The Magical Christmas Cottage
Aimee O’Brian
(Charmed Love, #3)
Publication date: October 23rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Holiday, Romance
In the small town of Hazard, sometimes love is the greatest Christmas miracle.
Alina McAllister is starting fresh in the charming town of Hazard, Rhode Island, with a simple plan: take a docent job at the Historical Society and embrace the magic of the season. But when her landlady Hazel suffers a stroke, everything changes. Hazel’s grumpy yet undeniably handsome grandson, Carter Bestwick, swoops into town determined to sell the cottage and move on with his corporate life. He needs Alina to leave—immediately.
With nowhere to go and a snowstorm trapping them together, Alina and Carter are forced into close quarters. What starts as a tense, begrudging arrangement soon sparks undeniable chemistry. As they clear out the attic, they discover Hazel’s magical wedding bands—heirlooms passed down through generations since the Revolutionary War—and find that sometimes, the magic of love is closer than they think.
In this heartwarming, opposites-attract holiday romance, Alina and Carter may just find that the greatest gift of all is an unexpected love.
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EXCERPT:
With a playful glance at Carter, Alina slipped the small gold ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. She admired the filigreed design of clasped hands and held up her own. “What do you think?”
Carter frowned at her. Of course he did. His voice was rough when he spoke. “What are you doing?”
Alina shrugged. “Having some fun. You could try it. You do know what fun is?”
His frown lines deepened into furrows. If he wasn’t careful, he’d look old before his time.
Determined to help him avoid that fate, Alina teased, “Don’t you ever have fun? Here.” She held out the larger ring to him. It too, had a design of clasped hands.
He raised a disapproving brow. “You want me to put on some old wedding band.” It wasn’t a question and the censure in his voice was obvious.
“Sure, why not? What are you afraid of?”
He tilted his head. “I’m not a commitment-phobe if that’s what you’re implying.”
“So, put it on.” She issued the challenge to see if he’d accept.
“We are not making a commitment.”
“No, we are playing. Fun, remember?”
When he just stared at the ring, she added, “I dare you.”
Carter’s eyes narrowed. “You dare me?”
“That’s right, I dare you.” She was back to playground taunts, but this time Alina didn’t care because it really was fun. And he needed to lighten up.
Carter tilted his chin up for a moment before he narrowed his eyes at her and slipped the ring on the third finger of his left hand.
It went on easily like hers had. “See, perfect fit. I wonder where they came from.”
“They’re old, I’m certain.” Carter gazed down at the ring on his finger. “I’ve seen pictures of this type of ring somewhere. Traditional workmanship but surprisingly comfortable. Okay, time to get back to work. Fun’s over.”
“Fun should never be over.”
Carter tugged on the ring to take it off. He blinked, tugged harder. “That’s odd. It went on so smooth, and now it’s stuck.”
Author Bio:
Having lived in both California and Texas, award-winning author Aimee O’Brian now resides in the beautiful wine country where she writes dark, sexy, funny romance. With her three children grown and experiencing their own adventures, she and her husband are free to explore the world. When she’s not reading, writing, or planting even more flowers in her garden, she can be found stomping through ancient ruins and getting lost in museums.
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