Book Review: A country Christmas - V. Henry

I really enjoyed other novels by Veronica Henry, so I was looking forward to this Christmassy one. However, I was not able to continue after the first quarter. I found the story dull and unoriginal, same for the characters and I did not fell the curiosity to go ahead and see what would happen to them.
A big disappointment for me...

Overall rating:  Abandoned    Plot: 5   Writing style: 6   Cover:  8

Title: A Country Christmas (first published as Honeycote)

Author: Veronica Henry
Publisher: Orion
Pages: 480
Publication year: 2002

The Plot:

It's the most wonderful time of the year, they say. And in the little Cotswolds village of Honeycote, the festive season looks set to bring people more than a few surprises under the tree. As Lucy Liddiard plans the festive lunch for her nearest and dearest, she has little idea of the dramas about to play out before the crackers are pulled and the corks popped. She knows the family brewery, Honeycote Ales, has seen better days. She knows her husband, Mickey, is an incorrigible flirt. But does she realise how close both are edging towards disaster? As the nights draw in, garlands deck the halls and the carols ring out, there are secrets and lies, love and lust all waiting to be unwrapped. Welcome to Honeycote, and a Christmas no one will ever forget...

The Author:

From the Author's webiste:

"As an army child, I went to eight different schools, including the Royal School Bath, where I learnt Latin, how to make rock buns and how to take my bra off without getting undressed.  I went on to study Classics at Bristol University, followed by a bi-lingual secretarial course - a surprisingly useful combination.     I landed a job as Production Secretary on The Archers at Pebble Mill in Birmingham, where it used to take me two and a half hours to type out an Archers script on an Olivetti ET121 typewriter.  Duties ranged from recording the sound of newborn piglets to playing Peaches the barmaid in the Cat and Fiddle.  There was never a dull moment, and The Archers taught me that everyone needs an escape from everyday life. From there, I became a script editor for Central Television, working on broadcasting legends Crossroads and Boon.  I started a family and became a freelance scriptwriter, writing hundreds of hours of television drama, including Heartbeat and Holby City.   In 2000 I got my first book deal, and am currently writing my twentieth novel. I also write lifestyle features for newspapers and magazines, including Woman and Home, Red, The Daily Mail, Woman and The Sunday Times. I speak regularly at Literary Festivals, libraries, WIs and charity events, talking about my career and the inspiration for my novels."