Synopsis:

What do you do when your Christmas goes from white to blue?

Despite a few setbacks, Caity Shaw’s future no longer looks as emotionally and financially bleak as it did a few months ago. Rather than working as an elf this holiday season, she is the head photographer for a group event in Dublin. Not only is Caity mending family ties, she’s learning to trust men again, thanks to her hot Irish coworker, Declan.

That is, until Declan and Caity visit rural Ireland and their relationship comes to a crossroads. Declan’s family welcomes Caity into their home with open arms, but they are tight-lipped when it comes to sharing memories that could send Declan running from his past—just when Caity is learning to face hers. However, facing her grandmother’s mysterious past is a different story. With the help of her quirky Irish rellies and a local historian, Caity uncovers secrets about her grandmother that may cause her family ties to unravel once again.

When Caity experiences her biggest mishap to date, everyone is forced to face their pasts and nobody’s life will be the same.

I’ve had this book waiting on my coffee table for a few weeks now, there was no way I was going to read a Christmas book before my tree was up! The tree is now officially up and so I sat down and settled in for the ride.

There’s no really reason for this pic. I just wanted to show my wanton disregard for a Christmas colour scheme. Feast your eyes on this wonder!

I love Caity Shaw as a main character, she’s getting stronger as her story goes on and is not only on a roll with her new career but also getting more confident in the way she handles things and relates to people.

For me, this book was a running a little too sweet for much of the time, which isn’t really my thing – I like more angst and swearing in my romances as a rule but the author always throws in just enough of the gritty stuff to keep my hooked. The beauty of this series is that all of the characters are very realistic in the way they relate to each other – they have resentments, secrets and take their time before jumping into new romances.
Caity is getting closer and closer to fully uncovering her family secrets and becoming the person she wants to be, she’s taking care of herself emotionally and I find the whole thing deliciously heartwarming. This really is a series you need to follow from the beginning though, to get a real understanding of the characters.

Above all, this story is funny – the author has a brilliant sense of humour and throws her characters into silly and fun situations(using a cat to model knitwear – you know there’s always one person at a craft show who’d try that out). I finished the book in one go and was sad when I realised I was running out of pages…