Winter Blogfest: Desiree Holt

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a print copy of ILLEGAL USE OF HANDS (US and Canada only; digital other locations).

Why I Love Christmas

I think Christmas has to be my favorite holiday for so many reasons.

 Number One, of course, is that as a romance writer is gives birth to so m nay wonderful love stories. 

Of course, love is wonderful all year round, but it seems to take on a new life at Christmas. And it isn’t just the mistletoe either, that is responsible for so many unexpected kisses. No, it’s the entire ambience—the excitement of a holiday where the spirit of giving is so prevalent. It’s the time of year to pick out a gift for that special someone, to show them you love them—or still love them. 

I really enjoy writing Christmas romance scenes, where the hero and heroine are having a romantic dinner in front of the fireplace, with garlands of fir draped on the mantel and red Christmas candles lighting the room with their glow and giving off the scent of evergreen. And of course, the very special presents the couple exchange.

It’s also a time of so many traditions. Do you know where mnay of them came from?

Christmas cookies, for example. This began in ancient times with the winter solstice  but in the Middle Ages focused entirely on Christmas. Bakers  brought the ingredients to big celebrations and making the cookies became a community activity.

The sixteenth century is the first time evergreens, which previously had been adorned outside where they grew, were brought inside. It began when he word spread that Queen Victoria had her German husband, Prince Albert, set up a tree inside their palace. Lights began to adorn the trees, according to rumor, when Martin Luther was walking through a forest, saw the stars twinkling trough the branches of evergreens, and wanted to recreate it.  

And where in the heck did egg nog come from? Rumor has it that the English aristocracy created the creamy drink as an elite beverage, and added rum to keep it from spoiling. The word came from the eggs used to create the base of the drink and “noggin,” the cups it was served in.
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And finally, because I love romance, here’s why we kiss under mistletoe. Legend has it that the gods used mistletoe to resurrect Odin’s son, Baldur, from the dead. Baldur’s mother, Frigg, made the plant a symbol of love and vowed to kiss anyone who stood under it. 

All of these and more are why Christmas is such a special season, and also called the season of love. Be sure to hang your mistletoe and give out plenty of Christmas kisses.

Happy holidays, everyone. 

Or hot chocolate with rum and a candy can to stir it. Or egg nog, that once a year drink. And special Christmastime presents like snow globes. And I love listening to the carolers, seeing all the wonderful Christmas decorations through towns and cities.

Cody Alvarez needs to find a wife by New Years Day or he will lose the ranch his uncle willed to him.

Libby Morris just needs, for once in her life, to feel desired. Sensual. Appealing. Especially after an intense reshaping at a high-end spa.

When Madame Eve of 1Night Stand invites them to Christmas Week at the Castillo Lodge in Alaska, Cody and Libby are not given the names of the partners chosen for them. As they wait to learn the identities of their one-night stands, they discover an incredible spark of chemistry and a connection stronger than either has experienced before. Will spending a very erotic night together ruin their arrangements or offer another option?

About the Author: USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and contemporary on a variety of heat levels up to erotic, a genre in which she is the oldest living author. She has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.

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Winter Blogfest: Gail Kittleson

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win one digital copy of my novella, Kiss Me Once Again to a winner in the US only.

Christmas in World War II 

The winter of 1944 produced a cynical take on the words, Peace on earth, good will to men. In the throes of another great world war, perhaps soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge recalled their fathers mentioning hearing enemy troops singing Stille Nacht across No Man’s Land on December twenty-fourth. 

Now, they were stuck in the Hurtgen Forest, dug into freezing foxholes, and suffering from Trench foot, dysentery, and worse.  Dreams of Christmas with their families back home were just that…dreams. 

Back on the home front, loved ones anxiously awaited word…a letter, a radio broadcast mentioning their son’s unit or ship. But in homes all across the United States, what arrived instead was a telegram. Everyone dreaded them. 

So did Glenora Carson and her father. Glenora had tucked away all hopes of romance when her high school beau died at Pearl Harbor. Now, her little brother’s ship had been hit by a Pacific typhoon and tension laced the air as she and her father waited to hear if he was alive. 
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Having sacrificed her college scholarship to work in the family garage, and taken over her mother’s household duties when she passed years ago, Glenora’s life is full of work…but empty of dreams. 

Some relief arrives when Hank Anderson steps over the doorstep of the falling-apart garage…this recuperating wounded warrior has a way with her father as well as a mechanical bent. Too bad Glenora has sealed her heart off from love—she has no idea what other changes may result from getting to know this gentle, mountainous man. 

No one ever accused Glenora Carson of being a breathtaking beauty. Her tall, gangly figure and angular face are more solid midwestern stock than Hollywood glamour. But Joe liked her. He even told her, “You’re the one for me.” He gave her a locket with his picture inside, to remind her of him while he was away, serving his country on the U.S.S. Arizona.After December 7, 1941, Glenora shelves her dreams of attending college on the scholarship she was offered by Iowa State University, locks her heart away, and focuses on holding down the home front by helping out the family business – Carson’s Garage. The grease-stained overalls didn’t do much to compliment her female figure, but they cover her female heart well enough.That is, until Hank Anderson, a wounded warrior back from battle, walks into the garage and into Glenora’s life.Is an old maid’s future Glenora’s fate, or will Cupid throw a wrench in her plans?

About the Author: When Gail’s not steeped in World War II research, drafting scenes, or editing, she facilitates writing workshops and retreats in Iowa and Arizona, where winters find her enjoying the incredibly gorgeous Ponderosa forest under the Mogollon Rim. Favorites: grandchildren, exploring WWII sites with her husband, walking, reading, meeting new people, and hearing from readers who fall in love with her characters. Gail taught ESL and instructed college writing courses, and believes we’re here to grow and learn.

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Winter Blogfest: Rachael Richey

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook copy of my latest book, Practising for Christmas..

 My Christmas in Cornwall

I love Christmas, but what I don’t love is when the shops start selling Christmas themed goods even before Halloween.  It’s just like when they start advertising ‘Back to School’ items at the beginning of the summer holidays!  For me, the build up to Christmas starts at the beginning of December.  I reckon that’s quite long enough for the excitement to mount.

My favourite part of the Christmas season is definitely the days leading up to Christmas.  My son and I generally go to buy a tree the weekend after he breaks up from school (or this year, University!), usually around mid December, and spend the next day or so decorating the house, and beginning the Christmas cooking. 

But my absolutely favourite time of Christmas is Christmas Eve.  I like to get up early and really get stuck into the cooking, music on in the background, and preferably with some tinsel in my hair.  At some point in the day someone will usually realise there is something we’ve forgotten to buy, so my husband and son will be despatched off to fetch it, usually coming back with an extra load of chocolates.  We traditionally have a buffet supper on Christmas Eve, then late in the evening, put the presents around the tree ready for the morning.  

Then later still, when everyone else is in bed, the stockings filled and hung up, I like to creep back downstairs and sit with just the Christmas lights on.  And then on the way back up to bed I still take a look up in the sky – just in case!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

A remote coastal cottage; a group of old friends; the Christmas holidays. It’s just the break Olivia needs to help her relax and forget her worries. What could be more perfect? But that was before she found a handsome unconscious stranger on the beach. Add in a case of mistaken identity, a lot of kissing practice, and an inquisitive best friend, and things begin to get more than a little complicated.

The large bump on Adam’s head hurts, but he refuses to go to the hospital—or back home—and eventually accepts Olivia’s offer of hospitality. When her friends arrive the following morning, a chance remark catapults them both into a bizarre and amusing situation that promises to make it a Christmas to remember.

Exercise has also gained recognition as a helpful tool to alleviate muscle stiffness and pain. generic viagra without visa However, when an individual consumes the pill for a long period, http://appalachianmagazine.com/page/32/ commander viagra he may experience nausea, headache, drowsiness and flushing after dosage, which usually go away after some time. By the clinical study of the European doctors, Karlovy Vary healing mineral water reduces abdominal pain, diminishes heartburn, buy cialis india cramps, gas, bloating. Contact free cialis no prescription the closest crisis toxin control focus instantly on the off chance that you recognize any impacts. About the Author: I was brought up in Hampshire, then lived on the Isle of Mull for fourteen years, during which time I met and married my husband David, and had two children.

In late 2000 the family moved to Cornwall where we have lived ever since.

I began writing stories at the age of seven, and have been obsessed with writing ever since.

My debut novel, Storm Rising, is the first in the NightHawk Series, closely followed by Rhythm of Deceit, Cobwebs in the Dark and The Girl in the Painting.

I signed a publishing contract with the Wild Rose Press in 2014 for the whole series and all four books are now all available in both e-book and paperback format.

In May of 2017 my first standalone romantic comedy, Breaking All The Rules, was published by the Wild Rose Press. A second standalone romcom,Practising for Christmas, was released on 12th November this year, just in time for Christmas!

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Winter Blogfest: Linnhe McCarron

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win one free copy of Fool Me Once, Kindle ebook. .

Four-Legged Love

This has been a great year, with Fool Me Once, Book 1 in The Riverwood Series, released in August by The Wild Rose Press. Seeing it offered for sale on Amazon was a special and memorable day. Book 2, A Bitter Wind Blows, is a stand-alone sequel. It’s under contract and in the process of edits.

Riverwood is a planned equestrian community, co-developed by Horse Country Real Estate agents, Ronnie Chandler, Ricky Ahlers and Andee Barton. It’s underwritten by The Westlake Group, venture capitalists from Virginia. Yes, it’s a Romance so a relationship soon develops between Ronnie and Luc Deschaines. 

But the Riverwood series was never intended to be just a love story. It’s set in the fictional town of Emery Pond, in Tennessee, and the characters ride in the very real Big South Fork National Park, acclaimed as “the trail-riding capital of the southeast” (for good reason). Book 3, Signs of Life, and Book 4, Ride A Pale Horse, have been submitted to the publisher. These are horse books for readers who love to read about horses!

Reviewers have said “the author’s love of horses shines through in every chapter of every book” and “the author obviously knows her way around a barn.” The stories are filled with the miracles and minutiae of horse ownership because the main characters all have horses…and the horses all have personalities. (Horse people most often have other animals and readers will enjoy meeting the characters’ quirky cats and dogs as well).
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The company of my animals sustains me all year but never more so than at Christmas time when I especially appreciate the gift of their unconditional four-legged love.

Ronnie’s past is still a secret, held close and shared with only her colleagues at Horse Country Real Estate, Erica Ahlers and Andrea Barton. And with Mindy-Morrison-Myers, Ronnie’s nearest neighbor, best friend, riding buddy and confidante. No one else had yet learned who her ex-husband was. She had moved halfway across the country, had planned never to see him again, finding a job in a profession where he’d never in a million years think of looking for her.
Ready for a bigger challenge than selling small cabins, the three realtors attract The Westlake Group, venture capitalists from Virginia, to underwrite the creation of Riverwood, a planned equestrian community.
But now Senator Evan Parker is in Tennessee on a fact-finding trip. When his path unexpectedly crosses Ronnie’s, he demands a second chance, but Ronnie is fast falling in love with Luc Deschaines, one of her new investment partners.
Evan has Ronnie, all of them, over a proverbial barrel; infuriating as it might be, they grudgingly admire his cunning. Ronnie has no choice but to capitulate, but not at first and not easily.

About the Author: Linnhe McCarron is a native of New England. She served as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Air Force and presently lives in Tennessee. She has two gaited horses, Luc, a big black Tennessee Walker, and Jax, a McCurdy Plantation Horse. She rides often in Big South Fork National Park.

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Winter Blogfest: Abby Gordon

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of boxed set of Carnal Connections .

Reindeer Magic

When I turned twenty-nine, life was nothing what I had thought it would be. I was a single mother with three sons, living with my parents. I was working full-time, taking a heavier than recommended load of classes to finish my degree, and exhausted. But you can’t ignore the season when you have children though so I tried. 

Mom loves Christmas though and pulls everyone in whether you really want to or not. And she gives everyone lists.

One of the items on my list, with a specific date to do it was pick up the poinsettias and other floral needs. The older two were playing with friends and my youngest son, whose birthday is Christmas Day, needed Mommy time. He ooh’ed and aah’ed at all the street decorations. I could tell he was smiling and waving because of the reactions from pedestrians. A bright-eyed, smiling toddler is hard to resist, especially at Christmas time. Halfway there, I found myself smiling and waving as well.

The florist called out when we entered. Everything was ready and I diligently went through everything, comparing it to Mom’s list. The florist smiled at my son, asking if he was excited for Santa’s visit. My son nodded eagerly, saying we were going to be baking cookies that afternoon. The florist asked if he was putting out anything for the reindeer as Santa loved it when people remembered them.  My son shook his head. The florist chided me, hadn’t I told my son about the magic reindeer food? 

OH, the look my son gave me! The florist said he had some extra, would my son like some? Big brown eyes lit up, then he asked about his older brothers giving some also. The man said he just so happened to have three extra bags of magic reindeer food. He went to the back as two assistants took everything to the car. Returning with three sandwich size baggies of oatmeal mixed with glitter, the man told my son that everyone in the family should throw some out in the yard to make sure Santa was extra happy. My son held the bags close, promising that he’d make sure everyone did.

Christmas Eve night arrived. My brothers were home. There was snow on the ground. My sons were so excited that I didn’t think they’d ever go to sleep. The cookies and milk were put on a special table by the fireplace and my youngest insisted we all troop onto the screen porch and throw the magic reindeer food. My brothers rolled their eyes but tossed. My parents and I did ours then my sons did the rest. My youngest practically dumped the rest of his bag on the top step. Convinced Santa would come and be very happy they’d remembered his deer, all three sons went to bed and fell asleep quickly.

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But my youngest was wild to see if the reindeer had liked the magic food. Putting my mug down, I picked him up and went onto the screened porch. His squeals brought everyone else to join us. The oatmeal was gone, leaving only the glitter twinkling in the porch light. Hoof prints bigger than any deer I’d seen in the area were in the snow. What delighted my youngest the most – on the second step were two prints, larger than even my brothers’ hands, and the oatmeal my son had dumped was gone. 

Suspecting my father or brothers might have done something, I glanced at their faces but they were as stunned as the boys were. 

My sons still remember the magic reindeer food.

I remember how Reindeer Magic gave me hope in something more.

A one-night stand between the world’s hottest singer/actor and a London bartender becomes public fodder when he brags about it on a morning radio program. Fired from the Lincoln Hotel, hounded by the tabloids, Jessica Munroe holes up in her flat, haunted by memories. In his private Caribbean island studio, Sean Livingston pours out his heart into the lyrics. Finally discovering what’s been happening to Jessica, Sean focuses on one thing – making her his for more than one night and sets out to rescue her and introduce her to his life. But the secrets of the past won’t stay hidden and Jessica knows that hers could take Sean from her just as she falls in love with him. To keep the perfect woman at his side, Sean will have to pull out all the stops and everything in him to seduce her one last time.

Warning – this book has steamy sex scenes and is intended for adults 18+over. If you love strong women making it on their own and alpha males who will stop at nothing to claim and protect them, this story is for you!

About the Author: Abby loves writing about any and all romance – erotica, historical and contemporary. While variety is the spice of life, she prefers a quiet nook to scribe everything the characters tell her.

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Winter Blogfest: Stephen King

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer.

Christmas with the Kings

I grew up in a loving family home, one of five kids, where Christmas was a time you looked forward to for the entire year. It wasn’t just the presents, it was the vibe. The smell of the open fire, the stocking always found at the end of the bed crammed to overflowing with goodies, no matter how late I tried to stay awake to catch Santa out.  The mountain of scrunched up discarded wrapping paper, that had to be disposed off afterwards, was so high I couldn’t see over it. Dad always went to the pub, while Mum and my Nan prepared a late lunch fit for royalty, and as I became a teen, I was allowed to go to the pub as well – I felt very adult. The lunch was amazing, and was finished off with pudding that if you were lucky, held silver coins. And, at night the family played a card game called Kings, for pennies, and my Nan always used to win. They were very special times, that brought the family together, and petty squabbles with my brothers were in abeyance. 

Now I’m an adult, and my wife and I worked tirelessly, and with massive smiles on our faces, to recreate our childhood for our children. Now, they have all moved out with partners of their own, and I am delighted to say, my wife is still a bigger Christmas addict than ever; and I love it.

Out house is still festooned with outdoor lights that make the city dim when we turn them on. Inside her tree is breathtaking, adorned with baubles collected from around the world. The living areas more resemble Santa’s Grotto, than a suburban home, and I am pleased to report, my children have become a facsimile of their mother.

It’s that one time of the year, when regardless of your beliefs, it’s about family, giving, and love – after sixty years, the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in the King household.

Thirty-Three Days

Jenny is a lonely university lecturer whose consciousness has traveled back in time to her younger body to try to save the future of the world. A young microbiologist is going to release genetically modified wheat that will mutate and ultimately destroy all plant life, leaving nothing but barren windswept dust bowls.

In the past, Jenny finds a love that has been missing from her life; the kind that comes just once in a lifetime. But Jenny can only stay in that time period for thirty-three days. Meanwhile, in the future, fearful Jenny will fail; plans are made to send another back in time-an assassin. How can she choose between saving the man she loves and saving the future?

Another benefit of this technology viagra for women australia is that blend doesn’t go wasted as its absorbed quite quickly. The science of Ayurveda says that tumour forms in http://valsonindia.com/interview-in-dalastreet/?lang=it canadian cialis pharmacy the pituitary gland due to doshas like vata dosha and Kapha dosha. If you are buying medicines from traditional shops getting viagra without prescription then you are denying yourself the fruits of technology. You ought to be constructive, do-it-yourself assured, not cheap levitra pills http://valsonindia.com/category/press-release/?lang=eu to mention have faith in yourself. About the Author: I left Perth, Australia in 1975 to go East and find fame and fortune in the music business as a long-haired rock guitarist. I gave it all up for love and got married. Then, real life took over, children came along and I threatened to write a book for so many years my long-suffering wife eventually pushed me into it by buying me a laptop and said: “No more excuses, do it.” And so began this amazing journey.

Thrillers and crime genres have always fascinated me, and in particular, the dark world of serial killers and police procedurals. I love a good, un-put-down-able, thriller; the kind you just want to read one more chapter of at three in the morning, but you have to get up at six to go to work. Have I succeeded in creating stories that can take people to that place? I hope so.

My first book, Forever Night, was contracted and published by The Totally Entwined Group UK’s now defunct Evidence Press when they were taken over by Bonnier UK. Undeterred it was followed by a trilogy, comprising of Domin8, The Vigilante Taxi and Burial Ground, All were self published due to contractual problems with TEG, even though they gave me an editor to work with in the interim. Months passed in limbo. Repo, saw me return to two characters from Forever Night as new private investigators trying to save a man from jail for a murder he did not commit, which was also also self pubbed until the war with the big bad publisher was over and agreements were signed along with a confidentiality agreement – so I can’t talk about it.

The Wild Rose Press in NY (no more UK publishers for me) contracted Thirty-Three Days, for which I will always be grateful – they are awesome to work with. They have also contracted another Trilogy called Three Deadly Glimpses, the first is due for release on the first of October and is called, Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer. Book Two: Glimpse, The Beautiful Deaths will follow shortly after as it is going through the third round of editing now, and the finale: Glimpse, The Caring Killer will be available next year.

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Thirty-Three Days buy link: http://a.co/d/8agAD4r.

Winter Blogfest: Leslie Bowes

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an e-book of my book Heart Healer.

Christmas Is My Fav Time of the Year

Christmas is my fav time of the year. I remember when I was four years old had been very sick and could go out and do all things I love do for Christmas. But on Christmas ever I was feeling up to going to church. When we got there the father came up to talk to my mom. He then asked me if I would like to bring out the baby Jesus and put him in the manger during serves. When ever Christmas comes around, I still think about that night.

 

Catherine Andrews is an English woman living in the 1800’s. Her father sells her to Blake Von-Clyer to be his wife to pay off debts owed to Mr. Von-Clyer. Catherine soon finds out Blake is a cruel and horrible man.

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Christopher King is living in 2014 doing his best to raise his young son Ryan after his wife left him. One night, Christopher finds a woman in the river unconscious and barely breathing. She is also wearing old fashioned clothes. Christopher does everything in his power to help the young women. When Catherine regains consciousness, she finds herself in a strange and unbelievable situation. Terrified, she does her best to keep her guard up against Christopher. But as she gets to know him, she can’t help but fall for the man who saved her life. When Catherine’s dangerous past comes back to haunt her, it has Catherine and Christopher fighting for each other and their love.

About the Author: I was born and raised in southern Maryland. When I was thirteen I moved Summerville, South Caroline where I fell in love with the Lowcountry culture and history. South Caroline was my inspiration for my book Heart Healer. Recently I moved to central Va and now I am enjoying the beauty and history of this area. The rolling hills and pastoral views will surely inspire ideas for future stories.

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Winter Blogfest: Heidi Wessman Kneale

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win all three books of the Of The Dark series (God of the Dark, Bride of the Dark, House of the Dark) in ebook format (.epub or .mobi).

Your Summer Break: Christmas in Australia

Recently we had a very hot day here in Western Australia. My first thought was, “Gee, it feels like summer.” For my daughter, she excitedly announced, “It feels like Christmas!”

I had to think about that for a moment. See, I grew up in the Northern Hemisphere, where the holiday season meant snow and winter. But for my very dinki-di Aussie-born daughter, Christmas was the epitome of summer. Nothing says Christmas to her like sweltering days at the beach and hot summer nights where the solar Christmas lights make every house on the street sparkle. Christmas dinner consists of seafood quickly cooked on the barbie (barbeque) and cool salads.

Kids still get excited on Christmas Eve. Good luck getting them to bed, though. Being only a few days after the Capricorn Summer Solstice, the sun won’t set until well past littlies’ bedtimes.  The sun also rises at stupid o’clock in the morning. Good luck Mum and Dad getting a sleep-in as well. Nothing guarantees a sleepless kid like the promise of getting “pressies from the rellies at Chrissie” (presents, relatives, Christmas).

The day after Christmas is Boxing Day. While Christmas is for families, Boxing Day is for friends. The more sporting-minded head out for cricket matches. Those who are sick of the heat retreat to the comforts of the air-conditioned cinemas to catch all the Boxing Day releases. The rest of us head out to mates’ Boxing Day parties, and hope they have a swimming pool.

Although I’ve been here more than twenty years, I still can’t get used to a hot Christmas. One of these fine years I’ll take the multitudinous offspring to my folks’ place where they can experience a winter Christmas. I don’t know if they’ll enjoy it the same. After all, a cold, wet winter reminds them of dull, dreary July.

The End

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Adrastea, a simple country healer, is surprised to receive a marriage proposal from the Dark God Mor-Lath. As a devotee of a rival god, of course she turns him down. She was raised on chilling tales of this chthonic being who drags the souls of the unrepentant to Dom-al-gol. Adrastea loves her simple country life of brewing medicines and saving lives. Marriage to Mor-Lath would greatly complicate things. Besides, why would the Dark God propose to her?

Undaunted by her refusal, Mor-Lath insists on courting her. Sometimes he is charming, winning over the other villagers, but other times, she sees him for the dark god he truly is. He refuses to let anyone stand in his way. While he makes it clear he’ll only have her willingly, he’s making it very difficult for her to say no. She wonders, what is he really after?

Adrastea faces a quandary: if she accepts the Dark God’s marriage proposal, she’ll lose her very soul. But if she rejects it, the world itself and everything in it might be at stake. Either way, the price is too high.

About the Author: Heidi Wessman Kneale is an Australian author of moderate repute known for her Fantasy and Romance novels. When not providing escapist fiction to the masses, she can be found composing music and studying the universe.

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Buy the book at Amazon.

Top Ten Tuesday: Winter 2018 TBR

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

My TBR list has been exploding with exciting new titles to add to it recently. This winter is shaping up to be an excellent time for whittling that list down to something more manageable again. Today I wanted to share some of the titles I’m looking forward to reading the most between now and the end of winter as they’re released.

1. Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

Release Date: January 8

The characters in this book will be doing something I’ve been curious about for many years: purposefully living the same way people did back in the Paleolithic era, stone tools and all. That was more than enough of a lure to convince me to grab this as soon as it becomes available.

2. Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Release Date: January 15

It’s so interesting to think about the logistics of hiding something like the ability to shape-shift. I’d never want to use this ability at all because of how easy it would be for a passing neighbor to peek onto my property at the wrong time and realize that I wasn’t as ordinary as I seemed.

3. Talk to Me by John Kenney 

Release Date: January 15

Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. The main character of this tale made a series of minor  mistakes over many years that eventually caused serious and possibly permanent damage to his relationships with his wife and children. Then he made a huge error that cost him his job. The thought of someone starting over with nothing so late in life piques my interest.

4. No One Here Is Lonely by Sarah Everett

Release Date: January 22

Grief is one of those experiences that all humans eventually share but is also hard to describe to someone who hasn’t been through it yet. I’m intrigued by the thought of still being able to communicate with a virtual version of a loved one. It’s not clear to me whether that would make it easier or more difficult to say goodbye to them, but I’m curious to find out.

5. The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Release Date: January 29

I definitely don’t condone lying in general, but I am looking forward to getting to know the main character of this tale better. The blurb talked about why she felt the need to hide her true self from her family, and the reasons it gave were pretty understandable. I’d like to know more about her culture and find out whether she’ll ever be able to be honest with her parents.

6. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Release Date: February 5

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book to be released for a decade. Given how much audiences loved The Hate U Give, her first novel, I think this is going to be a great read and a smashing success for Ms. Thomas.

7. The Fever King by Victoria Lee

Release Date: March 1

The thought of magic being spread virally makes this something I’m quite curious to check out. I’d never heard of something like that before, but it sure would change the way people thought about magic and what it means to be able to do it. Will these characters think of magic as a disease or a blessing?

8. Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi

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Release Date: March 5

This is a modern-day retelling of Hansel & Gretel. As soon as I read that part of the blurb, I knew it was a must-read for me. There can never be too many retellings of classic fairy tales if you ask me.

9. Instructions for a Funeral: Stories by David Means

Release Date: March 5

Short story collections grab my attention easily in general. This specific anthology looks like it’s going to touch on some particularly poignant themes about mental illness, family, and grief.

10. The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum

Release Date: March 15

Not only is this about one of my favourite branches of science, astronomy, but it looks like it might be about someone’s first love as well. I always enjoy seeing how characters react to this sort of experience.

What are you looking forward to reading this winter?

Top Ten Tuesday: Winter Solstice Reads

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

The Winter Solstice is the holiday I observe at this time of the year. I believe there’s something to be said for acknowledging the changing of the seasons and celebrating when the days finally begin to grow a little longer again in December.

From a purely scientific point of view, there’s something fascinating to me about how much the weather shifts from one season to the next. Studying science is a hobby of mine, and I love absorbing as much information as I can about everything from astronomy to zoology.

I also enjoy learning about how various cultures explained and prepared for the changing of the seasons back before humans understood why the western hemisphere has so many more hours of daylight in the summer than we do in the winter. Some of the titles on this list will reflect that curiosity.

Since I’m still hunting down copies of some of these books, I won’t say anything specific about them today. I am really looking forward to reading all of them, though! This is one of those topics that can be approached from so many perspectives that I could read about it for ages and still find new takes on it.

1)  Grandmother Winter by Phillis Root

2) The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer

3) Yule: Rituals, Recipes, & Lore for the Winter by Susan Pesznecker

4) Fireside Stories: Tales for a Winter’s Eve by Caitlin Matthews

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5) Winter Waits by Lynn Plourde

6) The Solstice Evergreen: History, Folklore, and Origins of the Christmas Tree by Sheryl Ann Karas

7) Lights for Luucy: A Unitarian Universalist Celebration of Winter Holidays by Connie Dunn

8) Yule: History, Lore & Celebration by Anna Franklin

9) Handknit Holidays: Knitting Year-Round for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Winter Solstice by Melanie Falick

10) The Return of the Light: Twelves Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice by Carolyn McVickar Edwards