia! It was back in 2016 that I reviewed While I Was Waiting in a post you’ll find here.

Published by Bloodhound, New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage is available for purchase here.

New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage

Christmas is the perfect time to fall in love. . .

The little English town of Lullbury Bay is a magical place to spend Christmas, and for Honor Martin it is the high point of her year.

However, newcomer Jago, doesn’t share her merry mood. After the devastating loss of his father he’d be happy to never hear another Christmas carol again.

But to help his little sister replace bad memories with good ones, he reluctantly joins in the festivities. As he gets to know her teacher, Honor, could she be the one to restore his love of Christmas?

My Review of New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage

Avril, Jago and Merryn are starting a new life.

What a thoroughly lovely story. New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage is the tale of a fresh start and the impact of the past on who we are today, all wrapped in romance and Christmas making for an interesting, entertaining and absorbing read.

The Dorset coastal setting is so well described by Georgia Hill as she places her reader right in the centre of the run up to Christmas. All the senses are catered for with wonderful food and drink, biting cold, raging seas and the touch of comforting hands so that there’s a smashing visual quality to the writing that feels immersive and convincing.

I loved meeting all the characters. There’s a real sense of community and yet everyone is distinct and appealing. The narrative is lightened by Merryn’s occasional malapropisms, and I found myself thoroughly respecting Avril as she starts over again. However, it is Jago and Honor who hold the reader rapt. I so wanted them to be together but you’ll need to read the book to find out if my wishes came true. Interestingly, I have absolutely no interest in religion, but the vicar Verity truly lived up to her name, enabling others to see the truth in their own lives without her pushing any particular religious belief so that I received the same kind of comfort from her that Jago finds. 

There are dramatic moments to the plot, but I thought the real attraction of New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage came through the underpinning emotions and concepts. Indeed, alongside the exploration of family and the potential for cosy romance, Georgia Hill considers weightier themes that add depth, layers and interest. At the heart of New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage is grief, a sense of responsibility and what it means to be true to yourself and honest with others. These concepts are beautifully and sensitively handled so that there’s much to think about whilst being absorbed in an entertaining, Christmassy story with a festive atmosphere created partly through a cracking playlist woven into the action.

New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage is charming, heart-warming and multi-layered story imbued with the real meaning of Christmas – love, hope and family. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

About Georgia Hill

Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and up-lifting contemporary and timeslip romances about love, the power and joy in being an eccentric oldie and finding yourself and your community. There’s always a dog. It’s usually a naughty spaniel of which, unfortunately, she has had much experience. She lives near the sea with her beloved dogs and husband (also beloved) and loves the books of Jane Austen, collecting elephants, Belgian chocolate and Strictly Come Dancing. She’s also a complete museum geek and finds inspiration for her books in the folklore and history of the many places in which she’s lived.

She’s worked in the theatre, for a charity and as a teacher and educational consultant before finally acknowledging that making things up was what she really wanted to do.

She’s been happily creating believable heroines, intriguing men and page-turning stories ever since.

For further information, follow Georgia Hill on Twitter/X @georgiawrites, find her on Facebook, or visit Georgia’s website.