Book Talk

Christmas Secrets by Donna Hatch

Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. 
 
A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. 
 
She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). 
 
A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after. 

 

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A stolen Christmas kiss leaves them bewildered and breathless. 
 
A charming rogue-turned-vicar, Will wants to prove that he left his rakish days behind him, but an accidental kiss changes all his plans. His secret could bring them together…or divide them forever. 
 
Holly has two Christmas wishes this year; finally earn her mother’s approval by gaining the notice of a handsome earl, and learn the identity of the stranger who gave her a heart-shattering kiss…even if that stranger is the resident Christmas ghost.

 






 
Q&A With the Author:
What inspired this Christmas/Winter book? I had a scene in mind of a girl sitting in an indoor garden getting kissed by a stranger. It’s a wildly romantic concept that in real life would be a little creepy but somehow works in fiction:-) This scene evolved into the story that it is now.
Do you have other Holiday books? If so, what are they are for which Holidays? If not, what other books do you write? My other Christmas books are all novellas, A Winter’s Knight, Mistletoe Magic, and A Christmas Reunion. I also wrote one Halloweenish story and am working on another one for next Halloween. I have other ideas for other holidays but none are written yet.
What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it? All my biggest dreams are fulfilled; the only thing left is traveling to France, Italy, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing? I love to sing, dance–all types but especially ballroom, read–especially romance novels, hike, swim,  play board games and card games, and play at the beach or just sit and enjoy the waves.
Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life? Not really, but once I named a villain after a boss who I didn’t like. (mwahaha!)
Tell us one Christmas or Winter tradition that you love to do every year, and why it is so special to you. I love singing Christmas carols. Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit faster than singing carols. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, I always turn on traditional carols and sing to them while our family decorates the house and the tree.
 
 

 

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Love at Christmas by Heather Tullis

 

HEATHER TULLIS writes sweet, small-town romance and cozy mysteries. She has published three dozen books. When she’s not dreaming up new stories to write, she enjoys playing with her dogs and chickens, cake decorating, trying new jewelry designs, inventing new ways to eat chocolate, and hanging out with her husband.
 
Learn more about her at her website and sign up for her newsletter at http://heathersnotes.com/ “
 
 
 
 
 

 
Christmas is in the air.
Pulling Garrett Johansson over isn’t the most auspicious beginnging to a relationship for Officer Lisa Weight, but at least she didn’t have to give him a ticket. Not that she’s looking for a guy—even if her mom says she should be. 
 
Garrett is glad to visit his sister, Sheila, during the Christmas season, but he hadn’t counted on a major snow storm as soon as he landed in Kansas City. When his sister introduces the cop who pulled him over as a friend of hers, he puts their less-than-stellar beginnings in the past and gives her a chance. The more he gets to know her, the better he likes her. If only he didn’t live 1600 miles away in California. 
 
With everything trying to keep them apart, can they still have a Merry Christmas?”
Q&A With the Author:
1. What inspired this Christmas/Winter book? I wanted to write a little story about how Sheila’s brother met and married the police officer in Crystal Creek for a while now so when I started thinking about writing a Christmas novella, choosing them was a no-brainer. I loved being able to share more of the community spirit that I remember growing up in a small town.
2. Do you have other Holiday books? If so, what are they are for which Holidays? If not, what other books do you write?– I have several other books set in or around Christmas time, most notably One Winter Night and Reclaiming His Bride (though that one is less Christmas specific.) I also have other titles that feature a holiday event at some point in the story.
3. What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it? Getting my master’s degree. I actually applied a few weeks ago for grad school and now I’m stuck waiting to see if they’ll accept me. 
4. Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing? I like learning new things and trying out recipes. Lately I learned how to make pasta from scratch (which is why Lisa does it in Love at Christmas). 
5. Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life? Lots of them are. The lights in the park with Santa is a twist on an event in the town where I grew up. Lots of other little bits and pieces of my life show up in my books.
6. Tell us one Christmas or Winter tradition that you love to do every year, and why it is so special to you. I love baking holiday treats and giving them away to friends and neighbors. When I was growing up my mom baked for days and we would run them to tons of people. It made me feel connected to my neighbors when we exchanged treats. For me, Christmas is all about reaching out and serving others.

 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

Killer Resolutions by Elizabeth McKenna

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead Book Tours  in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Killer Resolutions by Elizabeth McKenna was an interesting and fast read for me.  I was able to get through this book about a day and I loved that. I was sucked right into this story from the very first chapter and I was left feeling sad once it was over because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters.  It made me sad that this was a short book because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters. I fell in love with Dani and Nate right from the start of the book. I was able to figure out what was going to happen pretty early on while I was reading but that didn’t bother me in the least.  If you are looking for a quick book to read this winter I would sure pick up a copy of this book and give it a shot.

About The Book

Book Title:  Killer Resolutions by Elizabeth McKenna
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +),  174 (excluding bonus materials, which should not be reviewed)
Genre:  Mystery – Suspense
Publisher:  Elizabeth McKenna
Release date:   October, 2019
Tour dates: Dec 2 to Dec 13, 2019
Content Rating: R: There is profanity, including 12 F-bombs. There are numerous murders, though nothing is described in over-the-top gore. There are sexual conversations between characters and kissing as well as an off-page love scene.

For fans of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None . . .

In a remote lodge in northern Wisconsin, friends gather for a festive, New Year’s Eve weekend. When a blizzard traps them with a murderer, who will be left to kiss at midnight?

Five years ago, a tragedy shattered the friendship between Dani, her older brother, and their college pals. When her brother invites the old gang for a weekend of outdoor winter fun at a remote lodge, she sees it as a chance to reconnect and heal. But when her friends are murdered one-by-one, Dani must determine whom she can trust before she becomes the next victim.

Contains profanity, violence, and mild sexual content.

About The Author

Elizabeth McKenna’s love of books reaches back to her childhood, where her tastes ranged from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Stephen King’s horror stories. She had never read a romance novel until one Christmas when her sister gave her the latest bestseller by Nora Roberts. She was hooked from page one (actually, she admits it was the first love scene). Her novels reflect her mercurial temperament and include historical romances, contemporary romances, cozy mysteries, and dark mysteries. With some being “clean” and some being “naughty,” she has a book for your every mood. Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin with her understanding husband, two beautiful daughters, and a sassy Labrador. When she isn’t writing, working, or being a mom, she’s sleeping.

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Goodwill for the Gentleman by Martha Keyes

 

Martha Keyes was born, raised, and educated in Utah–a home she loves dearly but also dearly loves to escape whenever she can by traveling the world. She received a BA in French Studies and a Master of Public Health, both from Brigham Young University.
Word crafting has always fascinated and motivated her, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that she considered writing her own stories. When she isn’t writing, she is honing her photography skills, looking for travel deals, and spending time with her family. She lives with her husband and twin boys in Vineyard, Utah.

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He jilted her sister. She will never forgive him for it. Can her anger survive a snowing in and a Christmas truce?
Emma Caldwell doesn’t hate anyone—except for Hugh Warrilow, the man who jilted her older sister and left like a coward to join the army. Men are clearly not to be trusted, and Emma is determined not to give her heart to one. No, a marriage of convenience is the very thing to suit her.
Hugh Warrilow has been secretly in love with Emma Caldwell for years, so when the time comes to live up to both families’ expectations and marry her sister, he can’t find it in himself to do it. Disgraced and misunderstood, he joins to fight Napoleon on the Continent, hoping he will forget Emma and be forgotten by everyone he has disappointed.
An injury brings Hugh home—just in time for Christmas and the snowstorm that leaves him trapped under the same roof as Emma. How will he explain that his unforgivable act was motivated by how desperately he loved her? Her icy reception doesn’t leave him the chance, nor does it offer much hope for the season’s expectation of peace on earth and goodwill to men. “.
Q&A With the Author:
What inspired this Christmas/Winter book?
I and the other authors in the series decided to set our stories in December 1813, which happened to be an incredibly cold and severe winter. I had also been brainstorming concepts, words, and feelings we associate with Christmas. The concept of “peace on earth, good will toward man” sat in my brain for a bit, and I toyed with it a bit before the title was born. Definitely the only time I’ve had a title before a story!
Do you have other Holiday books? If so, what are they are for which Holidays? If not, what other books do you write?
I don’t have any other holiday books yet, but I have a few other books in the Regency genre: 
Wyndcross
Isabel
Cecilia
Hazelhurst (preorder)
Eleanor
What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
I would love to live and write abroad with my family! We are doing a little test run soon, so that’s the first step. But I also have major FOMO (fear of missing out) with my family, so we will see if I can hack it.
Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?
I love photography—using light to capture meaningful moments that might otherwise be forgotten is very fulfilling for me. I enjoy cooking, though I am a one-dish-at-a-time kinda person (I am no juggler!). I love music and really enjoy singing. I get anxious when there is no chocolate in my home.
Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?
All of my stories are based off of aspects of my life—drawn from experience with emotions I’ve felt or that I’ve watched those near to me navigate. I often look through my (copious amounts of) photos from the UK as I’m picturing a setting or scene. A couple of my novels have been directly inspired by places I’ve visited in England.
Tell us one Christmas or Winter tradition that you love to do every year, and why it is so special to you.
My family goes out caroling on Christmas Eve, bags of caramels in hand, to some of the elderly or home-bound in our neighborhood. It’s so fun to be together as a family engaged in something we all love (music) and bringing some needed cheer to those who might otherwise spend the evening alone. One of the songs we sing is an arrangement my grandpa created, which makes it extra meaningful for all of us.

 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
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Special Delivery by Didi Lawson

 

 

Didi Lawson exchanged her town car for a pick-up truck and learned to operate a tractor when she and her husband moved from Arizona to a farm in  Missouri where she now weaves her tales. Her love for writing started early in  life when  she entertained her friends with her stories, won prizes for he essays in high school and wrote road shows and poems for the youth group in her church. She enjoys the outdoors, her children and ten grandchildren, and keeps an active social calendar.

Erin O’Neal loves Christmas, except not this year because she’ll be all alone for the holidays. To make matters worse, she receives a dog as an early Christmas present, but cannot keep it. The man who delivers the dog is the snob who has embarrassed her in public a few days ago.

 

 

When the snob, a handsome veterinarian, injures his ankle and needs someone to drive him home to Prescott for the holidays, Erin is available. Getting to know him better, she falls in love with him. There are only two obstacles: his girlfriend and her own dog phobia. 
 
 
 

 

Q&A With the Author:
1. What inspired me to write this Christmas book? I love Hallmark Christmas and thought to write a Christmas story for fun.
2. Do you have other holiday books? Not yet.
3. Largest unfulfilled dream: Traveling the world.
4. Things you enjoy? Nature, spending time with friends and family, love animals, explore new things
5. Are your characters based on anything in real life? Some are.
6. Christmas or winter traditions? Baking Christmas cookies, singing carols, decorating tree, enjoying family in front of the fireplace, reading and watching Christmas stories

 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

Two Sisters and the Christmas Groom by Zina Abbott

 

My name is Robyn Echols. Zina Abbott is the pen name I use for my American historical romance novels. I’m a member of Women Writing the West, Western Writers of America, and American Night Writers Association. I currently live with my husband in California’s central valley near the “Gateway to Yosemite.”

I love to read, quilt, work with digital images on my photo editing program, and work on my own family history.

I am a blogger. In addition to my own blog, I blog for several group blogs including the Sweet Americana Sweethearts blog, which I started and administer.

 

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Annie Flanagan happily moves to Jubilee Springs to work as a maid for Delly Nighy, the daughter of her former New York City employer. For one thing, very few know that her next younger sister, Kate, has signed up with the Colorado Bridal Agency and started writing to an Irish miner, Michael O’Hare, in the same town. Both Annie and her mother back in New York grow concerned when the second man the bridal agency puts Kate in contact with is a miner in Central City. He’s not Irish—and he’s not Catholic. What is worse, she seems to prefer him over Michael.

Kate Flanagan, working as a scullery maid to help support her family, desperately desires to escape the dead-end poverty allotted to Irish women living in the lower east side of Manhattan in New York. Anxious to find a husband out west, she signs up with the bridal agency suggested by her sister. After living with her alcoholic father, she is leery of choosing Irishman Michael O’Hare for a husband. As much as she wants to live near her sister, dare she take the chance Michael O’Hare will not turn out like her da?

Annie and Michael grow closer as they work together in order to persuade Kate to come to Jubilee Springs. She needs to come soon—before winter sets in and disrupts the railroad service that will bring her to the high mountain mining community. Kate agrees to travel to Jubilee Springs before Christmas, but several factors, including the train, threaten to derail this romance.

Michael knows what he promised. He knows what he wants. In the end, will he marry the bride who has captured his heart?
Q&A With the Author:
What inspired this Christmas/Winter book?
I wrote for a multi-author series two years ago, Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs, including a novel titled Dead Set Delphinia. A secondary character in it from New York named Annie wished to get the address for the mail order business she learned Delphinia used to give to her sister, Kate. Two years later, I felt I still needed to write Annie’s and Kate’s story regarding how each came to Jubilee Springs
Do you have other Holiday books? If so, what are they are for which Holidays? If not, what other books do you write?
I have one other Christmas holiday book, Too Old for Christmas, set in the 1856 California gold rush town of Columbia. My other holiday books, a trio of related novellas, once again from the Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs series, Aaron’s Annulment Bride, Cat’s Meow, and Bargain Bessie, revolve around Independence Day in 1881.
What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
I would like to have one of my books end up on the U.S.A. Today’s Bestseller’s List. I’m working on it—I’m writing.
Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?
Besides writing, I enjoy reading, quilting, and photo-editing. I make a lot of my own promotional banners/memes.
Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?
Some are; some aren’t. I do a lot of research to make my stories as realistic to the time period as possible. Although Jubilee Springs in my current novel is a fictional town, it is loosely based on the topography and history of a real town in the Arkansas River silver mining region in the Rocky Mountains. Some, like my recently-published Escape from Gold Mountain, is almost more fictionalized history rather than historical fiction. Even though some of my characters and story elements are fictional, I used real people and incidents of that time as the foundation of the story.
Tell us one Christmas or Winter tradition that you love to do every year, and why it is so special to you. 
My husband and I were married six days before Christmas. Almost every year, we go to the same foothills restaurant to celebrate.

 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
  Official Event page Part 2 

 

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret