Grab a cuppa, curl up and lose yourself for another exciting read by the Queen of great storytelling.
We return to Nightingale Square for another fab adventure.
Freya is working at Broad-Meadows. As her boss and friend Eloise has sadly died her nephew Jackson takes over and wants to sell.
Freya finds a new job working at Prosperous Place. Luke and Kate the owners want to create a winter garden.
Freya meets Finn who has a studio carving sculptures but they don't hit it off and there are lots of misunderstandings.
Heidi brings some characters back from her other books which was lovely.
Highly recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley, Heidi and the publishers for an ARC.

Once again, another great book by Heidi Swain. Enjoy a trip back to Nightingale Square, with references to characters and places from all her books. However this book can just as well be enjoyed as a stand-alone read.

This book brings to life the garden at Prosperous Place as Freya starts working there to develop the Winter Garden.

Thank you to Heidi Swain for alerting me to the fact that this book was available to request on Netgalley. Requested, approved and read all within a week. It could of been devoured in a day but I wanted to savour the magic a little longer. It was great to return to Nightingale Square with its lovable residents and fall in love with the new occupants too. Freya, Finn and Nell the dog fit in perfectly with the warmth and friendliness of the square and Prosperous Place. As ever the characters have a back story which is important to building their character profiles and evolve the story. The story itself centres on building a winter garden for people to get out, explore and get involved. There is a mix of gardening, craft, romance and a splattering of festive cheer. I’m now keen to explore similar possibilities in my real life neighbourhood.
Well deserving of far more than five stars. Thank you to Heidi Swain and Netgalley for the early e book copy.

As always Heidi Swain manages to grab your attention and keep it right until the very last page. I loved the story, the characters felt like old pals. Brilliant

📖 Book Review 📖

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Winter Garden by @heidi_swain
Published by @simonandschuster
@simonschusteruk

The Christmas book of 2020! 🎄

Make sure you pre-order today for 1st October release 😊

I love a good christmas book and this exceeded all expectations. Heidi writes in a way that from the start I felt like I was there with Freya at Nightingale Square and makes sure you can't put the book down! If I could visit one place this winter it would be this wonderful garden.

I don't think my words could do justice for this wonderful feel good book. The characters are relatable and whilst you don't need to read Heidi's other books it does help you enjoy the book more. Plus they are all so wonderful so why would you not want to!

Overall a perfect winter read with a mug of hot chocolate or mulled wine 🍷🔥⛄

Description:

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.

#thewintergarden #heidiswain #heidiswainauthor #heidiswainbooks #simonandschuster #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #netgalley.com #booksofinstagram #bookaholic #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram

I was kindly given an ARC of #TheWinterGarden by Heidi Swain from Simon & Schuster UK and #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third instalment in the Nightingale Square series and whilst each novel is a standalone book the characters do overlap so I would recommend reading them in order to avoid any potential spoilers.

This book follows Freya who works as the gardener at Broad Meadows. She suddenly finds that both her home and her job are at risk when the house is inherited by Jackson, a truly horrible employer and all round awful man.

A chance visit to the gardens of Prosperous Place in Norfolk sees her offered a new job, to create a Winter Garden, and a new home.

Freya, after some deliberation, accepts the job offer and is soon moving to Nightingale Square. Along the way Freya picks up some truly wonderful friends and meets the rugged Finn who is employed to create sculptures for the garden. Their first encounter results in angry words being said, will they be able to move on and work together?

I absolutely loved this book. Heidi Swain never fails to impress with her novels. It was a wonderful read with well thought out characters and plot lines. It is the perfect mix of romance and Christmas to delight any fans of the festive period. If Prosperous Place were real I would love to go and visit the Winter Garden.

A definite 5 star read.

Heidi’s writing is like a comfort blanket and the stories she creates are heart-warming, soul soothing and a perfect tonic to what’s been the most unsettling of times.

Heidi Swain books always shoot straight to the top of my TBR. I will ditch any other just to read them as I know I will adore them from start to finish. I’ve been looking forward to ‘The Winter Garden’ so didn’t hesitate to start and I was hooked from the off.
A return to Nightingale Square – YEY – we are familiar with this setting thanks to Heidi’s previous books, Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square and Poppy’s Recipe for Life but don’t worry The Winter Garden is a standalone, you don’t need to have read the others but for those of us who have we will be greeted with a few familiar faces.
Freya finds herself leaving a place she’s loved and treasured for years after it is inherited by heartless and awful sounding Jackson; she’s heading to Prospect Place and is keen to start work on The Winter Garden. Cue Freya finding herself in Nightingale Square and finally finding her home.
The locals all make Freya feel welcomed and she is soon in the thick of community activities. Freya is a lovely character, hard working, self-assured and confident in many ways. Her first meeting with Norse god like sculptor, Finn, leaves a lot to be desired and its clear that these two characters don’t see eye to eye which could become awkward having to work in such proximity.
The story progresses and we see how settled Freya becomes, how happy she realises she is and how well she fits into this community. I love catching up with the old favourites so I will look forward to a return to the square and a little catch up with her.
Although this book isn’t solely Christmas themed, there is the perfect amount of festive cheer to make you feel all cosy and ready to celebrate the season. A winter delight I’d say, it gives you all the right feels, with gorgeous characters and a heart-warming tale.

This is my first book review on NetGalley, I was really looking forward to reading this book as I love Heidi Swain books and boy it did not disappoint, I was hooked from the very first page, I was transported back to Nightingale Square, a familiar place, making me feel happy, content and somewhat overwhelmed at the beautiful way each character gives you a virtual hug through the pages, following their lives as they grow and develop.... Heidi Swain is a beautiful writer, I often have to remind myself that her characters are indeed not real people..... 5 stars from me.

Now I could be biased because I've loved every book she's written so far but this book was like a warm hug in winter! I genuinely couldn't put it down and loved every word of it. This book takes us back to Nightingale square, a place that every time I read about it I wish i lived somewhere just like it, and this visit was no different. This will be on my repeat read list, and not just at Christmas!

Absolutely beautiful Christmas story. The descriptive writing is glorious, I could practically smell the flowers in the Winter Garden and feel the crisp Winter air on my face. Such an uplifting read. The elusive character of Finn certainly kept me hooked throughout and I was really rooting for him and Freya from the very start of the story. Completely magical Christmas fiction at its best. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I should say that Heidi Swain is one of my favourite authors and Poppy’s Recipe for Life is one of my all time favourite reads, so when I opened this book to find us returning to Nightingale Square my heart skipped a bit with shear delight. I was so excited to catch up with old friends and see how the Grow-well Garden had progressed. Easy to read and gentle on the heart, Heidi’s story telling in this book is just as lush as her previous books. I was instantly transported and couldn’t help but turn the pages. Sadly, however, I just couldn’t bond with Freya and Finn in the same way as I usually do with her characters. I’ve waited and pondered over the book for the last few days to try and work out why I feel this way. I think in hindsight it’s the way the key characters initially approached each other - without wanting to give anything away, they irritated me for three quarters of the book. I still enjoyed the winter events and Freya’s story but it was hard to ignore the undertone that ran through it. For that reason it didn’t quite tick all the boxes for me and I didn’t come out of it quite as joyous as I hoped. It’s still a lovely read and I’m sure many people will find it extremely enjoyable, but it isn’t one I will be reading over and over again like some of her previous books. That said I’m hoping there will be a future return to Nightingale Square - let me know if a house becomes available... I’ll jump right in 😄

Heidi Swain is one of those authors that constantly produces fantastic novels, with great characters and settings. Swain is an author that whenever I see she has a new book out I preorder it straight away. The Winter Garden is another triumphant and it was great to be back in Nightingale Square again.

With thanks to netgalley and Heidi Swain for an early copy in return for an honest review.
Having read all of Heidi's books they just get better and better going back to meet the gang at Nightingale Square with the two newbies Freya and Finn it really is quite magical. I actually felt as if I was there, doing the classes in the run up to christmas. Doing all sorts of christmassy stuff this is a book that will lift your soul and have it soaring full of joy I have nothing but praise for this totally amazing soul searching EXTRAVAGANZA.

A total escape to a place where everyone is nice and good, no harsh words, only kind actions. Plenty of gardening and crafty activities. Would easily appeal to those wanting a gentle romance without the vivid descriptions or language. Safe to recommend to teens up through grannies.
Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher.

This is my first book by Heidi Swain and certainly not the last. Although this book is the third in a series it’s works perfectly well as a stand alone story. If there were to be a fourth in the future then I would definitely read it.
This book is the perfect mix of romance, friends, community and Christmas and also touches on mental health and LGBT..

I was really excited to read this new book from Heidi Swain and I enjoyed it very much! I highly recommend it. It was a wonderful story about a woman called Freya Fuller. Freya was forced out of her job as a live in gardener and she ended up in a new life in Nightingale Square, where she loved living as a gardener who created a beautiful winter garden for the public. Local artist Finn caught her attention and their love/hate relationship was very interesting. I enjoyed reading about them and all of the beautiful hearted people who live in Nightingale Square. It was a cosy book and the characters all seemed to be like a big family. I liked the way they all helped each other all of the time.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect Christmas present. So many delights wrapped up in a beautiful parcel and tied with a sparkling ribbon.

Reading the Winter Garden is like catching up with old friends in a place long since visited but just as familiar all the same. As with good friends, you pick up effortlessly where you last left off as though you’d only met yesterday. You leave the book, like any welcome reunion, with a warm glow of contentment and gratitude for such incredible friends, to be part of their lives, looking forward to the next opportunity to catch up. If only we could all live in a place like Nightingale Square with such a brilliant sense of community.

I loved the reference to books that harness the healing power of nature, I’ve ordered them already to help me cope with the shorter, darker days of Winter.

Once you’ve read this book, you need never be S.A.D. again.

Wow! I was so excited when I realised we were going back to Nightingale Square, a place I think we’d all like to live.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt I knew all the characters personally, even the animals!
Yet again Heidi has woven her magic and transported us to the fabulous world she creates in her books.
Five stars doesn’t seem enough

Freya Fuller a Horticulturalist gardens at Broad Meadow's in Suffolk for the late Eloise Thurlow Forbes nephew Jackson. taken a day out over to Norfolk to Prosperous Place with dog Nell, meets the owner Luke Lonsdale, and he gets her involved in the winter garden then the offer of a job and home in Nightingale Square. she takes up his offer.
Such a delightful read, I loved this story, so heartwarming, a perfect book to curl up with a hot drink, with romance and christmas sparkle added, the characters you get drawn into them all as you read. I loved it, The magic of the winter garden, will full fill you right to the end.

Oh my goodness, this was such a gorgeous book!
So happy to be back visiting Nightingale Square, catching up with old friends and new!
I loved Finn! Just my type 🥰 and it was interesting finding out his back story and why he acts the way he does with Freya .
I loved the challenge she had to help create the Winter garden for Luke and Kate, and how Whynthorpe was brought into the story at times too.
As always I became very attached to the characters, especially Nell, the whippet cross bedlington, whose characteristics Heidi described so well.
Such an utter joy to read, I couldn’t put it down!
I will definitely read this again at Christmas 🎄, it was such a stunning and uplifting book that filled me with the joy of the season.
I also liked how the condition of SAD was mentioned and how important mental health and self care was promoted all throughout the story. More than ever we need to take this on, and there were many excellent ideas on how to lift your spirits, and those around you in the book.
Just so so fabulous ❤️