Emma's Review: Best Summer Ever by Heidi Swain

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Summer is in full swing when Daisy drives back into Wynmouth in her almost-clapped-out car, having left both her most recent job and the man her parents thought she was going to marry. Coming home could be just what she needs to move her life on.  

At Wynbrook Manor, things are in disarray. Owner Algy isn’t getting any younger, and Daisy’s mum Janet, housekeeper at the manor, spends her days running around after him, while Daisy’s dad Robin, the gardener, has been let down by the person he had lined up to take care of the new cut-flower garden.

As Daisy tries to find her place at Wynbrook and in the village, she’s drawn to summer visitor Josh. But when he turns out to be not the person he appears to be, will the spark between them fizzle out? And with it, the chances of this turning into the best summer ever?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback 

Emma's Review: The Holiday Escape by Heidi Swain

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Her dream holiday is his everyday life. His dream holiday is her normal life. What happens when they collide? 

Ally and her dad, Geoff, run the family business, a creative retreat, from their home Hollyhock Cottage in picturesque Kittiwake Cove. They give their guests their dream break, but Ally hankers after glamourous city living, fancy restaurants and art galleries.

Ally’s survival strategy is to escape out of season, take a break abroad and pretend to be the person she always imagined she would be. She meets Logan while she’s away and he turns out to be exactly the kind of distraction she’s looking for.

With her spirits restored, Ally returns home, picks up the reins again and sets her sights on another successful season, but when Logan unexpectedly arrives on the scene, she soon realises she’s in for a summer that’s going to be far from straightforward… 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Catch Up Reads: Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage by Heidi Swain

When Lottie Foster’s grandmother’s best friend Gwen dies, she leaves Lottie her lovely home, Cuckoo Cottage.

Lottie loves the cottage but Matt, a charming local builder, points out that beneath its charm it is falling apart. Luckily he is always on hand to help with the problems that somehow seem to keep cropping up. But is he just a bit too good to be true? Certainly Will, Lottie’s closest neighbour, seems to think so.

Lottie plans to set up her own business renovating vintage caravans. She hasn’t told anyone about the project she has cooked up with Jemma from The Cherry Tree Café to repurpose Gwen’s old caravan and turn it into a gorgeous tearoom.

But before she can finally enjoy living with her legacy she must uncover who she can trust, and who to avoid. And with two men vying for her attention, will she also find love?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Catch Up Reads: Summer at Skylark Farm by Heidi Swain

Amber is a city girl at heart. So when her boyfriend Jake suggests they move to the countryside to help out at his family farm, she doesn't quite know how to react. But work has been hectic and she needs a break so she decides to grasp the opportunity and make the best of it.

Dreaming of organic orchards, paddling in streams and frolicking in fields, Amber packs up her things and moves to Skylark Farm. But life is not quite how she imagined - it's cold and dirty and the farm buildings are dilapidated and crumbling.

But Amber is determined to make the best of it and throws herself into farm life. But can she really fit in here? And can she and Jake stay together when they are so different?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: The Summer Fair by Heidi Swain

Beth loves her job working in a care home, looking after its elderly residents, but she doesn’t love the cramped and dirty house-share she currently lives in. So, when she gets the opportunity to move to Nightingale Square, sharing a house with the lovely Eli, she jumps at the chance. 

The community at Nightingale Square welcomes Beth with open arms, and when she needs help to organise a fundraiser for the care home they rally round. Then she discovers The Arches, a local creative arts centre, has closed and the venture to replace it needs their help too – but this opens old wounds and past secrets for Beth. 

Music was always an important part of her life, but now she has closed the door on all that. Will her friends at the care home and the people of Nightingale Square help her find a way to learn to love it once more…?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

On the First Day of Christmas...

How is it December already? The year has flown by and what a year it's been for me as I was dreading spending my 50th birthday alone during lockdown but despite this I was totally spoilt, working from home is likely to become a full-time option for me but sadly also a few health issues (nothing serious) have affected my concentration which has meant that I haven't reviewed anything on the blog for months. So thanks again to Emma for holding down the fort.   

Over the next 12 days I'm going to be sharing the book love with daily giveaways of 📚 and other book-themed prizes. Each giveaway will last two days and a winner will be selected at random and will win the prize I've allocated for that day (but it would be too easy if the order below matched with the days but as you'll also see there are more than 12 prizes so for a couple of days there will be a bookish bundle of a few of the non-book items 😉)

Books Read: The Cherry Tree Cafe by Heidi Swain

Lizzie Dixon's life feels as though it's fallen apart. Instead of the marriage proposal she was hoping for from her boyfriend, she is unceremoniously dumped, and her job is about to go the same way. So, there's only one option: to go back home to the village she grew up in and to try to start again.

Her best friend Jemma is delighted Lizzie has come back home as she has just bought a little cafe and Lizzie's sewing skills are just what she needs to help get it ready for the grand opening.

With a new venture and a new home, things are looking much brighter for Lizzie. But can she get over her broken heart, and will an old flame reignite a love from long ago...?

Amazon Affiliate Links: Kindle or Paperback

Extract from Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair by Heidi Swain

Today it's my pleasure to be kicking off Heidi Swain's festive Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair blog tour.   Sadly as I'm still recovering from illness I have not managed to read the book yet but instead I'm able to share with you the first chapter as a teaser as to what we can expect to read inside.

When Anna takes on the role of companion to the owner of Wynthorpe Hall, on the outskirts of Wynbridge, she has no idea that her life is set to change beyond all recognition.

A confirmed ‘bah humbug’ when it comes to Christmas, Anna is amazed to find herself quickly immersed in the eccentric household, and when youngest son Jamie unexpectedly arrives home it soon becomes obvious that her personal feelings are going all out to compromise her professional persona.

Jamie, struggling to come to terms with life back in the Fens, makes a pact with Anna – she has to teach him to fall back in love with Wynthorpe Hall, while he helps her fall back in love with Christmas. But will it all prove too much for Anna, or can the family of Wynthorpe Hall warm her heart once and for all...?

Join Anna for a festive journey festooned with sleigh rides and silver bells and help her discover her happy-ever-after.

Chapter 1 

Most people, at some point during their adult lives, struggle to come up with what to put on their Christmas list, but not me. Asking for the same present every year since I turned eighteen has ensured that I’ve never encountered that particular problem and now, almost twenty years later, it’s still my first choice.
     My longed-​for gift of working every day of December, including right through the Christmas holidays, might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for the last two decades it’s proved an absolute sanity saver for me. However, this is one present that I have to sort for myself and it simply has to be wrapped up well in advance of the Big Day. So, to give myself the best possible chance of securing the right post, I begin the search when the first leaves fall in autumn, and this year was no exception. By the middle of November I had the choice of two situations, but it was the isolated location of one of them which left me powerless to resist.
     'And just how remotely situated would you say Wynthorpe Hall actually is?’ I asked, during the brief telephone interview with Angus Connelly, the hall owner, who was keen for me to take the temporary job he had to offer.
     'Very,’ he cautiously replied. ‘And is that going to be a problem do you think, Anna? Because this really isn’t the sort of place where you can just pop round the corner for a bag of sugar, I’m afraid. It’s more like a forty-​minute round trip into town and there are no other houses nearby.’
     Little did he know it of course, but his words were music to my ears. The other job I had been offered was back in central London and although the pay and perks were vastly different, so was the atmosphere at this time of year. The city would already be awash with lights, cheesy tunes and festive cheer and as far as I was concerned that was far too hefty a price to pay for an extra zero on the salary. Hunkering down in the barren and frosty Fenland landscape, without so much as a carol singer in sight, would be a much appreciated soothing balm to my troubled soul and I mulled it over with relish.

Blogiversary Giveaway: Win a pair of books by Heidi Swain

This afternoon I am spoiling you with a giveaway for not one but two books by author Heidi Swain.  A copy of her her first book The Cherry Tree Cafe, as I was sent two copies but I still haven't had a chance to read yet... I will soon I promise Heidi, and as her latest book Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair has just been published I decided to buy a copy for the prize package too. 

Lizzie Dixon's life feels as though it's fallen apart. Instead of the marriage proposal she was hoping for from her boyfriend, she is unceremoniously dumped, and her job is about to go the same way. So, there's only one option: to go back home to the village she grew up in and to try to start again.

Her best friend Jemma is delighted Lizzie has come back home as she has just bought a little cafe and Lizzie's sewing skills are just what she needs to help get it ready for the grand opening.

With a new venture and a new home, things are looking much brighter for Lizzie. But can she get over her broken heart, and will an old flame reignite a love from long ago...?

When Anna takes on the role of companion to the owner of Wynthorpe Hall, on the outskirts of Wynbridge, she has no idea that her life is set to change beyond all recognition.

A confirmed ‘bah humbug’ when it comes to Christmas, Anna is amazed to find herself quickly immersed in the eccentric household, and when youngest son Jamie unexpectedly arrives home it soon becomes obvious that her personal feelings are going all out to compromise her professional persona.

Emma's Review: Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market by Heidi Swain

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Ruby has finished with university and is heading home for the holidays to save up for her trip around the world in January. Against her father’s wishes, she takes on a stall at the local market, and sets about making it the best Christmas market stall ever. There’ll be bunting and mistletoe and maybe even a bit of mulled wine.

But with a new retail park just opened on their doorstep, the market is under threat. So together with all the other stallholders, Ruby devises a plan to make sure that Wynbridge is the first port of call for everyone’s Christmas shopping needs.

The only thing standing in her way is Ruby’s ex, Steve. It’s pretty hard to concentrate on saving the world when he works on the stall opposite, especially when she realises that her feelings for him are still there…

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Food & Drink Month: Cover Reveal & Q&A with Heidi Swain

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Heidi Swain back to the blog as the latest author to take part in the foodie chat for this Food and Drink feature month.  But Heidi is also spoiling us by sharing the gorgeous cover for her new Christmas book Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market which is being published on 17th November.

eBook http://amzn.to/2bwhlM8 

  Paperback http://amzn.to/2biz3Ei

Ruby has been away at university but now she's back in Wynbridge. With Christmas around the corner, she takes on a stall at the local market, and sets about making it the best Christmas market stall ever. There'll be bunting and mistletoe and maybe even a bit of mulled wine.

But with the new out-of-town superstore just opened, the market is under threat. So together with the other stallholders, Ruby devises a plan to make sure that locals make the Christmas market their first port of call for all their Christmas present needs.

But it's hard to concentrate when she keeps bumping into her ex, Steve - and especially when she realises that her feelings for him are still there.

I don't know about you but I love the sound of Heidi's third novel which is combining a few of my favourite things, Christmas, Mince Pies and Christmas Markets.  Roll on November as I cannot wait to curl up in front of a fire, with a mince pie of course, to read what sounds like a delicious Christmassy read. 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing journey? 
Certainly. I write novels featuring feisty female characters and heroes with heart which are aimed at the commercial women's fiction market. A fellow author recently described by books as 'feel-good fiction', a badge which I am more than proud to wear!

My writing journey really began in earnest after The Cherry Tree Cafe was selected by Books and The City, (Simon and Schuster), following their #OneDay open submission day a couple of years ago. It was published in e-book format last July and in June this year Summer at Skylark Farm was published, also as an e-book. 

Two further books (both e-book and paperback) are on the horizon. Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market will be published in October and as you can imagine I am very excited to get my hands on a copy of the paperback!

Where did the inspiration for The Cherry Tree Cafe and Summer at Skylark Farm come from?
I had a rural upbringing and my hometown was a small market town packed full of independent traders. Cakes and crafts, both of which I enjoy baking and making, are the driving force at The Cherry Tree Cafe while orchards and livestock, which I grew up loving, are paramount at Skylark Farm. 

I think it is safe to say that my early experiences have provided much of the inspiration behind all of my novels and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to share my passions with so many lovely readers.

If you had to describe your books in one sentence, what would it be?
Feel-good fiction with heart which combines rural living, cosy settings and happy endings.

Debut Spotlight: Heidi Swain

Today it's my pleasure to welcome author Heidi Swain to talk about her debut novel The Cherry Tree Cafe which is published this Thursday.

Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she finally plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.

A lover of Galaxy bars, vintage paraphernalia and the odd bottle of fizz, she now writes contemporary fiction and enjoys the company of a whole host of feisty female characters.

Heidi can be found at the keyboard at all hours of the day and night and quite often scribbling longhand in her car during her lunch break. She lives in stunning south Norfolk with her wonderful husband, son and daughter and a mischievous cat called Storm.

Her debut novel, The Cherry Tree Cafe, will be published on July 16th, 2015.

Hello there Sharon. Can I begin by saying thank you so much for inviting me to feature on your fabulous blog and giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts about all things Cherry Tree.

Can you tell us a little bit about your debut novel The Cherry Tree Cafe?
Certainly. The novel centres around Lizzie Dixon and what happens to her after she has her heart broken by the man she had thought was the great love of her life. Initially reluctant to move home to Wynbridge, she soon becomes embroiled in her best friend Jemma’s plans to renovate The Cherry Tree Café and discovers that it is the perfect place to make her personal and professional dreams come true.

How did the title come about? 
Do you know, I honestly can’t remember. It feels as if it has always existed. The courtyard and back garden belonging to the Café have cherry trees in them but which came first is a bit of a ‘chicken or the egg’ question now!

What made you want to combine a cafe with crafting?   
I’m always happiest when I’m writing about things I love and my personal passions feature strongly in all my writing. I don’t profess to being a Master Baker of Crafting Queen but I do love both and the idea of combining eating cherry topped cupcakes while making strings of pretty bunting and drinking tea, simply made my heart sing. 

Describe Lizzie in three words?
Flame-haired, feisty, fun