Tag Archives: Holidays

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.

www.facebook.com/jillshalvis
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Holiday Gift Ideas!

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No matter where you’re from, no matter what holiday you celebrate, December is the time of year to spread some holiday cheer. Now, not everyone can afford to buy presents AND THAT’S OKAY!  Your holiday can still be memorable without making a dent in your checking account.

However, if you DO have some extra cash and are wondering what to get your spouse, lover, co-worker, friend, child, pet and so on, I have a few suggestions that might be of some use. Below, I have a wide range of present ideas which should bring a huge ass smile to the recipient’s face and that’s the point of a gift, right?

Tis the season for BOOYAH’s not BAH HUMBUG’s! 

 

Adults!  

 

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(Pack of 3) Loch Ness Scotland Kitchen Monster Nessie Ladle Cute Creative Cartoon Spoon Tableware for Soup

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  • DRINK-A-PALOOZA Board Game: combines “old-school” + “new-school” drinking games & adult games featuring Beer Pong, Flip Cup, Kings card game & all the best party games for adults

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Box of 4 Candy Cane Edible Shot Glasses Peppermint Flavor (4 Shots in 1 Box)

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Movie Lines Coffee Cup

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Literary Quotes Coffee Cup

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Younger Crowd!

 

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LED Lighting Gloves

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 Beloved Pets! 

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51gzyt3trolZippyPaws Holiday Squeakie Buddies Squeaky No Stuffing Plush Dog Toy, 3-Pack

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The Christmas Lights by Rachael Kosinski (Book Review)

Historical Holiday Romance – Length: 96 pages 
 

“Where do Christmas lights come from?” 

The tiny bulbs of color that burn on a Christmas tree, or outside a house to shine in the night; does anyone really know where they originate? What if someone told you they weren’t intended for Christmas at all, but really for a miracle? That they were for love, a desperate idea, to light a boy’s way home? 

In that case, you must have some questions. What boy? What love? 

In that case, allow me to tell you a story.
 
 
 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 
 
With the holidays quickly approaching, many of us (like myself) are on the look-out for a sweet Christmas story to get us in the mood for the impending festivities. In my humble opinion, “The Christmas Lights” had the makings to be included in Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas. 
 
Incase you are wondering why it had the goods to be turned into a tv movie, let me enlighten you about this novella.
 
We have a young man, with barely any money in the bank, with his heart set on marrying a young woman. Before Louis and Emmy can tie the knot, he needs to secure their future. In other words, they need money and now. He sets out on a journey to earn cash, which will have many high and low moments. 
 
As you would expect from a contender for the Hallmark Channel, all good things come to those who wait. 
 
Louis not only found success, but he also made invaluable friends along the way. 
 
One friend, Fabergé (yes, thee Fabergé) came to his rescue and ultimately changed his whole world. 
 
If this was a fairytale, Fabergé would be Louis’ Fairy Godfather.
 
Oh yes, Louis proved to be a very lucky, lucky man. 🙂
 
Now with all the positives, I must state why I gave The Christmas Lights a three. For me, I wanted to see more interactions between Louis and Emmy. I wanted to see their love blossom and grow, not just hit and miss moments through letters. If we had more showings of their love, besides the beginning and end, the score would’ve been easily a 4. Possibly a 4 1/2. 
 
Overall, I do think many people will enjoy this story while sipping on a mug of hot cocoa or apple cider. 
 
 
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5
(highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤1/2
 
 
 
 
 
When she was little, Rachael Kosinski wanted to be a paleontologist, an Egyptologist, an astronaut, a Broadway actress, a nature photographer for National Geographic, and the next Jane Goodall. Instead of being a new link between man and chimp, or discovering a planet suitable for sustained human life, or maybe even winning renowned fame by stumbling across an undiscovered dinosaur, Rachael finally decided that, if she never became a writer, she would simply die. Several years later, she now possesses a quirky knowledge of world mythology, an addiction to coffee, and a penchant for making over-expressive faces at her laptop.
 
 
 
 

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Richard’s Relics by Grace Augustine (Book Showcase)

Richard’s Relics
Acorn Hills Book 5
By Grace Augustine 
 
 
War and its remnants are cruel. Just ask Richard Dempsey, a Vietnam Vet.

Richard served his turn in Vietnam, but came home a changed man. Plagued with nightmares of the past, Richard and his friends go on a life changing trip back to modern day Saigon. Their hope…to slay the dragons that stole so much of their lives.
Each deals with his own demons. Each has life changing experiences. Each finds out the importance of friendship and family.

 
 
EXCERPT: 
 
“Johnny! Goddamn it! Get down!” Richard yelled from his belly, the brush barely hiding him and the other four men on this clusterfuck of a mission. Just as the sound of gunfire erupted, Johnny hit the ground, not even a twitch from his body as bullets whizzed by like a thousand angry, deadly bees. 
 
Richard kept his stomach French-kissing the ground as he crawled over to the young man who was in his charge. Blood covered Johnny’s chest and head. 
 
“Sonofabitch! Johnny, don’t you dare die on me! Do you hear me? Johnny!” 
 
Richard sprang to a sitting position and looked at the clock. The red digital numbers 3:00 am stared angrily back at him. 
 
 He ran a shaky hand through the small stubble of hair on his head. Like so many other mornings he woke up drenched in sweat from undying memories: memories of gunfire, yelling, children crying. Memories of clear unblinking eyes and permanent looks of fear frozen into faces as still as marble. The stench of death. Vietnam. 
 
 
 
 
 
Internationally known author, Grace Augustine, was born in Shelby, Montana and grew up in Cut Bank, Montana (dubbed as The Coldest Spot in the Nation). Her work career has taken her from title and abstracting to administrative assistant church work to co-owning a small town weekly newspaper to her current profession as a floral designer.
Grace thinks of herself as a “Jill” of most trades and is not afraid to learn new things. “If you can’t learn something new each day, there’s something wrong,” she says.
The ideas for her Acorn Hills series stem from her growing up years as well as the issues she has had to overcome along the way. “I’ve developed a new romance category…for the over 50 crowd…I’m calling it the salt and pepper genre. My books deal with real life issues, overcoming adversity, maintaining a positive outlook, and so much more. Just because we are 50 yrs old or older doesn’t mean that life stops. We all still want attention and affection and adventure! We want to experience all life has to offer. We use our age as wisdom to share with those around us. We are sexual,sensual, and sensible,” Grace explains.
Augustine was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in July of 2003. Her thoughts on that “It may slow me down, but if I can at all do it, I will. Sitting and feeling sorry for yourself isn’t the answer…living your life with an open, joy-filled heart is.”
 

Website | Facebook | Acorn Hills on Facebook | Twitter | Mailing List | Amazon Author Page

 

Acorn Hills Series: 
 
Book 1 Book2 Book 3
 
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Book 4  Book 5 Book 6

 
Grace is giving away one ebook from her backlist of the Acorn Hill Series to one lucky winner. Please use the RaffleCopter  link below to enter.  Follow the link —> a Rafflecopter giveaway

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