All Wrapped Up by 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.

Title:    All Wrapped Up

Author:   Heidi Swain

Published By: Simon & Schuster 

Publication Date: 11th September 2025

Links:   UK:   Amazon   US:   Amazon

Our Review

Heidi Swain is quite literally the Goddess of Autumn as far as I’m concerned so it came as no surprise that she would eventually write an autumnal book to go alongside her fab Christmas and Summer books. 

This is probably one of the most heartfelt books of Heidi’s because it’s about Clemmie who has been hiding herself away in a house in Wynbridge that she bought with her husband who unfortunately died not long after. 

Like Heidi, Clemmie is also a lover of Autumn and has an incredibly popular anonymous influencer site which she uses to communicate her love of the season to her many followers whilst remaining unseen. 

Ash is the local vet whom she meets one day and inadvertently ends up looking after a rescue dog called Pixie whose owner has died that Ash was trying to find a new owner for. 

Despite having avoided all the neighbours for almost two years Clemmie gets roped in to organise an Autumn festival and becomes part of the community, making friends and maybe even something more with a certain animal lover. 

It was lovely being back in Wynbridge with lots of familiar faces including Lizzie from the Cherry Tree Cafe which was Heidi’s first book.

The subject of heartbreak was treated so sensitively and I loved watching Clemmie slowly mend to be able to move on in life but always with a special place in her heart for her husband. It was so very moving. I think this book has become my second favourite of Heidi’s, the first being The Book Lovers’ Retreat. 

I love it when the title of a book is mentioned in the story, it always gives me that lovely warm glowing feeling inside.  All wrapped up is an emotional, heart warming and cosy read, perfect after a crisp autumnal walk, curled up in an armchair with a mug of hot chocolate and perfect in the lead up to Christmas. I just loved it. 

Talking of Christmas Heidi has lots of fabulous Christmas books out too, you can find them here. 

Sincerely 

Book Angel x

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.

Slow Burn by Oti Mabuse

Filled with scenes of sizzling passion, plot beats of swoon-worthy romance, and a cast of Black female characters that you’ll fall in love with, the unputdownable debut novel from Oti Mabuse brims with heat and heart. Perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert, Laura Jane Williams, Tia Williams, Farrah Rochon, Hannah Grace and Bolu Babalola.

For dancer Lira, Latin Ballroom is everything. Whilst her dreams of fame were cut short aged 19, she’s never forgotten the connection she felt dancing with a stranger at the Paris World Championship afterparty 13 years ago.

Now, with her younger sisters pursuing their own successful dancing careers, and the responsibility of running the family dance studio falling to her, Lira’s ambitious flame is about to flicker out. Until a chance encounter sees her secretly auditioning for Slow Burn, a new dance show about to embark on a 6-week European tour, and coming face to face with a blast from her past that sends her reeling.

Gabriele is the quintessential bad boy of the Latin Ballroom scene. Slim of hip, with long, lean muscles that pop, a chiselled jaw, dark eyes, obscenely long lashes, and a mouth that just won’t give, it's no surprise when he lands the principal male lead role on Slow Burn. But, with just a few weeks to go till the tour starts, he still hasn't found his female co-star. All it takes is one audition to set his world on fire...

On the dance floor they’re smouldering, off it, they’re on fire.



Title: Slow Burn

Author: Oti Mabuse

Published By: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 12th Feb 2026

Links: UK: Amazon 

Our Review

First of all how gorgeous is the cover, with really appealing vivid bright colours. Slow Burn is Oti Mabuse's debut novel and will definitely warm you up on a cold winter's night. Lira is the oldest of three sisters and runs her family’s dance school in a place called Castlebury where she teaches wedding dances to couples and has a lot more than exercise sessions with her personal trainer. (Ooh it's getting hot in here.)

Gabriel is a famous hot blooded Italian dancer. Known for being a lothario with the ladies he is also sleeping with his regular dance partner Daniella who unfortunately for him is beginning to become a bit too attached and he doesn't need that when he has a number of women he can go to.

But when famous choreographer Carlos decides to hold auditions for his brand new dance show Slow Burn at Lyra’s dance studio, Lyra is shocked to find that Gabriel is the principal dancer and he was also the guy she had had a one night stand with many years before. 

Carlos is unimpressed with the auditionees and asks Lyra to be Gabriel’s partner but neither of them are keen on the idea and both have other worries on their minds. 

Both Lyra and Gabriel had very strong family commitments, one of them was loyal to their family whilst the other one had made decisions that had disappointed their parents which was a shame. 

What they both had in common was the overwhelming guilt at constantly letting their parents down and I thought that was such a shame especially when something really sad happens. 

I felt really sorry for Lyra because of the expectations placed on her by her family meant she couldn't tell them about the show,  yet her sisters were allowed to take off and do their own thing. The book centres around the complex relationships between parents and their grown up children. I'm sure lots of people will relate to the guilt they feel about wanting to be there for them but also wanting to have their own lives as well. It's a difficult area to navigate in life and both Lira and Gabrielle are affected by this situation and it was great to see Lira stand up for what she wanted.

I found this a fascinating insight into (possibly) a behind the scenes peek at Strictly and would love to know who the main characters were inspired by. The sexiness of the dances plus the electricity and passion between Lyra and Gabriel made for a sizzling read. 

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

As one of the most instantly recognisable faces in the UK and one of the country's most beloved broadcasters, presenters and talent show judges, Oti Mabuse is a dancer of international success and renown, winning titles and championships across the world.  The only professional on Strictly Come Dancing to win twice concurrently, she left after seven years on the show and became a judge on Dancing on Ice appearing on our screens to over five million viewers per week. Family and connection means everything to her and in December 2023 she welcomed her first child into the world. Oti spends her (hard won) downtime getting used to the rhythm of Mum-life and escaping into romantic fiction, which, second only to her love of dance, is her other passion in life. Her favourite authors include Colleen Hoover, Bernadine Evaristo and Dolly Alderton. ​"My name, Otlile, means 'I am here' in Setswana, and that's exactly what I am – here. For too long women like me – empowered, curvy, black women – haven't been able to see ourselves in swoon-worthy, heart-racing romances... I want to change that." Oti Mabuse