Cover Image: A Taste of Home

A Taste of Home

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Member Reviews

Fliss and her mother have lived at a fruit farm in Italy her entire life, with the Rossi family, who took her mother in aged 18 and pregnant, when she had nowhere else to go.
After her mum dies, Fliss receives a letter left for her explaining that she has grandparents in England, who run a farm themselves and suggesting that Fliss should visit them with a view to continuing her life there instead.

On arrival, Fliss is met with with few complications - her grandfather is unwell and the farm is barely scraping by.
Can she become a part of the family and loca community to help save the farm with her knowledge and a little help from friends?

I can always count on Heidi's books to get me out of any reading slump and this one definitely did the job.
As always, within a few pages, I was totally invested in the story and needing to know what Fliss was going to do next.
I love all the people of Wynbridge and their community spirit brings so much to the story, making you feel all warm and fuzzy.
Fliss was a great main character and I hope we will get to meet her again in a future book.
As with all of Heidi's books, I finished it wishing I could live in the place it is set in and be a part of it all.

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I am a huge fan of Heidi's books and this one certainly does not disappoint. Loveable new characters together with meeting characters from previous stories again.

Beautifully written it had me totally engrossed from the beginning and kept me reading into the early hours.

A fantastic read, highly recommended and definitely worthy of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Heidi, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the early ARC of this book.

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Wow, Heidi has done it again. She never lets her readers down I was hooked from the first page until the last. The first chapter was so emotional, I was in tears. It started in Italy, a long way from the normal places that Heidi takes us. Fliss (short for Felicity) had been brought up without a father and her mother used to like travelling and taking young Fliss with her. They eventually settled down on an Italian farm where her mum helped to bring the Rossi farm to life. Fliss loved working on the farm and loved the Rossi family.
You can feel the sunshine and smell the fruit as Fliss Brown reads a letter which had been written to her before her mother died. Her life is about to change as she finds out she has grandparents in Wynbridge, England, who own a fruit farm. Her mother said she thought she would be “a perfect fit” to go and work on the farm. Finally, she makes a decision to go and see her grandparents and see what happens. Her reunion is not quite what she was expecting. She is determined to make a go of things as the farm needed much love and tender care if it was going to survive. Does she find out about her past, are her grandparents what she expected?
This is a well written book with mixed emotions throughout. There is love, laughter and tears. The characters are utterly believable. You will certainly get lost in this book oblivious to everything around you. A well-deserved five stars, as usual. Thank you, Heidi, for another brilliant read.

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Excellent story that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy. Relatable characters with a story which relates to real life. Loved the unexpected twist in the plot. This book has everything- I laughed, smiled and cried reading this book.

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First of all I just need to say that I fell completely and utterly in love with this book from the first page. In fact even before that it was when I heard the title.

I’ve loved all of Heidi’s books ever since I read The Cherry Tree Cafe and discovered Wynbridge for the first time.

A Taste of Home has everything I love in a book. Firstly the beginning was set in the beautiful Puglia where I’ve been on holiday so that brought back lovely memories. I felt as though I was with Fliss on every part of her journey as she meets the grandad that she never knew she had. Her relationship with her grandad was beautiful and I loved how they became firm friends, this also tugged on my heartstrings as it reminded me of the wonderful relationship I had with my grandad.

The delicious dishes that Fliss cooked were wonderfully described and left me longing for a taste of the mouthwatering meals that reminded her of her Nonna. The other ingredients in this wonderful story consisted of two hunky men, the trouble is Fliss had to work out which one was the baddie. I loved how she made friends with all of the other characters from Heidi’s previous books and the coming together of the community.

I loved every second of reading this book and think that Heidi Swain has completely excelled herself with this book about family and the unbreakable bonds that tie us together. Evocative and deliciously uplifting.

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When Jennifer Brown left her family nearly 30 years ago in search of her unborn baby's father, she never went back. Based in Italy she roamed the world until tragically dying, leaving her 28 year old daughter Fliss a letter, and a family she did not know existed.
Turning up at the family fruit farm, Fliss finds her Grandfather recovering from surgery and the family fruit farm on the verge of collapse.
This is a delightful story, well written with characters who draw you into the story. I was looking for a gentle read with no surprises and this just worked well.
a recommended comfy read.

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A very enjoyable read. The main character Felicity, or Fliss as she is known was very relatable and the central pivot around whom the story is based. There were many other characters brought in from Italy and the UK Fens, most of whom could easily have been developed more. The one character that stands out as frustratingly still Mr Unknown was Anthony. Was the nearby small town a little too cute with fab cafe, clothes boutique and gourmet store. However, there was a great feel good factor with a romance and revival of a failing fruit farm. With neighbours being really helpful too. What a wonderful place this would be to live in real life!! I could taste that Cherry and Almond tart!

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Fliss and her mother have grown up, on an Italian fruit farm with the Rossi family. But, then, her mother passed away and only then does Fliss become aware that she’s got a family back in England. So, with a recipe for a cherry and almond tart, one of Nonna Rossi’s and one piece of advice - connect with your family before it is too late she heads off to find her family.

Fliss’s grandfather, she find out owns a fruit farm himself, just outside of Wynbridge. But when she get there, it’s not as she imagined, it needs a lot of work and as she’s used to working on a fruit farm and with her knowledge that she’s amassed from working with the Rossi family, she’s eager to learn more about her past and gets stuck into bringing the farm up to how it should look.

But, is it all as easy as it seems, will she get it up to the previous state and find her place where she’s meant to be?

Highly Recommend.

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Heidi Swain takes us back to Wynbridge in her latest stand-alone romantic novel, but it starts in Italy, where Fliss Brown has lived all her life with her mother on an orchard owned by the charming Rossi farm. After her mum's death, Fliss learns she has family in England, and flies over, to discover her elderly widowed grandfather lives alone on his neglected fruit farm. Can she help him turn its fortunes around? Maybe with the help of Eliot, her grandfather's charming young carer and friend, and the local community of Wynbridge. But someone is trying to throw a spanner in the works and it looks like all Fliss's plans, and her hopes of romance, could be sabotaged. This is a comforting hug of a book, with warm, friendly characters, a pastoral landscape and the quintessentially English offering of market towns, close-knit communities, cosy pubs and tempting farmers' markets to give atmosphere. It's well-paced with just the right touch of suspense, and plenty emotion as Fliss negotiates her grief over her mother's death, her conflicted feelings about the discovery of a new family (is she betraying the Rossis) and her growing attraction for a man whom she needs to keep at arm's length.

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Another fabulous slice of life in and around Wynbridge. I will never get bored of visiting Heidi Swain's world.
Starting in Italy, Fliss opens a letter from her late mother telling her of previously unknown family in England. Fliss travels to the family fruit farm near Wynbridge and finding her granddad alone and struggling, sets about turning around the farm's fortunes.
During this latest tale from the Fens, we meet up again with characters from previous books. I love how Heidi Swain links their lives together so we feel like we're visiting old friends.
Excellent story telling, great characters, humour and romance - perfect!

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What a wonderful trip from Puglia to Wynbridge, I have loved reading this collection of books and it was lovely to meet old characters from past books and also some new ones.

Fliss was a wonderful character who despite everything had a wonderful upbeat outlook and was full of grit and determination. I love getting to know her and her wonderful grandfather.

The setting for this story was beautiful, amongst the fragrant fruit fields in harvest season. I loved how it linked to some of my favourite characters from previous books. It was a story that took us on an emotional journey, brimming with love, kindness and the importance of family and friends and a true demonstration of who we consider family aren't always blood relatives.

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Three and a half stars.

When Fliss Brown's mother dies at their home in Italy she discovers that they were not alone in the world, she has family living in England that she has never met. Her adopted Italian family persuade her to go to meet her grandparents and reluctantly Fliss agrees, intrigued by her mother's note that she would fit right in there.

When Fliss arrives in the small town of Wynbridge in the Fens, she discovers her only remaining family is a grumpy grandfather who has just had a hip replacement and is suffering from an infection. But strangely, he owns a fruit farm and Fliss has spent much of her life working on fruit farms in Italy following her peripatetic mother. Never one to sit on her laurels, while her grandfather is recuperating she thinks of ways to restore the farm and bring it back to profitability.

Soon Fliss is interacting with the local community, including her grandfather's nursing assistant Eliot, his sister Bec and mother Louise, there is also a mysterious stranger who keeps popping up.

This is, apparently, the eighth book in the Wynbridge series. However, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

I liked it but I didn't love it and while I might read another one in the series I probably would only do so if it was on offer. There were too many characters/events where their sole purpose appeared to be to further the plot, maybe if I had read the other books these characters would have come to life more. Also, the 'villain' in this case was signalled so strongly that Fliss just looked a bit dense for not suspecting them previously. Kudos that she didn't believe them but overall if felt a bit clichéd.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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I have read all of Heidi Swains books and this is up there with my favourites. You know what you are going to get with a Heidi Swain book, pure comfort and escapism. The setting is always beautifully described and she makes me want to sell up and move to the Fens! I love the way characters from her past books pop up along the way and it’s always great to hear about people you enjoyed meeting in past books. A Taste of Home is no disappointment, but beware it will make you hungry!!

I received my copy via the publisher and netgalley.

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Another Heidi Swain 5 star read , I find that her books pulls you in instantly and makes you want to read it all in one sitting (downside to this is it’s also over quickly and you have to wait for your next fix) In this book we meet Fliss who finds out about a part of the family she knew nothing about. A story of friendship, love, family and finding the important things in life. Absolutely addictive and heartwarming, if you’ve read Heidi’s books before then dive in, if you haven’t what are you waiting for ?

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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I just love Heidi Swain and this book is just as good as the rest of her books! I loved being back in Wynbridge. It's the perfect read when in lockdown and escaping from Covid. I found it really heartwarming and loved the main character, Fliss. She has a great attitude and really shines from the pages.

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Really enjoyed this story following Fliss and her discovery of a family and life she knew nothing about. Light hearted yet gripping it is definitely worth a read.

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Fliss Brown has grown up living with her mother on the Rossi family’s Italian fruit farm. But when her mother dies, Fliss finds out she has a family of her own, and heads back to England with Nonna Rossi’s recipe for cherry and almond tart and a piece of advice: connect with your family before it is too late…

Fliss discovers that her estranged grandfather owns a fruit farm himself, on the outskirts of Wynbridge, and she arrives to find a farm that has fallen into disrepair. Using her knowledge gleaned from working on the Rossi farm and her desire to find out more about her past, Fliss rolls her sleeves up and gets stuck in. But what will she discover, and can she resurrect the farm’s glory days and find a taste of home…?

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an early review copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I loved this book! Based on family and relationships it is perfect and as always with a Heidi Swain book you can feel yourself in the location, this time on a farm. Our main character Fliss was very brave in going to visit her family and it was ;lovely seeing them connect for the first time.

Take my advice, make yourself a drink of choice and find an afternoon to loose yourself in this book - you won't regret it!

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The story starts if in Italy but soon moves to Wynbridge in the Fens with several characters from previous books in the series popping up throughout the story.
As usual with Heidi Swain's books this is another 5 star read which pulls you in instantly and makes you want to read it all in one sitting.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for this read.

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I have read few books by this author and enjoyed them. This one lived up to the previous books. Although this is in the 'Wynbridge Series' of which there are now 8 books. They are stand alone stories, with the same characters appearing in the books, but not all. Fliss was born in Italy and lived in Italy with her mother on a Farm with an Italian family. After her mother died, she was given a letter that her mother had left her. Her mother asked her to go 'home' to England to find her Grandfather. He lived on a farm in Wynbridge. She embarks on her trip. She finds her Grandfather, who has a Carer Eliot. So begins her trip. Gradually she meets many residents of the community the majority fast becoming friends, except one. I can recommend this book. I thank Netgally for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review which I freely give

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Another fantastic read from Heidi Swain. I always feel instantly transported into her books and this one certainly doesn’t let you down! It is such a beautiful story, and living in Norfolk myself I feel it’s all in the next town!

The added bonus is that we start off in Italy which is a lovely spin on a then Wynbridge classic when Fliss comes home. Catching up with our favourite locals in the area is just wonderful,

Heidi really paints the picture of a welcoming town you would never want to leave.

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