As well as two of the three Connelly sons, Jamie and Archie, their partners lived at the hall too, along with a whole host of staff who were so close to the family they were also considered kin.

When she moves in, she starts getting involved in the community and a friendship with Eli. Things are looking good in her life when also she becomes the Activities manager at the care home. Life is sweet. But when things from her past come to light, life seems to get complicated. Tess is renting a cottage from the owner of the pub Sam and is instantly attracted to him but shelves the idea because it looks like he has a girlfriend She loves staying at the beach and such a lovely community and she loves the barman Sam she suggests events to help raise money and it all goes well. She doesn’t switch her phone on as can’t cope with her father especially after reading the diaries and learning he had an affair but when she receives a letter from her father at the cottage she decides she has to leave but before she has time he’s on the four step and he comes out with a massive secret about the diaries and how will she cope with that then she learns there are more secrets about where she is staying. What will she decide to do stay or leave and how will her new friends react and will she find the perfect man for her now.I really enjoyed this new coastal setting in the Wynbridge worlds. Although this is not a Wynbridge novel you can tell that this all takes place in the same world and I know that characters from Heidi's previous novels will have walked these shores and been tempted by this coffee shop too. Well this was a welcome escape from the real world. Heidi Swain always lets you delve deep into her worlds, walk along with her characters and enjoy some really tasty meals in the coffee shops and pubs that she creates and it is always a welcome escape to me. Tess works for Tyler PR and she needs to take a break or her health is going to suffer. She really is non-stop work, work, work, and her latest client is being a bit of a nuisance. As Tess discovers something which needs her attention, she decides that she is going away regardless of the consequences! Tess sets off for Wynmouth - a place that she holds dear and which fills her with fond childhood memories. Well, that’s the thing,’ said Dad. ‘Most of them aren’t there at the moment. The charity Jamie and Anna run has closed for a couple of months, so they’ve taken the opportunity to fly out to Africa to visit the project Jamie worked on before he took over management of the hall.’ I think the ‘problems’ that Tess was supposedly running away from were kind of minor however she made such a big deal about keeping it all a secret.. when I really don’t think it was that big a deal? Also a bit confused as to why she didn’t want anyone knowing she had been to Wynmouth before.. was it because of Joe...? I wasn’t really sure and so thought that all seemed a bit silly..

I’d momentarily forgotten about the more recent festive changes, but the Wynthorpe Hall Winter Wonderland really was a big deal and, according to the plethora of photos I’d seen posted online, a huge seasonal spectacle. It doubtless took endless organising and, with fewer people to help set it up, would soon become more of a pain than a pleasure. The romance naturally weaves around everyday life. Not the sole focus but still important. I love this in Heidi Swain’s books. If you haven’t read any of the stories in this setting you will still enjoy The Summer Fair. I highly recommend you do though as you will get added depth from the actions of the characters on the periphery. One of the things that the cafe owner says to her is whatever happens make sure you have all the facts. Does Tess listen, she goes on to make one assumption after another and makes a mighty mess of her own making burgeoning on the irritated side and makes one faux pas after another. The biggest faux pas is the assumption she makes about her father…. we find out at the end of the book I guessed half of it but got more than I thought. Tess is in need of a break as she works tirelessly for her demanding father who runs the family successful marketing business. Another thing that irks her is that he rarely shows any affection and in her eyes her poor mother is neglected and seems to fill her days shopping. All is not what it seems.I highly recommend this absolute joy of a book-dessert and, please, Heidi Swain, can we have seconds?!! Another community we get to know well are the residents at the care home where Beth works. Oh, there are some fabulous characters, all adding their charm and wit to this story. I loved seeing how Harold was getting on! Wynmouth is very special to Tess she fell in love with it as a child, it is also the place of where she had her forever kiss that kiss she never forgot. Armed with her letters she decides to have a hiatus no phones, social media etc.

This book was heavily influenced by love of music and I have to confess, listening to music is actually not one of my favourite pastimes, however I loved how it brought Beth and Eli closer and helped them battle demons. The lost friendship between Eli and Pete was a really clever aspect, not usual to have a male friendship as such a focus. I loved the close knit community depicted in this book which was heart warming to read about. It was so nice to see everyone looking out for and helping each other for once. There were some fabulous, unforgettable characters which made me laugh out loud at times. George in particular was incredibly funny and Joan and Sophie brought tears to my eyes as they were such lovely people. Tess needs a break from life she works in the family business and she’s recently lost her mum and her father is so demanding so wants to get away. She use to love going to wynmouth a little seaside town she decides to flee there as a cottage she loves is free. She takes what she thinks is her mother’s diary’s to read to. As a child, Tess Tyler used to holiday in the idyllic seaside town Weymouth with her Mum and dad. That’s when her family were happy. Now grown up, Tess is a high – flyer in the family’s PR business. Her dad is her boss. Her mother died years previously and Tess still hasn’t come to terms with her death. With the stress of her job, and the discovery of her mother’s diary which some of the details leaves her reeling. Tess decides to take a break and without letting her dad know of her plans she finds herself heading to Weymouth. She decides to have a relaxing time while she is there. But circumstances change for the better and she gets close to the locals she shows her skills by helping them find ways to bring more business to the town. Whilst she there she meets past loves and finds things that changes her life forever. It matters because Anna does a lot of volunteering locally,’ Dad explained. ‘She’s in charge of delivering groceries, library books and prescriptions to people who live out of town and she does a fair bit of ferrying to appointments and things too.’We return to nightingale square for the summer and meet the lovely Beth. At the start Beth is working at a care home looking after elderly residents but she is unhappy living in a cramped and dirty house share. So when given the opportunity to move to nightingale square to share with the lovely Eli she jumps at the chance. It’s no surprise that the community welcomes in Beth and help her organise a funfair for the care home. When she discovers that The Arches which is a local creative arts centre has had to close the venture to re open it opens old wounds and past secrets for Beth. I loved the quirky, fun characters that we meet in the care home where Beth works, they add a sense of fun and it was marvellous to see how Beth grew a special community within the home.

I honestly have my fellow book club friends to thank for this recommendation. After hearing a few of them talk about Heidi Swain’s books I decided to see for myself what all the fuss was about. I decided to do a free trial of Audible and start my Heidi Swain journey, thankfully a few of my friends told me about the different series so I started with the first one in the Wynmouth collection.There are some other wonderful characters we get to meet in this novel too. Sophie has the aforementioned coffee shop that we know will always feature in some way or another in a Heidi Swain novel and her daughter Hope share a definite affinity for making things bigger and better with main character Tess. And then there are Joe and Sam. Each mysterious in their own way, we can tell there is going to be some romance where these guys are concerned. Since when does Angus think?’ Dad laughed. ‘You know what he’s like. He just wants everyone to be happy.’ some things in life simply aren't meant to be rushed. You have to let them run their own course and allow them to happen in their own time.'