Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair Published by Simon Schuster UK by Heidi Swain
on October 5, 2017
Genres: British Literature, Christmas, Contemporary, European Literature, Fiction, Holiday, Romance, Women's Fiction
Format: eBook
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
ISBN: 1508212694
Flame Rating:
Rating:
The sparkling new Christmas novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Heidi Swain!
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.
~*~
Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells was an incredibly charming and comforting read from page one. When I started reading this, I was looking for a book that wouldn’t cause too many emotions and would be something that I could just get lost in; not too different than when you watch a favorite movie for the 54th time.
After reading Sleigh Rides, I sincerely can’t wait to pick up the first book in the series, The Cherry Tree Café. The characters are reminiscent of a small town that you’d find here, in the US in the south, perhaps. But, Sleigh Rides takes place in the Fens in eastern England.
I’ll admit that my geographical knowledge of this area is tantamount to my knowledge of, say, raising farm animals (I don’t think I’ve ever even been on a farm). However, I feel like Swain does an amazing job bringing the reader into her world and characters without having to have any previous knowledge of some of the various colloquialisms and terms.
Each book in the series follows different main characters, but I believe we get to see previous characters in this book. So, it’s a really beautiful world that makes me feel like I’m watching an episode of Andy Griffith… There’s the main character, there’s the problem, then a lovely solution to tie it all up.
The characters in Sleigh Rides didn’t seem too parsed out all in all. Anna, our main character has the most growth and development. However, it’s not like this is a book that takes you on a huge emotional journey. So, her growth is pretty concise and cleanly done.
I highly recommend this series for anyone who wants a little bit of romance, quirky side-characters, and some sweet story-telling.
