I enjoyed travelling back to the Little Irish Village. This is such a heart-warming series, with some larger than life characters and a huge feeling of family, friends and community. Ava is at a crossroads in her life and torn between what she wants for her future and the wishes of her twin sister. Their bond is strong but feels a little inequal to Ava who as the youngest in the family, is slightly quieter and more reflective than her outgoing sisters. You get to know Ava through some flashback chapters and see how her relationship with Shane has come about.

Every time someone leaves the village, you get to glimpse the other villagers and the small businesses who line the main street. There is humour in the dynamics within the Kelly family and their observations about the villagers. Set around Christmas, there is a lovely festive feel which complements the story and fits perfectly. This is such a warm story which leaves you with a smile on your face and a wish to find out how life continues for the Kelly sisters.

In short: warm, festive feelings

Terrific story of love and family. I loved returning to Emerald Bay and spending time with the Kelly family at the Shamrock Inn. This book focuses mainly on Ava, Grace's twin and the youngest of the family. Ava has always been quieter, while Grace is outgoing and adventurous. The story opens with Ava and Grace leaving Emerald Bay to live and work in London. They are looking forward to life outside their quiet village. There are glimpses of their relationships with their sisters and various community members. While Grace is bubbling with enthusiasm, Ava is more contemplative, thinking about how her move ended her relationship with Shane.

Fast forward a year. Ava's enthusiasm for the move is all but gone. She dislikes her job, her plans for traveling have never happened, and she is homesick for Emerald Bay and Shane. The description of her date with Tyson is hilarious and painful and is just about the last straw regarding her life in London. Then she gets a call from her mother back in Emerald Bay, telling her that Shane is missing, having been swept overboard while working his family's fishing boat. Ava immediately hops on a plane home. During the flight, she remembers how she and Shane met. She realizes she still loves Shane and hopes for a chance to repair their relationship.

I was thoroughly immersed in the story as the village rallied around Shane's family during the search. I loved the sense of community and seeing how everyone pitched in. But there are bumps in the road ahead. Grace has never been a fan of Shane and their relationship, and her attitude is jarring when she arrives on the scene. She pushes Ava about returning to London and resuming their life there. Ava, who has been a follower when it comes to Grace, puts her foot down about staying in Emerald Bay. This drives a wedge between her and Grace.

There were times when I wanted to shake both of them. While each made valid points, the delivery was antagonistic, and neither was willing to give an inch. I could feel Ava's unhappiness over the break, but she stubbornly held on to her hurt and anger. Grace was also disinclined to make the first move. I liked watching their other sisters, mom, and grandmother try to break the impasse. I loved seeing them all collaborate to bring the stalemate to an end.

The intensity of the search for Shane and Ava's refusal to give up kept me glued to the pages. I was as hopeful as Ava that he would be found safe and sound (he is, of course). I liked how Ava and Shane talked honestly with each other about what drove them apart and their reasons. I ached for Shane when he revealed why he refused to leave Emerald Bay. It was sweet to see them rekindle their romance now that each has gained a little more maturity. I loved the ending and look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

I liked getting reacquainted with the residents of Emerald Bay. Each one is unique in their quirkiness, and it is always fun to see their interactions with members of the Kelly family and each other.

This is a lovely read. I have read all the others in the series, but you dont need too really.

Ava is a twin, her twin sister Grace persurades her to move to London and live a better life than the one they grew up in. Emerald Bay in Ireland is a sleepy little fishing village on the Irish coast. Ava loved it but was craving adventure, trouble is Ava has a boyfriend, Shane, who she leaves behind but hasnt got over.

One day Ava gets a phone call and she drops everything and rushes back to Ireland as Shans has gone missing.

I really enjoyed this book, was a great read and will be interested to read more in the series. Would like to see a few from the point of view of Shanes brothers.

The right book if you want to smile and travel to a cosy world. Festive, heart warming and well plotted.
A good Christmas story that I recommend
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book is billed as being ‘ a heart-warming and utterly addictive small town christmas romance’ and it definitely ticked all the boxes for me!

I found that this book was written really well and right from the very beginning i found myself turning the pages very quickly just so that i could find out how everything was going to turn out.

Although this book is part of a series and I hadn’t read any of the others - yet!! It didn’t take anything away from the story.

This was a wonderful, cosy, magical, heartwarming, Christmassy story and i really enjoyed it…..

Fantastic, curl up and get cosy to read this great book. Sad in parts but great in others, life as twins isn't always easy but in the Little Irish Village there is everything. Well worth 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

📚📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖📚

📖 Book - A Christmas Miracle in the Little Irish Village
✍️ Author - Michelle Vernal
📕 Publisher - Avon Books
🗓 Publication Date - 26th October 2023

This book just makes me want my cosy cover, cosy socks, with hot chocolate & candles 🥰🤗

This book is part of a series I realised but to be honest, you can read it as a standalone. Would love to read the others!

I really liked the family characters and there was some really funny bits in it, as well as touching on other bits of family life/dynamics. Especially between the twins.

Loved it!

Sharon Logue
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I'm yet to read the first book in this gorgeous series, but definitely will be as I've fallen head over heels for the little village and it's community.

Ireland's Emerald Bay sounds beautiful, add in the snow, the decorations and the festivities - my idea of perfect!!

An absolute joy to read, it's a heartwarming story of second
chances, family, and friends. The characters are well fleshed, real and relatable. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to return to the little Irish village.

A wonderfully heartwarming book to get you in the festive spirit. Twins Ava and Grace return to the Shamrock Inn in Emerald Bay for Christmas, but Ava is not sure how to tell her twin that she wants to move back permanently and knows that will be a very difficult conversation. Wonderful characters, a beautiful location and loads of Irish charm make this a great read. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone novel.

You will get the full Irish experience while reading this one. Being that my ancestors came over on a boat from Galway I knew this one was the perfect read for me.


You’ll be immersed in the authenticity of the Irish humor, foods and settings. Emerald Bay pulled me in, after my first visit I knew I had to return.

The twins, Grace and Ava Kelly have been stuck together like glue and always done everything together their whole life. Showing a side not often seen Grace asserts herself and moves to London, though she’d rather be in Emerald Bay, Ava follows.

Ava didn’t leave her boyfriend, Shane on the best of terms when she moved to London. Grace, the social butterfly has many friends and would feel at home just about anywhere.

When an emergency back home in Emerald Bay has Ava returning on the double, she becomes moody and so worried. Family drama and dynamics. We see sweet and sour, misunderstandings and reconciliations.

Delightful holiday read full of family warmth, romance and friendships. Kept me eagerly turning pages as I soaked in the Irish Christmas warmth. I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Such a wonderful Christmassy read. I sat and read it in one sitting and you could feel the different emotions from the various characters as though you are actually sat in the room with them. Fabulous

- Small town romance
- Second chance
- Christmas story

I adored this charming Christmas story set in the village of Emerald Bay. The Kelly family - I wanted to be part of it. I loved their dynamic.

This installment in the series primarily focuses on twins Ava and Grace. They have been living in London for the last year. Ava would rather be in Emerald Bay with her former boyfriend Shane, but she followed Grace’s lead. She has been missing him ever since.

When Ava receives news that Shane is missing after being swept from his fishing boat in a storm, she immediately makes plans to return to Emerald Bay.

It’s declared a Christmas miracle when Shane is found and the village wants to celebrate.but will Ava stay in Emerald Bay?

The town is filled with quirky characters and the story feels like a hug. Truly loved it!

A feel good, cosy read which touches on themes of family relationships (particularly that between identical twins) and the twists and turns that life brings. I didn't realise this was part of a series but I'm off to read the others now!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

A Christmas Miracle in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal is a lovely Christmas novel to enjoy. Twins, Grace and Ava Kelly have always done everything together. Grace was determined to see the world and to start by moving to London from Emerald Bay. She couldn’t imagine her life without her sister, Ava, but Ava wasn’t so keen on the idea. However, they did ove. Grace had a great job and many friends to party with. Ava wasn’t so lucky. She just wanted to be by herself and was not that interested in party life. Ava was still in love with Shane Egan. They parted on bad terms when Ava moved to London.

About a year after they moved, Ava received a call that caused her to hurry back to Emerald Bay. Shane had been fishing with his family and a storm came up. Shane was swept overboard into the cold sea. Anyone going overboard in this cold weather was susceptible to hyperthermia in minutes in the water. Ava was heartbroken to think that she might have lost Shane. All Ava wanted was to get back with Shane and live happily ever after, but Grace was not happy about it. She was the stronger-willed twin and usually coerced Ava to go along with what she wanted to do.

Shane was finally found alive, but cold and wet. He had found a small island cave to shelter in so that he was not in the water that long. His recovery was lengthy though. The townspeople were so gratified that Shane was found alive that they deemed it a Christmas miracle that they wanted to celebrate it, although the hero of the story was not interested.

I won’t tell the rest of the story, but suffice it to say that I enjoyed this book and the characters in this small Irish fishing town. There were some odd characters, as you might find in any town, but the way the author portrayed them was wonderful.


I was granted a Kindle copy of this novel by Bookouture through NetGalley and was not required to give a review.

This week I made another visit to the ‘Little Irish Village’ and this time it was Ava’s story to tell. Ava has been living in London with her twin sister Grace, but following an emergency back home, she has returned to Emerald Bay, just a few weeks before Christmas.

One thing I adore about Michelle’s Emerald Bay books is the Irish twang that I can hear when I’m reading. Whenever the Irish dialect comes into play, I honestly hear someone saying it in an Irish accent, which I adore. It must be one of the softest, loveliest accents on the planet!

Ava’s parents run the Shamrock Inn, in Emerald Bay and along with Ava and her four sisters, they make up the ultimate, cosy Irish family in a small village where everyone knows everyone and everyone’s business. Everything about this book is just lovely. The characters are wonderful; the setting is beautiful and the Irish camaraderie is second to none.

Take a trip to Emerald Bay this Christmas and buy yourself a copy of Michelle’s latest book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review A Christmas Miracle in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal.

Emerald Bay at Christmas is a beautiful sight to see, and that is exactly why Ava Kelly returns every Christmas. The snow is falling, and the Shamrock Inn smells like Christmas. Ava and her twin sister Grace return home for the holidays. Ava and Grace moved to London, with its hustle and bustle and life in the city. It's been a year since Ava and her ex, Shane, split up. Returning to Emerald Bay is bittersweet, Ave wants to get back together with Shane. When they reconnect it was as if they hadn’t parted for a second. Picking up right where they left off a year ago, they begin planning a future together once again. The hardest part will be when Ava has the difficult conversation with Grace letting her know she may not be returning to London.

A Christmas Miracle in the Little Irish Village by author Michelle Vernal was a lovely, heart-warming story of second chances. This wonderful festive story will definitely pull at your heartstrings as you flip through the pages. This story will not only transport you back to Emerald Bay, but will have you celebrating Christmas in Ireland. I not only wanted to hang the Christmas lights but I am ready to decorate the Christmas tree. What a wonderful and charming story filled with reconciliation, second chances and new beginnings. I loved this amazing book and it’s a great addition to this lovely series. I highly recommend it.

I loved the vivid descriptions of the quaint Irish village and the festive atmosphere at The Shamrock Inn. The author's ability to transport me to this charming setting made the story come alive. The characters, especially Ava and Grace, were relatable and endearing, and I found myself rooting for their happiness throughout the book.

The central theme of family bonds and the emotional struggles of the characters were beautifully portrayed. Ava's dilemma between her love for Shane and her loyalty to her sister Grace added depth to the story, and I was genuinely invested in their journey.

The plot was well-paced, with enough twists and turns to keep me engaged. The anticipation of a Christmas miracle added an element of excitement and hope to the narrative.

My only critique is that at times, the resolution felt a bit rushed. I would have liked to see certain aspects of the story explored in more detail. Nevertheless, 'The Shamrock Inn Christmas' is a heartwarming read that captures the essence of the holiday spirit and the power of love and family. It's a perfect book to curl up with by the fire during the festive season. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming Christmas story. 🎄❤️📚

A Christmas miracle at the little Irish village is a lovely festive read. Perfect for those lead up to Christmas days where you want to read something that will put you in the holiday spirit. This one is sure to hit the spot.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

Another brilliant book by this brilliant author

Family saga funny sad frustrating every kind of emotion

Love it is also about Ireland

More about the twins than the couple
I wanted to read this book because of the setting being in Ireland. And it is, in what anyone not from Ireland, exactly how you’d picture it. Our three main characters are Grace and Ava Kelly and Shane Egan. Grace and Ava have left the village of Emerald Bay a year ago for the bright lights, big city of London. Ava broke up with Shane before she left because he wouldn’t leave the village to go with her. Shane is part of his family’s business, a fisherman who believes that he can’t leave his father and brothers. Neither Ava or Shane have moved on, even though Grace is pushing Ava to forget Shane, and Shane had told Ava there was no coming back to him. This is the basic setup for the book, which take place just before Christmas. I felt the story of Ava and Shane was resolved fairly quickly and satisfactorily, but this creates another problem for the pair, and this part of the story seemed to take a long time to be resolved.
The book is well written with good main characters and supporting characters, with no noticeable grammatical errors. The plotline seems to drag in places, which is why my rating is 3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4 stars. An enjoyable book, but not enough conflict or tension.
I was given an ARC of the book through NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.