View source for The Little Village Christmas by Sue Moorcroft

{{infobox1
|title= The Little Village Christmas
|sort=Little Village Christmas
|author=Sue Moorcroft
|reviewer=  Denise Ramsay
|genre= Women's Fiction
|summary=A hearty dose of Christmas cheer and romance. Definitely worth curling up with on a cold winter's night.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=368
|publisher=Avon
|date=November 2017
|isbn=9780008260019
|website=http://www.suemoorcroft.com
|video=
|cover=Moorcroft_Little
|aznuk=000826001X
|aznus=000826001X
}}

'Tis the season to be jolly, eat too many mince pies and read books with titles like ''The Little Village Christmas''. And so we come to this latest offering from the ever popular Sue Moorcroft. I am unashamed to admit that I have rather a penchant for ''Christmas'' books and look forward to indulging in them each year. This year being no different I was greatly looking forward to some literary Christmas magic - and frankly if you can take the romance of Christmas and ramp up the nostalgia by inserting a village setting I am more than happy to leave my cynicism behind to wallow in some festive sentimentality.

The plot for the book is straight out of a Christmas cracker. Middledip is a quintessential English village and takes pride of place at the heart of the book. We come to meet the villagers after months of fundraising fever, endured in an attempt to give the village its own community café. Disaster strikes and panic ensues however, when every last penny of the money raised is stolen. Enter Alexia, a talented interior decorator who with her wiles - and more than a little assistance from the ever present and ever gorgeous woodsman Ben - works hard to give Middledip their café in time for a splendid Christmas opening.

It is easy to get lost in the fervour of the villagers at Christmas and I found myself genuinely anticipating the opening of the new community café. Unsurprisingly however, it is with the developing relationship between Alexia and Ben where most of the enjoyment of the book can be found. A love story it isn't. At least, not in traditional terms. The romantic in me hankered after something a bit more traditional - longing glances across a room, unspoken and unfulfilled desire, secret meetings at the village square - I could go on! This romance had more of a modern edge, not least due to the feisty and assertive nature of Alexia who possesses an independence we have come to expect of our modern leading ladies. The fact too that Ben and Alexia's relationship is explored within the confines of deadlines and career opportunities highlights a more modern approach to romance - as does the rather descriptive quality of the love scenes! (blush). Nonetheless, the fun comes in rooting for the hapless couple and enjoying the tension of the festive 'will-they-won't-they' dance.

For me, the best Christmas books are unapologetic. There is no such thing as too much mistletoe and magic as far as I'm concerned and sentiment should absolutely be the order of the day. Whilst Moorcroft offers a rather more tapered version of this Christmas ideal, I did thoroughly enjoy ''The Little Village Christmas'' and was definitely left with a warm and fuzzy festive feeling!

If you enjoyed ''The Little Village Christmas'' and wish to wallow some more in all things Christmas then look no further than Jenny Colgan. I would recommend [[Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan|Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop]] and [[Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan|Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery]] to get you in the festive spirit.

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