Nantucket's famous Christmas Stroll is always the first week of December, and this year, sisters Mandy and Emma and executive chef Paul want to do something extra special for Mimi's Place, the restaurant they co-own. It will be Emma and Paul's first Christmas together as a couple, and Mandy's first holiday as a newly single and divorced mother of two-although she does have a promising new relationship, even if she wants to take things slow. Their sister Jen and her new husband, Billy, are planning to spend the whole month of December on Nantucket too, juggling working remotely for the executive search firm they own together in Manhattan, relaxing and spending time with family, and helping out at the restaurant. And Gina, their awesome bartender, is spending her first winter on Nantucket, and it's a bit of an adjustment-winters on Nantucket are so much quieter than the city life she was used to. She's even more confused when someone she had a major crush on back in the city moves to Nantucket. Suddenly, her boring winter is starting to look a lot more interesting.
Mandy, Emma, and Jill are as close as three sisters who live hundreds of miles apart can be. Jill lives a glamorous life in Manhattan as a co-owner of a successful executive search firm. Never married and a workaholic, she lives in a stunning corner condo, and everyone thinks there's something going on with her partner, but there's never been anything but friendship between them. Emma lives in Arizona and is an elementary-school teacher and aspiring photographer. She and her husband have been married for over fifteen years, but she's noticed that he's grown distant. When he shares a surprising secret, her world is turned upside down. Mandy married her high-school boyfriend after college. He joined a successful hedge fund while she took a job as an administrative assistant, but after their first baby came, she quit. When he later opened a competing hedge fund, they moved home to Nantucket. Now that the children are older, Mandy's eager to return to work, but her husband doesn't want her to. When their beloved grandmother passes peacefully in her sleep, she leaves them her home and-surprisingly-the popular year-round restaurant she was the silent owner of. There is, of course, a catch: she left the restaurant equally to the girls... and to Paul, its chef for the past fifteen years, and before the girls can sell, they all have to work there for a year-or else it will go entirely to Paul-the same Paul who broke Emma's heart many years ago.
Izzy's life is about to change soon in the biggest way possible. She is excited and nervous and torn about whether or not to give her ex, Rick Savage, another chance. Rick has tried to be a better man. He's gone through anger management classes and really seems to be making an effort. But is that enough? Does she owe it to him, to them, to try one more time? Or is it okay for her to move on and possibly even consider a future with someone else? Not that she is looking to do that, but there is someone else who she has known as a friend for a long time. He's a very good friend and at times she wonders if there could be something more there. But, she has bigger things to consider first. Someone other than herself and it's all new to her. But, her sister Mia is there to help. Izzy is now living with Mia since her condo was renovated. And Mia has a promising new romance. And there's a lot going on with the Hodges family too. Kate has a very big announcement and Lisa learns that she has been violating a major rule for her bed and breakfast. So changes are coming...
Mia Maxwell used to have her dream job. She is a sought after wedding planner on Nantucket, with no shortage of business. But she is struggling a bit to get back to loving her job. It has been bittersweet to plan other people's weddings-ever since her own fiance died two weeks before their wedding.That was a year ago and she was just starting to feel better when she came back from a vacation to find her house burned down. So she will be staying with Lisa at the Beach Plum Cove Inn for a while until her house is renovated.Mia's also worried about her younger sister and best friend Izzy-she has a serious boyfriend who has grown more controlling over the past year.As it turns out, there are several members of the Hodges family that may be in need of Mia's services-she'll be planning not one but two weddings. There are a few road bumps along the way, however.Lisa has another long-term guest that she eagerly introduces to Mia. She finds this temporary neighbor equally intriguing and frustrating and she makes it clear that she's not even close to ready to date. She's not sure if she ever will be.
Jane Cho is a former legal investigator who was really good at her job, but she quit when someone she was investigating tried to have her killed. She returned to the seaside town of Waverly, Massachusetts, to run a takeout-food shop, Comfort & Joy, and to live a quiet, safer life. She thought everything was behind her as that person was convicted and is behind bars.But one peaceful morning, Jane stumbles over a dead body while taking out the trash. The dead woman ran a nearby bed and breakfast and had been threatened by Jane's thriving new business and had even filed suit the previous week to try and shut her down. The body includes a cryptic unsigned note. Is someone trying to help make Jane's problems disappear? Or is she the target?
Lisa Hodges has always thought her best friend Sue had a dream marriage. She'd married Curt, her high-school sweetheart and current business partner. After thirty-five years of marriage, she'd never doubted him once-until blonde and beautiful Brandi Morgan joined their thriving insurance company. All the clients love her and business is up. Sue liked her quite a bit too-until the rumors started swirling.It all began with A Nantucket Affair, the island's biggest charity gathering. As usual, Curt is the chairman, but this year, he has a new second in command, Brandi. Sue didn't give it a second thought, but then Curt suddenly dropped the fifteen pounds he'd been whining about wanting to lose and a few well meaning friends started asking her what was going on.Meanwhile, Kristen's boyfriend, Tyler is dealing with a devastating loss, and Kristen wants to be there for him, but isn't sure how best to support him, especially when she discovers a secret he's been keeping, one that could have devastating consequences for both of them.Abby is busy learning how to be a new mother, and Lisa is madly in love with her first grandchild. And Chase and Beth have discovered a new passion project-flipping houses. Beth does the research to find the undervalued homes, and Chase works his magic to renovate them. But then they get in over their heads when a project requires more than they could ever have imagined.
Born on Christmas, Angela Stark has always hated the holiday. Bad things always seem to happen, and this year is no exception-she is fired and evicted on the first day of December.She was living and working as a maid in San Francisco. Who will hire her at this time of year, especially if they learn why she was fired?Her only family is Sam, an elderly and quite vocal orange cat. Her only option is to stay temporarily with her best friend Jane, who is extremely allergic to cats. It's not ideal, but it doesn't look like she has a choice...until a certified letter arrives that changes everything.The next thing she knows, she and Sam are flying to Nantucket, a place they've never been before.It's meant to be a temporary visit. But then Angela meets the Hodges family and friends and begins to question where home really is.
Thirty-six-year-old high-school teacher Lauren seems to have it all. She moved back to Waverly, a small seaside town just north of Boston, several years ago. She has a great career and has finally found true love. Lauren's wedding is just a few weeks away when one of her students goes missing, and when his body is found a few days later, she suddenly becomes a person of interest.Her fiancé David is a former minor-league pitcher turned stockbroker who is excited to settle down with Lauren. But when the missing student is found dead and the media turns its attention even more closely on Lauren, David is surprised to discover that Lauren hadn't told him everything about her past.With the help of his ninety-one-year-old grandfather, who is a retired town sheriff, and his best friend Jake, the current assistant sheriff, David sets out to find the truth.
Meet widow Lisa Hodges, the owner of the new waterfront bed and breakfast, which she opened after discovering her deceased husband was hiding gambling debts. She's loving it so far. Lisa's first guest, restaurant owner Rhett Byrne quickly became a close friend and then something more. In her early fifties, it sounds strange to her to call him her boyfriend, but that's what he is. Her daughter Kristen finally ended things with Sean, the separated man that no one in the family was excited about. It wasn't until she was beginning to move on that he filed for divorce-and then begged her for another chance. Chase, the only boy in the family, has never been serious about anyone before. But he's suddenly withdrawn and has been secretive about who he's seeing, which only makes everyone that much more curious. When they learn who it is, the concern grows as no one wants to see Chase hurt again. Lisa's best friend Paige has a new neighbor too, and it's one she is most decidedly not enthused about. Violet was one of the women who stood up at the town meeting and protested against Lisa's inn being approved by the selectman. Because the house is right next door, Paige can't help but notice the steady stream of traffic. Violet seems to be very popular with a lot of people. The inn is doing well and bookings are up, but then one Friday night a guest that prepaid for the weekend never shows up. And quite a few people, including the police, come asking questions.
Lisa Hodges needs to make a decision fast. Thanks to her dead husband's gambling addiction, their savings is almost gone. In her early fifties with a large waterfront home on Nantucket to support, Lisa hasn't worked in over thirty years, has no in-demand skills, and is virtually unemployable.Her only options are to sell the house and move off-island or, since she has cooking and entertaining skills, turn her home into a bed and breakfast. She desperately needs that plan to succeed because she has four grown children with problems of their own and she wants to stay close to them. Her oldest daughter, Kate, has a fabulous career in Boston-working as a writer for a popular fashion magazine and engaged to a dangerously handsome photographer who none of them have met.Kate's twin, a local artist named Kristen, has been reasonably content with her on-again-off-again relationship with an older separated businessman. Her son Chase runs his own construction business and is carefree, happily dating here and there but nothing serious. Youngest daughter Abby is happily married to her high-school sweetheart, and they've been trying to have a baby. But it hasn't happened yet, and Abby wonders if it's a sign that maybe their marriage isn't as perfect as everyone thinks.Come visit Nantucket and see how Lisa's new bed and breakfast has an impact on almost everyone in her family.
