A Christmas Celebration: the cosiest, most joyful novel you'll read this Christmas

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What a fantastic story this was - Tess is burning out in her high pressured job role and makes a snap decision to take a leave of absence and go to the seaside resort of Wynnouth, the place of so many happy childhood memories for her, to recharge herself. What a breathtakingly beautiful place it sounds, Heidi writes descriptions so well I felt envious of anyone who lives in such a resort! As a child, Tess Tyler used to holiday in the idyllic seaside town Weymouth with her Mum and dad. That’s when her family were happy. Now grown up, Tess is a high – flyer in the family’s PR business. Her dad is her boss. Her mother died years previously and Tess still hasn’t come to terms with her death. With the stress of her job, and the discovery of her mother’s diary which some of the details leaves her reeling. Tess decides to take a break and without letting her dad know of her plans she finds herself heading to Weymouth. She decides to have a relaxing time while she is there. But circumstances change for the better and she gets close to the locals she shows her skills by helping them find ways to bring more business to the town. Whilst she there she meets past loves and finds things that changes her life forever. I did feel for Tess at times, especially at the beginning when it was clear that she was overworked and felt very undervalued. I couldn’t blame her for running off to the one place that was filled with so many happy memories. The way Tess instantly started to gel with the locals and help the surrounding businesses was so heart warming to see and showed just how well she fitted in. Of all the secondary characters I think Sophie was my favourite. Not only did her home cooking have me salivating but her sunshine persona was a welcomed addition and her sound advice to Tess was the cherry on the top. One of the things that the cafe owner says to her is whatever happens make sure you have all the facts. Does Tess listen, she goes on to make one assumption after another and makes a mighty mess of her own making burgeoning on the irritated side and makes one faux pas after another. The biggest faux pas is the assumption she makes about her father…. we find out at the end of the book I guessed half of it but got more than I thought.

Tess is in need of a break as she works tirelessly for her demanding father who runs the family successful marketing business. Another thing that irks her is that he rarely shows any affection and in her eyes her poor mother is neglected and seems to fill her days shopping. All is not what it seems. Because Angus insisted he would be able to sort it.’ Dad filled me in. ‘He was worried they wouldn’t go at all if they were stressing about finding cover so he said he’d arrange it all and sent them on their way.’Beth has been through so much and has pushed her passion for music aside, but once she meets the lovely people of Nightingale Square, it becomes quite apparent that her past and present are going to collide.

When she moves in, she starts getting involved in the community and a friendship with Eli. Things are looking good in her life when also she becomes the Activities manager at the care home. Life is sweet. But when things from her past come to light, life seems to get complicated. The same can be said for the other man she can’t seem to help running into – the handsome but brooding Brodie.That did sound very much like my godfather. Generous to a fault, but often without a thought for the consequences and repercussions. As this current situation proved. Swain truly takes her readers away with her latest novel, and it was a gloriously charming and most-welcome break from real life. From the moment Tess arrives in Wynmouth and settles down to enjoy her new, if only temporary, life in Crow's Nest Cottage at a slower, more easy-going pace, I was more than ready to settle down beside her and figure out how we were going to spend our time while in the seaside town. Whilst this may be my first Heidi Swain I am certain it won’t be my last! There is something very familiar about Heidi Swain and the way she writes. It’s like sitting down with an old friend and chatting over endless cups of tea and cake, you feel assured that you’re going to love every minute of it and I certainly had all the warm fuzzy feelings by the end.

I loved the quirky, fun characters that we meet in the care home where Beth works, they add a sense of fun and it was marvellous to see how Beth grew a special community within the home. I loved the close knit community depicted in this book which was heart warming to read about. It was so nice to see everyone looking out for and helping each other for once. There were some fabulous, unforgettable characters which made me laugh out loud at times. George in particular was incredibly funny and Joan and Sophie brought tears to my eyes as they were such lovely people. Beth has her issues, banning music from her life because it’s too painful to allow it in. You really feel her emotions and are desperate for things to improve for her. So when she has the opportunity to not only to improve her career, the chance to move away from her despicable housemates into a shared house on Nightingale Square suddenly arrives. The wonderful descriptions of Weymouth made me feel nostalgic for past family holidays on the beach. I’ve always loved the idea of moving somewhere new and starting again, so you can imagine how much this book appealed to me. The descriptions were very vivid and made me feel that I was actually there experiencing everything alongside them. I can’t wait to go to the beach when all of this is over.

Allison Hay

Because,’ he then said, his voice louder again, ‘I was going to suggest you headed to somewhere other than the house. Somewhere that you’d find a bit of company, but if you’d really rather be alone . . .’ I really enjoyed this new coastal setting in the Wynbridge worlds. Although this is not a Wynbridge novel you can tell that this all takes place in the same world and I know that characters from Heidi's previous novels will have walked these shores and been tempted by this coffee shop too. This book was heavily influenced by love of music and I have to confess, listening to music is actually not one of my favourite pastimes, however I loved how it brought Beth and Eli closer and helped them battle demons. The lost friendship between Eli and Pete was a really clever aspect, not usual to have a male friendship as such a focus. I loved Wynmouth, the setting for the story was just perfect and I loved the feel of the close-knit community. However, it isn’t all hunky dory, and I felt excited as I couldn’t wait for the secrets to be revealed, and would there be any love in the air? I loved the plot and how it all slotted together and some scenes really made me feel overwhelmed! I was happy with how Tess fitted in on her arrival and it was like a home-from-home for her. As well as two of the three Connelly sons, Jamie and Archie, their partners lived at the hall too, along with a whole host of staff who were so close to the family they were also considered kin.