I thoroughly enjoy Heidi Swain’s writing, however since starting my blog, I’ve only managed to read a couple of her books. I’m never successful on NetGalley since one was archived before I’d had the chance to download it; black mark for me! So, I was thrilled to receive a tour invite for this book and I absolutely inhaled it, as I knew I would. If you’d like to read my previous reviews, you can follow these links: The Winter Garden and Underneath the Christmas Tree.
I am incredibly grateful to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for my tour invite and for arranging my complimentary advance reading copy, which was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. You can read my thoughts below.
Synopsis
Holly has the place to herself this Christmas. It’s not her place, though – she is house-sitting for friends who live on Nightingale Square – just there to keep the place warm and cosy and only for long enough for her to sort her life out. Newly single and finding herself unsure about next steps for her career, she plans to hunker down and make some life decisions.
To clear her mind, she sets off on early morning walks around a nearby lake and bumps into May, an older lady who is also new to the area, and her dapper Dachshund Monty. Quickly, a firm friendship blossoms. Then when Holly meets Bear, a rather large and rather attractive man, at the local pub, and his rescue dog Queenie, her stay at Nightingale Square suddenly feels even more appealing.
As the community comes together for the season’s festivities, Holly must start thinking about where her life will take her next. Some big decisions need to be made, but distractions close to home make thinking about the future more tricky than ever…
Will she get that festive feeling this Christmas…?
Praise for Heidi Swain
‘Grab a hot chocolate and lose yourself in this heart-warming story of romance, community and secrets.
The perfect story to read by the fire!’ – Phillipa Ashley
‘Brimming with warmth and Christmas cheer’ – Sarah Morgan
Now available in all formats
Review
It was a real treat to be back on Nightingale Square, mixing with characters that I had met before and a few new ones who appeared seamlessly on the scene. Heidi’s books are only loosely linked so each can easily be read as a standalone and this was definitely my experience.
That Festive Feeling boasts the same magical touches that are familiar from her earlier books. The characters are perfectly developed and take on the easy task of carrying the story. I say easy, as the whole process seems effortless, but that is all part of Heidi’s unquestionable talent.
Holly was easy to like, and I felt for her as we learnt about her less than adoring parents and their critical ways. Meeting May was the ideal catalyst for Holly’s emergence from her self-declared hibernation as she made gentle progress into the community. Monty the Dachshund was simply perfect and constantly made me smile.
For me, though, the best characters were Bear and Queenie. I was able to envisage them very easily and I think I fell a little in love with Bear. His kind and gentle nature was an absolute treat and made me hope that there was a chance for romance. Of course, Queenie was perfect and thinking about her past life made me feel rather sad.
As I would expect, there are lots of community initiatives for Holly to avoid and then embrace as she started to find the strength to face the world. Her spirit was a shining example of self-care and what can be achieved by opening the heart to new challenges.
I finished this book in the wee small hours and genuinely loved every moment.
Author Bio
Heidi lives in beautiful south Norfolk with her family and a mischievous cat called Storm. She
is passionate about gardening, the countryside, collecting vintage paraphernalia and reading.
Her TBR pile is always out of control!
Social Media & Weblinks
Check out the other stops on this festive tour
Book Escapes with BabsW67 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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Always a pleasure x
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