Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn

by Jessica Redland

I have heard praise of the Hedgehog Hollow books, but have not read any of them. I was excited to read Jessica Redland’s Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn which is set in Yorkshire and incorporates the Hedgehog Hollow Rescue Center in the plot and setting.

Barney comes from a farming family and Amber from a dramatically inclined family. Barney is convinced by his sister Fizz to apply to appear on a new reality TV show which Amber is producing. Amber is not normally a fan of reality TV, but as producer of the family friendly docu-series  Countryside Calendar, she is convinced to produce Love on the Farm “with genuine intentions to help farmers find love rather than putting the participants through ritual humiliation and manipulating the footage for shock value and ratings success.” As a farmer, Barney leads a fairly lonely and isolated life. This show could be an opportunity for him to attain a lifelong match.

Both Barney and Amber are really nice people, and both have been hurt in past relationships. Barney enters the show with an open mind, and Amber has a professional attitude which is hard to maintain when the company she works for changes its perspective on the show as well as hiring new directors. With a non-disclosure agreement, Amber is unable to share the changes with Barney and the chosen matches. The results are some unpleasant surprises that are intended to increase ratings.

Even with family health issues and broken hearts, the show must go on. Eventually we learn of the betrayals of various “ex’s”  revealing personalities who are ruthless and self-centered. Through it all, both Amber and Barney remain true to their principles. As Amber says, “It’s not about winning…It’s about what’s right.”

I very much enjoyed the interplay of the main characters and the supportive roles of the minor characters. Amazon lists this as a standalone, but I hope it will be the first of a new series. There are so many directions the talented Redland could take these characters.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: General Fiction, Romance

Notes: I don’t watch reality TV, but I enjoyed this book.

Publication: January 24, 2023—Boldwood Books

Memorable Lines:

To “pull an Amber” was to either avoid a night out or to show your face and slope off to bed early.

It turned out that Parker and I weren’t just not on the same page—we weren’t even in the same library.

Every snide comment, I met with a look. Every criticism, I met with praise for the participants or crew. Every dig at me, I just laughed and walked away—far more powerful than stooping to his level.