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

Paige’s time as an aid worker in war-torn Jordan has come to and end in the approach to Christmas, amid circumstances – slowly revealed as the story progresses – that have left her wanting to be alone to lick her wounds. But her parents – away on a cruise, and unable to provide hands-on support – convince her to join her godfather Angus and his sprawling family and wider community at Wynthorpe Hall, where her help is needed with preparations for the estate’s festive celebrations, with several key family members absent at a critical time. Once there, she’s wrapped in the love and warmth she remembers from her childhood – and finds real purpose in helping the community by delivering food, prescriptions and library books to those who live in more remote locations or are unable to leave their homes.Lost on the fens in her unreliable land rover, she comes across elderly Albert – in need of help even more than many others, but resistant to her efforts. Slowly, she wins him over and they become friends – and she widens his horizons, reunites him with the community, and discovers his deeply-held secrets. But her path also crosses that of the dark and brooding Brodie, a man with depths and secrets of his own – and this time, she’s the one who has to resist, finding herself unexpectedly attracted to him when she knows her time in Wynthorpe will soon come to an end.This is the ninth book set at Wynthorpe, and that’s never the ideal place to start reading a series – and there’s a large cast of established characters, so I’m sure I missed out on some of the back stories covered in the earlier books and the nuances of some of their relationships. But reading this one as a standalone was never a real problem – it’s very much Paige’s story, and I soon felt the same warm embrace that she did at the heart of the Connelly clan. And the warmth of the story was what I really loved – so many of the characters have their own problems and challenges, many dwarfing her own, and the magic of the festive season makes everything look a little brighter. I loved her relationship with Albert and the way it transformed both their lives – and the twists and turns of her tentative attachment to Brodie were so well handled, a smouldering romance between two damaged people that I really believed in. And on the Christmassiness scale, it’s just perfectly judged – plenty of lights and sparkle, but a stronger focus on love and kindness and the elements that really matter.Yes, I really loved this one – and I’ll happily declare myself a fan of Heidi Swain’s lovely writing, excellent characterisation and wonderful storytelling, and will look forward to reading more. Highly recommended by me.

I love these books an revisiting wynthorpe hall and all the people that live there.No matter what time of year you go ,it’s always a great story .

I discovered the pleasure of spending Christmas with a book by Heidi Swain last year. Without being sentimental, Heidi is able to capture the magic of Christmas through the lives of a variety of different people of all ages and backgrounds. Although I have read books based at Wynthorpe Hall before, it is not necessary as you will soon understand the team of people working with Angus and Catherine who work together to maintain their beautiful fenland estate and open it up for festive celebration to the local people each year.Into this world comes Paige, god-daughter of Angus, who has left her work as an aid-worker in Jordan under a cloud. With her parents out of the country she is happy to return to a family and place she remembers fondly from her childhood. Four of the usual team are away for December so Paige is welcomed to help in the community delivering food and library books to remote houses and housebound residents. After becoming lost she encounters an elderly man, Albert, who desperately needs help but refuses to accept it. Gradually she wears down his resistance and they become friends. Trying to deal with her nightmares, Paige is determined to move on after Christmas, so she has no intention of giving into her feelings for the inscrutable Brodie, another newcomer to the area. She is however grateful to renew her friendship with the mystical Mollie and tentatively begins to draw close to a young mother who has fled a troubled marriage.If you need a feel-good boost to give you that Christmas cheer, then I can recommend this lovely story.

In A Christmas Celebration we meet Paige as she makes an unexpected return to Wynthorpe Hall after doing aid work overseas. It's clear that something is troubling her so hopefully being back amongst friends will help her heal and maybe make new plans for the future.Whilst staying at the hall Paige takes on some of the roles that Anna previously did which brings her into contact with two new men who will play a pivotal role in her life. One night she stumbles across an isolated cottage which brings her into contact with Albert, an octogenarian who lives alone. Although Albert is resistant to help, Paige won't take no for an answer and slowly but surely they build an unexpected friendship that will enhance both of their lives. And then there's grumpy Brodie who is dealing with his own issues.One of the aspects I love about a Heidi Swain novel is that although they are all standalones, there are references and mentions to events and characters that have featured in the previous books in the Wynbridge series. It's such a treat to catch up with old friends and seeing how they are doing now.I wonder what festive treats Heidi Swain has in store for us next year.