Christmas book reviews: Cuddle up with four fireside reads for Christmas

Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair by Heidi Swain

Light the fire, cuddle up close and escape into the magic of Christmas with much-loved belle of the baubles Heidi Swain.

Author of a clutch of sparkling romantic novels, including Mince Pies And Mistletoe at the Christmas Market and Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage, Swain has won thousands of hearts with her enchanting stories set in Wynbridge, the fictional Fenland town where love blossoms whatever the season.

Brimming with life and love, laughter and tears, and guaranteed to leave readers with that elusive sense of feelgood, these entertaining books are the perfect accompaniment for winter nights, summer holidays, spring getaways or autumn travels.

Here we meet Anna, a determined young woman on a mission to escape all the traditions and trappings of Christmas, and convinced she has found the perfect spot to see out ‘the silly season.’

An experienced ‘Girl Friday’ who reckons she can turn her hand to anything, Anna takes on the role of companion to Catherine, wife of Angus Connelly, the owner of Wynthorpe Hall, on the outskirts of Wynbridge.

A confirmed ‘bah humbug’ when it comes to Christmas, Anna is amazed to find herself quickly immersed in the eccentric household, and when the family’s youngest son Jamie unexpectedly arrives home from abroad it soon becomes obvious that her personal feelings are going all out to compromise her professional persona.

Both of them have secrets but Jamie, who is 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?

Festive cheer and charm is never far away in this fabulous Christmas cracker, a tasty concoction of real life, heart-fluttering romance, laugh-out-loud comedy and a heartwarming happy-ever-after. Enjoy!

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £7.99)

It Started With A Tweet by Anna Bell

And if you want to laugh your way through the Christmas season, join in the fun of a hilarious new rom-com from the very talented Anna Bell.

Author of The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart, Bell is on her best form yet in this brilliant cautionary tale about an online addict on a ‘digital detox’ in the wilds of Cumbria and discovering that giving up your mobile might actually change your life.

London marketing manager Daisy Hobson lives her whole life online. She finds it difficult to get through the day without tweeting friends, sending instagrams and arranging (frankly, appalling) dates on Tinder.

But when her social media obsession causes her to send a catastrophically inappropriate tweet from her work account, Daisy finds herself out of a job and her life going into free fall.

Her sister Rosie thinks she has the answer to all of Daisy’s problems… a digital detox in a remote cottage in Cumbria which needs renovation work, has no mobile signal, no technology and has a stray pigeon under the table.

But soon Daisy finds herself with two welcome distractions… the sexy French exchange-help Jean-Marie and Jack, the brusque, rugged man-next-door who keeps accidentally rescuing her.

But can Daisy, a London girl, ever really settle into life in a tiny, isolated village? And, more importantly, can she survive without her phone?

Bell has an observant eye and a fine line in wicked wit and this sparkling contemporary comedy, full of mishaps, misdemeanours and melting moments, also contains timely messages about the dangers of the modern obsession with social media.