Cover Image: Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church (Hopley Village)

Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church (Hopley Village)

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Member Reviews

I love when a story takes you by surprise. And I love when you can’t help but to fall in love characters as you watch them fall in love with each other. That’s what Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church has to offer.

What I liked..no, what I loved:
I loved the setting, the slightly oddball characters, how their relationship blossomed, the secrets they uncover, and the cast of characters they meet along the way.

There is such good character development in this story. Much like getting to know someone in real life, the author allows the reader to take their time and get to know each of the characters. She makes them memorable and distinct, each with their own struggles and secrets.

There were so many scenes that made me chuckle and a handful that made me cry. This is the kind of sweet, poignant story that begs to be made into a movie, complete with a theme song that makes you reach for the tissues.

For it’s lovely setting, purposeful characters, and a story that had me turning pages to get to the happy ending I knew just had to happen…five stars.

P.S. Sorry for taking so long to get this feedback to you. I adored this book! And will be featuring it in one of my August/September Characters and Candles Boxes!

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Gwen finds herself jobless heartbroken and ends up in a village in the country side. A book in the church starts her on a new story - Great Read- Keeps you reading.

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I was completely taken by this book from start to finish. Who would think that a story hinging on the fundraising for a church roof could be so entertaining? I could totally see myself getting wrapped up in a project such as Gwen and Jarvis undertook. I would thrive on something like that. I really enjoyed watching (reading?) Gwen and Jarvis both grow. There was a good lesson of never let other people define your self-worth to be learned, as well as a mini-mystery that made it highly enjoyable. Definitely a feel-good novel I enjoyed from beginning to end. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

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I cannot praise this book highly enough. I'm a big fan of Tracy Rees so when I saw this I had to read it!

Jarvis and Gwen are the most unlikely of heroes, and yet we see them both unfurl and blossom as they discover the stories behind the names in the visitors book.

A reminder indeed that human beings need purpose, companionship and appreciation.

I don't think the title or cover do this book justice at all, it's so much deeper than it looks.

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This book really made me smile, during a time when life seems a little too hectic and has too many serious things going on with it.

Gwen is a young woman who is forced to live with her aunt, after her parents are tragically killed.

Jarvis is a young man who lives in Hopley Village with his parents, and spends his time drinking with his buddies and not much else.

These two begin working on a project at the local village church and although they don't much like each other at first, eventually they start to get to know each other and discover that first impressions are often wrong.....

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and as well as the main two characters, I enjoyed reading about all the various secondary ones as well. The author has skilfully woven the stories through each other and I really want to read more about them all.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

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This is my first Tracy Rees book and I enjoyed it very much!

The church roof is falling apart and the priest has days before they shut the church down.

I found this funny and light hearted with the characters finding ways to come up with the raised money in time.

I was laughing and smiling all the way through this and hope the author will continue to write more contemporary womans fiction.

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This is a Women's Fiction book with a lovely cover. This book is all about two young out cast handed the challenge to save the church by raising the money they need to replace the roof on the old church. This is a long journey. The journey was sweet and fill with so many different kind of people. I really enjoyed reading this book so much. I loved all the characters in this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Bookouture) or author (Tracy Rees) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

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I’ve read and enjoyed other books by the author so was looking forward to reading this. It’s very different from the books I usually read, a sweet, tender book where nobody is murdered and terrible things tend not to happen. This doesn’t mean this book is twee, far from it. I fell in love with Gwen and the people she encounters as she strives to help raise funds for a new roof for the church, find a way out of her grief and decide what her place in the world should be. This is a beautiful, life-affirming book. It gave me all the feels.

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This new to me author, Tracy Rees had me hooked from literally the first page of this book to the last. I absolutely loved this unputdownable read. This is definitely a read in one sitting book.

Oh my goodness I almost don’t know where to begin with this amazing book. Gwen Stanley experiences a tragedy in her life that leaves her heartbroken, destitute and lost. She retreats to the tiny village of Hopley, to find her way in life. As Gwen wanders through the English countryside, at the edge of the village, she finds a tiny old dilapidated church. Gwen pushes her way through the front doors. As she roams through the church building, she finds a book and written inside are secrets of the town. And then in walks local artist Jarvis, who is just as curious about the book as Gwen is. Her relationship with Jarvis develops as the two of them decide to answer the Vicar’s request to fix the church’s roof. Did Gwen find not only happiness but also a new purpose for her life?

I absolutely loved the chemistry between Jarvis and Gwen and found myself cheering them on. The English Village of Hopley is so beautifully described, it immediately became a place I would love to visit. The characters are so well developed and relatable, that I easily visualized the story. The flow of the the story has so smooth that I absolutely could not put it down until I turned the last page. I am so happy to hear that this is a new series, I can’t wait for the next book. Thank you Tracy Rees for such a wonderful and heartfelt story, it was a fantastic escape.

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Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church is Tracy Rees’ first foray into contemporary women’s fiction having written historical fiction which she still continues to do so. I always wonder why an author chooses to deviate from their usual genre and question will it work? Here it has proven to be very successful and I do hope that Tracy continues to write in both genres.

This book is an absolutely gorgeous and charming read with two main characters you root for from page one. They both gradually realise their true potential as the story unfolds and they go on a journey they perhaps didn’t think they could face but the issue of the church brings them together leading to unexpected but welcome understanding and acceptance. Before I read this book it underwent both a title and cover change, and at times this frustrates me as it seems to happen quite regularly for no obvious reason, but here I could see the reasons for it and I feel both the new cover and title are much more apt for the book overall.

As much as I liked Jarvis as a character, for me Gwen is the stand out character in this book. I think we can all see aspects of ourselves in her, be they big or small. She is easy to identify with and you feel great sympathy for the situation she finds herself in. She is troubled, worn down and the numbing depression continues to erode at her on a daily basis. She never feels excited or enthusiastic anymore. Everything is such an effort for her and her low spirits means she is really struggling. Following the death of her parents in a car crash she moved to the little village of Hopely to live with her Aunt. You would think her Aunt would offer the comfort, solace and protection she so desperately needs at such a tragic time in her life. But this is not forthcoming and the constant barbs, put downs, complaints and just down right nastiness only add to her state of shyness, isolation and sadness. Gwen is made to feel like an unwelcome guest at a time when she should be embraced. You can see her sinking further and further into a place that will be very hard to come back from.

The only form of light that Gwen has is when she attends a weekly service at St. Domena’s church where Reverend David Fairfield is in desperate need of some sort of saviour who can raise enough funds to get the church roof repaired. Time is running out and he has but a few short months to get the funds needed or else the church will close for good. A visitors guest book is the catalyst that begins a transformation in Gwen. This change is slow and steady and perfectly executed throughout the book. Nothing is forced or rushed for if it had been it wouldn’t have been realistic as Gwen is so deep in her grief and anxiety that an overnight new Gwen emerging would have been too far fetched. A project is born where Gwen will look through the visitors book in the hopes of making contact with those who visited in the past and perhaps they will make a donation to the roof repairs. This task gives Gwen a focus and a means of getting away from her aunt if even for a short while.

As she is so shy and avoids human contact if at all possible poor Gwen doesn’t bank on having Jarvis muscling in on the project. But maybe St. Domena’s, the village of Hopely, and Gwen herself need Jarvis by their side even if Gwen wants to run a mile when she sees him appear at the church. Gwen had never been the most confident person, never felt able to reach out and grab life like her friend Amma and with the loss of her parents these feelings and opinions come ever closer to the fore. She has no faith in herself to make a go of things and her sense of self has been eroded so much that she can’t imagine an independent life that would make her happy. But the meeting of herself and Jarvis is a pivotal turning point in her life if she is only willing to step outside of the confines that she has erected around herself and find her true potential and the place where she is meant to be.

Jarvis is the total anthesis of Gwen. He spends his nights drinking and partying with friends and his parents can barely get him to do anything. His job at the local shop is not where his life’s ambitions lie but the art degree he was working on is now but a distant memory. He drinks a lot to transcend the jittery uncomfortable feelings that plague him and when he doesn’t he has suspicions that he isn’t good enough and that he is a waste of space. Beneath this bravado of partying and drinking lies a much gentler Jarvis and one you would love to get to know more deeply. He is missing purpose and self respect, perhaps even friendship, and you hope he can find these things once again and fulfil his hidden aspiration. You would never have thought he would have volunteered for the project but he has his own personal reasons which were just so lovely and heart-warming. In one sense you hoped to see his own mission completed but as the story developed you desperately hoped that something else would step in and take it’s place as it seemed a natural course for the book to turn in.

Gwen and Jarvis on first meeting really rub each other up the wrong way. Gwen wants total control over the project and has her own set way of doing things but as they open up to each other and Jarvis introduces her to his family. She can see that there is a better life outside the realm of her penny pinching, butter and sharp tongued Aunt. You wonder whether she can build up the confidence to embrace what is within her grasp if she can only be pushed in the right direction. The book is the only little thing that makes her feel again and she can’t bare to let it go again. I loved the little stories that emerged as Gwen and Jarvis made contact with some of the names they find in the visitors book. They worked so well within the overall story. Their various life stories and their reasons for making a donation were heart warming and offered inspiration for both Gwen and Jarvis in more ways than one. It’s such a unique overall concept that perfectly formed the backbone of the book and allowed many other strands to effortlessly develop from it. Overall, it gave the book a lovely and natural flow and you just hope that the church can be saved and that Jarvis and Gwen find what has evaded them for so long.

Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church was a wonderful read with such heart-warming, generous and pleasing themes at its centre. I loved every minute of it and you’ll find it difficult to put down once you begin. Two lost souls unit for a common cause and in doing so a wonderful, life affirming story unfolds. Initially both Gwen and Jarvis are unlikely and perhaps uninspiring but Tracy Rees wove a fantastic story that brought them together for one common cause and in doing so their efforts did as much for them as they have done for the church. I was delighted to see that there will be a second story set in Hopely and fingers crossed this will be arriving sooner rather than later as I very much enjoyed my time in this brilliant setting.

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St Domneva’s church has been at the centre of village life in Hopley since the twelfth century – but the community is disintegrating, the congregation is dwindling, and the end of the road is nigh unless Vicar Dave can raise the money to repair the roof before the door is locked for the last time.

When he comes up with the idea of using the visitors’ book for some last chance fundraising – his excitement isn’t shared by his congregation – two distinctly unpromising volunteers step forward. Gwen has forgotten what happiness feels like – painfully shy, hiding behind her curtain of hair, life with her aunt since losing her parents has so little joy about it, and church on a Sunday has become one of her few moments of escape. And she’s always loved the visitors’ book and the glimpses it gives into the lives of others – so much more interesting than her own. When Jarvis volunteers, it’s a surprise to everyone (even him) – his life is every bit as directionless as Gwen’s, his usual milieu the village pub rather than the church, and the only reason he goes to church is to keep his mum happy. But he has his own reasons for being particularly interested in the book – a moment he let slip a few years ago, and the chance of finding someone who’s been in his thoughts ever since.

The dynamics when these two unlikely volunteers come together are just wonderful – Gwen with her notebook and plate of Bourbon biscuits, ready to approach the task slowly and methodically, hoping to lose herself in the lives the book reveals. Until Jarvis rolls up, late and hungover, producing a bottle of beer from the pocket of his hoodie – her peace is disrupted, and it looks unlikely that they’re ever going to be able to work together. But what follows is sheer magic – the unlikely pair do indeed work together and, as we see them become allies and friends and their lives begin to change, we find out more about the people who’ve visited the church over the years, and all the many stories behind the messages in the visitors’ book.

I have to say that I absolutely adored this book – while the initial premise might not have looked too promising, and neither of the two main characters particularly inspiring, the way the story unfolds is an absolute joy. As Gwen and Jarvis work together and achieve their little wins, their relationship changes – they bring out the best in each other, we find out more about the reasons why their lives have rather fallen apart, and start to see a real possibility that things could become rather different. And, while falling in love with them both and urging them on, we also find out about the lives of all the individuals they’re able to track down from the words they’ve left on the pages of the book. It’s quite beautifully done – some characters are just touched upon, others taking an increasing part, every individual with their own story about why St Dom’s played a part in their lives. Some are easy to find, some are more of a challenge – but slowly Gwen is able to colour in the squares on the church tower on her beloved wall chart (drawn by artist Jarvis – her artistic attempt was rather less successful), and the unachievable target looks like an increasing possibility.

Every single character in this book is just so beautifully and perfectly drawn – Vicar Dave has challenges of his own at home, we get to know Gwen’s difficult aunt rather better than we could ever want to, and the warmth of Jarvis’ family life is a great counterpoint to Gwen’s solitary existence. But it’s not just the main characters – every contact they make has their own story and leaps into life on the pages, together with all the many bit players from within the community. The writing is simply wonderful – at times it’s very funny indeed, the humour perfectly judged, but balanced with a poignancy and sadness that sometimes makes your heart ache. It’s a book full of moments and small details that I simply loved. So many themes emerge that I don’t know where to start in telling you about them, but it’s essentially a book about people, their diversity and their complex lives, and I found it entirely enchanting.

I really mustn’t tell you about the ending – whether the church is saved, whether Gwen and Jarvis really do manage to turn their lives around. You do find yourself wondering whether the romance you find yourself rather hoping for will develop – when, for all sorts of reasons, it looks increasingly unlikely. But as endings go, this one was simply perfect, heartwarming and uplifting, and everything I wanted it to be. And, of course, it’s not really the ending – because I’m delighted to see that the author will be taking us back to Hopley for two more books. I really can’t wait – this book was something very special indeed, and I loved every moment.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

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Gwen had lost her parents and moved in with her aunt, who was an unhappy woman and didn't treat Gwen very well. She stumbled on to the church and started going. Jarvis was a lost young man who hadn't found himself yet and still lives with his parents, so he goes to church with them.
The church is in need of a new roof and the vicar comes up with a plan to use the visitors books to try to get donations for the needed repair. He needed volunteers to go through the books and Gwen volunteered and at the last minute so did Jarvis. As they started going through the books, sending emails, making phone calls, texts, however they found the person who signed the guestbook, I could see that these two young people started to change, blossom, and begin to become who they were meant to be. As I read, I changed, my heart opened up more, my spirits lifted, because the people who once visited the church, even when only visiting once, walked away with so many memories and received so much from their visit. They did what they could to help the church that did so much for them and never forgot that little church.
Two things really jumped out at me, one was Jarvis realizing that he feels a disconnect between his best life and how he has been living. Another was when the Vicar Dave finally made it home to his family, his wife was there by herself. Gwen and Jarvis had taken their daughter Wendy, who was autistic with them to church to work on the fundraiser. His wife says to him, you work hard, I know it goes with the territory, but, honestly David, you have to take care of yourself, too. God didn't give you a spectacular wife for you never to see her you know.
I received a complimentary book from Bookouture through NetGalley.

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★★★★ 4.5 stars

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Tracy Rees' delightful tale HIDDEN SECRETS AT THE LITTLE VILLAGE CHURCH previously titled "The Little Book of Secrets" .

This is my second book by Tracy Rees, the first being an historical fiction "The House at Silvermoor" which totally loved. So I was excited by the prospect of another foray into her world, albeit somewhat different, not really knowing what to expect. Women's fiction is generally not my genre of choice but there has been the odd one that I have enjoyed...this being one of them. Although I did find the title somewhat of a mouthful and as it conjured up images of secrets being unearthed and maybe a little gossiping going on, what it actually entailed was something vastly different. Misleading descriptions are a bit of a pet hate of mine, so while I didn't know what to expect entirely, I guess I was kind of expecting something different. Having said that, HIDDEN SECRETS AT THE LITTLE VILLAGE CHURCH was a thoroughly delightful journey into Hopley and its residents...but especially Gwen and Jarvis.

The setting for this story begins in a picturesque little village I envisioned to be something you would see in an episode of Midsomer Murders...but without the murder. It is adorably quaint filled with a mix of characters to charm and delight the reader and the beautiful historic church that is at the heart of the story.

Having lost her parents two years previously, Gwen Stanley moved in with her aunt Mary who had offered her a home more than likely out of obligation rather than any desire to help the grieving young woman. Aunt Mary was positively awful bringing a depressing air of doom over everything she touched and every word she uttered. She did nothing to help Gwen get over the loss of her beloved parents instead belittling her at every turn, complaining whenever Gwen did a good turn and basically sucked the life out of her niece...and not to mention the reader. I honestly dreaded Gwen going home every evening to Aunt Mary's bitter unhappiness and doom and gloom view of the world.

It was one Sunday during the church service that the Vicar Dave shared his idea with the sleepy congregation to raise funds for the much needed roof repairs to keep St Domneva's going and to remain at the heart of the village. But unless he raise a substantial amount then nothing can save the little church. That's when he comes up with his rather extraordinary idea that brings two unlikely people together to help raise the much needed funds.

Gwen was immediately enamoured with the idea of trawling through the church's visitor's book, taking in its history and its secrets, in a bid to seek out donors to help save their little church. However, Gwen is terminally shy and hadn't thought much beyond the thought of losing herself to the little book's secrets...like phoning other people. Jarvis Millwood, a twenty seven year old art school dropout, has done nothing with his life since returning from a prestigious art school in London. But when he heard Vicar Dave put his unusual call out for volunteers, a seed was planted in Jarvis' head that began to form as he harboured his own reasons for wanting to peruse the visitor's book. Vicar Dave was apprehensive about leaving these two misfits in charge thinking he may have just made a huge error of judgement concerning St Dom's future.

At first Gwen was horrified that she had to share the prized visitor's book with another as she was looking forward to delving into it herself. She wasn't comfortable with other people and as socially inept as she was, Jarvis took her discomfort and her way of doing things in his stride. They are complete opposites, and yet in some ways quite similar, thrown together with their own reasons for wanting to participate in this little venture. Both unsatisfied with their lack lustre lives, the visitor book gives them hope and together they find themselves not only helping the church raise their much-needed funds, but they also find themselves along the way.

And two of the most unlikely people soon find themselves becoming the best of friends. Their journey becomes one of self discovery as Gwen steps out of her comfort zone in which she's been hiding for the past two years and Jarvis discovers a new appreciation for the love he had and thought he'd lost. Together they hope, dream and encourage one another to be the best version of themselves.

I can't say much more without giving the rest of the story away but it is a delightfully enjoyable read that could easily be read in one sitting if you are a fast reader or savoured by those who like to take their time. Either way, the journey you will find yourself on with Gwen and Jarvis will be one that charms and delights you.

Told in the third person narrative from the alternating perspectives of Gwen and Jarvis (mainly) and Vicar Dave (on occasion), HIDDEN SECRETS AT THE LITTLE VILLAGE CHURCH (somewhat of a mouthful) is a feel-good tale that is contemporary with a little romance thrown in. The narration is smooth and light with no melodramatic tension to weigh the reader down.

My only complaint is really the change in title. It really is a mouthful and the original title of "The Little Book of Secrets" I felt was more apt to the story, though it does allude to secrets being kept within the book when in actual fact it is not the case at all. So a tad misleading on that front. But still, an enjoyable foray into this little English village.

For a light and easy read, HIDDEN SECRETS AT THE LITTLE VILLAGE CHURCH is just the ticket to bring a feel-good smile to your day. The perfect weekend read.

I look forward to the second Hopley book in October wondering what Ms Rees has in store for us then.

I would like to thank #TracyRees, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HiddenSecretsAtTheLittleVillageChurch in exchange for an honest review.

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Just beautiful. Written with heart. This author takes you on a journey engaging all of your emotions. Loved this one so much. Brilliant. Engaging. Just wow.

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This was a lovely and heartwarming read. It was ultimately an uplifting and feel good book.
The two main protagists are complete opposites and make unlikely friends at the start of the book.
St Domneva church needs saving , it needs to raise funds for renovation or it will have to close it's doors to the local parishioners. The reverend asks for volunteers to go through the visitors book in the hopes of finding donors.
Gwen Stanley lives with her dour Aunt in the village of Hopley after losing her parents in an accident. She's very reserved and lacks confidence in herself. She volunteers to help with the book .
Jarvis Millwood is a Jack the lad who spends most of his time in the pub with his mates. It comes as a surprise when he volunteers too.
By the end of the book both characters have really transformed and grown in confidence, it was lovely to watch the metamorphosis as each comes into their own and their friendship blossoms into romance.
You meet lots of lovely people throughout the book. I really enjoyed it and thoroughly recommend it to anyone needing a pick me up.

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This book got off to a slow start, but the longer I read, the more I liked it. The characters are very engaging and the book kept me interested the entire time.

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I am a huge Tracey Rees fan. But this book was not my favorite book of hers. Was it cute yes. Was it likeable characters? Yes. It gave me the nanny mcphee wibe. Sweet story, but a little bit too naive for me

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BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Hidden Secrets At The Little Village Church' by Tracy Rees.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Tracy Rees, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous.

Publication date 7th May 2021.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'Hopley Village' series. This book was previously titled 'The Little Book Of Secrets'.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. It also stated in the synopsis that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Heidi Swain, and anybody longing for the ultimate feel-good escapist read!'. I am a huge fan of Jenny Colgan and could definitely do with an escape so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 39 chapters. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Kent, England, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited England on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Tracy has based the book on.

This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonists being Gwen, Jarvis and Vicar Dave. The benefits of third person perspective especially with are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

OMG!!! What an absolutely gorgeous, beautiful heartwarming book!!! I am sooo glad that this is the first book in a series as I cannot wait to read more from this author as well as news from Hopley Village!!

The book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions and lovely settings. The cover, title and synopsis worked perfectly with the storyline and the name change definitely suits it more.

The storyline itself is so heartwarming and I was completely engaged and absorbed throughout. It is filled with friendship, faith, adventures and mysteries of sorts and it ended absolutely perfectly. It was a realistic storyline and I loved reading all the notes in the visitors book. I love reading visitor books when I see any wherever I go as its always intriguing to read the thoughts of people who stayed before me and once in a while you may find a gem of a story, just like Gwen and Jarvis does in this book. I really enjoyed the community spirit and felt it was very realistic of any small village. The story made me absolutely laugh out loud in several places to the point where my partner and kids were looking at me like I had 3 heads. There were some absolutely cracking and side splitting moments as well as some thought provoking ones.

It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with the characters. I had absolutely no problem in this case and I fell in love with Jarvis and Gwen. They were absolutely worlds apart and came from such different backgrounds but they worked together and complimented each other perfectly. It was lovely watching their friendship grow and blossom. Vicar Dave and his family were really refreshing and I enjoyed getting to know them all, nothing like the boring elderly vicars many books portray. They, along with all the other characters, were strong and realistic. I enjoyed getting to meet each of the characters and reading their stories and how they related to St Domneva's and what became of them since writing their comments in the visitors book. I cannot wait to meet them again in what promises to be an absolutely epic series.

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Tracy Rees on an absolutely fantastic page turning book. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the Hopley Village series and get to find out more of some of the amazing characters I've met. I'd like to welcome you to my top authors list!! The fact that you live in Wales is definitely a bonus as I'm also a Welsh girl. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 I would also love to see this on the big screen.


Overall a heartwarming, addictive page turning novel about faith, friendship and what 2 unlikely people can achieve when put together.

Some of my favourite quotes from the book include the following :

🚀"‘Why have you drawn a massive penis?’‘What? I haven’t! It’s a rocket, you fool. I thought it would be a bit more fun than just doing a graph or something. A bit more interesting.’ Jarvis squints. ‘It’s interesting alright. Gwendoline Poppy, maybe you should stick with words and leave the visuals to me. That’s phallic. Must be your subconscious longings coming out.’‘Shut up . Look, those are the launchy bits, and that’s the top of the rocket… Anyway, let’s argue about it later"

🚀"‘That’s great, Gwen. Only, can I ask, do you think that’s entirely appropriate? I mean, why a… a…?’‘Vicar Dave thinks it looks like a penis too,’ puts in Jarvis helpfully. ‘He does not,’ exclaims Gwen hotly. ‘Do you?’ she adds anxiously. ‘Um… I’m afraid so.’‘It was meant to be a rocket.’"

Genres covered in this book include Romance Novel, Contemporary Fiction and Domestic Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Heidi Swain. I would also recommend it to anyone who loves a heart warming story or anyone who enjoys peeking at comments in a visitor book.


285 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church (Hopley Village) by Tracy Rees is a wonderful, heartwarming, and positive contemporary romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is my first book by Ms. Rees that I have had the pleasure to read and I have to say I am now a fan.

I loved the adorable small village in England, the historic church, the character cast, and I loved the positive and uplifting ending.

I really enjoyed how Gwen and Jarvis transformed and grew during the course of the book. I liked how they worked to overcome their own obstacles and their relationship not just with one another, but also within themselves. I also enjoyed how they were able to find success and happiness focussing on others and helping out Vicar Dave.

Such a wonderful and sunny novel that I highly recommend.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Bookouture for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

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I didn't think I would find a book about saving a church roof enjoyable, but I did, and I loved it!
I guess it was exactly what I needed at the moment: an uplifting, nice read, with wonderful character, that are caring and nice and so lovable. So good that they're hardly believable, but that's what books are for sometimes, aren't they? To make us live in a world where good people do exist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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