Home For Christmas

Home For Christmas by Heidi Swain

Published 10 October 2024 Simon & Schuster

We are back in the village of Wynbridge and it's coming up for Christmas. Bella LOVES Christmas and while super busy with her craft business, is looking forward to the season and all of it's events. When friends ask if she can take in a historian doing some research for a book on Wynthorpe Hall, she can't say no. She has the room, and the money would certainly come in handy.

Enter Jude - a serious, focused, rather attractive man who happens to dislike Christmas in a way that would make Ebeneezer Scrooge proud. It's not hate at first sight, but there is definitely a coolness about their interactions. Still, he's not there for long and as long as he keeps to his part of the house, Bella is still fully intending to celebrate the festive season as she normally does - outdoor lights, real tree, movie nights, even a hot chocolate station set up in the kitchen.

As the ice begins to thaw between the new housemates, they grow closer. An incident means Jude becomes more dependent on Bella and finds he rather enjoys hot chocolate and the Muppet Christmas Carol. Turns out, the ghost of Christmas past has firmly gotten hold of Jude. Can Bella be the one to help him exorcise those memories and make merry once again?

I received this book as a Christmas gift (thanks SJV!) and it's the perfect light festive read. I loved following Bella in her annual Christmas traditions - and do some of those things myself. It makes the season and Christmas build up truly special. Heidi Swain fans will recognise the cast of supporting characters who, by now, will have become old friends which makes for a very comforting element to the novel. Special mention belongs to Tink the dog who fell for Jude long before Bella did!

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