Christmas on the Tow Path

Book 5 of the Tow Path Series

Snow drifts along the quiet winter canal. Lanterns glow through the fog. And a sixteen-year-old boy named Wren steps onto Ivy’s towpath with more secrets than answers.
What begins as a simple act of kindness soon becomes the heart of Ivy’s Christmas. Especially when she and Theo decide the secret to enjoying Christmas was not fancy presents but going to others. Missing ornaments appear in strange places, lantern lights sway without wind, and Ginger—the canal’s mischievous cat—is forever underfoot whenever the mystery deepens. Drawn into Wren’s quiet world, Ivy offers warmth, laughter, and the kind of gentle safety he’s never known.
But Christmas magic has its own shadows. As Ivy helps Wren uncover the truth behind his past and the Wight Legacy, a family story older and more tangled than they expected rises to the surface. And when his uncle arrives to claim him, Ivy must face the question she’s been trying to ignore:
Is she strong enough to fight for the family she didn’t know she needed?
A tender, atmospheric holiday tale filled with snow, candlelight, music, violins, and the unexpected bonds that can turn a towpath into a home.
Ken Jolly is the author of multiple fiction and nonfiction works ranging from architectural guides to immersive towpath romances and mysteries. Drawing on a background in design and sailing, and a lifelong appreciation for community-driven stories, he creates atmospheric novels rooted in place, character, and emotional depth. Ken writes with a steady focus on craft, clarity, and the belief that stories—like waterways—connect us in ways we don’t always expect.