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!
Title: Home For Christmas
Author: Heidi Swain
Published By: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication Date 10th October 2024
Our Review
Bella loves everything about Christmas and every year she follows her family's tradition by starting the preparations on the first of December, each day she has a specific task to do whether it be decorating the whole house with festive fayre, (yes the whole house, even the bathroom) or making mince pies and sausage rolls. She is a creature of habit and is happy to carry on the ways of her grandparents keeping their memory alive as her house belonged to them before they both passed.
When she's asked by her friends Catherine and Angus if she will put up a lodger who is writing a book for them about the history of Wynthorpe Hall, she is reluctant but feels they've been so kind to her over the years so eventually agrees. Expecting an older gent to turn up she is more than a little excited to see a gorgeous hunk of a man appear on her doorstep by the name of Jude. The only thing is she quickly finds out he hates Christmas. Whilst Bella and Jude don't exactly hit it off at first, Jude is immediately enamoured by Bella's gorgeous little spaniel called Tink and I just know you will fall in love with her too.
Jude's dislike of anything remotely Christmassy creates an awkward situation for Bella who feels that she can't express herself properly in her own house which is very soon taken over by the mounds of paperwork involved in researching Wynthorpe Hall. She has to keep reminding herself that it's only temporary but as the time draws near for him to leave she begins to get to understand him a bit better and wants to get to know him more.
Jude turned out to make Scrooge look like Santa himself such was his dislike of the festive period and anything to do with it and Bella makes it her business to find out why.
I loved the little business that Bella worked very hard at, it was called Away with the Fairies, Bella made fairies and also dressed like one when she went to fairs etc to sell them. It was such a quirky idea for a business which sounded like hard work but satisfying and fun, I could just imagine how cute the fairies were and Bella gets a lovely request about her fairies which was amazing.
Home for Christmas is literally everything about Christmas all wrapped up in a book, the sort of story you need to read curled up in front of the fire when the weather is freezing outside as it is guaranteed to warm your heart.
Heading back to Wynbridge was lovely to see how lots of Heidi's previous characters were getting on, including Holly and Bear and the staff at The Cherry Tree Cafe which was the author's first book.
Fabulously festive and fun, you will struggle to find anything more Christmassy than this uplifting read from one of my favourite authors, Heidi Swain.
Sincerely
Book Angel x
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About the Author
Heidi Swain is a Sunday Times Top Ten best-selling author who writes feel good fiction for Simon and Schuster. She releases two books a year (early summer and winter) and the stories all have a strong sense of community, family and friendship. She is currently writing books set in three locations - the Fenland town of Wynbridge, Nightingale Square in Norwich and Wynmouth on the Norfolk coast, as well as summer standalone titles.
Heidi lives in beautiful west Norfolk. She is passionate about gardening, the countryside, collecting vintage paraphernalia and reading. Her tbr pile is always out of control!
Heidi loves to chat with her readers and you can get in touch via her website or on social media.
