A surprise visit home, an unexpected houseguest, a Christmas she'll never forget... ☃️
Mary hasn’t told her family that she’s coming home for Christmas. After breaking up with her boyfriend just before the holidays, she decides to surprise them and get a last-minute flight home. But when she arrives in Ireland after a long journey, she discovers her family have had the same idea, and gone to New York to surprise her.
To make matters infinitely worse, they’ve done a house swap with grumpy (but sexy) New Yorker Evan, who makes it clear he doesn’t want her, or her Christmas cheer, around.
Mary is determined to keep the festive spirit alive, so she proposes that she and Evan each get one day where the other has to do things their way. But can Evan put aside his grouchiness to embrace a proper, Irish Christmas? And how will Mary cope with a day of sulking and moody walks on the beach?
One thing’s certain: as the temperature drops outside, things start to heat up inside the McBride house. Maybe it’ll be a merry Christmas after all ...
A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy full of Irish charm and festive romance, perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Catherine Walsh.
Praise for Clodagh Murphy:
‘Beautifully written, funny and warm, Murphy has done it again’ Joanna Bolouri
‘A wonderful story of romance, sisterhood and community with a really strong will they/won’t they vibe’ BookMadJo
‘Once again, I loved my trip to Halfpenny Lane and I adored this book. I cannot wait for another visit’ Herding Cats
‘Sweet and funny, this second chance romance was a fun read’ Reviews in Heels
‘If you haven’t started this series yet there is still time to book your trip to the theatre – you don’t know what you are missing’ Kirsty’s Book Reviews
‘This is a lovely series and although it can be read as a standalone, reading the first in the series will add to the enjoyment’ Books, Life and Everything
Clodagh Murphy is an Irish author of romantic comedy novels. After more jobs than she can remember, she’s now a full-time writer, the job she’s been training for all her life. The training mainly involved staring into space daydreaming about hot men, so she aced it. She previously worked a variety of admin office jobs, supplemented by side hustles including mystery shopper and movie/TV background artist. Most of her books are set in her hometown of Dublin, but in 2025 she started a new series set on the beautiful, rugged coastline of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. When she’s not writing or obsessing about food, she enjoys travelling, binge-watching TV, reading, doing jigsaws and gardening. She lives in Dublin with a sibling and a cat and writes in a cabin in the garden. Her writing heroes are Jilly Cooper, and Joan Wilder from Romancing the Stone.