from Sharon Black – NEW BOOK 2026
By Next CHRISTMAS
For Ria Joyce, love belongs in the past. But when she spots her ex-boyfriend Jon Donnelly via the Dublin-New York Portal, she wonders if it’s fate.
Then her daughter Amelie posts a photo of Jon, snapped at the Portal, together with a plea to help find him and, to Ria’s horror, the post goes viral.
After Jon, AKA American thriller writer JL Walker, gets in touch, Irish podcaster Nick Newland sweeps her off to New York, to document the reunion for his hit podcast.
Amid twinkling lights, snowy streets and reawakened memories, Jon offers a second chance.
But Ria must confront the past before moving forward into an unexpected future.
Will she take the ultimate leap of faith this Christmas?
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Author
Sharon Black
Sharon Black is an Irish author of warm, witty women’s fiction and is published by Poolbeg Books.
As a writer, she enjoys dreaming up high-concept ideas and funny, well-rounded characters for her contemporary romantic comedies. But even though her romances always have happy-ever-after or happy-for-now endings, she’s not afraid to explore deeper themes in her books.
Sharon previously worked as a freelance journalist for some of the big Irish newspaper groups. She is a member of Writing.ie and Writers Ink and is a Curtis Brown Creative alumna. She has published short stories in women’s magazines, was long-listed for the 2023 Retreat West ‘Opening Lines’ Competition, and placed 2nd in the 2020 Maria Edgeworth Literary Festival Short Story Competition.
When she’s not writing, she reads, walks, catches up with family and friends, drinks a lot of coffee and probably eats too much chocolate. Sharon is an active member of a long-running local book club which meet monthly to chat, drink wine and discuss books. She loves theatre, old Hollywood films, every romantic comedy ever made and edgy stand-up.
Thanks to her appalling sense of direction, she and Jodie (Google Maps) are close personal friends. Sharon lives on the Dublin coast with her husband and the youngest of her grown up family.
Books
The last Saturday in July
A heartwarming, modern-day romantic comedy set against the charming backdrop of Ireland.
The life Daisy Devlin designed
First Loves, Big Dreams, and Hidden Lies: The Reunion That Changed Everything!
Love like the (Real) Reel Thing
A warm, funny, feel-good romantic comedy about second chances, small-town secrets & the magic of movies
Testimonials
THE LIFE DAISY DEVLIN DESIGNED
“Sharon Black has done it again. ‘The Life Daisy Devlin Designed’ is a fun, escapist read full of great characters, sparkling dialogue, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. But the author also deals beautifully with the hurt of lost love, the risk of dreaming big and the danger of finding answers to questions that might be better left unanswered.
This is a gorgeous second book!”
THE LIFE DAISY DEVLIN DESIGNED
“This is a lovely story – lots of twists and turns full of warm (& occasionally fractious!) family relationships, cracking settings, enough red herrings to keep the pages turning. The writing is crisp and clean, full of humour and warmth. If you like a book with an Irish setting, wit and romance, this is for you!”
THE LAST SATURDAY IN JULY
“If you love Marian Keyes and extended Irish families with their weird and wonderful ways, you will love “The Last Saturday in July”
THE LAST SATURDAY IN JULY
“Every mix-up you could possibly imagine happens on Jess’s big day. Emotional and heartfelt but also a riot from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down.”
THE LAST SATURDAY IN JULY
“This story had me hooked from the first page. The relationships between the characters were very believable and the way celebrities and TikTok were woven into the story made it very current. ”
Archived blog
At “This funny Irish Life” website