In Maple Hill, where snow settles on every rooftop and Christmas means more than decorations, Lila Hart believes joy is something you build one small act at a time. The cheerful elementary teacher makes a harmless bet with her best friend: she’ll get quiet, serious carpenter Nate Bennett to smile before Christmas Eve. But when she signs up to help rebuild the town’s holiday stage, that simple wager turns unexpectedly personal.

Nate’s a man of few words, more comfortable with the sound of his hammer than small talk. Lila’s warmth slips through his defenses, stirring something he thought long buried. Between teasing banter and late nights covered in sawdust, friendship blurs into something they can’t ignore.

Then the truth behind Lila’s bet surfaces, cracking the fragile trust between them. With gossip swirling through the small town and snow still falling outside, she must find a way to prove that her heart was never part of a game.

When love is tested in the quiet of winter, can honesty rebuild what pride tore apart?

***

Each book is a spark in the same winter flame a promise that every heart, once kindled, finds its way home.

Snow drifts past quiet windows. Strings of lights hum in the still air. Inside these five small-town stories, love finds a way to stay warm. In Christmas Hearts on Fire, sheriffs, mechanics, and single dads discover that miracles don’t always make noise they show up in shared laughter, in late-night talks, in someone who feels like home. Each story stands alone, yet together they paint a world where love glows brightest when the nights turn cold.

One spark can thaw a winter. Which heart will catch first?

Ember Leigh Rowan