Happily Ever After Thursday - Week 4

We are so excited for our first annual 

Have Yourself a Very Swoony Christmas event,

hosted by KJ's Book Nook, Bookworm Nation, and Katie's Clean Book Collection.

Many book characters seem to become a part of our lives.

Sometimes we really want to get to know them better

and enjoy their romance for just a little bit longer.

Each Thursday, we will be spotlighting 

one of our swoony Christmas couples.

This week, we'll be getting to know

Lane and Logan

from Christene Houston's book Hot Cocoa Wars.

What do you like to do on a romantic date? 

For Lane, it’s anything one on one. She’s not big on crowds when it comes to dating, but she loves a reason to snuggle up or play with her sweetheart. A game night with a few friends would be fun, but her dream date would be grabbing a hot cocoa at the shop and then strolling to the local bookstore. She and Logan would choose books for each other, then read a few lines together. They’d stop into the kid’s section and read a picture book together. 

Logan would issue a challenge to recreate cover poses. Hilarity would ensue. The pictures would be epic! 

What do you like most about each other? 

Of course Lane loves how handsome Logan is, but she’s most drawn to his good heart. People say nice guys finish last, but this time, Logan’s kindness and humor totally do it for Lane. 

For Logan, her bright optimism is a beacon for him. After his rough history, he’s looking for someone who is happy in her life. When he meets Lane, she isn’t demanding anything from him, she’s busy doing amazing things. Secretly, he really loves the way she blushes when she’s embarrassed and how she’s willing to try anything if it means helping someone in the process. 

What is your favorite way to spend time together? 

This couple are pretty low key. You won’t be surprised that most of their fun is coupled with helping people. Serving the homeless in soup kitchens, playing bingo at an assisted living center, shopping for families in need, etc. When they’re ready to unwind, their favorite place to be is snuggling up to a good movie, with a side of kissing. 

What are three things on your bucket list? 

Lane wants to travel to Europe (anywhere not involving extensive shots!), she wants to write a best selling romance novel, and find a way to use her writing talents to help the world in some way. 

Logan: 
➢ Graduate from dental school. 
➢ Marry Lane and make her happy every single day. 
➢ Run a marathon. 

What is “your song”? 

Perfect by Ed Shearan 

What is the craziest date you’ve been on? 

Lane doesn’t date a ton. Her craziest date was hitting the drive thru with her high school prom date. Yes. It was more lame than crazy. 

What is your favorite holiday tradition? 

For Lane, it’s decorating her home every year. She loves setting up the tree and placing each ornament with care. 

For Logan, it would be caroling. The guy has a smooth voice and he loves to sing. He’ll be using that sweet skill on Lane quite a bit! 

How would you describe each other to someone else in three words? 

Logan describing Lane: Bright, smokin’, mine. 

Lane describing Logan: Funny, swoony, noble 

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Whispering Wednesday - Week 4

We are so excited for our first annual 

Have Yourself a Very Swoony Christmas event,

hosted by KJ's Book Nook, Bookworm Nation, and Katie's Clean Book Collection.

We're so excited about Whispering Wednesday!

Each Wednesday, we will be having a different author

answering some of our burning questions.

For the last Wednesday of this event,

we have with us Author Christene Houston!

1. What gives you inspiration for your characters and story lines? 

I am constantly inspired by the world around me, people I know, people I don’t, random stories in the news, personal conversations … I just feel like everything is a great story waiting to happen. 

2. Which are your top five favorite kissing scenes from your books? 

1. Hmm…I really love the first kiss that Jenna and Cooper share in A Heart So Broken. It is so anticipated and when they finally connect, it’s amazing! 

2. Greyson and Molly have the best kisses. Their first kiss in the forest is awesome, but no 

3. will be their follow up kiss in the kitchen. He just can’t get enough of her! 

4. When Journey and Cody kiss in the meadow for the first time, that is a great one. She has just decided she’s going to go for it and it is super steamy! 

5. This last one is short and sweet but oh so memorable: Lane and Logan’s quick kiss under the mistletoe in Hot Cocoa Wars. Logan is his hilarious self, helping Lane forget the awkwardness of the moment and boy does he make an impression. 

3. What has been your favorite book to write? 

I love the book I’m in. I love being there with the characters. I love laughing at their jokes and cringing with their embarrassment. Each of characters have been so fun to get to know. Their struggles are real and tender and I totally feel them as I discover who they are. I do have a major fondness in my heart for When Fireflies Sing. I absolutely loved writing Ruby. Her antics still make me smile whenever I think of her, and I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for a good country song. 

4. Which of your heroes and heroines would you most like to meet in person? 

Okay, all those guys are dreamy! But since I have my own hunky husband I think I’d enjoy meeting Lane. We’re both writers. We would have a lot in common and hopefully have a wonderful conversation over a nice hot cup of cocoa.

5. What three words would you use to describe your books? 

Fun, bold and swoony.

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12 Days of Clean Romance – Day 9 – December 13th – Heather B. Moore

 

 

The Falling Series

Contemporary Romance Novellas from USA Today bestselling author Heather B. Moore

 

Falling for Sydney 

 Sydney has been the perfect friend, the perfect daughter, and Rian checks off on her perfect fiancé list. But when Sydney notices a strange truck parked in her fiancé’s parking spot, she’s in for the surprise of her life. Not only is Rian not who she thought he was, but his brother Jake is about to turn her life upside down.  

   

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  Falling for Maria 

At twenty-six, Maria is holding out for the perfect man to share the rest of her life with. Josh seems to be that man, but after months of dating, their relationship is at a stand-still. Maria plans to nudge Josh forward, but when the company she works for is bought out, her new boss Walker seems determined to change Maria’s idea of the perfect man.

   

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Falling for June 

Once a year, June Dawson goes on vacation with her best friends from high school. When she arrives in Maui, she realizes she's the odd-woman out. With Sydney engaged, and Maria nearly so, June wonders if anyone will ever fall for her. Then June meets Lance, their gorgeous next door bungalow neighbor at the Maui resort, and she's definitely charmed. But after her recent breakup, June refuses to fall for gorgeous, or charming, again.

     

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Author Heather B. Moore 

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah. Heather is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret.

 

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Also by Heather B. Moore

 

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Giveaway Details

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 12/27/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Tradition Tuesday - Week 4

We are so excited for our first annual

Have Yourself a Very Swoony Christmas event,

hosted by KJ's Book Nook, Bookworm Nation, and Katie's Clean Book Collection.

Traditions are what really make the holidays memorable!

Each Tuesday we will be posting about some of our

favorite Christmas traditions.

Katie will be posting about one of her family's

favorite traditions for Week 4.

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This is a newer tradition for many families

and maybe somewhat controversial,

but my grandma started something with her kids over 65 years ago

and it's stuck with us.

We do an "old-fashioned" version of the Elf on the Shelf.

Each night, the elf hides in a new spot to watch for naughty and nice behavior

in the children who live in the house.

It's always fun to go looking for the elf each morning.

He doesn't do wild and crazy things, he just quietly watches.

It's also fun to leave a little Christmas note with the elf.
The elf that comes to our home on the day after Thanksgiving

is named Sparky and he goes back to the North Pole with Santa

on Christmas Eve night. It's such a fun tradition for all of us!

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12 Days of Clean Romance – Day 8 – December 12th – Sheralyn Pratt

 

 

Pimpernel: Royal Ball by Sheralyn Pratt 

  Sequel to the award-winning novel, Pimpernel One man, one night, one dance, and one question…none of which Claire Ramsey sees coming. She thinks the night is a test—a call to rise above her insecurities and step more fully into her skills. It’s been a year since she learned about the Pimpernel and fell in love with the man of so many masks. Jack’s world is full of high stakes and big players, and Claire wants in. To her frustration, Jack is dragging his feet on letting her all the way into both his heart and his work. The risk is too high, he says. But Claire is ready to prove him wrong. She’s ready to go all-in. What Claire doesn’t know is that Jack is no lone wolf, and the world he is shielding her from is much bigger than she has ever imagined. But one man, one night, one dance, and one question will change all of that in a way Claire never saw coming.   

Praise for Royal Ball:

“Roll action, intrigue, puzzles, pretty costumes (it is a Ball after all), and a touch of romance together to create Pimpernel: Royal Ball.”

   

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Claire was not alone.

There was a man in the room—a dark-haired man with unreal green eyes and a suit that looked ready for a fashion shoot. The intruder was fit and tall, with a trimmed beard that looked like it had been shaped with laser precision.

Do. Not. Scream. (Again.) Do not freak. Coherency is your only bargaining chip, and only one of you works here.

For the first time that day, Claire wasn’t arguing with her instincts.

“How did you get in here?” she accused.

“Someone left the door open.”

Oh. Yeah. That would be her. She opened the floor. And left it open.

Whoops.

But that still didn’t explain what this man was doing in Margot’s office wearing the most refined suit she’d ever seen. Part of Claire felt reassured that if this man was an assassin, it would be a tidy affair. He wouldn’t want to get blood on his clothes.

“Who are you?” she asked, trying to get a sense for exactly how much trouble she was in.

“I’m the boss’s son.”

That made no sense. “Margot is the boss.”

He seemed to weigh her answer. “Depends on how you look at it. If you’re talking about the business, yes. That’s Margot’s. But if we’re talking about what brought you here tonight, then Jack works for my father. His line has served ours faithfully for many years. We like Jack.”

Wait. What? Claire knew Ren’s family had served Margot’s for generations, but she’d always thought that more as a bodyguard thing. Jack wasn’t a bodyguard. He was a problem-solver for the elite. When people growing into their power started doing things that threatened the safety of civilians, Jack was brought in to—

Something clicked in Claire’s brain.

It wasn’t like her to be the last one to catch on to something, but everything Claire had seen in the past year fit very nicely into this man’s claim. When a job came in, Jack and Margot did it. They didn’t argue over its merit or vet the client. They solved the problem.

Because someone asked—allegedly, this guy’s father.

So either this man was an assassin sent to kill her, or the boss’s son had just caught her red-handed. Whatever the case, running away and pretending this never happened didn’t seem to be an option.
Stand your ground, instinct whispered.

“You need to make a choice before you speak again, Claire,” the green-eyed man said. “You must decide if you’ve just been caught where you ought not to be, or if you’re exactly where you want to be.”

Um, both felt like traps the way he said them.

 

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Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt 

 For centuries, the elite of the world have sought the Pimpernel everywhere. Some want to kill him, others want to hire him, but Jack Cavanaugh knows that the love/hate relationship comes with the job title. At present, Jack is trying to dismantle an investment scheme centered in Las Vegas, but "trying" is the operative word. It's been a month since he put the face of the scheme behind bars, yet the scam is still going strong. As Jack tries to uncover who has stepped in as the new head, what miniscule evidence there is all seems to point him back to Claire Ramsey, an introverted PhD student studying at UNLV. If ever there as an unlikely head of an investment scheme, Claire's it. She has a genius IQ, but from all Jack has seen, Claire’s intelligence is as much a blessing as a curse when paired up with her acute OCD. Claire can barely make conversation with the cute guy down the hall, which makes it hard to believe she could be the charismatic salesperson who is getting international businessmen to invest $5—50 million a pop. So what is Jack missing? What is the real story behind Claire Ramsey? And once Jack learns it, will he be able to walk away?

 

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Praise for Pimpernel "My go-to book that has it all--action-adventure, mystery. and intrigue, all wrapped up in a sweet (but not overdone) romance." "Leverage. Mission Impossible. Pimpernel... If you like those first two, you’re going to love Pimpernel!...Secret identities, twists and turns, cons within cons, with just a bit of romance." "Intrigue, romance, and that vague something that sticks with you."

 

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Author Sheralyn Pratt 

Sheralyn was born at an early age, with 10 fingers and 10 toes. She is proud to report that she currently retains all 20 digits. Described by one reviewer as "the bomb dot com" (url already claimed... bummer), Sheralyn has been a karate instructor, musical theater performer, a beach bum, freelance writer, nomadic traveler, and, yes, a private investigator. At the moment she enjoys working with and training her dog to give the poor thing breaks from sitting and Sheralyn's feet with the unbearable task of watching someone write a book. Really, and you thought your job was bad! Sheralyn currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, although as people who know her can attest to, that is subject to change at any time ;)

 

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Also by Sheralyn Pratt

 

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Giveaway Details

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 12/26/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway