The Christmas Postcards: Cosy up with the uplifting festive romance from the Sunday Times Bestseller

I found Karen Swan's last two stand-alone novels, The Secret Path and Midnight in the Snow, somewhat disappointing, but she's back on form with The Christmas Postcards. This sweet if unlikely read follows two characters whose lives are linked together by a series of coincidences. Natasha is distraught when her small daughter's favourite soft toy cow goes missing. It turns out they left it in a holiday apartment in Vienna - but by the time they discover this, the toy has been picked up by mountain climber Duffy, who's on his way to the Himalayas to trek to Annapurna. Through the power of social media, Duffy finds out that Natasha is searching for the toy, and sends a series of photos - 'the Christmas postcards' to her daughter so she can see that the cow is having fun on her travels. But are there further connections between Natasha and Duffy that will draw them even closer together?There's minimal luxurious travel in this one - although I was chuffed to see it's set in Frome, a town I visited often when growing up in Wiltshire and which I've never seen feature in a novel before. Sadly, the descriptions of Frome are not particularly evocative, and this could be set in any Cotswolds village or town. However, I enjoyed the sequences set in the Himalayas, which brought the snowy peril that I thought was missing from Midnight in the Snow. Thinking of Swan's back catalogue, this reminded me particularly of Together By Christmas and The Christmas Lights, so I'd especially recommend it to readers who enjoyed those two. A cozy holiday read.

A heart warming story full of depth and great characters. It's an easy read, perfect for the time of year with log fires and hot chocolate and snow twirling outside. The author leaves clues all through the book so that you have guessed what is going to happen before the characters do, so not exactly predictable but definitely no major surprises as you get to work them out first.Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the e- advance review copy.

A charming book set in the hills/ mountains of Nepal and Frome in the UK. I loved that the book was full of romance, disappointment and adventure. I won't spoil the plot, but will just say there are a number of twists and turns, some predictable, but one or two took me by surprise. I knocked a star off the rating because its not as Christmassy as the title suggests. Overall, very enjoyable. Thanks PH for an advanced read.

Natasha is staying in an Airbnb in Vienna with her husband and young daughter Mabel, when they oversleep and nearly miss their plane. Too late they realise Mabel's precious toy cow, Moolah, has been left behind. Even when they return to their home in the Cotswolds, Mabel is distraught and refuses to sleep without it. Unable to find a substitute, Natasha puts out a request on social media that goes viral. It turns out Moolah was found by a climber named Duffy, who has now adopted it as a lucky mascot because it reminded him of a toy his sister had. Now hiking through the Himalayas, Duffy can occasionally get an Internet connection, but there are no post offices, so he can't send Moolah back. Instead, he sends electronic postcards to Mabel detailing all Moolah's adventures.This story has Sleepless in Seattle vibes in that it is told from the point of view of two unhappy people in two very different countries. Natasha is desperately miserable in the Cotswolds, despite her supposedly prefect marriage to the handsome Rob, and Duffy is suffering his own demons, from a broken relationship in his past and his poor relationship with his father - hence his pilgrimage to the Himalayas. (I do love a 'tortured' hero!)The story is set in the run-up to Christmas, but is not overly 'Christmassy'. It's a sweet story about facing your mistakes, grabbing second chances, and learning to live rather than just exist. Perfect escapism! One of my favourite reads this year!Thank you to Karen Swan and Pan for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

I love Karen Swan’s Christmas books so was excited to read this new one. This one starts with the hero of the story, Moolah. Moolah is a much loved toy cow, unfortunately left behind at an air b’n’b. The next person to stay at that air b’n’b takes Moolah with him as a sort of good luck charm, breaking the heart of his owner. The postcards of the title are Moolah’s photos of his journey. They bring joy and hope to his owner who can now sleep soundly knowing her toy is safe.The story of Moolah drives the story onwards, just as much as the story of two people who are trying desperately to recapture what they have lost. The main story of climbing Annapurna in the Himalayas is almost exhausting to read. I certainly know more about mountain climbing than I ever thought I needed. Such a lot of snowy peril that the atmosphere around your chair is likely to become thinner as you read.Somerset seems the most luxurious our travel will be in this book, but it is beautiful nevertheless. The time spent there is a welcome respite from the peril of the other snowy storyline. There is a past storyline that is cleverly threaded through the main story and out to the end of the book.This is a lovely read that has little to do with Christmas and everything to do with falling in love with the right person at the right time. This is a story of triumph over adversity and it will leave you with a huge smile on your face. What’s not to love?