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

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The Secret Seaside Escape' by Heidi Swain is a jolly-jaunt of a novel, marvellously uplifting & joyfully warm, much in-keeping with the previous books by this author I've had the pleasure of reading. Combining friendship & relationships, family & self-discovery, dreams and hopes and wishes, this is an inspiring story, encouraging readers to take control of their lives and go after whatever it is that makes their hearts happy, no matter how hard the decisions that need to be made along the way. I know they’d be thrilled to see you.’ I heard Mum chip in. ‘Poor Archie has been pulling his hair out. He’s at his wits’ end with it all.’ I’m a huge fan of this author and her wonderfully escapist books which are just what I need at the moment.

Settle in for another trip to Nightingale Square, full of love and sunshine that will warm your heart. It had taken me a while to come to terms with it, but deep down I had known my time working in Jordan was coming to an end. I knew even before the loss of corporate funding made the number of aid workers unsustainable.I highly recommend this absolute joy of a book-dessert and, please, Heidi Swain, can we have seconds?!!

I so enjoy visiting this wonderful community and it was fantastic to meet some new fabulous characters too! I did have a bit of a hard time with the romance, there were times when it left a bad taste in my mouth. There was a lot of drama surrounding it that wasn't my favourite so be very wary if you don't like cheating. 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.

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Because your exasperating godfather has . . . well, how can I put it?’ Dad struggled to explain. ‘Rather overstretched himself, I suppose you could say.’ It matters because Anna does a lot of volunteering locally,’ Dad explained. ‘She’s in charge of delivering groceries, library books and prescriptions to people who live out of town and she does a fair bit of ferrying to appointments and things too.’ 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.’ Apparently not,’ said Dad, ‘and Hayley the housekeeper and her partner, Gabe, who maintains the grounds, are also away now too. There wasn’t supposed to be much of an overlap with Jamie and Anna’s trip but Gabe’s sister had a change to her schedule and the run up to Christmas suddenly became the only time they’d be able to get together.’ Yes,’ I told her, swallowing away the lump in my throat. ‘Just. I’m now about to leave the airport.’

I love the musical theme that is woven into this book. It really adds to the depth and feel of the story. I honestly have my fellow book club friends to thank for this recommendation. After hearing a few of them talk about Heidi Swain’s books I decided to see for myself what all the fuss was about. I decided to do a free trial of Audible and start my Heidi Swain journey, thankfully a few of my friends told me about the different series so I started with the first one in the Wynmouth collection. Overall just a lovely summery read, perfect to while away the hours and get lost in on a warm day in the garden. The romance naturally weaves around everyday life. Not the sole focus but still important. I love this in Heidi Swain’s books. I didn’t like the way that Tess jumped to so many conclusions in the story and ended up being made to look stupid...

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Only problem is that music and interacting in a close community also comes with the move, so will Beth regret her new life choices? 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. I loved the way Tess knows herself so well. She can sense that she's getting too overtaxed, that she needs a break and she doesn't hesitate before taking action. She is also shown to be very giving and thoughtful. As she gets to know the people of Wynmouth she can see that their businesses aren't doing as well as they could and she doesn't hesitate to give out advice, or even help them organise events. It was brilliant how she was always willing to help these complete strangers, and I really enjoyed seeing their relationships develop over time.

Tess is renting a cottage from the owner of the pub Sam and is instantly attracted to him but shelves the idea because it looks like he has a girlfriend There are some other wonderful characters we get to meet in this novel too. Sophie has the aforementioned coffee shop that we know will always feature in some way or another in a Heidi Swain novel and her daughter Hope share a definite affinity for making things bigger and better with main character Tess. And then there are Joe and Sam. Each mysterious in their own way, we can tell there is going to be some romance where these guys are concerned. As this is book 4 (but could easily be read as a standalone), it was so nice to be reunited with some of the previous characters. I'm sure I have said it before but the Square and the Grow Well garden really does sound idyllic with all the wonderful residents and a proper sense of community.

If you're partial to quaint seaside getaways, sprinkled with the most warm and welcoming of characters, and family-focused stories with a whole lot of heart and warmth, then 'The Secret Seaside Escape' by Heidi Swain is perfect for you. If you enjoy novels based around tight-knit communities and people each other out in their time of need then, again, this will be right up your street. Heidi Swain writes straight from the heart and it shows within her books. I already can't wait for the next one. I love this authors writing style, her way with words, and storytelling ability. As the book progressed I was drawn into it more and more and was incredibly curious as to how some of the plots would turn out. Seeing how Tess changes over the course of the book and the way her new friendships developed was really great to see. But why does that matter if the charity is closed?’ I asked, unable to fathom why their absence would be a problem.