One December Morning: An utterly uplifting and tear-jerking novel of second chances in the most unexpected of places

One chance meeting. Two strangers. And a sprinkling of Christmas magic…

Fifty-five-year-old Peg has been lonely for as long as she can remember. As she battles through traffic while the snow softly falls around her, the best she can hope for is to get home for Christmas safely, and to spend it wrapped in a blanket by a roaring open fire in her tumbledown cottage in the Cotswolds. Little does she know that everything is about to change…

Because Henry is also stuck on the road, and when their cars come to a complete standstill, he and Peg strike up a conversation over a homemade mince pie and a flask of hot tea. Towering over Peg, his navy waffle-knit jumper charmingly threadbare at the elbows, he chats effortlessly. With his tortoiseshell glasses pushed back into his mass of curly dark hair, Henry makes Peg laugh, and the two click. As something shifts, Peg realises that it’s been a long time since she smiled like this.

Peg discovers that Henry is single too, but he’s off to grit his teeth through the forced jollity of another family Christmas with his insufferably perfect daughter-in-law in the next village. Before they get a chance to exchange numbers, the traffic starts to move and Peg and Henry are wrenched apart…

She doesn’t expect to see him again. But then, days later, there’s a knock on Peg’s door: Henry needs her help. In an instant, she knows this will be a Christmas she’ll never forget, in ways she could never have imagined. Can she let herself get involved and risk being vulnerable, or will she shy away?

Peg doesn’t open her heart to anyone. But can the magic of Christmas persuade her to give it to someone special…?

Fans of One Day in December, Jill Mansell and Sally Page will adore this totally uplifting and page-turning novel of finding hope and love in the most unexpected of places.

What readers are saying about Emma Davies:

‘OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK, AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, STUNNING, EMOTIVE AND PAGE-TURNING MUST-READ!! BE STILL MY BEATING HEART!!!!… Absolutely addictive… Stunning!! This beautiful book has definitely just hit my favourite book this year!!!!… Just OMG!!! Absolutely brilliant!!! I mean seriously I cannot describe just how AMAZING this book is!!! I absolutely LOVED this addictive and emotive page turner!!! I honestly loved absolutely everything about it from the start to the end. An absolutely gorgeous read!!… Just truly amazing in every single way… definitely going to live rent free in my mind for a very, very long time! It captured my attention from the very first page and kept me glued to the pages until the very last word and definitely left me wanting more... one gorgeous and unputdownable stunner!!!’ bookwormwhitlock86, 5 stars

‘Stole my heart at that very first page!… A treasure chest full of amazing characters… Phenomenal… had my attention from cover to cover. I couldn’t put it down… nor did I want to. I highly recommend… fantastic and unforgettable… I LOVED!!!!’ PageTurners, 5 stars

‘An absolute joy to read. Everything about this book was so good… I could almost smell the baking coming out of my Kindle… the perfect read curled up in a chair with a cuppa and a slice of cake.’ Goodreads reviewer, 4 stars

‘In love with it… Held me in a cosy embrace… I couldn’t put this book down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Amazing… I was totally hooked right from the beginning. Loved every minute of it.’ susannescott, 5 stars

‘Loved this book! Read in one sitting. Couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars