It's winter on the Finfarran peninsula and, as Cassie Fitzgerald, fresh from Toronto, is about to discover, there's more to Christmas on the west coast of Ireland than mistletoe and mince pies. Enchanted by the small town where her dad was born, Cassie gets involved in a competition for the best local Winter Fest, and joins local librarian Hanna Casey's writing group in Lissbeg Library. But the more she's drawn into the town's run-up to Christmas, the more questions Cassie encounters. Why does her sweet-tempered grandmother Pat find it so hard to express her feelings? What's going on between Pat and her miserly husband Ger? What happened in the past between the Fitzgeralds and Hanna's redoubtable mother Mary Casey? And what about Shay: handsome, funny, smart and intent on making Cassie's stay as exciting as he can. Is he the one for her? As Christmas Eve approaches, Cassie discovers that love, family and friendship bring the real magic to the festive season - even if the locals of Lissbeg need an outsider to help them see it.
