One part American sugar, two parts Irish spice. Cassie O'Hara is about to discover the recipe for the sweetest Christmas…
When New York-born Cassie O'Hara decides to use the money her sassy Irish nana Nora left in her will to book a month-long stay in a quaint country village, she's expecting a cozy cottage, steak-and-ale pie and plenty of Christmas cheer. Instead, she gets a draughty disaster covered in dust, a temperamental stray dog and two devastatingly handsome men vying for her attention…
There's Charles, the dashing English aristocrat with an enormous manor house and a heart of gold. And Ryan, a curly-haired Irish handyman with a past he won't talk about and an accent that makes her weak at the knees.
When Charles enlists Cassie's event-planning expertise to save his family estate, she finds herself working shoulder to shoulder with Ryan, breathing new life into Bancroft Manor. As village life weaves its spell, Cassie uncovers some intriguing secrets about Nana Nora's past. With her return ticket looming and her heart pulling her in unexpected directions, can Cassie find the love and belonging Nana Nora always wanted for her?
Review: I have been looking forward to reading this Christmas book from one of my favourite authors. She writes brilliant romantic comedies in wonderful settings. I just knew that once I started reading this one I wouldn’t want to put it down. It reminded me a little of the Christmas film the Holiday. I particularly liked this book’s cover, so striking in green, linking in with the Irish theme.
The heroine of the story is event planner Cassie O’Hara, who has decided to use the inheritance left to her by her beloved Irish grandmother to leave behind her native New York and spend Christmas in the UK. Searching online, she finds the perfect little cottage in a small English village where she pictures herself relaxing by the fire surrounded by Christmas spirit. The reality is quite different when she opens the door of the cottage to find dust and decay. Turning to find the village pub in the hope of a meal, she is intercepted by a small dog barring her way, but her fortunes improve when she is rescued from the whole situation by not one but two handsome men. The first is Irish handyman Ryan and the other is local landowner Charles, who offers her alternative accommodation in the local manor house that has been his family’s home for generations. While Ryan fixes up Cassie’s holiday cottage, she helps Charles with advice on activities that will bring in some income for his floundering estate. During Cassie’s stay, she also finds out some facts about her own family history. As time passes, she becomes attracted to both Ryan and Charles and they to her, but who will she choose or will she in fact return to New York?
What a marvellous Christmassy romance this was, filled with humorous situations and characters in an unusual setting. I loved the idea of the quaint English village that is so very Irish, filled as it is with families with Irish backgrounds. Cassie was a great character, so kind and helpful and not at all fazed by anything thrown at her. She has been unlucky in love in the past and then two lovely men are there before her - she certainly had a quandary. I loved the little stray dog who turned up mysteriously all over the place. The story was not all laughs. There were some serious issues dealt with and I was reduced to tears at times. I can thoroughly recommend this heartwarming Christmas book; charming setting, likeable characters and romance - what more could you want?
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