Yearly Archives: 2016

Three Christmas Wishes by Sheila Roberts (Book Review)

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Three friends, three wishes—one Christmas! 

When three friends visit a shopping-mall Santa on a lark, the jolly old elf is full of mysterious predictions about the thing they’re all wishing for: the perfect man. Or at least men who are perfect for them

Riley Erickson’s fiancé turned out to be a dud, dumping her for her bridesmaid three weeks before the wedding. But Santa says that she’s soon going to meet her ideal man in a memorable way. 

And he predicts that a new man is about to come into Jo’s life. What on earth does that mean? She’s pregnant and already has her hands full with the perfectly stubborn husband she’s got. 

Noel has given up completely on ever finding her perfect match. But apparently Noel is going to get a good man to go with that house she’s trying desperately to buy. 

These friends are about to discover that Christmas wishes can come true, because in spite of romantic setbacks and derailed dreams, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

 

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REVIEW 

Christmas is the time of year where we wish, hope, and dream that the impossible becomes possible. Young, old, man, woman, adult, child, rich or poor, we all have a wish or have had a wish you’d like see come true.

Some children dream of a puppy, pony, a toy, or for a parent to be there on Christmas morning. Some adults long for a spouse to be home for the holidays, more financial security, a Christmas miracle, or finding love at last.

In the case of the three women in Three Christmas Wishes, they all went to see Santa for their own personal reasons. Basically, they need Santa to perform a miracle pertaining to man issues.

Jo wanted her Navy husband to be home permanently so he could watch their child grow up. Riley’s engagement recently ended when her fiancé fell out of love with her and into love with her bridesmaid. And Noel, she was unsure if she’d ever achieve her happily ever after.

After a brief and odd encounter with a mall Santa, what they deemed impossible — a lost cause — didn’t seem so far fetched at all. After a few bumps, several tears, more than one spill, and a couple fender benders, these three did get what they most wanted for Christmas.

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPILY EVER AFTER! 

 

Heart Rating System:

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤1/2

 

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Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber (Book Review)

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Continuing in a festive annual tradition, #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber returns with a new original holiday novel full of romance and cheer—and the magical prospect of finding love in the most unexpected places.
 
Friendly and bubbly, Julia Padden likes nearly everyone, but her standoffish neighbor, Cain Maddox, presents a particular challenge. No matter how hard she’s tried to be nice, Cain rudely rebuffs her at every turn, preferring to keep to himself. But when Julia catches Cain stealing her newspaper from the lobby of their apartment building, that’s the last straw. She’s going to break through Cain’s Scrooge-like exterior the only way she knows how: by killing him with kindness.
 
To track her progress, Julia starts a blog called The Twelve Days of Christmas. Her first attempts to humanize Cain are far from successful. Julia brings him homemade Christmas treats and the disagreeable grinch won’t even accept them. Meanwhile, Julie’s blog becomes an online sensation, as an astonishing number of people start following her adventures. Julia continues to find ways to express kindness and, little by little, chips away at Cain’s gruff façade to reveal the caring man underneath. Unbelievably, Julia feels herself falling for Cain—and she suspects that he may be falling for her as well. But as the popularity of her blog continues to grow, Julia must decide if telling Cain the truth about having chronicled their relationship to the rest of the world is worth risking their chance at love.

 

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No matter the time of year, whether it’s a special occasion, holiday or just an ordinary day, we ALL SHOULD show kindness, generosity, and a share a smile.

Positive actions cause positive reactions!!

Debbie was correct, one act (big or small) will cause a ripple effect and this world needs more light, more goodness. That’s why I love and embrace paying it forward mentality. It’s also why this book is a MUST READ for everyone. It would be a GREAT BOOK to give as a Christmas present or a just because gift.

It’s never too late to follow in Julia’s footsteps. Bake someone some cookies, pay for another person’s coffee, bring them soup when their sick or walk their dog when they can not, or just play a game with them and talk. In return, you might learn a thing or two…..like Julia, like Cain, like Julia’s followers, like myself. 

 

Heart Rating System:

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤ (Deserves more than 5!!!) 

 

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Frozen by L.A. Casey (Book Review)

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Neala and Darcy have loved to hate each other since they were kids. Forced together, will they be naughty—or can they play nice?

There’s one must-have toy this Christmas, and Neala Clarke has told her niece Charli she’ll get it for her. Never mind that she’s got less than a week and it looks like everywhere is sold out. She’s promised Charli a Fire Princess doll—and Neala is a woman of her word.

Darcy Hart is a people-pleaser. So when his adorable six-year-old nephew, Dustin, asks for a particular doll at the last minute, he says yes. Luckily for Darcy, there’s one left in stock at the local toy store. Unluckily for Darcy, he’s not the only person who wants it—and his rival is the one woman who’s immune to his charms.

This can’t possibly end well for both of them…can it?

 

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I snarled, “Give me the doll. Now!”
Darcy had the doll box against his chest with both hands on it. His fingers tapped against the cardboard while a smug smile stretched across his face.
He glanced to the snowmen gathered around my feet and teased, “You’ve got to watch your step, sweetheart.”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “I swear if you don’t give me that bloody doll I’ll-“
“You’ll what?” he cut me off, his smug smile still in place on his handsome face.
Damn him.
“I’ll shove me foot so far up your arse you’ll need a surgeon to remove it.”
Darcy’s eyes widened. “You’re a foot shorter than me, and at least fifty pounds lighter. You’re a tiny little thing, Neala Girl. I’m not scared of you. You can’t hurt me.”
Wrong.
He was so wrong.
“I can hurt you, and I will unless you give me the doll.”
Darcy raised an eyebrow and snorted. “How about… no.”
Bastard!
I curled my lip into a sadistic grin. “Okay, you asked for it.”
Darcy shook his head at me and moved forward so he could brush by me. “I don’t have time for – What the hell?”
When he was close enough to do so I manoeuvred my body behind his, hooked my arms around his chest and searched for his nipples with my hands. When I found them, I grabbed them between my index fingers and thumbs and pinched.
“Me nipples, let go of me nipples!” Darcy roared.
I growled and tweaked his nipples a little harder. 
“Let go of the doll, and I’ll let go of your nipples.”
There was a sentence I never thought I’d hear myself say.

 

 

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Neala and Darcy were once childhood friends –  the very best. Then, one day, their friendship ended and their feud began.

Thorough-out the years, they have made each other lives miserable because they can’t get pass one regrettable moment where he didn’t take her side during a childhood playground fight.

Their animosity carried over into adulthood and caused tension at family events. One event in particular ended with explosive results for Darcy. I mean, shit hit the fan.  😯  I’m not gonna lie, the prank Neala pulled on him was painfully funny to read. 🙂 However, the best prank of all wasn’t pulled off by either of them. (no spoilers)

Now back to the reason why they are at each other’s throats – this time. Cue this Christmas’ must have toy, the last Fire Princess doll. I can recall the frenzy I watched unfold on tv when Tickle Me Elmo first came onto the scene. People went batshit crazy for that overpriced toy. So, I CAN absolutely envision the wrestling match/battle over who gets to claim Fire Princess as theirs.

In the end though, everything worked out. Darcy and Neala realized they truly loved each other all these years. The revelation surprised no one but them. We also saw the magic of Christmas and young love spark to life. 

 

Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤1/2

 

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L.A. Casey is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who juggles her time between her mini-me and writing. She was born, raised and currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys chatting with her readers, who love her humour and Irish accent as much as her books.

Casey’s first book, DOMINIC, was independently published in 2014 and became an instant success on Amazon. She is both traditionally and independently published and is represented by Mark Gottlieb from Trident Media Group. 

To read more about this author, visit her website at www.lacaseyauthor.com

Also, don’t forget to follow her on Twitter.

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Mistletoe Games, A Play-by-Play Anthology by Jaci Burton (Author Showcase)

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Holiday Games
For the high-achieving Elizabeth and her husband, baseball player Gavin Riley, failure is not an option. So when it comes to making a baby, they’re not about to let any holiday distractions get in the way of their necessary pleasures…
 
Holiday on Ice
It’s the season for giving and superstar hockey player Patrick “Trick” Niemeyer is ready to give dancer Stella Slovinski his heart wrapped up in bow. But he’ll have to melt the ice surrounding her heart to keep her from walking away…
 
Hot Holiday Nights
Christmas in Hawaii brings sports agent Tori Baldwin two presents: a young surfer at the top of his game and his business manager. But this hot threesome has to decide if the romantic wave they’ve caught is nothing more than a vacation fling, or the kind of love that could change their lives forever…

 

Three Sneak Peeks!

 

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From Holiday Games

 

Not Pregnant.

Liz Riley sat in her bathroom, crushing disappointment tightening her stomach as she stared at the pregnancy test.

Not pregnant. Again.

Her period was three days late. She’d been so certain this time.

Dammit. The word failure wasn’t in her lexicon. She’d always succeeded, usually found a way to get what she wanted. Even when faced with a temporary roadblock, she wrangled her way around it and won. She was one of the best sports agents in the business, and always got what she wanted.

But that was business, and this was personal. For the past year, she’d tried—and failed—numerous times to get pregnant.

She tossed the stick into the trash and stared at herself in the mirror.

“This sucks.”

“What sucks?”

She whirled to face her husband, Gavin, the love of her life and the only man who could have ever made her want to have a baby.

 

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From Holiday on Ice

 

Patrick “Trick” Niemeyer walked into McGill’s, his favorite after-game bar hangout, with several of his fellow players.

It had been a grueling game tonight, and they’d eked out a win by only one goal over Winnipeg. Since it was Friday night and they were on home turf, they deserved to celebrate.

“I need a drink—or three,” Drew Hogan said.

He and Drew were of like minds there, which didn’t surprise him since they were friends and had been as long as they’d both played for the New York Travelers.

“Let’s get this party started.” Trick led the way to the bar.

“How many of us are having beer?” Avery Mangino, their goalie and the main reason they’d won tonight, turned and counted as all of them raised fingers.

“Okay, that’s a half dozen.” Avery turned to the bartender, who slid bottles across.

Trick took a long draw from the bottle, then sighed. Nice and cold, like the ice had been tonight. But the crowd had been hot, and so had the game. They’d had to work hard for this win, and it had been a nail-biter all the way to the buzzer at the end of the third period.

“We need to avoid these close ones,” Avery said, leaning against the bar. “You all are going to have to score more goals next time.”

 

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From Hot Holiday Nights

 

Victoria Baldwin determined it had been six months, three days, four hours and—she looked at her phone and calculated—approximately seventeen minutes since she’d last had time off.

She was damned overdue. She normally took holidays more frequently. Working in the sports industry for fifteen years should have netted her vacation time whenever she wanted it, but being a sports agent meant that sometimes you had to work your ass off, and this had been one of those brutal kinds of years.

Not that she was complaining. Picking up a few new clients had meant an uptick in her bank account, which allowed her to take these getaways. So she’d suck it up and do the hard work when it was necessary.

And now she had three weeks off. She could already feel the stress melting away.

She’d vacationed all over the world, from Mexico to Fiji to Europe to Asia to every island in the Caribbean, but she always loved coming back to Hawaii, and especially the island of Oahu. It was the flowers. She loved the smell of the flowers here, and the staff at her favorite hotel on the north shore were incomparable.

She’d been lucky to get in on such short notice. They were booked solid for the international surfing competitions that would start in a few days. Plus it was also the Christmas holiday. But they’d made a suite available for her, knowing she was a preferred customer and she tipped very well.

She threw on her swimsuit, then put on a pair of shorts and a tank top over it, laced up her shoes, lathered up the sunscreen and grabbed her sunglasses. First item on the agenda was a run on the beach. It was the perfect way to release stress and unwind.

 

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The Trouble with Mistletoe: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel by Jill Shalvis (Book Review)

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If she has her way . . .

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her . . .

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him . . .

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice . . .

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work . . .

 

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I’m a uber fan of romantic comedies because I love to laugh and I adore happily ever afters.

In The Trouble with Mistletoe, readers will laugh over the woes Keane faces with Pita; his (Pain In The Ass) aunt’s (turned his) cat. It’s a love-hate relationship but they do reach a point where she retracts her claws and allows him into her kitty heart. Someone else also allows him to enter their heart –Willa.

Willa had many walls put up, but thankfully Keane’s tearing down skills don’t just apply to his house-flipping business.  With a little love and a WHOLE LOT OF PATIENCE, he helped her see they were perfect together. Pita, too.  😀 

Really, how could she not let this man in…..all the way in! He’s hardworking, smart, handsome, takes care of his family, friends, and loves Frosted Flakes for supper. Come on, he’s the total package.

And Willa? She would do absolutely anything and everything for those who matter to her. Even Eddie, the homeless man living in her alley, was a recipient of her kindness. She decorated his “home” with Christmas lights. She brought him food. She’d take him into her home, if he actually would accept the offer.

Two generous, loving people finding love on the holidays. What could make a better Christmas story than that?!

 

Heart Rating System 

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤1/2

 

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New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit http://www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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