3 stars for Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair (Wynbridge book 5) by Heidi Swain.
It is not my usual practice to skip books when they come in a series. Truth be told, before I start out my journey with Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells, I worry about being clueless since I have missed out the first four books. In the end, my concerns are unwarranted as this book proves itself to be somewhat of a standalone even though it is part of a series.
It is not easy to find a good Christmas story, especially one to my liking. Most Christmas themed books are filled with clichéd plot and clichéd characters. And one thing for sure, it always starts off bad and worsens progressively before it turns for the better and concludes with "all's well that ends well". Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells is no different; the story and plot is predictable to a fault. I enjoy the first half of the book where I masquerade as Anna trying to find a perfect place to spend a quiet, peaceful Christmas and ends up with the Connellys at Wynthorpe Hall. But the same cannot be said of the second half where I struggle to get through the family feud involving the three Connellys brothers to finally reach the happily ever after.
Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells is a heartwarming story of Christmas magic, healing and love. But I feel that the story is non too cliché a Christmas fiction for me. I hope my next Christmas read will be a different one. A vastly different one.
Well, overused story setting aside, there is one thing I do adore much about this book though. And that is the lovely book cover of a picture. Look at that!
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication date: 13 Jun 2020
*** Favourite Quote ***
‘You know,’ he said, smiling kindly at me as he packed the pictures away, ‘family doesn’t always mean blood, Anna. Sometimes a person will just find themselves somewhere and they will realise that the folk around them can love and be loved every bit as much as a mother or father, sister or aunt, and sometimes,’ he added meaningfully, ‘even more.’
~ Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair
Heidi Swain
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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...?
*Blurb from Goodreads*
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