Cassandra's life as a talented but isolated artist has allowed her to hide the emotional wounds that haunt her. Now, unexpectedly, she finally has the love of the one man she's adored for so many years. But that love has come at a terrible price: the destruction of the only true friendship that matters to her. As Cassandra struggles to control the massive changes ricocheting through the fabric of her life, a mysterious figure lurks in hiding, watching her, waiting for his chance to claim her as his own. A Late Hard Frost returns to the world of Compass North, and the entangled lives of Cassandra, Merry and Nick in the quirky small town of Homer, Alaska.