This is Book 5 of The Little Irish Village Series, and what a stunning cover! I saw this cover and blurb and knew I had to read it!

This is the first book I have read in this series, and it was such a lovely book... The only issue is, I read this in October, and now I'm all Christmasy!

I adore the large family element of this book and meet the gorgeous Tom, plus all the intriguing other villagers. They are so quirky and loveable!

They are incredibly stubborn and band together to stop developers coming into their village, so this combined with Christmas and community, all complimented each other and made for a heart-warming read.

It's a lovely book that just gets you in the book for Christmas!

Hannah Kelly arrives in Emerald Bay to do everything possible to stop a developer from ruining the quaint village she loves. Upon arriving home at The Shamrock Inn, Hannah meets the eye catching developer, Tom Flynn who happens to be a guest at the Inn. She sees this as an opportunity to save the precious village. She has plenty of time to convince him to change his plans. As Christmas Day approaches, Hannah invites Tom to spend Christmas with her family. As Hannah and Tom enjoy the day together, her happiness comes crashing down when she discovers his plans are to proceed with the development as expected.

Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village, written by author Michelle Vernal is a wonderful story of family and friends. I loved the banter and the characters touched my heart. Vernal is great at pulling the reader into the story. I loved the Irish Village at Christmas with its twinkling lights and snowflakes falling, it was exactly the escape I needed. As the Christmas Carols were playing in the village stores, I felt like I was actually there. This rapid read was enjoyable and put me in the Christmas spirit. I recommend this story to kick off the season.

Good addition to the Emerald Bay series. This is the story of Hannah, the middle daughter of the Kelly family. In previous books, Hannah stands out as the environmentally conscious activist member of the family. The book opens with Hannah's first foray into protesting for a cause at the age of eight, then moves on to the present day. Hannah works for the non-profit group Feed the World with Bees, where she also has a massive crush on her boss, Dylan. When Dylan shows her an article about a huge garden center planned for her hometown, Hannah rushes home to rally the community. She doesn't expect to find a guest staying in the house. Tom Flynn, an architectural project manager from Dublin, was sent to do the advanced work for the proposed development. Hannah takes an instant dislike to him because of it.

The initial meeting between Tom and Hannah was hilarious, leaving Hannah at a slight disadvantage. In addition, she is so focused on her mission that she comes across as very judgmental. I liked seeing Tom call her out on it. They are thrown together on several occasions, and Hannah discovers that there is more to Tom than she realizes. I liked Tom. He is charming and has a sense of humor even in difficult moments. Neither Tom nor Hannah expected the sparks that flared between them, complicating their interactions. A few bumps along the road to their happy ever after are mainly caused by Hannah's distrust. Fortunately, Hannah's journey includes some self-examination and rethinking of her priorities. I loved the scene of Tom and Hannah at the cottage as they finally cleared the air. The ending was sweet, and I loved seeing the whole family together.

I love the Kelly family, and this book is full of Kellyisms. The teasing among the sisters is hilarious, but they have each other's backs when support is needed. Kitty Kelly, the grandmother, shows a different side of herself when the proposed development intrudes on a special place in her history. I loved the history she revealed and how it brought her past to life for the sisters. There is also a bit of intrigue involving an American woman who appears to be stalking Hannah's mother, Nora. The resolution of that mystery was a shock to everyone.

The village residents add humor and depth to the story. I especially enjoyed Eileen and how she roped Hannah into helping with her latest project. The scenes with the teenagers were funny and moving.

Hannah embarks on a mission to save her hometown from building project giants whilst keeping the true spirit of Christmas alive. Tom may be the one standing in her way but there is more to it than see the eye and Tom is much more compassionate than Hannah thinks. Spending so much time together is blurring her view of him and there are definitely some sparks flying. This book is full of so much Christmas spirit and excitement that it has me jumping for joy. I love how alive the story felt and the characters are hilarious and had me giggling so hard especially Hannah and her underwear incident. I am still laughing now while writing this. I enjoyed everything about this book as there is everything to like and it really is a heartwarming romance with plenty of happiness.

I love Emerald Bay and the whole Kelly family, so I was really glad to be visiting again and catching up with old favourites.
This time, it's Hannah's story ( and we even get to hear from her Gran's - Kitty Kelly) Hannah comes home to stop a Christmas tree farm from being constructed on historic land- which has a tie to her family's past. She arrives thinking she's in love with someone, but everything is not what it seems.

Hannah is a firecracker, and Tom was sweet and fitted right in with the family, I enjoyed reading about him.

I loved the added family mystery. Who is the mysterious American woman?

This is the 5th book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone, but to be honest, you will be missing out on getting to know all the other sisters and all the other memorable characters. I hope that this isn't the last in the series🤞🏼

If you love
Small town
Irish humour
Found family
Opposites attract

I love the Kelly family and I enjoyed this story. This boisterous family of five sisters leaves me with such a warm feeling! They feel like friends and I want to be part of their circle. Add in the quirky, caring residents of Emerald Bay and I am ready to move there. This book is about Hannah who wants to change the world without destroying it. When there is a threat to the village she heads home to try to stop it. What she finds is family ties to the land being threatened by a developer, an uncomfortable revelation about her crush, and an attraction to the developer’s representative who is different from what she expected. Now she has to figure out what she wants for her life. It is a part of the Little Irish Village series but can be read as a stand-alone, but once you read one you will want to spend more time in Emerald Bay with the Kelly family.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read "Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village" in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story starts out with 8 year old Hannah Kelly tying herself to a pole with a placard to "Save Ireland's Trees". When she grow up she moves to Cork City where she works for Feed the World with Bees. She is crushing on her co-worker Dylan but he doesn't seem to know she exists. Her family owns the Shamrock Inn. Hannah has 2 older sisters - Imogen and Shannon and younger sisters Grace and Ava who are twins. We have met the Kelly family in other books and I still will state that the best character is Napoleon the knicker thieving cat.

Hannah is back home in Emerald Bay because she has heard that a one stop-shopping centre with a Christmas Tree Farm is to be built - destroying an abandoned farm with a famine cottage on it that is very important to her family. Though at the start she isn't aware just how important.

Tom Flynn arrives to scope out the site for an investor and is staying with the Kelly family in Room 5. Hannah takes an instant dislike to him for working for someone that would destroy a piece of history.

There is a bit of intrigue in this story as an American woman in a red coat appears to be stalking Nora. What she has to say will shake the family and rewrite their oral history. The reader will learn a lot more about the Kelly family to add to what we know from previous books.

Hannah soon sees Dylan in a different light after a violent protest. And questions whether there is something else out there for her that she could be doing to help others.

Ms. Vernal has beautifully woven the past and the present together seamlessly. The stories are easy to follow and all the characters are ones we have grown to love from the previous books. Hopefully there are still many Kelly family stories to tell.

I read this as an ARC on Netgalley. I love, love, love the Kelly family and was happy to be back in Emerald Bay and at the Shamrock in. This was a wonderful Christmas read that fit in wonderfully with the rest of the series! I absolutely loved it.

I think I started on the backfoot here. Because I never realised this was part of a series. And I don't like to do that with books.
It couod easily be a standalone.
It had a gutsy and stubborn heroine. It had the bad guy but is he a good guy hero. And you had the two falling for eachother. Add in a community, a village described beautifully and a cosy written story and you've got a brilliant festive read.
I now need to go back and get to know the rest of the village and hopefully a few more romances for them too!

Okay let’s just say that I love holiday romances I love them could read them the entire year.
But because I do O have read many and many of them. So I might be a bit more critical because i either love it or it’s a meh for me personally.

To the book now.
Hannah works for a small non profit company, her boss shows her an article about the village she grew up in.
The article shows that a company wants ti buy ground in the village to build a mall and a Christmas tree farm.
Hannah can’t let this happen so she goes home earlier than planned to hopefully stop this. Because that ground is sacred to the community.
Will Hannah stop the build? Or will she lose her heart in the process?
The architect assigned to the project is just her ideal guy, if he weren’t trying to ruin the town.

Now my thoughts I really love the concept of the story. It really grabbed me in the start and i was into the book.
Also the first meeting between Hannah and the architect. Chefs kiss and the earlier moments you could feel it sizzling.

But the she found out who he was and she became a real judgmental character. It actually quite annoyed me.
It also got really slow and i had to barrel trough the story.
Then at like 65-70% it picked up again.
And did the story get good again that I couldn’t put it down.

If we don’t count the middle part I would’ve given it 5 stars, because i also got a little emotional with grandma’s love story. And I was laughing quite a bit.

Lets end this with the saying that princess Lea was the star of the book. For a little chihuahua she got a lot of spirit and fight in her.

And I loved Hannahs family, this was my first book of hets but I do want to know how her sisters got their men.

This is the fifth book in the "Little Irish Village" series, though it works well as a standalone. The story follows Hannah Kelly, an environmental campaigner who returns to her hometown, Emerald Bay, after hearing about a development threatening the village's conserved land. Determined to protect the village’s heritage, she takes on the fight while staying at her parents’ inn for Christmas.

There, she meets Tom, a businessman from Dublin staying for the festive season. Initially clashing with him, Hannah must navigate both her campaign against the development and various family dynamics, all while dealing with the village's past and present troubles. Though the book is marketed as a romance, the main focus is on Hannah's personal journey and her battle to preserve the village, with romance only coming into play towards the end.

The novel offers a cosy, enjoyable atmosphere, with vibrant characters, especially the Kelly family. However, it lacks momentum in the middle, and the Christmas vibe fades at times. Despite some frustrations with the pacing and character development, the charming dialogue, vivid Irish setting, and touching moments, particularly related to the famine cottage, make it an engaging read.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

Another brilliant book in this series from a brilliant author

Another cute Christmas romance in the Little Irish Village series, following Hannah this time. Nice to 'visit' Emerald Bay again and catch up with the chaos that is the Kelly family.

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

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of Saving Christmas In The Little Irish Village.

Hannah returns to her hometown and realizes that a building developer is planning some big changes. She decides to fight to protect her town. She does not bank on falling for Tom the developer. But enemies turns into lovers.

I was not a fan of this book. I honestly could not stand Hannah, she came off as very full of herself and honestly rude. The book was also very slow for me.

I was delighted to read this Christmas catch up with the quirky Kelly family. There was certainly no dull moments as Hannah tries to save their village. I did find her slightly annoying to start with but I suspect it was meant to be that way. A warm hug in book form which I recommend for a fabulous Christmas read.

ARC Review: Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal

Oh, what a sparkling delight! Michelle Vernal has gifted us a holiday gem that will make you want to cozy up with a cup of tea, a warm blanket, and maybe even a sprig of mistletoe. *Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village* wraps you in the charm of Emerald Bay, a place where Christmas cheer and community spirit are just as important as saving the rolling hills from being bulldozed.

At the heart of it all is Hannah Kelly, a young woman with a fierce love for her hometown. She's everything you'd want in a small-town heroine: determined, compassionate, and just the right amount of stubborn. When she discovers her beloved Emerald Bay is under threat from a new building development, she returns home ready to rally the villagers. What she *doesn't* expect is to fall headfirst into a slow-burn romance with the charming (yet frustrating!) developer, Tom Flynn.

Cue the microtropes we love:
- **Enemies-to-lovers**: There’s tension and sparks as Hannah and Tom butt heads over the development.
- **The cozy Christmas challenge**: Inviting Tom to experience a Kelly Christmas Day, hoping it will soften his heart.
- **A near-kiss while peeling brussels sprouts**: Because how could peeling veggies *not* bring out the romance?
- **Grandparent nostalgia**: When Hannah shares her grandparents’ love story tied to the land, we get all the feels.
- **The meddling village matchmakers**: With a sprinkle of holiday cheer, of course.

One of the sweetest moments comes when Hannah shares her family history with Tom—the very land he's planning to develop holds deep emotional ties to her past. And when Tom starts to soften, peeling brussels sprouts alongside her at a Kelly Christmas Day, the sparks feel just as warm as the hearth at The Shamrock Inn. But just when you think things are snowballing into happily-ever-after territory, a mysterious phone call shakes everything up, revealing there’s more to this building project than either of them realized.

What I adored most about this book is how it balances romance with the deeper themes of preserving heritage and fighting for what truly matters. Vernal weaves in moments of heartwarming holiday magic, from twinkling Christmas lights to heartfelt caroling, giving the village a vibrancy that makes you want to book a ticket to Ireland yourself.

The tension between following your heart and protecting your home makes this not only a perfect Christmas read but also a story about finding where you truly belong. *Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village* is a snow-kissed tale of love, hope, and holiday spirit that’ll leave you believing in the magic of community—and maybe even a second chance at love.

**Rating**: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (4.5 stars)
**Verdict**: If you’re a fan of warm holiday romances with a dash of Irish charm, this one’s a must-read. Grab your ugliest Christmas sweater, and get ready to fall in love with Emerald Bay!

As a lover of Christmas and holiday romance, I was thrilled to dive into "Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village" by Michelle Vernal. This charming tale immerses readers in the festive spirit of a quaint Irish village, filled with warmth, community, and a sprinkle of romance.

The story centers around a determined protagonist who embarks on a mission to save the village's Christmas celebrations.

While there were parts of the plot that felt a bit predictable, the feel-good vibes kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for my honest review.

I've just recently started reading cozy romances and if you are new to the genre, like me, Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village is an excellent book to start your journey.
Most cozy romances are centered around fall with pumpkin spice and crunchy leaves. Christmas literally jumps off the pages in this book.
It's a quick read and kept this reader engaged with every page.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I love Michelle Vernal books, and this was a sweet story during Christmas. great characters and a lovely setting..

It takes a village to save a village. Hannah is determined that development isn't going to take over Emerald Bay but then she meets Tom, who is meant to be the one to bring the garden center to town. There's more to Tom than meets the eye but these two have to work through their differences to get there. I liked this because although it's trope-y, it's got good characters in the people of the village and Hannah's family and delightful atmospherics. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.