Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
The Nolan men all live on San Juan Island in Friday Harbor. Their family was never really a family and while all 3 live on the same Island have very little to do with each other. Christmas for them is just another day. But tragedy strikes when their only sister dies in a car accident and she gives legal guardianship to her brother Mark. A single guy in his prime Mark doesn't know what to do. He persuades his brother Sam to share responsibility and he and Holly move in with him. But their niece Holly has been traumatized and can't or won't speak since the accident.
That is until the owner of a new toy shop named Maggie Collins gives Holly a magical shell. This connects Maggie and Mark and they both find themselves undeniably attracted. But Mark already has a girlfriend named Shelby and Maggie is recovering from her husband's recent death from cancer. Mark is a decent guy and knows that his girlfriend Shelby would be the perfect mother for Holly. Maggie feels guilt over finding another man attractive. Both are in a transitional period but can't seem to stop thinking about each other. Will they overcome their obstacles? This has a feel of a series and after reading the author's website that is confirmed. You can see each brother has issues with relationships and intimacy. While this was a short Christmas novel - barely 200 pages, it was engaging and the perfect read for an airplane ride. I hope a bit more depth goes into the future books but this is a intriguing introduction.