Home for Christmas

Heidi Swain

IN the cosy community of Wynbridge, there are secrets just waiting to be revealed... and when you add a sprinkling of fairy dust and a generous helping of Christmas magic, the stage is set for a delicious festive feast!

Anyone who has had their spirits lifted by Swain’s gorgeous novels, Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square, Poppy’s Recipe for Life, The Winter Garden and That Festive Feeling, will already know the small community living in a hidden corner of the bustling city of Norwich.

Swain (pictured below), who lives with her family in picturesque south Norfolk, won thousands of hearts with her enchanting stories set in Wynbridge, the fictional Fenland town where love blossoms whatever the season. And now she has found an idyllic city hideaway for heartwarming and entertaining stories which showcase her talent for blending escapist romance, domestic drama and a perfectly imagined cast of characters with real-life challenges in the modern world.

So if you yearn to catch up with some familiar names – and a delightful bunch of new ones – then meet Bella who is living her best life in Wynbridge with her beloved King Charles spaniel Tink. She has found a way to keep the house she inherited from her grandparents while expanding her dream online business – Away With the Fairies – and she’s ecstatic that Christmas is on the horizon.

In fact, everything is perfect until family friend, Catherine Connelly, asks Bella if she’d be willing to rent part of the house to freelance author Jude who is researching the architecture and history of the Connelly Clan and their family seat, Wynthorpe Hall, ahead of turning his findings into a book. The plan had been for Jude to stay at the hall but, a man who likes to keep himself to himself, he can’t cope with the chaos and Bella reluctantly agrees to open her door to him. Initially, the pair clash but then friendlier feelings begin to grow and Bella finds herself wondering if Jude could become more than just another guest before it’s time for him to leave. But then Jude announces that he has no time for Christmas and with her favourite time of the year suddenly in jeopardy, will Bella ever feel like she’s truly home for Christmas?

Enjoy emotion, drama, romance, friendship and a comforting sense of community as Swain rolls out her magical tale of love, hope, renewal and that trademark snow-sprinkled glow which wraps itself around you like a cosy blanket of love, warmth and laughter. And with its tasty festive concoction of real-life dilemmas, heart-fluttering romance, canine comedy and a heartwarming happy-ever-after, this is the perfect Christmas book hug.
(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £9.99)