I had not read any of the other books by this author prior to this one but there was a handy catch-up summary at the beginning so you can read this as a stand-alone book.

The story follows close friends Kelsey and Mirren at Christmas time. Kelsey is trying to get her photography business off the ground and is counting down the days until her beloved Jonathan returns to her whilst Mirren is struggling with her journalism role and her recent split from her long-term partner.

I loved that this story was set in Shakespeare’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon and there was a real appreciation of Shakespeare throughout the book.

I happened upon Kiley Dunbar and her debut last year, and after devouring the first one, I have awaited any other releases with great anticipation, and she's never failed to satisfy.
Hearing that the characters from One Summer Night, Dunbar's debut were getting another outing in One Winter's Night, made my summer.
I love Shakespeare, Stratford-Upon-Avon is a place we visited plenty when I was growing up, And though I've never been, Scotland and its. beauty has always enticed me.
One day I will visit.
And romance? Well, I love a bit of romance, so, having all these components in a book should be a guaranteed good read, for me, at least.
And it surely was!
Catching up with Kelsey Anderson, as the Scottish lass comes to grips with settling far south of her home town, in Shakespeare's land, attempting to set up a business fuelled by her passion for photography, with no good friends or family close by, and the love of her life off acting across the Atlantic was a joy.
And I loved the parallel story of Kelsey's best friend Mirren, the newly single, Scottish journalist who's finally had enough of the sexist world of broadsheet journalism, and finds herself swearing off men, jacking in her job, and jumping on a train to join her best friend, for a little while, as she straightens her life out.
There were a whole host of new characters introduced, including the old soak, propping up the local bar, who ended up being a rather famous actor in his prime, with a hidden secret, and Blythe.
Oh, I loved Blythe! Everyone needs a Blythe in their lives.
An eccentric elderly woman who was a force to be reckoned with in her prime, on stage, until life threw her some huge curveballs. Blythe may be a bit of a recluse, but she has amassed a veritable smorgasbord of memorabilia and hard-learned wisdom over the years, along with the talent of distilling her own extremely strong flavoured gins.
Kelsey's unusual, initial meeting with Blythe cements a multi-generational friendship that adds another layer to an already wonderful story.
So there's love, heartbreaks, more romance, Shakespeare, family angst, and GIN! What more could a reader want?
Absolutely a recommended read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.