Let The Bells Ring Out by Milly Johnson

 

Let The bells Ring Out by Milly Johnson.

Published 23rd October 2025 by Simon and Schuster.

From the cover of the book:

Seven people, four days and a snowy Christmas on board a luxury sleeper train. This festive season getting away from it all takes on a new meaning…

The Yorkshire Belle is a glamorous steam train all decked out for an escapist festive getaway. It is not supposed to be where a group of people, all trying to get to their destinations for the holidays, will spend their Christmas.

Seven people, each with their own hopes and dreams, secrets and sorrows, board the train as strangers, but as the snow keeps falling and they realise they are going nowhere fast, they are forced to slow down and embrace the present.

This Christmas on board the Yorkshire Belle, will the friendships they make change their lives forever?

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December, 23rd. Seven strangers are on their way to destinations that promise little in the way of seasonal joy, when a sudden blizzard brings them all together at a tiny deserted station in the North of England. When a train finally arrives, they are astonished to find it is a steam locomotive pulling luxury coaches.

Making themselves at home for the short hop to the station where they can pick up connecting services, they are relieved to be in the warm and dry, but as the freezing weather worsens, the train becomes stuck in the middle of nowhere. Realising they will have to make the best of it, the travellers come together to celebrate Christmas, cut off from the rest of the world... not realising that their unexpected adventure will change their lives for ever.

In a brand new festive tale to warm the cockles of your heart, Milly Johnson brings seven strangers together in the middle of a snowstorm, each of them carrying a lot more baggage than the suitcases they haul aboard the beautiful Yorkshire Belle. 

The story unfurls over four days while a snow storm swirls around the train, with a lovely little nod to Hercule Poirot (though a lot less murdery). The group cobble together a Christmas celebration that has them making the most of store rooms packed with delicious food, state rooms to put the Orient Express to shame, and comfortable beds to rest their weary heads. With phone signals down, and only the voice and festive tunes of amateur radio broadcaster Brian Bernard Cosgrove (the real BBC Radio) to let them know the world exists outside their snowed-in cocoon, time stands still, and they begin pondering on their problems. 

Gradually, the small cast of characters reveal their relationship and family sorrows in a mix of painful internal reflections and intense conversations, which tug mercilessly on your heartstrings. By sharing their own experiences they are able to give each other fresh insight about what ails them, particularly when it comes to loss, loneliness, forgiveness, and having the courage to follow their hearts. In the special way Johnson has, she floods the story with tenderness, humour, and gorgeous romantic suspense. As the barriers came down between them, hope wins the day, and life-long friendships are forged.

I took every single character to heart, totally invested in their emotional journeys. The snowy setting is beautifully atmospheric, thrumming with nostalgic Christmas magic (in more ways than one), and the way Johnson uses the theme of bells is enchanting. An absolute sob-fest, of the very best kind. Make sure you have a whole box of tissues on stand-by!

Let the Bells Ring Out is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join this Books and the City blog tour.

About the author:

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. She is the author of 23 novels, 4 short story ebooks, a book of poetry and a Quick Reads Novella ('The Little Dreams of Lara Cliffe') and was an erstwhile leading copywriter for the greetings card industry. She is also a poet, a professional joke-writer, a newspaper columnist and a seasoned after dinner speaker.

She won the RoNA for Best Romantic Comedy Novel of 2014 and 2016, the Yorkshire Society award for Arts and Culture 2015, the Romantic Novelist Association Outstanding Achievement award in 2020, the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2021 and the Richard Whiteley Award for Inspiration to the County of Yorkshire in 2022.

She writes about love, life, friendships and the importance of community spirit. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience and celebrate her beloved Yorkshire.