The Big Little Festival

Rabbits Leap #2

by Kellie Hailes

Love happens when you least expect it…
Jodi is panicking. It’s only weeks until her little village in Devon holds its first ever festival and everything is falling apart.

Desperate to avoid disaster, she brings in notorious party planner Christian to save the day. Although she wasn’t prepared for just how gorgeous he wuold be!

Men are off the cards for Jody and surely Christian is the last man she would ever date? But with tensions rising – along with the bunting and homemade scones – she’s about to find out…

Perfect for fans of Caroline Roberts, Cathy Bramley and Heidi Swain.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit

242 pages, ebook

First published July 19, 2017

Reviews

[Dash fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4☆ Fun, feel good story, with a good sprinkle of romance!

This is the second book in the Rabbit's Leap series. Which can be comfortably read as a standalone book. Although some of the characters make a return it's a new story and new characters.
You won't want to miss!

First of all I want to start by saying how gorgeous is this cover??
 It oozes Summer and plenty of fun!
So eye catching.

I love Kellie's style of writing. It's fun  humorous, and she makes it so easy to relate to the characters and fall in love. Kellie knows just how to charm her readers. I was really looking forward to this book and it didn't disappoint.

The Big Little Festival is a beautiful, fun, Easy to read book, with a good sprinkle of romance, community spirit, friendship and humour.

Jody is single parent to twin boys.
She decides that she wants to give something back to Rabbit's Leap by rebuilding the village swimming pool, she calls upon the very handsome Christian to help her, who is also a very talented event planner from London.

They decide that the best way to raise funds for the pool is to create a festival for the village.
I mean how hard can it be to organise a festival and look after Twin Boys!!

Christian isn't exactly winning over the villagers. But Jody is determined not to give up.

I admired her strength and determination to make something special for the villagers of Rabbit's Leap she adores so much.

Christian and Jody have a very obvious spark. It's lovely to see Jody slowly letting her guard down and trust.
Christian is an interesting character. He keeps his cards close to his chest... But just what is he hiding!

I thoroughly loved being back in Rabbit's Leap. There is something quiet special about the characters who live there.

If you adore summer festivals, and love a fun romance, accompanied with plenty of humour and cheekiness from two twin boys. Then this book is most definetly for you!

I received this book from the Publisher for free via Netgalley, in which I voluntarily reviewed.

You can also find my review on My Blog: http://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2017/09...

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - "Second chances are a funny thing..." Stars!

We return to the village of Rabbit’s Leap and it’s quirky residents with the second book in Kellie Hailes’ series of the same name.



The Big Little Festival takes cultured polished townie Christian Middlemore, and throws him in the path of single mother of twins Jody McArthur.

I fell in Love with Rabbits Leap and it’s inhabitants when I read The Cosy Coffee Shop of Promises and Kellie, gives good secondary character again with this story. I really liked Christian, event planner extraordinaire, has been hired by Jody to take over the organisation of the festival and try to bring together a cohesive plan for the town’s involvement. The cause it is in aid of is something that is very close to her heart as the funds raised will go to the reparation and reopening of the local swimming pool.

No. Men. Allowed.
Not until her boys were men…

Jody was a bit of a struggle to warm too, everything started out pretty well, and she’s a character that was involved in the first book so you have her basic background and know what she’s about from that. My problem is that I struggled with the way she treated Christian, I understood her being wary of men and reluctant to start a relationship with him, if you took into account of the way she fell pregnant and also with the way her father treated her, but I don’t think that actually justified some of her reactions towards him, the way she treated him, especially in the latter stages of the book.

Why did he have to be so thoughtful… On top of good to look at.

It felt like as a reader we were expected to just accept her being so unreasonable and in parts a total bitch because of her past, and it just didn’t feel warranted in the levels it was dealt out. Especially as by this point Christian has put his heart and feelings on the line (who also has a pretty sad back story) then takes the brunt of everything. The division of responsibility felt awfully one-sided to me, and the reconciliation between them lost a little of its gravitas because I wasn’t sure I really wanted them to finish the book as a couple.

That-said it wasn’t a struggle to read, Jody’s twin boys Tyler and Jordan added a bit of humor and lightened up some of the drama with their inclusion, it was also good to get some involvement from Tony and Mel (The Cosy Coffee Shop of Promises) as well as the town and resident of Rabbits Leap in general. The third book in the series takes us back for Christmas, with Christmas at the Second Chance Chocolate Shop due for release late on this year, and I look forward to reading it.



ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

From the first few lines, I was reminded what I liked so much about Kellie Haile’s first book, which was the sense of humour and her writing style. I was smiling and giggling throughout this book at plenty of witticisms and some of the things the children came out with.

For Jody is a single mum of 9 year old twin boys and has closed her heart off to finding a man ever. She is also determined to make up for an error in her past for which she fears the whole town of Rabbit’s Leap would hate her for, if it was every made public. As a result she is determined to organise a fundraising festival to rebuild the pool in the village.

Just one thing, with 3 weeks to go until the festival all the committee made of her and two of the towns busybodies have agreed on is welly wanging. Enter Christian a proper event planner, who has some great ideas for turning the Rabbit’s Leap festival into the biggest little festival ever, well once he can get anyone in the town onside.

This is the second book set in Rabbit’s Leap and despite there being some familiar characters if you read the first book, this can easily be read as a standalone novel.

I really loved how devoted Jody is to her town and her children, and just how hard she attempts to fight some of the most obvious chemistry I’ve read about! Jody’s past was very interesting and she has some good motivations for acting the way she does. I also quite liked seeing just what Christian was hiding, as he also wasn’t quite as straight forward as you may think.

The Big Little Festival will certainly put you into an upbeat small town festival mood, and feels like a great story to read in the summer. I am already looking forward to my return to Rabbit’s Leap in the Christmas book, and curious to see whose story we will be learning this time.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[ItaPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this book thanks to its sunny and lovely cover and I don't regret it because the story inside is a very good one.

The Big Little Festival was mostly a funny and light hearted read, but I've also appreciated when at times it shows some much deeper emotions,giving the characters more depth.

I really liked Kellie Hailes writing,she totally got me hooked on the crazy villagers of Rabbits Leap and I can't wait to read more of their stories.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute, sweet read! Perfect way to while away an afternoon with a cup of tea and a choccy biscuit. I really like the setting, I wish Rabbits Leap was real!

[Frenchorchidea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second part of the "Rabbit's Leap" series is very good! I really enjoyed reading it! It's again (like the first part) a page turner, the characters are really likeable and a lot of people can recognized themselves in the issues raised in this book. I couldn't stop reading this book, I gave it a 5 stars out of 5. I even surprised myself to laugh out loud a couple of times which I love when it happens when reading! Thank you Kellie Hailes!

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read 50 pages.....The two main characters are at logger heads over who gets to organise the festival ...yawn. just painfully slow, Possibly gets better but I have over 200 books to be read and not enough hours to read so had to be brutal and give up on this one! sorry Kellie Hailes

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I want to say how much I loved this book cover.  It is so eye-catching and adorable.  Second this is the first book of Kellie Hailes that I have decided to read and I found it to be a sweet cozy little romance.  A feel good read that you would like curled up in a hammock outside swinging in the spring breeze.  

The story takes place in a little town called Rabbits Leap.  Jody is running the committee for the town festival and is drowning.  She hires Christian an entertainment planner to come in to assist her.  But when Christian shows up and tries to take over, she immediately regrets the decisions.  She wasn't prepared for how cute he was or how well he interacted with her twin sons.  With the pressure closing in and the time-table running out she is starting to wonder if this was a bad idea.  Will Jody and Christian be able to pull off this festival?  Will she let down her walls and let him in?

These characters made this book.  From the snarky adorable twins, to Christian and his suave ways of talking people into things.  Jody is such an amazing woman raising two twin boys on her own with no family but her brother and best friend.  Scraping to get by.  She wants to give back to the town that has been there for her since her family died leaving just her brother and the twins.  Christian in the beginning seems to be only out for his self but he shows more of his true side as the story goes on.  

This is a fun read with loads of quirky fun.  It is cozy with a refreshing feel.  Full of humor, fun and lots of love.  I believe that you will fall in love with the folks of Rabbits Leap and come back for more.

*ARC provided by Neverland Book Tours and Kellie Hailes

[Sara Eames · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into this one

[Gaele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbits Leap is coming up on the 500th anniversary of its name, as the citizens were promised freedom from the deluge of Rabbits that had overrun – with a tip / trick and promise from the Marsh fairy…. A Pied-Piper like parade was organized to play the Rabbits out of town, and the town earned it’s rather unusual name, without the apostrophe. Local resident and sister to pub-owner Tony (we met him in book one) Jody has decided the 500th anniversary is th best time for a festival that will, hopefully bring in enough money to repair the community pool, trashed several years back. Now with twin boys of 9, she’s taken on the role as head of the committee, after having organized weekly bingo nights and jumble sales to put toward the repair fund. But, with just three weeks to the big day, and things still not really firm, she’s hired an event planner to help her wrangle the event into existence: with her own money.

Christian answered Jody’s request for an event organizer, perfect timing as his own last event turned into a mess, and running away before the news broke and his career is scuttled seemed to be the perfect option. However, he didn’t expect to encounter such resistance to his dictates, nor such difficulty in keeping the committee of three in line: not to mention the electric connection he has whenever he is near Jody.

What a clever choice for a second couple. Jody has been single-minded in her determination to be all things for her boys, ignoring any sort of frivolity or emotional connection to anyone she’s not had around for years. A holdover from her reaction to her father’s emotional distance after her mother’s death: Jody prefers to stay in a controlled and safe little box, away from the dangers or hope that new people and relationships may bring. For his part, Christian has always felt the sting of his parent’s disappointment with his career choice of event planning over law, and they never have let him forget it. While their own relationship is more business than love, their personal interactions are few and not without strife, leading him to believe that love is unnecessary, relationships are trouble, and no one sticks around anyway. Why everyone can see the sparks and attraction between these two BUT these two is amusing, and the moments of them slowly revealing little secrets and taking chances are wonderful. Of course, they both make huge blundering mistakes, retreating to old patterns and comfort zones that never quite fit just the same as they did before. When you mx in the boys, the support from the town for Jody and the acceptance of Christian despite his very different look and city ways.

What emerges is a little town full of gossip, interference and caring- in equal measures whether you want it or not. There is a sense of home and acceptance here, and even as that neighbor drives you around the bend, you know that when things are rough they are there for you. One of those stores that makes you want to chuck it all in and find an eccentrically named town with a centuries old legend, buysbody neighbors and a giant rabbit cum jungle gym/ slide at its center.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

J0dy hires a bigwig to help organise the Rabbit's Leap festival. They are raising money to repair the local swimming pool. Christian has some great ideas and the sparks soon fly between the two. It was lovely to return to Rabbit's Leap and feel as though you are amongst friends again. They go on several trips to source items for the event and she gets the locals on board making miles of homemade bunting to decorate the village.
It's a real feel good book with a lovely romance and plenty of heartwarming friendship and village busybodies.

[Grass monster · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blurb :
With only weeks until the little Devon village of Rabbit’s Leap holds its first ever festival, Jody McArthur is desperate. She – more than anyone – wants to raise the funds to rebuild the local swimming pool and when she fell pregnant with her twin boys, it was the village who was there to support her. So, to stop disaster in its tracks, she brings in bigshot London events manager Christian Middlemore to make The Big Little Festival the huge success everyone deserves.
But Jody is totally unprepared for the impact reserved-but-gorgeous Christian has on Rabbit’s Leap – and her heart! Except Jody has avoided relationships for so long, and anyway, she’s sure romance between a country-born-and-bred single mum and a career-focused city boy would be impossible – wouldn’t it?
As tensions rise along with the home baked scones and miles and miles of bunting, Jody is about to find out!

My Thoughts :
The Big Little Festival is the second book in the Rabbit's Leap series. It can be read as a standalone although some of the characters make a return in the story and its nice to of read a bit about them before.
Jody McArthur, is a single mum to twin boys Tyler and Jordan. Jody wants to give something back to Rabbit's Leap by rebuilding the local village swimming pool, with the help of handsome event planner Christian, they organise a festival in just 3 weeks.
There is an obvious spark between Jody and Christian, but as Jody is sworn off men, will she let her guard down and can Christian work his charm on her and the villagers?. I really like this couple, Jody is down to earth and relatable, she is very determined and wont let anything get in her way. I really enjoyed reading about some things that happened in the past for both couples. This is a feel good story with some fun and humour. Kellie Hailes, kept me hooked throughout. Love this village and its occupants.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a lovely story from start to finish, plenty of drama and emotion within it's pages.

I found it to be relatively well written with some interesting likable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Jody and Christian, seeing them interact and how things developed between them. It certainly wasn't smooth sailing that's for sure as both of them let their past history/past mistakes constantly get in the way of their potential future. Not to mention Jody's two twin boys, who have their own special parts to play throughout the story.

It was also great to be reacquainted with previous characters Tony and Mel from book 1, getting a glimpse of how they were both getting on.

I liked the character of Jody's best friend Serena, and so I was delighted to discover that she get a story of her own which is told in book 3 of this series, so I'm definitely looking forward to reading that real soon.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute book. It is part of a series but can easily be read as a standalone. The cover is just so pretty and to be honest it was nice to escape back to summer for a while now that the cooler days are here.

A fairly short read that is so easy to lose yourself amid some humour, romance and fun. Likeable characters, fresh full of community spirit.

I love the rabbit connection, a village overrun with the furry critters prompts Jody to arrange an event to repair the swimming pool as a gesture of good faith. The event planner Christian is the object of interest for Jody .. sit back and enjoy some sweet entertainment.

The Big Little Festival is sure to appeal to anyone who likes a good rom com.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Neverland Blog tours for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful beach read, or Hygge read in front of a fire.

I really enjoyed how the story between the two protagonists unfolded, with lots of stops and starts. Just like in real life - that's what made the story so endearing. It was not all "Love and Lust at first sight", they took their time to grow a flame out of this kindling fire between them.


My review is based on a NetGalley ARC provided by the publishers.

[Noemi Proietti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jody’s whole world revolves around her two nine-year-old twin boys. She wants to be a good mother to them and for this reason she has given up on men and dating. Christian is the best event manager in London and works non-stop, but a mistake drives him away from the city and to the small town of Rabbit Leap to help Jody organise the town festival that will fund the renovation of the community swimming pool. Soon, Jody’s man ban is under threat as Christian finds the small-town atmosphere and family life more attractive thanks to the beautiful single mother. They both want to prove something to themselves and to others and the ride won’t be easy.

Ranging from family to love and friendship, the plot is entertaining and romantic with funny moments and witty dialogue. The characters are colourful, engaging, and will make you laugh out loud. I liked how Jody and Christian annoy each other but also can’t hide their attraction causing hilarious scenes. The second book in a series, I really enjoyed this novel and I look forward to get my hands on the other two books.

[Shreya Ganju · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.25*
A feel good & easy to read book.

Helped me get out of my reading slump

[Emma Harvey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had potential, but I felt like some important moments were skimmed past and not written in the most effective way. It's hard to explain. Also, I feel like I should have realised it's the second in a series, as there was reference to the past, and I had no idea what that was about either!

[Ala · Rating 1 out of 5]

‘And you're beautiful when you're angry. And when you're not.
Well there goes my heart again, falling for yet another Christian.

1 star for the beautiful writing style and the colourful, vivid image the words painted, and Christian.

Lively village. Big hearted villagers. Drama queens. Butchers who are real softies on the inside. Farms. Broken pools. Single mother. Career oriented hero. Closed-off main characters. And one Big Little Festival.

This was a soothing and comforting read. But I felt some real angst at the beginning when the entire village and Jody were giving Christian a super hard time at the village. Anyways eventually the villagers warmed up to Christian, and so did Jody.

But Jody never really trusted Christian. I get where she's coming from. Troubled childhood, acting out as a teenager, gets knocked up with twins by a one night stand who made her feel like she was more than just that, eventually getting your heartbroken to finally reach the conclusion that it's always better to close yourself off from people around you. That's one way to protect your heart. But what didn't sit well with me, was Jody was a very bitter character. People after people in the book kept telling that she was a feeler and that she was too much of a warm, caring and a big hearted person, but that was only what the others were telling. She was never a warm person— well except with her twin boys. She was especially meaner to Christian, when most of the time he was only doing his job.

Also the relationship between Jody and Christian? Christian was always the one doing all the working and putting in all the efforts and placing in all the trust. Jody pretty much always kept things to herself, shut him out and either bolted or chased him away at the first sign of trouble. The only exception would be when Jody tells him her big little mistake in the past, but he holds onto his secret without telling her.

But when he finally does tell her she gets crazy mad at him and screams at him to leave the village. Which was some serious double standards, considering Jody's history wasn't the prettiest. Like sure he had made a mistake, but it was truly an accident. At least it wasn't something he intentionally did out of anger (which was the case with Jody).

The entire time Christian was at Rabbits Leap, he was very respectful of Jody and very caring and responsible of her kids. But she never appreciated him or even acknowledged his efforts. She kept blaming him and getting mad at him for one thing after the other. To put it in simpler words, she was being a total ungrateful bitch to Christian.

And I especially hate her for screaming at Christian in front of a fair lot of people, when she learns of his secret. And I hate her even more when she rejected his work and sent him packing. He's literally mentioned how he's always been rejected by his family members and this idiotic lady right here, if she had any bit of humanity in her she wouldn't have rejected him the same way without a second thought, without even getting to the bottom of the story. And even after he leaves, she keeps trashing him and had the audacity to expect an apology from him.

He'd always and only tried to make Jody happy. To make things easier for her. She never once returned the gesture and nor did she even thank him for it. What she did, was quite the contrary. Always made things hard for him and hit him right where it hurts.

Sure she was a great mom to her kids, but that was all she was. Yes, she whined a lot, but literally an entire village had her back— during her childhood, teenager years and when she got pregnant and even after the boys were born. She just never properly appreciated those who were around her.

I feel thoroughly bad for Christian, because he didn't have a happy upbringing. And unlike Jody he truly didn't have anyone for him. The only thing he loved about his life, the only thing that was there for him and never let him down was his job and he was even willing to eventually leave that behind to move in with Jody— to have a future with her. But Jody? She was too and only full of herself. Imo, she doesn't deserve Christian, and was crazy selfish most of the time, only thinking about what she wanted, what she could do and how she felt. And never once did she think about how Christian felt or how her actions would affect his feelings. She never even gave their relationship a proper go.

Maybe Christian should've stopped pursuing this relationship and given up on her. I'm surprised too, that's I'm saying this— coz I'm usually the person who always wants a happy ending. I always want the main characters to be happy and their happily ever after together. But in this scenario the relationship seemed toxic and slightly mentally abusive. I've ways loved a good grovelling, and grovelling is gender impartial obviously! In so many of my reviews I've accused the heroes for not having grovelled, for not making up for their mistakes, and in this review it was the heroine. She never grovelled, or made up for her mistakes. She was insensitive and cold and unappreciative and she never once grovelled for giving Christian such a hard time, and she yet got to live her HEA with him— unfair.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book to read/review because I had previously read "The Cosy Coffee Shop of Promises" and really enjoyed it.So, I had high hopes for this one.

Did it deliver?

... Yes?

I offer my review with a caveat. I've been caught up with a lot of late night work lately, and I still have a toddler who wakes in the night, so I function on a lack of sleep. While with the first book I was pleasantly surprised, in this case, I had high expectations, and I feel that coloured my experience somewhat.

You see, I didn't fall in love. Not with Jody, and not with Christian. I liked them, and I got where they were coming from and why they did the things they did. I just didn't lose myself in them, like I was hoping to. Reading is a subjective thing, so I don't want to put an objective cloud over anything from my very subjective POV, and I realise that where I'm at in my own head-space might have played a role in my inability to fall in love with these two, but this happened to be my experience this time around, and, yeh, I was a little disappointed. Entirely possible that the ability to fall in love with them is in there, though.

Still, I found it interesting that in the scene where Jody had a bit of a heart-to-heart with Tony, I... well, I felt something for Tony... He's hardly in the story, and yet he still affects me that way... As I said... interesting.

Anyway, the book follows the story of Jody, who feels she owes her little community of Rabbits Leap a debt, as she sets about organising as big a festival as a little community can muster in order to fund-raise to pay her debt. To help her, she hires Christian, a big-shot event organiser from London, who's taking a break from the big stuff after a bit of a stuff up of his own.

Actually, I think this is what kept me from falling for these characters, actually. Right from the start, you know they have faults... but you're not allowed to know what they are until much later. Which means, you can't get close to them, you're not part of the "inner circle", you're very much on the outside. Each of them would mention in their POV scenes that they'd stuffed up somehow, but they wouldn't tell me, the reader. I felt pushed away. So, if you don't mind characters who you see the thoughts of but who keep big secrets from you, then you are going to have no issue with this whatsoever and you could very well love the book.

Because, for me, once the secrets came out, I felt closer to the characters and things went along a bit more smoothly, although, smoothly in that way it does when you know your friend has lied to you in the past... So, yeah, I didn't click with Jody and Christian the way I did with Tony and Mel in The Cosy Coffee Shop...

That being said, Kellie Hailes can certainly write. She's got some neat metaphors, and a marvellous imagination for the quirks of burgeoning romance.

I see a great potential for books about Rabbits Leap characters. Something tells me there's an interesting tale coming from Serena some time in the future, and I'm looking forward to it.

[Nicola Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to the end of this book and said a big "awwwwwww". It's the kind of read where you know how it's going to end but that didn't mean it wasn't a completely satisfactory - it was.

The heart of the story is Rabbits Leap where Jody lives. It's a quaint little Devonshire village and it's where she grew up. Despite big dreams, she's been there all her life with her twin boys. For reasons that become apparent as the story progresses, Jody is helping to organise a fundraising festival for the village and hires Christian, a high-flying events manager from London to help out.

They're drawn to each other immediately but the course of true love never runs smoothly, does it (well, not in books at least)? What follows is a love story with lots of fun moments and sad ones too.

I thought The Big Little Festival was such a sweet read. I love books where they're part of a series but each time the focus characters are different yet the setting is the same and some of the same people appear. I haven't read the first Rabbits Leap book yet but a quick glance at the first chapter tells me it features a character that appears in a small way in The Big Little Festival.

I read this book in two days and couldn't put it down once I had got over the half way point. I enjoyed the tension and desire between Jody and Christian, the coming together of the festival and the Rabbits Leap natives, especially Mrs Harper and Mrs Hunter who are those kind of people who can't stand each other one minute and the next are all sweetness and light.

Lots of fun, lots of lovely moments and just a really pleasing, easy read.

[Laura]

What could be more fun than a festival to commemorate a HUGE event in the town's history - the town being Rabbits Leap (with no apostrophe) and the event, a passel of wild rabbits being run out of town by loud, BAD music! Who is up to celebrating with a round of Welly-wanging?
A light hearted warm romantic read sure to make you smile.

As if single mom Jody doesn't have her hands full raising twin 9 year old boys, she wants to give back to her community so heads up the "committee" organizing the Big Little festival. Not that they can afford to (when in fact they can't afford NOT to) Jody hires a fancy event planner to take control of the festival, although giving up control is not easy for Jody.
The town and its people are unlike any Christian has encountered before. He feels like time in Rabbits Leap stalled in the early 1950s. But he has a secret and needs this festival to be more than successful.

I was already hooked before the end of chapter one but Kellie Hailes threw in cotton floss and a psychic!

Jody and Christian must work closely together to pull off organizing a festival in only three weeks.
Although each is attracted to the other from the start, past experiences have closed off their hearts to getting close to someone new. Can the main couple survive their feelings, keep their secrets and raise enough money to fix the town pool?
Having an American English ear I am delighted with the phrasing as well as the small town appeal. This is a fast paced novel, sweet but not sickeningly so. The characters are wonderful and full of life. I wish it didn't end!

[Rachel (Rae) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book is part of a series I found it could be easily read as a standalone. You do get to catch up with characters from the first book but it just added to the overall story. Along with being a lovely touch for readers who had read The Cosy Coffee Shop of Promises.

I loved the first time that Jodi and Christian meet there is tension galore and the sparring between them was lots of fun to see. There were plenty of moments where this story had me smiling away. Jodi is likeable and very determined to make the festival a success and at first Christian is a bit of a mystery but as time goes on more of his personality is revealed. The question is can Christian and Jodi work together?

There is a lovely warmth to Kellie Hailes writing that easily draws you in plus some laughs along the way making it very easy to find yourself immersed in the story. The Big Little Festival has that lovely community feeling to it and I loved how everyone rallies together.

I read this book in an evening after grabbing a hot chocolate and in no time at all I had finished. If you need to unwind I can definitely recommend The Big Little Festival and I'm already looking forward to re-visiting Rabbits Leap!

With a gorgeous heart warming vibe that will leave you in a lovely mood!

Four stars from me!

With thanks to Jenny at Neverland Blog Tours for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Cheryl M-M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jody has spent years building a wall around her to keep all men and any emotion out. It has made her over-sensitive to any kind of relationship. She questions herself and anyone who dares to come anywhere near her.

She is determined to put on a festival for Rabbit’s Leap to raise money for the community pool. She wouldn’t normally put up with the eccentricities of the villagers, but her guilty conscience is proving stronger than her natural aversion to the dramatics of certain people in the village.

She hires a successful and very expensive event planner, who turns out to be rather handsome and more interested in her than in putting on a fantastic festival.

The Big Little Festival is all about finding the courage to move on in life. To be brave enough to let someone new in. Joanna finds it extremely hard to take down even a few bricks in her wall, especially because the majority of people turn out to be unreliable. As a single mother she has to not only look out for her own heart, she also has to make sure her kids don’t get attached to any fly-bys.

Hailes paints an accurate picture of life in an English village, where the competitions for best jam or largest vegetable can become quite competitive. The characters are quirky and amusing, and the drama is plentiful. Prepare to be entertained.
*I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.*

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently this is the second in the series, I haven't read the first one and it really didn't matter. Rabbit's Leap is a small Devon town and they are getting ready to host the first Big Little Festival, Jodie is in charge and she has hired in help as she can't organise it all in time. The village community have been very good to her so she wants to give something back.

When I was reading this, it quickly came apparent that the story of the festival was more of a secondary story and the reader was going to become immersed in the feelings between Jodie and Christian the man she had hired to help with making the festival a success.

Personally I was a little disappointed with this, I knew there would be a love interest in the book and I was all for that, however I thought there would be more about the festival, which I didn't get. Perhaps I was just not in the mood for a chick lit type read and wanted the book to have a little more substance. Saying this it was an enjoyable read and I read it pretty quickly.

I would recommend this if you have read the other in the series or you just want to escape in a light bubble for a couple of days.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christian is an event manager who comes in paid for by Jody to help create the best festival to raise enough money to get their local pool repaired.



Jody grew up in Rabbits Leap after the death of her mum and emotional loss of her dad her brother Tony helped her when she became pregnant with her two boys who are her priority in life. She has a secret about the pool that makes her want to get it fixed but without people knowing why..



Even though she swore off men, Jody and Christian have an instant attraction and great chemistry together both unable to hide nor deny their feelings.



Christian however hides his own secret about why he left London's event planning world and it could threaten to tear the tender couple apart.



A great little chick lit read I was pulled in by the title sounding so fun and then realising the village of the setting was called Rabbits Leap and I love rabbits! I enjoyed the way the pair couldn't fight the their chemistry and that there was the children and work to factor in, true sacrifice was made from Christian especially uprooting and moving to his new life.

[Ionia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was adorable and a fun way to pass a couple of lazy afternoons. I liked Jody and Christian both and they had plenty of chemistry to keep the romance reader in me happy. There are a lot of small, English village romances to choose from these days, but I thought this one was better than most. These characters had real struggles to overcome and mistakes in their past that haunted them. It was nice to see some depth rather than the fluff that a lot of romances are made up of.

The twin boys were fun and I enjoyed their antics, having twin boys of my own, I could relate to the things the main character went through and how she felt about the possibility of a new relationship. The author did a great job with descriptions and I like the way she made the secondary characters feel so real and full of life.

This is a really cute story with a bit of steam and a story line that won't let you down. Recommended for those who like romance with a cosy feel.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Hayley Marsland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this on my shelf for quite sometime, and I've no idea why, because like the first book in the series it's an absolute delight.

Talking of which, if you haven't read the first book, don't worry too much, as this can totally be read as a stand alone.

Jody McArthur is a single mum to 9 year old twin boys, who has sworn off men forever.

As a result of something that happened in her past - something that she thinks the residents of Rabbits Leap, will hate her for - Jody is organising a festival in the hopes of raising enough money, to rebuild the village swimming pool.

The only problem is, the festival is in 3 weeks, and things aren't going well.

Enter Christian Middlemore, a London based party planner, who Jody brings in to help, that is if he can get any of the village residents onside.

There is a definite, spark of chemistry between Jody and Christian, but it appears that Christian has a secret of his own.

I won't be leaving it so long to return to Rabbits Leap in the future.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this is like watching a Hallmark movie and I constantly found myself hoping for more as I read this. There were some moments I enjoyed but overall it didn’t really bring me into the world of Rabbits Leap. This book felt like the equivalent to a filler chapter where you read it, but it doesn’t do much and leaves you feeling indifferent and kind of unamused.

It’s not bad but I struggled to stay focused and engaged with it. It’s a decently short book and it brings the small town romance you would expect from a book like this but I didn’t find myself excited to pick this up and continue reading it which is why it took me so long to finish this!

The characters weren’t all too exciting to me especially the main characters, Jody and Christian. I liked that Jody was a single mother as that added a different aspect to the book but other than that, there wasn’t much that stood out to me about either of the MCs.

To sum up my review, if you are looking for a predictable, Hallmark movie style book then this might be the book for you but personally, I wasn’t in love.

[Angela Sandford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Sitting quietly in a picturesque part of Devon, is the little village of Rabbits Leap. It’s the 500th anniversary of The Rabbit Revolt, and Jody wants the festival to be the biggest and best around. The village want to put the proceeds of the festival towards the repair of the local swimming pool, that was vandalised when Jody was a teenager....and she’s hiding a nasty secret.....
She’s getting nowhere fast, so organises the help of an entertainments manager....and romance quickly blossoms despite Jody’s vow of celibacy.

The village has a lovely feel about it - I can easily picture it the way the author describes it all. The characters are quirky and fun! And the plot is interesting and keeps you entertained throughout! I didn’t know this was part of a series - it’s very easily read as a stand-alone - and am now very curious to read the first book.

5/5 shiny bright stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟