Friday, November 26, 2021

PROMISING LOVE by Author Sara Ohlin **BOOK BLAST** **GIVEAWAY**


Welcome to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Today we featuring author Sara Ohlin with her latest release, Promising Love. You can find all the stops on Sara’s tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a $30 gift card. The entry form is at the bottom of this post.

GENRE: Contemporary Romance


When a glamorous spa owner seduces the grumpy neighborhood bartender, passion smolders…

Ruby Naylor, confident, successful proprietor of Spa La La, has been crushing on Lachlan MacGregory for ages and finally throws herself at the grumpy bartender as he’s helping her tipsy butt home to her apartment above his pub.

Ruby is the only woman Lachlan has ever loved—from afar. When she makes a pass, he finally admits he’s wanted her for a long time. He leaves her that night with three promises—a kiss, a special connection between them and an epic tomorrow.

Unfortunately, when tomorrow arrives and Lachlan is smacked with the knowledge that she’s already in a relationship with two men, he feels he has nothing to offer her.

His day gets worse when his addict father is on his doorstep again, demanding money. The thought that he could end up sick and miserable like his father eats at Lachlan, making him focus on what has never let him down, his successful pub in the burgeoning Corvallis neighborhood.

Learning that Ruby is not taken, Lachlan finally goes all out to win her back. With his heartfelt apology, it’s easy for Ruby to forgive him—she believes in joy, in romance, in happy ever after. What she never expected was how vulnerable Lachlan could make her feel.

Can their love withstand life-shattering events to lead them into a beautiful future?

Get your copy of Promising Love at: Amazon ~ B&N (Nook) ~ Kobo ~ Google Play ~ Totally Bound


Ruby turned on the faucet, and a long black figure jumped from above her, streaked through the water and let out a large meow before it flew off the counter and slid down the hall. “Shit!” Ruby screamed.

“Ruby?” Lachlan yelled. He rushed into the kitchen and flipped on the light. “You okay?” Lachlan stood in the doorway, sweatpants on and nothing else, holding a skinny black cat. “Scared me.”

“I’m okay, just startled.” It took her a moment to catch her breath. He towered over her, a cat tail swishing over his broad, naked chest. “You have a cat?”

“Baby.” Lachlan scratched behind the cat’s ears. The creature arched under his touch and stared at Ruby. Skinny but healthy, the black cat had two white front paws and bright green eyes.

“You named your cat Baby? That’s what tripped us earlier, when we…when we…” Holy cow. Her cheeks flushed, thinking of how they’d gone at each other earlier, barely inside his house.

Lachlan’s face relaxed into a slow, tempting smile, as if he knew exactly what she was picturing. “Sugar Baby, actually.” He sounded a tiny bit annoyed at the animal but the expression on his face when he stroked his cat and the way the cat rubbed against his hand was pure love. Oh my God.

“Some days she has more salty than sweet in her, so she gets called Baby.” Lachlan smirked at the skinny cat. “She sneaks all over the place, demands food and plays in the water that comes out of the faucet. Goofball. I was too distracted earlier or you wouldn’t have tripped me,” he cooed to his pet. Insulted, or victorious—Ruby couldn’t tell—the cat streaked out of his arms, darted across the floor and disappeared.

She looked up and their eyes met. That zing, that connection buzzed.




Puget Sound based writer, Sara Ohlin is a mom, wannabe photographer, obsessive reader, ridiculous foodie, and the author of the contemporary romance novels, Handling the Rancher, Salvaging Love, Seducing the Dragonfly, Igniting Love, Flirting with Forever and Promising Love.

She has over sixteen years of creative non-fiction and memoir writing experience, and you can find her essays at Anderbo.com, Feminine Collective, Mothers Always Write, Her View from Home, Under the Gum Tree, and in anthologies such as Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak about Healthcare in America, Take Care: Tales, Tips, & Love from Women Caregivers, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Although she’s the author of many essays about life, grief, motherhood and the connections we make through delicious food and shared meals, Sara loves creating imaginary worlds with tight-knit communities in her romance novels. She credits her mother, Mary, Nora Roberts and Rosamunde Pilcher for her love of romance.

If she’s not reading or writing, you will most likely find her in the kitchen creating scrumptious meals with her two kids and amazing husband, or perhaps cooking up her next love story. She once met a person who both “didn’t read books” and wasn’t “that into food” and it nearly broke her heart.



Sara Ohlin will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


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Thank you so much for visiting today. Please come back again soon for more authors, books, and giveaways.

Nancy

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

THE RUMBALL RUMBA by Author Bonnie Edwards **BOOK BIRTHDAY**

 

Welcome to Notes From a Romantic's Heart. Today I'm pleased to feature the next book in the Dickens Holiday Romance Series, The Rumball Rumba, from good friend and author Bonnie Edwards.


At Christmas, a secret baby arrives in Dickens…

Pregnant and divorced, successful artist Trix Warden returns to Dickens to raise her child surrounded by family. To do that, she needs to renovate a horse barn into a gallery/market for other artists.

At 36, her baby is an unexpected miracle that is hers alone. Determined to get everything done before Delivery Day, she hires widowed single father, Jon Carpenter to do her renovations.

As they move through the work, they spend time together enjoying the holiday season. Trix helps Jon through tricky times as a parent of teens, and he offers support throughout her pregnancy.

Their friendly business relationship blossoms into mutual attraction, and on Christmas Eve, when the baby comes early, Trix trusts Jon with her secret and her heart. But the secret Trix reveals creates a deep divide between them as Jon struggles to accept the decision Trix has made.

Trix is afraid her secret Christmas baby, and her choices, may tear their newfound love to shreds.

Bonus! Included is a recipe for No Bake, No Rum, Rum Balls.

Get your copy of The Rumball Rumba from Your Favorite Retailer

July 3 – Dickens

“I’m getting a divorce.” Those words had seemed like a dreadful announcement to give her family last Christmas, but she’d weathered the storm. The combined Moore and James families had rallied quickly and supported her through the whole messy business. Dale, her husband of too many years, had left her for his much younger receptionist.

It still pinched that she was the first divorcee in her family. Trix Warden, loser at marriage. Last Christmas she couldn’t imagine anything worse.

Until now, today.

Because today she got to say the words, “I’m pregnant. I’m a pregnant divorcee.” She winced because that wasn’t the worst of it.

She smoothed her flowy white blouse and denim shorts as she walked the hall in Gram’s house.

Everyone had gathered for the Fourth of July weekend. From the kitchen she saw them on the patio, sitting on chairs in a semi-circle, cold drinks in hand. Her cousins Kayley and Brenna sat beside Brenna’s husband, Jett. He wore his usual expression; besotted. Not only did he love her cousin he was wealthy and generous. Kind, too. They’d only been married a few months having met right here in Dickens last Christmas.

She’d overshadowed their budding romance with her horrid divorce announcement, but that couldn’t be helped.

She sucked in her belly and plastered on a smile. Her Egyptian cotton top was long and roomy. It was perfect for July heat. This morning, without warning, she’d been unable to zip up her best pair of shorts, so she’d dug through her ‘big’ clothes and cut off her pre-divorce jeans above the knee. She needed to give her blossoming tummy more room.

Trix drew in a breath and slid open the screen slider. “Hi everyone. I finally made it. Getting out of Brooklyn was a bear.”


Bonnie Edwards has been writing all her life, starting with a poem about Santa suffering with gout. She was seven, Santa was a thousandteen years old. Delighted with writing, she went on to write family sagas, humorous contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotic paranormal ghost romances and more.

She may jump around within romance, but all her stories come with a tear, a laugh, and a happy ending. Published by Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) Bonnie’s stories stretch from short stories to novellas and novels. Now, she's happy to be publishing her work herself.

With over 35 titles to her credit, she has been translated into several languages and sold books worldwide. Aside from standalone romances, she has 4 ongoing romance series, Tales of Perdition, The Brantons, and Love at Christmas. Contemporary family sagas find a home in Return to Welcome. She's hard at work on a two series. Learn about more exciting releases and get a free romance by subscribing to her newsletter, Bonnie’s Newsy Bits


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As always, it's been my pleasure to host Bonnie and this next book in the Dickens series. Please come back again soon for more authors, books, and even a few giveaways.

Nancy




Monday, November 15, 2021

HOLLY BERRIES & HOCKEY PUCKS by Author Lucinda Race **A DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMANCE**

Welcome back to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Today it gives me great pleasure to welcome back for a second time this week, friend and fellow author, Lucinda Race. We’re about to get a sneak peek at her brand new release, Holly Berries & Hockey Pucks, part of Dickens Holiday Romance Series!

Hockey, holidays, and a slap shot to the heart

Jillian Morgan is a single mom and flower shop owner. She once had a promising career as a women’s hockey player. But life gave her a slap shot to the heart; she left the ice and now has a precocious six-year-old daughter who loves hockey as much as she did. Jillian’s focus is her daughter and the busy upcoming holiday season in the small town of Dickens. Then a newcomer stops in for flowers. He might be good-looking—no, great looking—but Jillian doesn’t need a complication of the male variety.

Brett Parsons hasn’t held a hockey stick in ten years, not since an injury ended his dreams of being an NHL star. He’s moved to Dickens to help his newly widowed mother. With a recently broken engagement, he doesn’t have any interest in dating. But he might make an exception for the pretty blue-eyed florist.

Brett’s delighted when he takes a job coaching the local youth hockey group and finds Jillian’s daughter on his team. Jillian’s not the average hockey mom, and Brett’s looking forward to discovering her secrets. Despite the attraction, Jillian’s wary. It’s easier to stay single than to have her heart broken again. But both of them know life rarely turns out as planned. In a town that cherishes Christmas, hockey pucks and holly berries might just lead to kisses under the mistletoe.

Get Holly Berry & Hockey Pucks at Your Favorite Retailer


The minute Brett scanned the room, his eyes found the beautiful florist. Standing next to her was a cute curly-headed girl. He wouldn’t have guessed he would have found her in a hockey rink. Maybe there wasn’t much else to do for the winter months, or maybe the little girl’s mom was a hockey fan. He gave her a smile, which she returned.

Coach Richards gave a welcoming speech and with a chuckle, said, “If anyone is looking for the basketball courts, they’re on the opposite side of the parking lot.”

A ripple of laughter slid from one side of the room to the other.

“We’re going to divide into several groups by age. Seven- and eight-year-olds, line up under the purple banner. Next group, ages nine through twelve, under the red banner, and anyone who is six and under, gather near the blue Mites banner. Coach Parsons will meet you there.”

Brett walked over to Jillian and the little girl.

“Hello. It’s nice to see you again.”

She placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “This is my daughter, Melanie.”

He knelt down to look her in the eyes. “Nice to meet you. I’m Coach Parsons. Are you signing up to play?”

“Uh-huh. I got all my gear too.” She tipped her head. “Can girls play on your team?”

“Sure can.” He looked at Jillian, who smiled at him, and then back at Melanie. “Can you skate?”

“Yup. Momma says I’m like the wind.”

“That will help on the ice.” He had to chuckle to himself. Jillian was already looking to be a good hockey mom. She was prepared and warmly dressed for sitting on the sidelines.

Coach Richards stood in front of the group. “Hello, parents and players. I’d like to introduce Coach Parsons. He’s new in town, so be nice to him. I’m asking him to kick things off for us today.”

Brett addressed the group. “Hello, everyone. For those of you who’ve not been here before, always check the board when you come in to see which locker room you’re assigned to. Everyone needs to be in full gear, including mouth and neck guards, or I can’t let you on the ice. Today we’ll see how everyone skates, but we won’t be using our sticks. So get your gear on and I’ll see you on the ice.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Melanie grab her bag strap and grin at her mom. He already was impressed with the girl; she was independent, but would that translate to a good team player long term? With a shriek of his whistle, the group moved to the door. Jillian held Melanie back to let some kids go ahead of her. Was she nervous to have her daughter on the ice?

They stopped near him and Brett said, “Are you ready to have some fun?”

She flashed him a grateful smile and tipped her head toward Melanie. “Someone’s a little nervous.”

“Understandable. I’m guessing this is your first year.”

Melanie shook her head. “No, I play with Momma at the pond.”

“Well, hopefully I can teach you something too.” H He directed them to the far side of the locker room, where he helped Melanie set her bag on the bench. He couldn’t help but notice Jillian glance at the ice as they walked to the locker room. Her face almost looked wistful. He took a quick look around and wondered where this bright-eyed little girl’s dad was sitting.

He noticed Melanie’s gear bag. It looked brand new, which Brett knew was an expensive outlay. If the rest of her equipment was new, he’d have to suggest to Jillian to network with other parents for used equipment. Kids grew so fast that it made sense to pass things along to the up-and-comers and next time, she wouldn’t have such a huge cash outlay.

A while later, he was surprised to see Melanie easily gliding over the ice and Jillian clapping her hands, encouraging her to turn and pick up speed. There was more to this hockey mom than he knew and he was going to enjoy discovering her secrets.



I’m a small-town girl who has always loved books, well I should say anything sandwiched between two covers. As a kid, I would read anything I could get my hands on, including my brothers Hardy Boys mystery books and my mother’s Good Housekeeping magazine.

My husband and I live in a small town in western Massachusetts with our two little fur babies, Jasper and Griffin. When I’m not working my day job I steal every free moment I can for writing romance. It smooths out the rough edges of the world when I can escape into my characters’ lives and write their happily ever after.

I've published 11, and counting, books with a strong focus on women's fiction and romance. But I’ve written non-fiction for a non-profit and corporate America. I can assure you, romance is so much more fun and rewarding!

I am excited for the next chapter with my writing. I hope you enjoy reading the novels as much as I enjoy writing them. If you become a fan, please consider following me on social media.


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Take my word for it, there's nothing better than spending two straight days with a good friend and talented writer. If you missed yesterday's post for Lucinda's new release, Vintage (part of her Crescent Lakes Winery Series), just scroll on down the page and take a peek.

See you soon! Hopefully.
Nancy




Sunday, November 14, 2021

VINTAGE by Author Lucinda Race **CRESCENT LAKE WINERY SERIES**


Welcome to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Today it gives me great pleasure to welcome friend and fellow author, Lucinda Race, to the blog. We’re about to get a sneak peek at her brand new release, Vintage, the latest addition to her fantastic Crescent Lakes Winery Series!


He’s an unexpected distraction, she gets his engine running …

On the worst day of her life, Stephanie encounters Leo and his two nephews in her father’s restoration shop. It wasn’t bad enough she had just become an orphan, but the kids knocked over a display and broke a very special model car, one she had built with her dad. Grief and that memory, however, don’t obscure her immediate attraction to Leo. Still, she has only returned to the small town of Black River for six months, intending to put the business on a steady path and resume her life on the West Coast.

Leo Price loves classic cars. He loves classic cars so much, he skipped working in the family’s wine business in order to open a classic car restoration company. But more important to him than business is family, primarily his widowed twin sister and her two energetic sons. Life is great and then he meets the beautiful Stephanie James. As a bonus, she knows how to keep an engine running.

When Steph realizes someone is stealing from her business, it could threaten her plans to keep her father’s legacy alive. And then there’s Leo. Dating him gives her ideas about what life might be like if she stayed—or is it possible he’d leave his roots in the valley and follow her west?

Get Vintage at Your Favorite Retailer


Leo looked out at a parking area that said Employees Only. There was an impeccably restored, deep-blue Ford Bronco. He guessed it was a ’75. Had to be the owner’s, but where was he? It was like a morgue around here. He leaned over the desk and saw a pad of paper and a pen. He’d just leave a note asking Eddie to give him a call; surely, he’d remember him.

The boys were passing the comic books back and forth. He wrote a brief message and had added his phone number and returned the pad to the desk when he heard a loud crash down the hall.

"Boys, stay right here!”

He jogged down the hall. Now it sounded as if someone were trashing an office. Shit, maybe he should have called 9-1-1. Too late now. He eased around the door and stopped dead in his tracks.

A woman dressed in a severely tailored black pantsuit and cream-colored blouse was standing surrounded by what resembled the aftermath of a small tornado. She looked at Leo. Her dirty-blond hair had been pulled off her face in a sleek ponytail and a trail of mascara ran down her cheeks. But it was her eyes—deep-gray eyes filled with grief and fear stared back at him. Despite that, she was beautiful, polished, and out of his league. A soft floral scent teased his senses and something tugged at his heart—his desire to wrap his arms around her and hold her while she cried.

She picked up a thick book and held it as a weapon. In a shaky voice, she demanded, “Who are you?”

“Leo Price. I was looking for the owner.” He took a step closer. “Who are you?”

Her gaze swept the room, and then she sank into a chair, shoulders slumped. “The owner.”

Now he was confused. “I’m looking for Eddie James.”

She gave a half nod. “My father.”


I’m a small-town girl who has always loved books, well I should say anything sandwiched between two covers. As a kid, I would read anything I could get my hands on, including my brothers Hardy Boys mystery books and my mother’s Good Housekeeping magazine.

My husband and I live in a small town in western Massachusetts with our two little fur babies, Jasper and Griffin. When I’m not working my day job I steal every free moment I can for writing romance. It smooths out the rough edges of the world when I can escape into my characters’ lives and write their happily ever after.

I've published 11, and counting, books with a strong focus on women's fiction and romance. But I’ve written non-fiction for a non-profit and corporate America. I can assure you, romance is so much more fun and rewarding!

I am excited for the next chapter with my writing. I hope you enjoy reading the novels as much as I enjoy writing them. If you become a fan, please consider following me on social media.



You can find all the books in the Crescent Lakes Winery Series HERE

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It's been my pleasure hosting Lucinda today. AND, even better, she'll be back again tomorrow with another new release from the Dickens Holiday Romance Series!

Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read.
Nancy



Friday, November 12, 2021

MERRY LITTLE WISHING SPRITZ by Author Cherie Colyer *Book Blast* "Review*


Welcome to
Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Today we’re visiting with author Cherie Colyer and featuring her new book, Merry Little Wishing Spritz, a paranormal holiday romance from The Wild Rose Press’ new Christmas Cookies series. You can find all the stops on Cherie’s tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Also, don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway. The entry form is at the bottom of this post.

GENRE: Paranormal Romance (Holiday)


Modern-day witch Cassie Moore’s cozy life turns upside down when her friend foresees the wrecking ball that threatens to destroy Cassie’s home and workplace. But Cassie isn’t giving up without a fight. She casts a well-intended spell meant to save her apartment and her job. But magic is unpredictable, especially when her friend casts a little charm of her own that has Cassie lusting after the man she desperately wants to despise.

Jack Quinn has had his eyes on Lakeside Books for years, and he couldn’t be happier the owner is finally ready to sell. He has big plans for the cozy waterfront property, but he didn’t expect to care about the store or its employees. And he never imagined he’d be drawn to a certain brown-eyed saleswoman.

Almost as if by magic.

Get Merry Little Wishing Spritz at Your Favorite Retailer


Jack tucked the midnight blue candle under his arm and picked up one of the beaded bracelets.

“The magnetite stones help to ground the wearer,” I said.

“Do you believe in that sort of thing?”

I nodded. A person didn’t have to be a witch to believe gems, stones, and herbs had mystical properties. He rolled the black beads between his fingers. “Magnetite also attracts love, loyalty, and commitment, if I remember correctly.”

“You’re right,” I said, amazed he knew the property of the stone.

He held onto the bracelet and wandered to the suspense sections.

I followed. “If you buy Lakeside Books—”
His gaze met mine, one eyebrow hiked. “ ‘If’?”
My fingers trailed over the nicked shelves as I walked. “Now that word is out the store is for sale, you might not be the only one interested in purchasing it.”

The corners of his mouth curved into a smug smirk, implying he wasn’t worried. Would he up his offer if I countered? Jack reached for a book.

Frustrated at the whole store situation, I flick my finger, sending several paperbacks flying off the shelf with the one Jack grabbed. Books pelted his chest.

I jumped back, acting shocked by the books jumping off the shelf. I couldn’t exactly tell him I did it. “We must have packed them in too tightly.”


I pressed my lips together to hide my smile and helped pick up the fallen books.

“This is quite popular.” I held one out. “Lots of twists and surprise attacks.”

Jack glanced sideways. “Is that right?”

5 Stars

Merry Little Wishing Spritz is a wonderfully entertaining take on the holidays. I loved the comic magical elements in this enemies-to-lovers story.

The author took an often-overused trope and turned it on its ear! Even though the story is short/novella length, the story is well developed. The heroine and her bestie were totally likeable in every way. Our erstwhile hero went from all business, to someone who came to understand the magic of the holidays. And, of course, fell for the heroine. Was it magic? Or, the real thing?

Highly recommended. What a fun way to get into the holiday spirit!


Professional network technician by day, novelist by night, Cherie lives a quiet life in the Chicago suburbs with her charming husband. She has four amazing sons who she loves dearly. Cherie magically weaves together stories with a paranormal twist. She’s the author of the Embrace series (Embrace, Hold Tight, and Entwined), Challenging Destiny, Damned When I Didn’t, and Friends to the End. She waltzes into the adult novel world with this enchanting holiday romance, Merry Little Wishing Spritz.



Cherie Colyer will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for stopping by. Please come back again next week for more authors, books, and giveaways.

Nancy

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

FIXING CHRISTMAS by Author Peggy Jaeger **Book Birthday**

Welcome to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Today we’re welcoming good friend and fellow author, Peggy Jaeger, back to the blog with her brand-spanking-new release, Fixing Christmas, part of the Dickens Holiday Romance series. We asked Peggy to answer a few of our nosiest questions, and here’s what she had to say:

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

I wanted to write about adoption because my sister-in-law and brother-in-law adopted 2 children several years ago and had such a wonderful experience, I wanted to give a shout out to others who do the same. Adopting a child isn’t easy – for any number of reasons. The people who decide to bring a child into their homes to love and raise them are truly heroes in my mind.

If you could trade lives with any other writer, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Nora Roberts, hands down. I want to walk in her shoes and in her head for just one day to experience what it’s like to be a multi-published, uber-talented, successful and rich author!

What is the most daring/uncomfortable thing you've ever done in the name of research?

For the second book in my WILL COOK FOR LOVE series, A SHOT AT LOVE, the heroine, Gemma Laine, was proficient with firearms and I wanted to show that in the story so I took handgun lessons for 3 months. How to fire a gun, gun safety, the different types and calibers of guns. A lot of learning that I was able to weave into the story.


Christmas has never filled writer Abra Charles with undiluted pleasure. If you’d been left on a doorstep on Christmas Eve morning, you might have a few issues with the holiday as well.

Abra’s avoided her hometown of Dickens for the past twenty Christmas seasons, but now she’s returned in an attempt to get her writing mojo back. Twice-divorced and with her third engagement ending in heartbreak, anger, and blackmail, Abra is now six months behind on submitting her current book. She hopes renting Copperfield House and immersing herself in solitude will cure her writer’s block and get her life back on track. The house she rents isn’t helping her achieve her goal, though, as one thing after another breaks, collapses, or floods.

Colton Bree, Dickens’ very own Mr. FixIt can’t help but wonder if the new resident of Copperfield House is cursed. After being called to repair a broken window, he’s then needed to fix an exploding coffeepot, an overrunning toilet, and a washing machine that has a mind of its own. Bree doesn’t mind all the unexpected repair jobs, though, because the sexy renter is something to look at and dream about, despite being a little neurotic and whole lot of snarky.

Can Abra get her book done with all the distractions and craziness of her life, the biggest distraction being the flannelled hunk with the bedroom eyes and scowling yet oh-so-kissable mouth? Or will Dickens’ Mr FixIt have to step in and save the day and in so doing, fix Christmas for Abra forever?

Get Fixing Christmas at all your Favorite Retailers


Here she was, alone at God only knew what hour, out in the most secluded part of town. The notion she should have paid more attention to those self-defense classes she’d sat in on as research for her last book blew through her head.

Think, Abra, think.

A butcher block of knives rested on the kitchen counter.

Armed is always better than unarmed.

She pulled one out, held it against her thigh.

Opening the basement door as if she was trying to disarm a live bomb, she slid through it and took a step downward. When the stair didn’t give her away by groaning, she stepped down another, then another until she could crouch down a bit and see into the basement proper.

A man, large and tall—exceptionally so—swept glass from a windowpane with the head of a hammer. The window looked too small for him to have crawled through, so how had he gotten into the house?

Abra took another step down and, in the next second, lost her balance as her foot miscalculated the depth of the step. She flailed out but wasn’t quick enough to grab onto the handrail before she tumbled straight down to the concrete basement floor, her butt bumping on each riser until she landed, once again, flat on her ass at the bottom. Still sore from last night’s tumble on the ice, she couldn’t prevent the ear-piercing scream of pain she let out.

“What the hell?” The man turned, surprise covering his face. He moved toward her.

“Don’t come any closer,” Abra shouted. She shot her free hand up in a halt stance. “I’m armed.” She pointed the knife at him, which by some miracle hadn’t dropped from her hand when she’d fallen.

The man stopped in his tracks, glanced down at it, then fisted his hands on his hips, his brows tugging together across his forehead. “What are you gonna do? Butter me to death?”

Abra took a good look at the knife for the first time. It wasn’t the steel edged stiletto she thought she’d chosen, but had a flat, wide head, perfect for spreading jam and not skewering an intruder. She had to give him praise-points because most men in her experience didn’t know the differences among everyday cutlery. Ask them about a hunting or pocketknife, and you’d get a different response entirely.



Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer.

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.

As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go "What??!"


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As always, it’s been an absolute pleasure hosting Peggy and the new book! Please come back again later this week for more authors, more books, and maybe even a giveaway or two.

Nancy

Thursday, November 4, 2021

RED VELVET CRINKLES AND CHRISTMAS SPRINKLES by Author Maria Imbalzano **BOOK BLAST**


Welcome to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Today we are featuring author Maria Imbalzano and her new holiday romance, Red Velvet Crinkles and Christmas Sprinkles. You can find all the stops on Maria’s tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Also, don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway. The entry form is at the bottom of this post.

GENRE: Contemporary Romance


Competitive, work-obsessed Bella Simonetti has just been fired from her high-paying job at a Manhattan law firm. At an all-time low, she returns home and helps her parents at their small-town gift shop, but the business is failing and may not make it past the Christmas holidays.

Successful landscape architect Dean Jackson is like a son to Bella's parents. But he's a persistent annoyance to her—he seems to have forgotten his unforgivable blunder thirteen years earlier.

When Bella transforms her parents' gift shop into a cookie cottage, Dean's generosity and magnetic smile are hard to resist, and those feelings of unrequited adolescent love come rushing back. But can Bella let go of the past and accept Dean for the man he is today?

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There came that half-teasing, half-serious smile. To avoid it, she started pulling Christmas balls hung on red-and-green silk ribbons from the large box she’d brought out.

“I can help you hang those in the window. I hid the hooks above the molding last year so we don’t have to remove them every year.”

“Clever.” Her sarcastic tone couldn’t be mistaken.

“We’ll need a ladder,” he determined. “I’ll get it from the back, then you can hand me the balls, and I’ll attach them.”

She slitted her eyes at him. “I want to hang the balls. You can do something else.”

“Fine. But it takes two for this job. You don’t want to be going up and down the ladder each time you hang a ball. It’s inefficient.”

He had a point. She’d have to bury her reluctance to work with him at the risk of coming up with some other childish excuse.

Once Dean brought the ladder to the window, she climbed up three steps and took the first ball from him. Not a well-thought-out plan since her butt was now at his eye level.

“Can you stand over here, please?” She pointed to the other side of the ladder.

“It’s better if I stand behind you, to spot you. In case you lose your balance.” His grin emerged, and she gritted her teeth to prevent a growl.


Maria is a retired matrimonial lawyer who now writes full time. Instead of drafting motions, legal memoranda, and briefs, although fascinating, she now spends her days creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys through her contemporary romance novels.

Her novel, “Unchained Memories,” won the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Award and the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award. “Sworn to Forget,” the first of the four-book Sworn Sisters Series was a finalist for the illustrious RONE award as well as the Book Buyers Best Award. Her novellas, “The Blueberry Swirl Waltz” and “A Song For Another Day” each came in first in their category in the National Excellence in Story Telling contest.


Maria Imbalzano will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


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Nancy