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

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He is,’ she said, her voice drifting away a little. ‘We’re in the Cayman Islands and it’s as hot as hell. We’re going to swim with stingrays later . . .’ When she moves in, she starts getting involved in the community and a friendship with Eli. Things are looking good in her life when also she becomes the Activities manager at the care home. Life is sweet. But when things from her past come to light, life seems to get complicated. What a gorgeous new setting from Heidi Swain, in this delightful story, filled with secrets, misunderstandings, great events and the possibility that summer could change lives. As well as two of the three Connelly sons, Jamie and Archie, their partners lived at the hall too, along with a whole host of staff who were so close to the family they were also considered kin.

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. Heidi Swain Pic: Laura Aziz Now read on for an extract from A Christmas Celebration by Heidi Swain! 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.’ 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.

Allison Hay

I have read each and every one of Heidi Swains previous novels and absolutely adore them and when I found out that her new novel was set in Wynmouth I couldn’t wait to return here and escape in her warming writing style. Overall just a lovely summery read, perfect to while away the hours and get lost in on a warm day in the garden. I am very much hoping that we will get to meet this lovely assortment of characters again and to hear what they have been up to; they are so very entertaining and full of life. This is a book that has everything: the perfect-setting, characters, storyline and it really empathizes the importance of friendship, priorities, communicating with each other better, and in ‘taking that chance in life!’ It also has plenty of drama and surprises, too. It made me feel all warm inside, like I’d eaten a delicious pudding, and yes, I wanted more! It was lovely to catch up with existing characters and a real treat to meet some fabulous new ones.

Yes,’ I told her, swallowing away the lump in my throat. ‘Just. I’m now about to leave the airport.’ Nightingale Square provides plenty of opportunities for Beth to step out of her comfort zone. One of the reasons I love this community is their willingness to nurture and care without even knowing what the issues are. It’s so non-judgemental. Beth holds her secrets close but in this environment, her conscience won’t let her for long. 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.’ We return to nightingale square for the summer and meet the lovely Beth. At the start Beth is working at a care home looking after elderly residents but she is unhappy living in a cramped and dirty house share. So when given the opportunity to move to nightingale square to share with the lovely Eli she jumps at the chance. It’s no surprise that the community welcomes in Beth and help her organise a funfair for the care home. When she discovers that The Arches which is a local creative arts centre has had to close the venture to re open it opens old wounds and past secrets for Beth. Wynmouth is very special to Tess she fell in love with it as a child, it is also the place of where she had her forever kiss that kiss she never forgot. Armed with her letters she decides to have a hiatus no phones, social media etc.I adored Tess. In fact, I adored most of the characters, from kind-hearted ladies: Joan and Sophie, to comical elderly gent George, and not forgetting the Wynmouth gang! Believe me, you are in for a real treat! Surprisingly this is the first book I’ve read by this author!! The cover looked so enticing that I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist it! It is book #4 of the Nightingale Square series but can easily be read as a standalone book. We meet Beth who works in a care home looking after its elderly residents. Following her mum’s death, Beth finds herself in the most awful house share! Thankfully, she gets a new job as an activity organiser within the Care Home, which means she can afford to move into a house share in beautiful Nightingale Square. It sounds such a lovely place that I wanted to move there myself, especially when it seems her new housemate, Eli is the perfect person to share it with. Tess is feeling overwhelmed by her high pressured job, its making her ill, and she keeps dreaming of her childhood holidays to Wynmouth. She is still grieving for her mum, and when she discovers that not everything was as seemed in her parents marriage, she takes off for a break to Wynbridge without telling anyone where she's going.