BLOG TOUR: All Wrapped Up - Heidi Swain

In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air…

 

Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for a change.

 

A chance encounter with co-owner of The Cherry Tree Café, the bubbly Lizzie Dixon, pulls her into organizing Wynbridge’s first-ever Autumn Festival, and her once quiet life is soon a distant memory. With the whole town rallying behind the event, she discovers a new sense of purpose.

 

And when local vet Ash falls hard for Clemmie, she begins to wonder if she’s ready to move even further on from her past and fall in love again…

 

This autumn, cosy up with Heidi and this perfect seasonal romance. 

 

What did I think?

There is a Heidi Swain book for all seasons and her twenty-first novel All Wrapped Up is Heidi's first autumn book.  It is filled with colour, fun and community spirit and I adored my visit to the fictional Norfolk town of Wynbridge.

Reading a Heidi Swain novel is like catching up with old friends as there are returning characters from other books as well as an introduction to new characters in the current book.  Every book can be read as a standalone but it's lovely to recognise names from previous books I have read.

Clemmie loves autumn so much that she has an Instagram account dedicated to this colourful season.  After a tragedy in her personal life, she wants to remain anonymous and has moved to Wynbridge to heal at her own pace.  Wynbridge has a way of working its way into your heart and it isn't long before Clemmie becomes a valued member of the community when she is tasked with organising the Autumn Festival with the local vet Ash.

There is amazing chemistry between Clemmie and Ash but Clemmie has her reasons for keeping their relationship a platonic one.  The magic of Wynbridge might have other ideas though and rather than a 'will they/won't they' I got definite 'when will they' vibes.  Well it wouldn't be a Heidi Swain book without a good sprinkling of romance, would it?

Beautiful inside and out, All Wrapped Up is a veritable love letter to the often overlooked season of autumn and it left me with a smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart.  It has certainly made me fall in love with the season more after seeing it through Heidi's pumpkin coloured glasses.  I highly recommend that you snuggle up with Heidi Swain this autumn!  

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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BLOG TOUR: Home For Christmas - Heidi Swain

Bella is living her best life in Wynbridge, with her beloved Spaniel, Tink. She’s found a way to keep the house she inherited from her grandparents while expanding her dream 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 history of the Connelly Clan and Wynthorpe Hall ahead of turning his findings into a book. The plan had been for Jude to stay at the hall, but 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. That is, until he announces he has no time for Christmas!

 

With her favourite time of the year suddenly in jeopardy, will Bella ever feel like she’s home for Christmas?

 

What did I think?

It's not Christmas without a Heidi Swain novel to read and Home For Christmas is fabulously festive and hugely entertaining.  The joy of Heidi Swain novels is that new fans can pick up any of her books and enjoy them but for anyone who has read Heidi's books before you will recognise some characters and welcome them like old friends.

The quaint fictional village of Wynbridge is the setting for this book, as it has been for several other standalone novels, and I've virtually visited so often I feel like I almost know my way around this picturesque little village.  This is Bella's story and it's a bit of an understatement to say that Bella loves Christmas.

Bella's plans for Christmas this year are thwarted when she agrees to take in a temporary lodger, Jude, who is writing a book on Wynthorpe Hall.  Not only does Bella have to move all her stuff to the upstairs flat, but Jude doesn't even seem grateful and then he says he doesn't like Christmas.  You can just imagine Bella's horror!

People can have very valid reasons for disliking the most wonderful time of the year so I think it's always important to be sensitive around such matters and it's good to see that Bella doesn't force the issue with Jude.  I adored Bella's enthusiasm for Christmas and pretty much any festivity where she has the excuse to dress up both herself and her dog Tink.

As time goes on, Jude starts to defrost and Bella realises she has feelings for him but she's so intent on not getting her heart broken that she doesn't grab on to the wonderful chance of love that is right in front of her.  Can Jude change Bella's mind about love and can Bella change Jude's mind about Christmas?  You'll just have to read the book to find out!

Home For Christmas is an absolutely lovely book that is fabulously festive and incredibly romantic.  I simply adored it and I plan to read it again when the lights on my Christmas tree are twinkling.  Heidi Swain puts the 'Happy' in 'Happy Christmas' and can melt even the frostiest heart with this wonderfully heartwarming book.  Very highly recommended - make sure you put this one on your Christmas list!

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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BLOG TOUR: A Christmas Celebration - Heidi Swain

When Paige turns up unannounced at Wynthorpe Hall, she discovers the place she knew when she was growing up has changed beyond all recognition. She’s only planning to stay for a short time, but is quickly pulled into local life.

 

One night while driving home after delivering library books and shopping to residents she stumbles across an isolated cottage and meets Albert, its elderly and rather grumpy owner. She quickly realises there’s more to Albert than meets the eye and the same can be said for the other man she can’t seem to help running into, handsome but brooding Brodie.

 

All three of them have a secret and a desire to hide away from the world, but with Christmas on the horizon, is that really the best way to celebrate the season?

 

What did I think?

There's something so very special about a Heidi Swain novel so I was super excited to read A Christmas Celebration, and it completely exceeded all of my expectations.  Even though it's only October it made me feel rather festive, but more than that, it warmed my heart and filled me with goodwill.

I totally identified and emphasised with the main character of Paige.  She made a mistake in her job that she is totally beating herself up about and she keeps imagining the worst that could have happened, even though it didn't.  Paige is inflicted with that old 'what if...' that goes round and round inside your head and causes nightmares.

A visit to Paige's godparents is just the tonic that she needs and it seems like Paige has turned up at just the right time - with so much to do in the run up to Christmas, Paige is kept very busy and has little time to dwell on what might have been.  I couldn't help but be infected by some of Angus' enthusiasm for all things festive, especially from Heidi Swain's wonderful, magical descriptions of Wynthorpe Hall and the beautiful village of Wynbridge.

I was completely enthralled by the two men who enter Paige's life.  I could have reached into the book and given a huge hug to octogenarian Albert and reading about his lonely existence brought a tear to my eye.  It was so lovely to see the community spirit in Wynbridge that reaches out to people living alone in isolated homes.  Albert may have started my heart warming but Paige's love interest Brodie had my heart racing.  I mean, who doesn't love a Mr Darcy type character in a novel?  

I love how Heidi Swain's novels are standalone but often reference her earlier novels and I loved the mentions of the Cherry Tree Cafe and Skylark Farm, even though it has been many years since I read about them.  I felt like I was meeting old friends again and seeing how well they were doing added another couple of degrees on my heart temperature scale.

Completely heartwarming and gloriously festive, A Christmas Celebration is simply fabulous.  I really hope I get time to read it again nearer Christmas as it's the perfect book to read during the festive season.  Very highly recommended. 

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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