Books
A winter wedding at Pinewoods Retreat.
A blanket of fresh snow.
And a secret that could change everything before the first "I do."
When The Garden Sleeps is out in ...
Return to Pinewoods Retreat for a deeply emotional holiday novella about unconditional love, confronting old ghosts, and the beautiful warmth of found family.
Garden of Her Heart is a story of recovery, community and purpose through rescuing a kitchen garden at Pinewoods Retreat. Universally described as a hug in a book, heartwarming, and a perfect holiday read, Holly's story sensitively covers themes of mental health and friendship.
Good Housekeeping Magazine selected Garden of Her Heart for its list of 40 of The Best Feelgood Books in 2025 and 2026.
An uplifting story of healing and recovery that will warm your soul... and get you into the garden. Eleanor Oliphant meets The Authenticity Project on a well-being retreat in this story of one loner, two secrets and three weeks at Pinewoods Retreat.
When Holly Bush (yes, she still hasn't forgiven her mother for that combination) is made redundant with gardening leave, after a brutal attack, she decides to visit a retreat not far from home. There she finds friendship and a garden in need of love, she ends up doing literal gardening leave, bringing the community of guests together. Journaling her way through her holiday, Holly works on both her mental and physical scars and discovers an inner strength as her secrets are revealed.
Perfect for readers who enjoy an uplifting story of self-love, friendship and community, with a hint of romance.
Tell It To The Bees is a standalone sequel, with a trip back to Pinewoods Retreat.
Good Housekeeping Magazine selected Tell It To The Bees as a Good Books Readers Favourite in 2025.
Pinewoods Retreat is in trouble. With repairs to be done, rising costs, and not enough guests, owner Lorraine attempts to fix everything herself. Then, wealthy and successful businesswoman Georgie books herself in. And she isn't there for relaxation.
As everything that Lorraine has created starts to fall apart, Georgie sets out to deliver on the mission she's been sent on by a ruthless local developer. But when she tells her troubles to the bees in the retreat’s kitchen garden, will she get more from Pinewoods than she expects?
People describe this as another warm hug of a book, and love being back at Pinewoods Retreat.
When The Garden Sleeps Our final visit to Pinewoods Retreat, and it's Christmas with preparations underway for a wedding.
A winter wedding at Pinewoods Retreat. A blanket of fresh snow. And a secret that could change everything before the first "I do."
Pinewoods Retreat is closed to guests and transformed into a snow-covered sanctuary for Holly and Hunter’s cosy winter wedding. But while the fire crackles inside, a storm is brewing within their inner circle.
When Holly’s estranged parents arrive, deep-seated family trauma bubbles to the surface, and the sudden arrival of Hunter’s old army buddy brings a heavy reminder of past wartime trauma, and a stark warning: Hunter must confess his darkest secret to Holly before they walk down the aisle.
When a fierce blizzard cuts off the outside world and a family member vanishes into the freezing night, truths are bared in the snow. Holly and Hunter must discover if love truly conquers all, or if the ghosts of the past will break them before Christmas Day.
Return to Pinewoods for a deeply emotional holiday novella about unconditional love, confronting old ghosts, and the beautiful warmth of found family.
What next?
Writing as Bel Brown, I hope I can announce news sometime soon for an uplit mystery in a world of magical realism. A village isolated to save itself, a place that time forgets. The lives of one old villager, Theodore, and three of the gathering, Mikel, Charlie and Jasmine, become entwined when the young people each find themselves pulled through a heavy fog to the forgotten village of Besford. With the sighting of the prophetic raven pair, Old Theodore needs the help of the gathering to right a wrong and heal the fractured community. But when the young arrive from the outlands, time is running out. Will the gathering be able to untangle a web of lies that threatens the heart of the community? Can they help Besford survive?
IN THE PRESS AND AT EVENTS
My novel and I have been seen in the press over recent months, from The Bookseller, to Woman and Home, to Writing Magazine. And then there's the events, too. Find out what's been going on.
The Waiting Room - a short story that was featured in both the Saturday Magazine and the Sunday Magazine in the Daily Express in June 2024.
This is a story about how we can easily make biased judgements about others, whilst being annoyed that others make unfounded judgements about us.
