Alex Brown is one of my top 5 authors and every single one of her books have been an absolute dream to read. I trust in her writing so much now that I don’t even read the synopsis to tempt me I dive straight into her novels with no expectations other than to know she will blow me away every single time.
Her new release A Cosy Christmas at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery has been on my wish list since I first glimpsed the online trailer for the book and I have desperately been witing for the paperback release but I am going to admit I have caved in early and read the book on my kindle but let me tell you having just this moment finished reading the book I am sitting here with a very satisfied and content grin on my face desperate to get my thoughts down for you all to read.
Bridget and her twin sons and daughter will steal your heart from the start of this novel, a family huddled together nursing the grief of the loss of husband/father Ted learning to adjust to their new life with a big gaping hole where he should be. Returning to her roots in Mulberry on Sea she is hoping they can all begin to heal and adjust surrounded by a caring and supportive community but Bridget also needs to start earning a living to support her family, could her love for baking be the distraction she needs and the solution the community of Mulberry on Sea need?
The novel has a tenderness to the storyline where it follows the families struggle with the loss of Ted but also a very uplifting feel too with hopes and new beginnings opening up and new sense of purpose and direction that is helping Bridget on the next path of life. Friendships new and old comfort not only Bridget but also bring a familiar and welcome feel to the reader as we are reunited briefly with much loved characters such as Eddie, Georgie and Sam who we remember from the wonderful Carrington’s series.
I love books that have characters setting up new little businesses so this one really appealed to me and I felt myself getting swept away with the excitement of Bridget’s baking business and I was eager to see her succeed.
Alex Brown has managed to capture the modern vibrant feel from her Carrington’s series and moulded that with her cosy, uplifting feel of her Tindledale books to make this book an exceptional read that ticks all the boxes for me. As I was reaching the end of the novel I really didn’t feel ready to leave these characters behind, I still fell like there was so much to explore in this story but to my delight I then read at the end that we can look forward to reuniting with them all again in another book in the series so I am already counting down the months until I can return in A Summer Holiday at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery.

That was so heart-warming! Perfect winter book to believe in love, kindness, and new beginnings.

It is my 5/5. Everything is so well-balanced and this story is bitter-sweet sometimes but it makes this even more compelling and authentic.

I love everything. Bridgit, her attitude, passion, and kindness, the neighborhood in the small town, and the slow beginning of the new life for her and her children.

Awesome, Magnifique, and best Christmas book this year so far.

Bridgett is grieving the loss of her husband and father to her three children and when she also loses their home, she gets to move back to her childhood hometown of Mulberry-On-Sea.
Her in-laws beach house is empty and a perfect spot for the family to rebuild their lives but she does worry that taking her children away from their friends at a time they are already getting over the loss of their father, and only a few weeks to Christmas may not be the best option.
She soon changes her mind when they pull up at the beach house and she is able to spend all her time baking bread and Christmas treats. She decides to gift her baked goods to the locals in the hope of building up a small business to earn some extra money.
She soon bumps into Jack, the local barman but things don't start off too great but there is mixed emotions as they both realise they are attracted to each other.

This is a lovely tale of the loss of a loved one but the chance of meeting somebody new and moving forward. Some parts are repetitive when describing her feelings of guilt and worries over the children but if you can put that aside, this is a lovely little read.

A tale of a woman finding herself again after tragedy hitting. A cosy winter read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

This is a sweet tale about a young widow with three children who relocates to the town where she and her husband grew up, Her inlaws have offered her their ramshackle beach cottage in the small seaside town. Bridget has always liked baking and sees a need in the small community for a supplier of bread and baked goods. Her ancient car has given up, so she uses her bicycle to deliver her goods to local pubs, restaurants, and private residences. Soon friendships develop between Bridget and many of the locals, including Jack, the barman in the local pub. Soon a romantic relationship begins to develop for Bridget and Jack. Definitely a Christmas book to read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I adored this book. This was the first book I've read from Alex brown and I was delighted with it. I will be going and checking out the others now.
There is so much to love in this book, wonderfully festive and packed with fell good factor galore.
New beginnings, fresh hope and lovely characters. I highly recommend it.


I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ooh I just loved this gorgeous book! It’s never too soon to start with some festive reading, and this is one of the cream of the crop.

I had been to Tindledale in some of this author’s previous books, but somehow I had missed out on the gorgeous Mulberry Bay. This novel is the start of a new series, which I was delighted to hear, but I’ll definitely be going back to check out the Carrington’s series, which is also set in Mulberry Bay. The setting and the characters are wonderful.

I liked Bridget right from the start, she gets into some awkward situations, but she’s so kind and funny, and there are some really great laugh-out-loud moments in this book. Her family and the new friends that she makes when she moves to Mulberry Bay really make this such a fabulous read.

This book is a really entertaining and heart-warming read, and it feels just like a hug in a book. It’s as cosy as its title suggests, it’s like a warm fire and a hot chocolate on a cold day, an absolute joy and pleasure to read. Simply gorgeous.

Sweet story. New beginnings. Looking forward to reading more from Alex Brown in the future - this was my first time so I need to catch up on the Carrington series.

A Cosy Christmas at Bridget's Bicycle Bakery is a heartwarming Christmas book. Bridget's husband died at a very young age and she has lost her house. She decides to pack up her kids and their possessions and move to a Mulberry -on-Sea. This is a very small town that is isolated from the rest of the country when the icy conditions leave the roads unpassable. Bridget loves to bake and thought that she would try to sell some of her bread to earn money until she gets a job. Her bread is an instant success and is more in demand than she expected. The people of the small town are so very caring about each other and she fits in immediately. This is a story filled with funny moments and heartwarming relationships. I highly reccommend it.

I’ve just finished reading this beautiful festive read over the course of two evenings.
This is a wonderful festive read set in Mulberry on Sea following Bridget and her family after the sudden death of her husband Ted. Returning to where she grew up she sets about re-establishing her self by providing for the community her amazing bread and festive treats. But she’s also caught the eye of the local hunk Jack.
This was an amazingly well written Christmas book and I cannot wait to read the next in the series. Thanks for allowing me to read!

I really enjoyed this book. It had me a little teary, but it also had me laughing out loud. The part with the hot water bottle was brilliant! I liked the characters and the plot flowed well. The conversations were well written, and so were the descriptions. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you #netgalley

A feel good Christmas read, full of hope, community and second chances. This book sucked the reader in from the start and you really engaged with Bridget and her family, and the community of Mulberry on sea .
Great characters, good plot, well written and a heartwarming read . Highly recommended
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK , One more Chapter and Alex Brown for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

This was nice. It was a sweet, feel-good, easy read with some funny moments and plenty of festive magic. The recipes at the back were also a nice touch. It was almost too nice though and could perhaps have done with a bit more spark - especially on the romance front as the chemistry between Bridget and Jack was a bit platonic feeling. Apparently this was part of a series, with lots of returning characters, but it read well as a stand alone book too.

Aw this was such a perfect book in the run up to Christmas, just what I was looking for as my festive feelings start to take over! Bridget is flawed, as is everyone, and has enough reasons to be, but I loved how she worked through things and became better for them.

There was the perfect level of will they-won’t they and conflict, which of course was resolved by the end, but not in an overly mushy and obvious way. I really did enjoy it!

I especially loved the setting by the sea and the community elements, it really made me crave that kind of village life and reminded me of the best family holidays in Cornwall over new year! It made me so happy every time I picked the book up and I really did just want to keep reading and reading.

My only doubt would be the speech at times, which often sounded a little unnatural, but I found that this petered off towards the end and didn’t take away from the reading experience all that much for me.

Overall, I highly recommend for the festive season and I’d love to check out some more of Brown’s books.

Thank you to NetGalley for very kindly sending me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely feelgood read - I found myself with tears in my eyes a couple of times. Bridget and her 3 children move back to Mulberry, the seaside town where she grew up, following the death of her husband, chidlhood sweetheart Ted. They move into the small beachhouse belonging to Ted's parents. The story is of a family finding their new normal, getting on their feet financially and how small acts of kindness can spread into the whole community. Just lovely. #netgalley #acosychristmasatbridgetsbicyclebakery

Bridget's husband passed away suddenly leaving her the sole provider for her 14 year of twin boys and her 6 year old daughter.
About to lose her home Ted's parents offer her the use of their holiday home beside the beach and the family move back to Mulberry-on- Sea where she grew up and met Ted her husband.
A lovely heartwarming story of a family starting over and making new lives for themselves

Bridget moves back to the village she grew up in with her family following the death of her Husband Ted. Struggling to make ends meet Bridget does what she does best and bakes and the village love her bakes of bread and mince pies. Bridget decides to use her bicycle to deliver her goods.
On her first night in the village Bridget encounters Jack whose first interaction with Bridget is when she is crouching down in the sand dunes having a wee!
Slowly however Bridget and Jack start to grow closer and Bridget watches her family flourish and come out of the grief cloud they have all been under.
There are some wonderful characters in the book like Mack and I’m pleased that the author touched on the loneliness that people of any age can feel when they become widowed but the fact that the person who died should be openly talked about and remembered. How 6-year-old Freya and 14-year-old twins Oscar and Olly are dealing with the loss of their Dad is well written and to see the way they support their Mum brought a tear to my eye.
A lovely festive story of love and loss and new beginnings.

Short and sweet. The book is a very quick read, and i didn’t realise at first (but was happy to find out) it is part of the Carrington’s series.
Bridget is a lovely character. A fighter, and it’s nice to see things come together for her and her have a happy ending to the story and hopes for the future.
It will make you feel christmassy and hungry at the same time. A lovely little read for a cosy night in.

Another installment in Alex Brown's Mulberry-on-Sea/Tindeldale series. Life has not been kind to Bridget - widowed at young age and left with three children, she returns to the seaside town where she grew up in the run-up to Christmas. Offered a free home in exchange for tidying it up and carrying out some repairs, she has no job with which to support her family so turns to baking, the one thing that offers her solace. Here she connects with characters old and new as she starts to rebuild her life and that of her family. A lovely escapist read.

A Cosy Christmas at Bridget’s Bicycle Bakery is book four in Alex Brown's Carrington's series though it is good as an individual read. I thoroughly enjoyed being in Mulberry-on-Sea and home of the landmark Carringtons department store. The author handled grief and second chances sensitively and warmly and it was marvellous to read about hardworking Bridget as she kept her family (fourteen-year-old twins, Olly and Oscar, Freya, aged 6, Henry, the retriever, and two guinea pigs, Snuggle and Chewy) afloat and the community that rallied to help them. The Christmassy parts were lovely too; fun in the snow, gifts under the tree, and I could practically smell the aroma of amateur baker Bridget's bread, mince pies and other festive treats. A really lovely, humorous and romantic winter holiday read, very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from One More Chapter via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.