In the kingdom of Highfire, you can pack an entire house into one suitcase, grow a vegetable in a second, and have an intriguing conversation with a tree that is four times your size. If you are Aurelie Dranoir, the chosen heir to the Highfire throne, you might not find all these things as appealing as they sound.

“Are you alright?" The corner of Eirnin’s mouth quirked up with a hint of a smile, probably remembering her reaction when he’d asked her that a moment ago. Story smiled sheepishly back up at him. "I'm fine. I think I just stepped on a rock and cut my foot. If I ever find out who took my shoes, I'll kill them." He lowered himself to one knee and bent over to pick up her injured foot. "I'd be willing to bet it was one of the fey. They're very territorial by nature and often take things that are left lying—” His voice cut off abruptly, and he stiffened before jerking to his feet and backing away from her as if she had a contagious disease. He stopped only when his back hit a tree. Eirnin of the Eáchan clan’s silver eyes—now with hints of bright yellow to them—widened in astonishment, and he stared, transfixed, at the red blood dripping from her foot. "What are you?"

Thirty-year-old Elise Andrews couldn’t bring herself to marry Griffin, her childhood friend-turned-sweetheart, so she let him walk away. Eight months after their break-up, she arrives in her hometown of Chicago on Christmas Eve and hears a voice from the past calling her name in the grocery store. It’s Griffin’s mother Janice, who invites Elise over for a neighborhood gathering of eggnog and carols.Walking into Janice’s house sends Elise tumbling headlong into memories of her relationship with Griffin — and with Janice, who exudes the kind of warmth Elise ached for after her own mom passed away when she was six. But Griffin has moved on, and suddenly Elise doubts her decision to give him up, and lose her chance at being folded into his wonderful family. Confused and reeling, she goes in search of an answer to a universal question: How do we say good-bye to people we’ve loved without losing everything they’ve meant to us? Heartwarming and witty, All Is Bright is a charming story about coming home for the holidays — and finding gifts in the most unexpected of places.