This is book 2 of the series and while it could be read as a stand-a-lone, I recommend reading the first one to give insight into the characters. This story starts out at Christmas time a few months after Eric moves his family to a new town and involves issues with in-laws, Christmas, and much more including continuing upkeep of his garden allotment which he inherited. i enjoyed this book and the narration was great as in the first book. I look forward to continuing this series.