Spectacular Things

Aisling "Ash" Callaghan swore she'd never sing again. These days she keeps time with the tide, the sizzle of the chip van, and the small percussionist who is her son, Finn. When SolasFest returns to their Irish coastal town—with a film crew "keeping the music alive"—Ash agrees to one harmless thing: talk on camera about the town's songs. Then the red tally light blinks on. And the man she once loved walks in. Colm O'Shea left to chase stages and came home carrying quieter truths: a father who needs him, a past he can't out-sing, and the knowledge that the best voice he ever knew went silent. He isn't here to take anything from Ash—only to stand where the weather is the same and see if kindness can make a second beginning. Across sea-spray mornings and market-stall nights, Ash tries to keep the noise kind—especially around Finn—while SolasFest pulls the town toward a new chorus: workshops with interpreters, neighbours teaching neighbours, the documentary lens catching the way community holds. But cameras have a way of asking for more, and old hurts do, too. If Ash steps back into music, it must be on her terms: consent first, child first, and no one using her song as a ladder. Spectacular Things is a warm, upmarket second-chance romance about a woman choosing what love looks like now: steadier, braver, and built for a life that includes a boy who taps tempos on everything. With a tactile sense of place—salt on the air, bunting over the square, the hush before a crowd begins to sing—it's a story about legacy and repair, about learning to keep what's precious without closing the door to wonder. Perfect for readers who love coastal small-town settings, found community, and slow-burn tenderness with a triumphant, hopeful finish.