The story began in One Pawtuckaway Summer, when Meghan O'Reilly returns to New Hampshire to settle the estate of her father, Jack MacNamara. She plans to stay the summer, but becomes enamored with the lake, the lake residents and her own ties to people from the past. As she sorts and cleans the camp for resale, she discovers much about her own family. Photos and journals from her mother and grandmother lead her to some unresolved stories. She wants answers. Clues aren't enough.
In the second book, One Manchester Family, the research into her Irish family leads Meghan to begin to settle into the lake and the local city, She has so much material to organize about the MacNamaras, and more and more people add to the tale. She decides to finish an album with all of her findings and to complete the life story of Jack's father, Wil who disappeared in the 1930's. The fall speeds by and now she realizes that she likes it here. She may be in love with someone as well. And so she chooses to lease her Arizona home and stay on to the new year.
In the third book, One New Hampshire Christmas, Meghan must choose where her heart lies. Will she finally sell the camp and return to Arizona or build a new life here on Pawtuckaway Lake? The holidays have a life of their own. So does her ongoing album of the MacNamara clan. The Finches, next door hope she stays. So do two competing men. The holidays warm her heart to this small piece of paradise, despite the abundance of ice, snow and mixed feelings. There is much to learn and to consider in this small town of Hampton HIlls. Meghan came to close doors, but in doing so opened up many new ones she wants to take.
The series covers summer, fall and Christmas so far with many stories completed in this third book. We come to love the people of the lake and to enjoy spending Christmas with them. These are good people who have had their losses, but make sure that Christmas is a time to remember and to hope. It is a time of renewal and recall. It seems that every season offers its own charm on Pawtuckaway Lake.
About the Author: Monica Joyal is a resident of New Hampshire where she spent many summers on Pawtukaway Lake. She holds a master's degree in education and taught both local and national history. This is her third novel . She published One Pawtuckaway Summer in 2016 and One Manchester Family in 2019. She resides in Manchester, NH, with her husband Wayne and their English Springer Spaniel, Rosie.