Alison Lennox has carved out a promising career path in a kingdom dominated by land-hoarding elves and industrial tycoon dwarves. But her salary barely covers the rising rent, let alone the luxury lifestyle she dreams of. So when she unexpectedly inherits a neglected property in a distant land, it seems like the solution she's been seeking.

All she needs to do to keep her life on track is get in, flip the cottage, and get out, hopefully with a pocket full of coin for the effort.

Upon her arrival, Alison quickly discovers she isn't immune to the village's charms. But maybe she could look past the quaint shops, the sweet little old ladies, and the adorable talking cat and stick to the plan if it weren't for Keir Ainsley. At first, she finds the former doctor and town recluse good and irritating, and he's definitely wrong about where his property ends and Alison's begins. But then he has to go and save her life from a DIY disaster. And then he shows her that under his bristly exterior, there's a tenderness that feels familiar and right.

Not good.

But the town does have a problem. A mysterious vine is spreading through the land, choking out everything in its path. "Cute cottage; minor overgrowth issue-probably not poisonous" isn't going to work as a real estate listing, but that's not all that's wrong. The deeper her connection to Keir and the town grows, the further she strays from the life her father wanted for her.

And she'll have to dig deep into the town's thorny past to have any hope of stopping the vine.