The Winter Garden: the perfect read this Christmas, promising snowfall, warm fires and breath-taking seasonal romance

Heidi Swain

Oct 2020 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

***The sparkling Christmas novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Heidi Swain!***

Will love bloom this winter?
 
Freya Fuller is living her dream, working as a live-in gardener on a beautiful Suffolk estate. But when the owner dies, Freya finds herself forced out of her job and her home with nowhere to go. However, with luck on her side, she’s soon moving to Nightingale Square and helping to create a beautiful winter garden that will be open to the public in time for Christmas.
 
There’s a warm welcome from all in Nightingale Square, except from local artist Finn. No matter how hard the pair try, they just can’t get along, and working together to bring the winter garden to life quickly becomes a struggle for them both.
 
Will Freya and Finn be able to put their differences aside in time for Christmas? Or will the arrival of a face from Freya’s past send them all spiralling?

The Winter Garden is the perfect read this Christmas, promising snowfall, warm fires and breath-taking seasonal romance. Perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Cathy Bramley and Sarah Morgan.
 
 Praise for HEIDI SWAIN:
'The queen of feel-good' Woman & Home

'Full of Heidi’s trademark gentle charm. Lock the door, pour some mulled wine and settle into this wonderful Christmas treat!' Milly Johnson
'More Christmassy than a week in Lapland - we loved it!' heat 

'Sprinkled with Christmas sparkle' Trisha Ashley

'Give yourself a Christmas treat and curl up with this magical book!' Sue Moorcroft, author of The Little Village Christmas

'A real Christmas cracker of a read!' Penny Parkes, author of Practice Makes Perfect

'Cosy, Christmassy and deeply satisfying! Another wonderful read!' Mandy Baggot, author of One Christmas Kiss in Notting Hill

Ratings and reviews

When Freya's friend, mentor, and boss dies she is bereft, then when the new owner of the Suffolk estate where she works makes it clear that he has no interest in maintaining the gardens or the house and definitely doesn't want to pay Freya for her work, she is devastated. But when one door closes another door opens and a chance radio chat show leads her to meet Luke, the owner of Nightingale Square, and a job offer to create a Winter Garden. Soon Freya is making new friends in the village and is heavily involved in a series of holiday-inspired classes (think making Christmas puddings, Christmas wreathes etc) to bring the villagers together and alleviate the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder which impact Luke in particular. This is the third book in a series about the residents of Nightingale Square, I haven't read the others but this can definitely be read as a stand-alone. Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde, Sue Moorcroft and Kate Hewitt. Cute, predictable, warm and comforting, this is an easy-read perfect pre-Christmas reading to get you ready for the festive season. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I haven't read a Heidi Swain book for a little while, and now I'm wondering why! This book had such a lovely feeling throughout, friendly characters, a wonderful little dog, craft workshops, a wonderful garden on an estate, and lots of wintry feelings, with a build up towards Christmas. Freya is a gardener who worked at an estate for an elderly lady who felt more like her grandmother than an employer. But when the lady died and her (horrible) nephew took over Freya decided it was time to, reluctantly, move on. Luckily whilst visiting another garden in Nightingale Square in Norwich she met Luke, who owned the estate and gardens, and he offered her a job and a house to set up his new winter garden. So gradually Freya sets up the garden, meets new friends and neighbours, especially the lovely sculptor Finn and finds a new happier life. This is the third book in the Nightingale Square series and whilst other characters were mentioned from previous books it didn't detract from this one, it just made me want to go back and catch up with their stories too. Very enjoyable read, a warm hug in a book!

I love the characters. It made me quite sad I was almost in tears a couple of times especially when Harold saw the Christmas trimmings.

About the author

Heidi Swain is a Sunday Times Top Ten best-selling author who writes feel good fiction for Simon & Schuster. She releases two books a year (early summer and winter) and the stories all have a strong sense of community, family and friendship. She is currently writing books set in three locations - the Fenland town of Wynbridge, Nightingale Square in Norwich and Wynmouth on the Norfolk coast, as well as summer standalone titles. Heidi lives in beautiful west Norfolk. She is passionate about gardening, the countryside, collecting vintage paraphernalia and reading. Her tbr pile is always out of control! Heidi loves to chat with her readers and you can get in touch via her website or on social media.