Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at The Christmas Fair by 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...?

I love this time of year when all my favourite authors start releasing their festive novels and one that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this year was Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair by Heidi Swain (wow that was a mouthful! ).

I have fallen in love with the characters in Wynbridge so I look forward to catching up with them in each book that Heidi Swain produces just to get a snippet of how their lives are changing so I was thrilled to be returning in this latest festive read.

We are introduced to a new character Anna who is making her way to Wynbridge for her first time, desperate to escape Christmas she has taken a job at the grand Wynthorpe Hall looking after Catherine over the season.

Angus and Catherine who are owners of Wynthorpe soon take Anna under their wing and she is welcomed by all the other helpers at the Hall too but before long things turn upside down with the arrival of their son Jamie who is none too pleased to find another mouth to feed when money is tight.

Unexpectedly Jamie and Anna soon strike up a bond and set on a mission to try and help each other but can they succeed?

This is yet another marvellous read by Heid Swain and she really captures the magic of Christmas too. She has created such a warm bunch of welcoming characters and a cosy grand home I just wanted to be a part of this close-knit family. Angus was such a joyful character who had a heart of gold and brought a great sense of humour too.

In some ways the storyline was a little predictable but this didn’t matter at all as I was looking forward to watching the characters on their journey to the conclusion I had already guessed! There is an emotional undertone to the storyline because of the reason for Anna’s dislike of Christmas but this just brought a little bit of depth to the storyline.

I would definitely recommend this book and you don’t need to have read Heidi Swain’s previous books to read this one but they are all such wonderful reads you would be missing out if you didn’t read her back list. I really hope that Heidi Swain carries on setting her books in the wonderful idyllic town of Wynebridge. There is a sprinkling of romance, a dash of festivity and twinkling of friendship so all in all this was a perfect read.