Mince Pies & Mistletoe at the Christmas Market

Christmas has arrived in the town of Wynbridge and it promises mince pies, mistletoe and a whole host of seasonal joy.  Ruby has finished with university and is heading home for the holidays to save up for her trip around the world in January. Against her father’s wishes, she takes on a stall at the local market, and sets about making it the best Christmas market stall ever. There’ll be bunting and mistletoe and maybe even a bit of mulled wine.
 But with a new retail park just opened on their doorstep, the market is under threat. So together with all the other stallholders, Ruby devises a plan to make sure that Wynbridge is the first port of call for everyone’s Christmas shopping needs.
 The only thing standing in her way is Ruby’s ex, Steve. It’s pretty hard to concentrate on saving the world when he works on the stall opposite, especially when she realises that her feelings for him are still there…
This Christmas make time for some winter sparkle – and see who might be under the mistletoe this year…

Title:                    Mince Pies & Mistletoe at the Christmas Market
Author:                Heidi Swain
Published By:      Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 17th November 2016
Link:                     Uk: Amazon    US: Amazon

Our Review

A lovely feel good Christmassy read.

Ruby Smith has returned home to Wynbridge after having been away studying for four years.
She has decided to go travelling in the new year and in order to earn some money she accepts a job running a stall at the Christmas market, on behalf of the Cherry Tree Cafe.
Tensions run high at home as her dad is disappointed that she is not setting her sights on a better job.
She also realises that working on the Christmas market is a tad awkward because her ex boyfriend Steve works on the next stall. Also her dad is not popular with the stall holders as he works on the council and they don't trust him.

Heidi's description of working on a market stall was very realistic as whilst it may sound romantic Ruby was actually freezing cold most of the time and relied on the hot tasty goodies from the café and warm clothes to keep warm.

Some incidents that happened in the book struck a chord with me as my little village was unable to have lights this year due to funding cuts and they decided to put a Christmas tree up where no one can see it, so I could really sympathise with the residents of Wynbridge about this.

I loved the story of Ruby and her return to Wynbridge where she uncovers some family secrets that had altered the course of her life dramatically. Also it was lovely to be able to catch up with more of Heidi's characters from The Cherry Tree cafe and Skylark farm. The home crafted gifts that Ruby was selling on the stall all sounded brilliant and I wouldn't be surprised to find that Heidi had tried them all out for herself.

Heidi Swain has created a perfect little haven for readers to get lost in for a few hours and simply enjoy. Her characters are likeable and interesting, even those involved in longstanding family feuds.
This book is full of comfort and Joy and I'm very much looking forward to her fourth book for a little more indulgence.

Sincerely
Book Angel x

About the Author

Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she finally plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.

A lover of Galaxy bars, vintage paraphernalia and the odd bottle of fizz, she now writes contemporary fiction and enjoys the company of a whole host of feisty female characters.

Heidi can be found at the keyboard at all hours of the day and night and quite often scribbling longhand in her car during her lunch break. She lives in stunning south Norfolk with her wonderful family and a mischievous cat called Storm.

Her debut novel, The Cherry Tree Cafe, was published on July 16th, 2015 and became an Amazon bestseller.