I am very excited to share with you four fantastic holiday novels to heat up the cold days that are sure to start moving in as Christmas looms closer and closer (less than 100 days!). Christmas is my favorite time of year and some of my favorite romance authors have written some holiday romances that I can't wait to share with you!
Ring in the Holidays
By Molly Cannon
Summary: Psychologist Ellie Simpson is about to get a healthy dose of sex therapy. Leaving her cheating boyfriend behind, she has everything she needs for a quick rebound: Vegas, plenty of champagne, and a proposition from the sexiest man she's ever seen. As her handsome stranger helps her ring in the New Year-over and over again-Ellie finds herself blissfully losing all of her inhibitions.
Attorney Matthew McPherson is good at making women lose things, like their minds and underwear. With his athletic build and soulful eyes, he doesn't need to use his powers of persuasion or famous last name to get a woman into bed. But when morning comes, Matthew finds Ellie is the only woman he can't bear to leave-ever. It's enough to make him wonder if what happens in Vegas really has to stay there.
She
dropped her gaze and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, but—”
The
elevator came to a jerky stop, and she glanced over and forgot what she was
about to say.
While
the bright lights highlighted her flat hair and mascara- smudged eyes, they
made him appear even more of a god. A god in vivid color. His skin was a
smooth, even brown that no tanning product could duplicate. His lips a subtle,
tempting rose that held a trace of moisture as if his tongue had just swept
over them. His hair expertly cut waves of black velvet that begged for a
woman’s caress. All set off by a pair of piercing green eyes. A green so
vibrant and intense it reminded her of the eighteenth hole at her father’s golf
course after a light spring shower. Those eyes stared straight through her as
his finger slid away from the bright red stop button on the wall of the
elevator.
“Did
you just stop—?”
The
rest of what she was going to say ended up muffled beneath firm lips as she was
guided back against the wall and lifted to her toes. Unlike Riley’s gentle hunt
and pecks, this man went straight to the good stuff. And the good stuff was the
best she’d ever had.
She
tried to remember what she was going to tell him, but his mouth wiped away all
thoughts from her mind like a damp paper towel on a dry- erase board. He
devoured her hungrily, leaving no room for breath or refusal. Not that she
wanted to refuse him. At least, not yet. Once he ended the kiss, she would put
a stop to things. But for now, she was quite happy doing exactly what she was
doing.
She liked how his lips molded to hers and how his long fingers flexed at her
waist with each sexy flick of his tongue. But she especially liked the way his
body held her in place, the hard press of his chest, stomach, and thighs
papering her against the wall.
A Christmas to Remember Anthology
By Jill Shalvis, Kristen Ashley, Hope Ramsay, Molly Cannon, and Marilyn Pappano
Summary: Jill Shalvis, Dream a Little Dream: Melissa has kept every man at a safe distance-especially firefighter Ian, a sexy friend with sexy benefits. But Ian secretly longs for more. Luckily, 'tis the season for giving love a chance . . .
Kristen Ashley, Every Year: Holidays don't come easy for Shy and his brother, Landon. But with the magic of Christmas, along with a little help from Tabby and her family, the Cage brothers are about to get the gift of a lifetime . . .
Hope Ramsay, Silent Night: Down on her luck and evicted from her apartment, single mother Maryanne hopes to start over in Last Chance. When the snow begins to fall, it looks like her baby might literally spend Christmas Eve in a manger. And Maryanne might celebrate the holiday with a handsome stranger.
Molly Cannon, Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas: Lincoln is a bachelor who's set in his ways-until a professional organizer dressed up as Mrs. Claus changes his life, one tip at a time. . .
Marilyn Pappano, A Family for Christmas: War widow Ilena doesn't mind spending Christmas alone. But when a new doctor blows into town with the winter wind, will she get her secret Christmas wish?
“Which one of these ornaments is yours?” she asked.
He took a funny- looking Santa Claus from the tree.
“I made this in my third grade art class.”
Santa was made out of paper plates and construction paper.
His hat was folded and bent, his beard was shaped from the rippled edge of the
plate, and his button nose was falling off. Linc studied it critically,
thinking it was pretty good for third grade. “I do my best work in construction
paper and glue.”
“It deserves a place of honor, for sure,” she said
solemnly. She reached out to take it from him and her fingers brushed his. He
stopped short. It was impossible to ignore the electrical charge that zipped
between them. If she’d been any other woman he wouldn’t have hesitated. He
would have pulled her into his arms, crushing the silly ornament between their
bodies, and kissing her right then and there.
She smiled invitingly and her lips parted a bit,
enough so he could feel her soft breath on his cheek. Her eyes softened to a
leaf green, and he felt his caution crumble and transform into a maddening
urgency. He let the ornament fall to the ground.
Then he was kissing her. She tasted like peppermint tea
and smelled like cinnamon and pine needles. Her body melded against his, her
breasts pressing against his chest. He wrapped both arms around her like he was
claiming something rare and long lost. His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling
it from that infernal ponytail. Her mouth opened under his and while their
tongues dueled, her hands roamed across his back. It wasn’t enough. Without another
thought, he picked her up and headed down
the hall.
From
Molly Cannon’s A MESSY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
It Happened At Christmas
By Debbie Mason
Summary: Free-spirited activist Skylar Davis is out of money and out of options. After using up her trust fund trying to save the world, she hides out in Christmas, hoping the kindness of friends will help her forget the reckless actions of her past. All goes well . . . until she comes face-to-face with one of her mistakes: the town's gorgeous young mayor.
Ethan O'Connor likes his life drama-free and predictable now that he's about to make the move from small-town politics to the Colorado State Senate. Then Skye blows back into town, as impulsive and passionate as he remembers. If word ever got out about their night together-the night he's never been able to forget-the scandal could cripple his career. Yet as he starts his campaign, Ethan finds that, like the town of Christmas itself, he can't get Skye out of his head . . . or his heart.
He shoved his hands in his pants pockets and asked her the question
that had been bugging him since he’d discovered who she was. “How come you
never told me your dad was William Davis or that your real name is Kendall?”
She gave him a bewildered look. “Why would I?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Skye. Maybe because we spent the night
together.”
“I…,” she began, then frowned. “You’re serious.” She shrugged. “We
slept together, Ethan. It’s not like we had a relationship.”
She was right, of course. But that didn’t stop the slow burn
building in his gut. Because the thing was, she had rocked his world that
night. He moved closer, leaning into her. “Yeah, well, when I’m deep inside a
woman and shouting her name, I’d like to know it’s the right one.”
“Quid pro quo, Ethan. It would’ve been nice to know before we made
love that you thought I was some flighty, spoiled rich girl who needed to grow
up, and that the causes I supported were nothing more than a joke to you. For
that matter, everything I believe in, everything I feel strongly about, you—”
It was kind of hard to take her seriously when she was standing in
front of him wearing wings, her cupcake crown sliding onto her forehead. He
reached out to straighten it while fighting back a grin. “That’s not what I
said. You didn’t give me a chance to explain before—”
Her eyes widened, and she pushed his hand away, shoving the crown
back on her head. “You’re doing it again. You think I’m a—”
At the sound of someone approaching, Ethan looked up to see his
mother marching toward him with Claudia in tow. “Uh, Skye,” he went to
interrupt her, but she was off on a tangent and didn’t stop to take a breath.
“You know what? I don’t care. What happened between us was a
mistake, and one I have no intention of repeating. I will never sleep with you
again, Ethan O’Connor.”
Because Skye’s voice got increasingly louder the more agitated she
became, his mother heard her and shot him an accusatory stare. Claudia shot him
a disbelieving one. And Skye, who’d just then realized she had an audience,
looked like she wanted to turn him into a toad.
“Mom, you remember Skye, Madison’s best friend?” He gave Liz a
warning look, one he hoped she wouldn’t ignore.
“Ms. Davis.” His mother directed a tight nod at Skye and looped her
arm through his. “Darling, they’re waiting for you to start the
hamburger-eating contest.”
“Hi, Mrs. O’Connor,” Skye said politely. “I have to get going too.
Cake Fairy duties, you know. Have fun eating all those cows…I mean burgers.”
She started to walk away, then turned and took the bottle of water from his
hand. “We can’t have the senator-to-be looking less than his best, now can we?”
Before he realized what she was up to, Skye unscrewed the cap and doused his
shoes with water.
Ethan raised his eyes from his now-clean but soaked shoes. With a
withering smile, Skye handed him the empty bottle. “When you get tired of
killing poor, defenseless animals to adorn your feet, let me know. Target has a
great deal on pleather ones.”
Her mouth hanging open, his mother stared after Skye. “I can’t
believe she just did that. What is wrong with that girl?” She pinched his arm.
“And what is wrong with you? I can’t believe you slept—”
Ethan was only half-listening. He was too busy watching a group of
kids swarm Skye. They wrapped their arms around her legs and waist, tugging on
her hands. She laughed, playfully spinning in a circle as they hung off her.
“Ethan O’Connor, get that smile off your face and stop looking at
that girl,” his mother snapped. “You’re like a dog in heat.”
“Nice, Mom, real nice,” he said, as they headed in the direction of
the sign-up booth. Both women clung to his arms as if they didn’t trust him not
to go chasing after Skye with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging.
A distinct possibility.
Because from the first time he's laid eyes on Skylar Davis, he'd wanted her with an intensity that nearly knocked him on his ass. And once he got her in his bed, he didn't want to let her go.
Mistletoe on Main Street
By Olivia Miles
Summary: Briar Creek's quaint shop windows, cozy homes nestled in snow, and neighborly residents are what Christmas dreams are made of--for everyone except Grace Madison. She left her hometown years ago to pursue a writing career. But when her father's death leaves his bookstore empty, Grace must return to face why she fled Vermont in the first place: Luke Hastings, who still heats her up like a shot of smoky whiskey on a cold winter's night.
Grace is back, and Luke is worried. How much has she changed as a bestselling author in the big city? What memories will she stir up? And was the choice he made five years ago the biggest mistake of his life?
Now, with their past, present, and future rocking around the Christmas tree, it's time for Grace and Luke to face the music . . . and the mistletoe.
When he glanced over at her, she was staring into the fireplace,
the dancing flames painting a warm glow on her porcelain complexion. Her eyes
looked flat and far away.
“Everything okay?” Doubt ate at him, leaving him with the twisting
feeling of dread. Had she changed her mind about staying in town?
“I was just thinking of how things played out between us, the
effects they had on everything else. I—I wish I had handled it differently. I
wish that I had been able to come back here.”
He swallowed the knot in his throat, refusing to feel any more
guilt. She was a big girl, she had made her choice. Besides, she had been the
one to leave him first. She had set all this in motion.
“If there is one thing I’ve learned in the past few days, it’s that
regret is the worst type of emotion.” He met her eyes. “You can’t change the
past, Grace, and you have to tell yourself that everything that happened led us
to this moment.”
“This moment?” she repeated.
He held her gaze, managing a nod.
“You’re right, I know.” She gave a sad smile. “I miss my father
sometimes. I wish I could have seen him more often than his visits to New York.
I wish…I’d never left.”
Luke leaned over and tucked a strand of her hair back from her
face, his fingertips tracing the smooth silk of her neck. Arousal burned deep
inside him, and his pulse quickened. He reached over and took her wineglass
from her hands, setting it on the coffee table. She stared into his eyes,
expectation parting her mouth. He met her lips with his, their contact so light
it was almost imperceptible, save the shiver that zipped down his spine at the
sensation.
He grazed her mouth, slowly bringing her full lips to his. His hand
came around her slim waist, his fingers warming at the softness of her sweater,
itching to slide the material away and experience the even softer skin beneath.
She sighed into him and he parted her lips with his tongue, slowly
lacing his tongue with hers and then pulling away to gaze into her eyes. The
green of her irises shone in the firelight, the flames reflecting in the flecks
of gold around her pupils. She lowered her eyes, smiling shyly, and her long,
black lashes dusted the apples of her cheeks. He leaned in again as arousal
burned deep and pressed her into his chest. He could feel every curve of her body
as her ripe, firm breasts rose and fell with heavy breaths. He lowered his
hand, caressing her waist, her hips, and then higher, to trace the contours of
her breast and the swanlike arch of her neck. He kissed her lips, her neck, her
ear, breathing deep into her skin, memorizing every taste of her skin, every
touch.
The buzzing from the timer on the oven stirred his attention from
her, and he groaned. He pulled away, throwing her a bashful grin. “We’re being
chaperoned,” he said.
One winner will receive a set of all of the books above! To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter below! Ends 10/6 ***US/CAN Only
