Poppy's Recipe for Life by Heidi Swain

Things haven’t always been straightforward in Poppy’s life but her dreams are finally within her reach.
 
She's moving into a cottage in beautiful Nightingale Square, close to the local community garden, where she can indulge her passion for making preserves and pickles. She may not have the best relationship with her family but she is surrounded by loving friends, and feels sure that even her grumpy new neighbour, Jacob, has more to him than his steely exterior belies.
 
But the unexpected arrival of Poppy's troubled younger brother soon threatens her new-found happiness and as the garden team works together to win community space of the year, Poppy must decide where her priorities lie and what she is prepared to fight for …

I have just this moment finished reading Heidi Swain’s new release Poppy’s Recipe for Life which takes us back to the wonderful setting of Nightingale Square with the residents we grew to love in Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square and it has been a real joy to return to this community focused group of characters and to see what they are up to now as well as meeting two new residents Poppy and Jacob ( better known as Mr Grumpy ).

Poppy is a pure delight with a heart of gold who puts everyone’s needs and happiness before her own. Her life is turning around as her dream house becomes available for her to move into which will allow her to become one of the residents of Nightingale square and it isn’t long before she is welcomed by the community with open arms much to her delight, if only the same could be said for her grumpy new neighbour Jacob.

As Poppy begins to enjoy her new life she opens her heart and her home to her brother Ryan who is heading down a wrong path, she is hoping that a settled home for a while and the community spirit will help to set him back on the right path but is she putting her own happiness and new life at risk?

One thing I can always count on with Heidi Swain’s novels is the connection between all the characters and the massive helping of support from the community in which I am in awe of. If Nightingale Square or Wynebridge were real places I would be there in a heartbeat as reading about these places makes me feel so warm and safe like a big friendly hug. This storyline tackles difficult relationships between siblings and shows how important it is to trust people and also to earn peoples trust and not abuse that trust. There is a predictable romance simmering away but although I found it easy to see the outcome of this romance the twists and turns that lead us to the inevitable was entertaining to watch.

I loved this uplifting read and have to say I was quite taken with the new cover design, the revamp has come at a great time but I was thrilled to know that we were still heading back to a much loved location despite the new look. This is definitely one of my favourites by Heidi Swain so I am sure that other fans will find themselves immersed in this storyline.

 Poppy's Recipe for Life is out today!

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