With her ever-ready smile, Eve O'Doyle faces life's challenges with boundless optimism. However, even she finds it difficult to see the silver lining in her parents' news: disaster has struck, leaving their genteel family in dire financial straits. But all is not lost. In the name of economizing, Eve will skip the London Season - even if it means dooming herself to spinsterhood. Determined that her sister, Nia, should enjoy their Christmas gathering with the Huntresses and the Pack, Eve will keep the truth quiet and soak in her last gleeting moments of lighthearted revelry with her friends. But from the moment she departs from her family's Dublin estate, nothing goes as planned.

Exhausted by his relentless role as family peacemaker, Duke Seymour anticipates the brief respite of a festive holiday with friends. Escorting two of the Huntresses to the party is no hardship - the O'Doyle sisters are always a delight. But when an unforeseen winter storm waylays the group of a country inn, Duke and Eve form a surprising attachment that runs far deeper than friendship. And though they are eager to explore these new feelings, upon their arrival at the party, the couple is immediately met with unexpected opposition - they soon realize that no matter their feelings, the weight of responsibility they both feel toward their families may crush their dream of a happy ending for themselves.