HI there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
No, you're not seeing things. It's another two post sorta day! What can I say...it's heading towards the end of the year, the holiday season is upon us, and the great reads keep coming. It'd be downright Scrooge (prior the ghostly visits) to NOT share them with you...and I'm no Scrooge. ^-^ So, let's see what we have for round two...
Today's second post is no runner up. It features a holiday novella that will melt any ice around your wintry heart and stoke the fire...in the fireplace. *ahem* Ladies and ...no, mostly the ladies....join me as we explore a SOON-TO-PUB ebook that needs to be on your wish list!
by
Shannon Stacey
9781488022616
Carina Press
About the book...
After a messy breakup, Leigh Holloway is ready to start her life over. Until her parents put the family home on the market and call her back for one final, memory-making Christmas. The last thing she wants to do is deprive her mom of the perfect holiday, so she'll lie her way through the visit and worry about her future in the New Year. Too bad the only bar in town is owned by a guy she seriously wronged in high school.
Leigh's best friend broke Croy Dawson's heart, and Croy knows it was Leigh's fault. They've never liked each other, but Croy isn't cruel: he'd never turn away a pretty woman in need of some family-Christmas fortification. He doesn't expect her to drink just enough candy-cane martinis to tell him her secrets—and he definitely doesn't expect to get caught up in her holiday madness.
Despite the surprising love and laughter, Croy and Leigh can't escape the truth: he can't walk away from his family obligations and she has a life and career to reboot. But anything is possible if your holiday comes with a twist...
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Going into this read, I was thinking....new-to-me author, short little story, holiday theme...meh, why not! Now standing on the other end of the virtual cover, I'm OH SO glad I opted in for the read! Oh and by no means did the cover play into my decision whatsoever.... *ahem* _wink_
Leigh and Croy...a match made in heaven or a disaster waiting to happen? I vote for the former. Though they knew each other well enough growing up (she was the friend of his girlfriend, supposedly the cause of their epic break-up....blah blah blah), it's not the past that either of them should be visiting, but the moments at hand...and boy do they hold promise! Sparks are flying between these two from the moment Leigh spills her little broken heart out (thanks to an alcohol influence) at Croy's family bar, through the holiday shopping trip to the mall (yes...he WILLINGLY took her to the mall AND had a good time!), and right on into the Holloway family Christmas celebration. OH, wait....scratch that. The last part there...isn't gonna happen, at least not until AFTER the holidays because little Miss Leigh has some secrets to spill first and Croy is simply another one. But what if he doesn't WANT to be another one? What if he wants more?
Shoe on the other foot much? Yeah....but with good reason. I totally understood Leigh's thought pattern but at the same time, she's trying to hide one of the best things to happen to her in a long time and possibly ruining it in the process. Not cool! I was rooting for them from the start and by book's end...well, let's just say that the finale fits the story like a well picked Christmas gift, or perfectly placed sprig of mistletoe. The author managed to endear the characters and their stories to us in such a short amount of pages, I can only imagine how well her talent plays out in a full length arena.
All in all, I gotta say that I LOVED this little dose of yuletide delight! The characters were charming, the chemistry OH SO real without overpowering the overall story line. While it was my first venture into this author's body of works, it certainly won't be the last. Recommended for adult Contemporary Romance readers, due to some fa-la-la-fun under the mistletoe.
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About the author...
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her favorite activities are writing romance and really random tweets when she’s not riding her ATV. She loves mud, books, football & watching way too much TV.
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Special thanks to Sophia at Harlequin for the ebook for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the myriad of holiday (and otherwise) selections available from the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is set to release November 21, 2016 (as of this post) via Carina Press, so be on the lookout for it at a virtual retailer of your choosing!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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