Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn by Jessica Redland

Being a big fan of Jessica Redland, I was thrilled to hear her new book was out. I loved her Hedgehog Hollow series and while Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn is a standalone, it has some characters in common. The main character here is Barney, whose sister is Fizz – an important person in the Hedgehog Hollow books – so it’s great to be able to follow some of your old friends (and hedgehogs!), while meeting new ones.

The chapters are written from the viewpoints of Barney and Amber.

Barney is in his early thirties and a farmer in the Yorkshire Wolds, where he lives with his two Border Collies, Bear and Harley. His farming lifestyle seems incompatible with long-term relationships and at the start of the novel, we meet his girlfriend Olivia, though it seems it’s going to be another temporary thing. Barney’s dream of settling down and starting a family seems a long way away…

Amber is 34 years old and a television producer of Countryside Calendar. Her father and brother Brad are actors, her mother is a TV presenter and her little sister Sophie (23) is just returning to acting after a break following a traumatic event.

When Fizz suggests Barney apply to go on a new reality TV show about farmers looking for love, he isn’t keen initially, but he is persuaded to give it a go. Meanwhile, Amber is offered a chance to work on a new reality TV show called Love On The Farm.

I really enjoyed getting to know the new characters in this story. Barney is a real sweetheart, I love how devoted he is to the farm (I love the names of the fields!) and you’re rooting for him from the start. His family are lovely, but so too are the film crew – Amber, Zara and Matt – though the same can’t be said of those above them…

The story is really easy to get into and the characters were soon happily living in my head, as I followed their lives. Even though it’s a good-sized book of around 400 pages, I enjoyed it so much that I kept going to my Kindle and I read it in a few days.

It hit the perfect balance in every way – it’s well-paced, fun with some serious bits (sob), has just the right amount of characters, a good sprinkle of flashbacks and enough action and interest to hold your attention throughout.

Another triumph from Jessica Redland!

BLURB

Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn

Welcome to Bumblebee Barn, home to wonderful animals, stunning views and spectacular sunsets – and resident young farmer, Barney.

While Barney loves his life at Bumblebee Barn – a farm that has been in his family for generations – he’s struggling to find someone to share it with. The early mornings quad biking through muddy fields and the long hours looking after the crops and animals are proving to be a deterrent to finding love.

So when his sister, Fizz – desperate for Barney to find his soulmate – sees an advert for Love on the Farm, a new reality TV show to help farmers find love, he has nothing to lose by applying. Afterall, he isn’t meeting anyone suitable down the traditional route and surely he won’t be picked anyway…?

Thrown into the chaos of reality TV, Barney could never have expected that his whole life would be turned upside down, with buried secrets to be uncovered and his heart on the line. With his family and friends rooting for him, could the magic of Bumblebee Barn heal his broken heart and help him find love on the farm?

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3Nq8mOD

Author Bio –

Jessica Redland writes emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast where she lives with her husband, daughter and sprocker spaniel. Her Hedgehog Hollow series, set in a hedgehog rescue centre, takes readers into the beautiful rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.

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