Spotlight: Christmas Charms by Teri Wilson

Published by: Hallmark Publishing
Publication date: October 6th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

She never dreamed her holiday would include
her hometown, a dog, or a firefighter.
But a mysterious charm bracelet 
predicted it all…

Ashley’s supposed to be having the Christmas of her dreams. After four years of working at an upscale jewelry store in Manhattan, she’s finally going to get a little velvet box of her own—from her boyfriend Jeremy, who’s taking her on a romantic trip to Paris. What could go wrong? 

Well, everything. 

Ashley heads home to Owl Lake instead, falling asleep on the train ride there…and waking up with a beautiful antique charm bracelet on her wrist. Soon, she realizes that each silver charm predicts an event that happens in real life. What does this mean for her and Jeremy…or her and Aidan, her former high school boyfriend, who’s now a local firefighter? Is there still a chance that she could have the perfect Christmas?

This small town Christmas romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Spiced Walnut Crust Cookies with Chocolate Ganache and Sea Salt.

Excerpt

Attention, passengers. This is your conductor speaking. We’re nearing the Owl Lake Station, our final stop. All train passengers must disembark. Thank you for traveling by rail, and have a happy holiday season. 

I jolt awake, disoriented as the train comes to a stop. The overhead lights have been turned up brighter, and I seem to be the only person left in my car. My heart sinks as I realize that the seat Betty occupied is now empty. 

I’ve missed the chance to tell her goodbye. 

I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and something in my lap shifts. When I look down, I spot a familiar red bundle—it’s the stocking Betty had been knitting while I shared my story. There’s a small lump near its toe, and when I gather the stocking in my hands, it makes a jingling sound. 

No. My heart hammers in my chest. It can’t be. 

I reach inside, and as soon as my fingertips brush against cool silver, I know it’s true. Betty has left me her vintage charm bracelet. 

My astonished gaze travels over it, moving from charm to charm, and I run the pad of my thumb over the bracelet’s interlocking links. The charms swivel in place, almost as if they’re winking at me. I can hardly believe it. This bracelet can’t possibly be mine. There’s no way I can accept it. It’s far too precious for Betty to give it away to a perfect stranger. 

I glance up and down the aisle, but she’s nowhere to be seen. She must have gotten off at an earlier stop, and I slept right through it. How can this be happening? 

I peer inside the knit stocking, hoping she’s left me her contact information. If so, I’ll return the bracelet the first chance I get. Sure enough, there’s a small piece of paper folded into a square deep inside the stocking’s round toe. But when I unfold the note and scan Betty’s swirling cursive script, there isn’t a hint of an address or phone number. Not even her full name. She’s only written a single, mysterious sentence. 

Please wear this and have the Christmas of your dreams. 

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About the Author

Teri Wilson is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of heartwarming, whimsical contemporary romance. Three of Teri's books have been adapted into Hallmark Channel Original Movies by Crown Media, including UNLEASHING MR. DARCY (plus its sequel MARRYING MR. DARCY), THE ART OF US and NORTHERN LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS, based on her book SLEIGH BELL SWEETHEARTS. She is also a recipient of the prestigious RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction for her novel THE BACHELOR'S BABY SURPRISE. Teri has a major weakness for cute animals, pretty dresses and Audrey Hepburn films, and she loves following the British royal family. Visit her at www.teriwilson.net or on Twitter @TeriWilsonauthr.

Connect:

https://twitter.com/TeriWilsonauthr

https://teriwilson.net/index/

https://www.instagram.com/teriwilsonauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/TeriWilsonAuthor/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2853419.Teri_Wilson

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Audio Spotlight: The House Called Hadlows by Victoria Walker

Length: 5 hours 34 minutes

Publisher: Victoria Clayton Limited⎮2020

Genre: Fantasy; Children’s

Series: Sebastian and Melissa, Book 2

Release date: Jul. 22, 2020

Synopsis: The sequel to The Winter of Enchantment and the return of Mantari the magic cat.

Sebastian and Melissa would never forget their arrival at the house called Hadlows. The long drive through the neglected park and woodland, the lake glimpsed through trees, the house, with its "thousand windows" looking down on them and the great hall, empty but for the portraits covering the walls. Hadlows held a secret, of that they were sure.

Listen to an excerpt from the book

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About the Author: Victoria Walker

Victoria Walker was twenty-one when she wrote The Winter of Enchantment in 1968. A second story about Sebastian and Melissa, The House Called Hadlows, was published in 1972. In 1973 she went to Cambridge University to read English and married immediately after finishing her degree. Two children followed and two decades passed before she began to write under her married name of Victoria Clayton. She lives with her husband in Northamptonshire.

About the Narrator: Kim Bretton

Kim Bretton Kim is an accomplished and award winning actress and director with West End/Broadway theatre credits. Kim has narrated over 60 audiobooks and counting. She is also an in demand voice over talent in the commercial and corporate arena and owns her own class A recording studio in Nashville. Kim is from the UK but has lived in NYC, L.A. and now Nashville TN. She continues to work in Theatre, Film and TV as an actress and a director alongside narrating audiobooks and commercial voice overs. 

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Audio Spotlight: Summoned by Mckayla Eaton

Length: 6 hours 17 minutes

Publisher: McKayla Eaton⎮2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Series: The Demon Summoner Trilogy, Book 1

Release date: Jun. 18, 2020

Synopsis: On an empty baseball diamond in a quiet Toronto suburb, a demon has been summoned. Seventeen-year-old Alton is miles away, just wishing he had a tutor he didn’t outsmart or outmatch. His prayers are answered when Professor Victor Orvius makes an unexpected visit, offering to teach Alton magic without the restrictions. 

The only condition is that he follow Orvius’s rules and not ask too many questions. Alton soon discovers he’s not Orvius’s only student. 

Reagan is a competitive young witch with a bad attitude and talent for sarcasm. Their personalities clash, causing trouble for both on more than one occasion, until they realize a greater threat than being one-upped. The demon threatens not only their chances at passing their magic finals — it threatens their lives. 

If Alton and Reagan can’t learn to get along, they could be facing their deaths…or an eternity together, trapped in another realm.

Listen to an excerpt from the book

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About the Author: McKayla Eaton

Mckayla Eaton is an author and book-lover living and writing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She writes fantasy and science fiction and aims to build worlds that push the imagination of readers. She was raised on Indiana Jones and Fairy Tales and strongly believes every story ought to be an adventure story. She likes tragedies and happily-ever-afters and refuses to believe the two are mutually exclusive.

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About the Narrator: Becci Martin

Becci Martin has been voice acting professionally since the early twenty-teens, but she's been entertaining smaller audiences of family and friends with her spirited storytelling since she was a little kid.  Between projects you can find her traveling with her husband and adventure-loving dogs, boldly puzzling newspaper crosswords in pen, or playing bartender for establishment patrons and houseguests alike.  She currently calls Kansas City home.

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Spotlight: The Opposite of Falling by Jillian Liota

BRIAR MITCHELL is home in Cedar Point – single, broke and unemployed. Back in the town she tried so hard not to get stuck in. A job at the local grocery will have to do until she figures out what’s next, even if it means working for her teenage crush. Not that he noticed her back then.

ANDY MARSHALL has always loved the small town life. Things might be rough at the moment – the family business is struggling and his dad’s health has taken a turn – but he’s trudging forward. What he doesn’t see coming is the attraction he feels towards his newest employee.

Choosing to explore their instant chemistry, Briar and Andy embark on a no-strings ride they hope will provide a few things they each desperately need. Sweet friendship, sexy fun, and a chance to escape from a life that isn’t going according to plan.

But in the face of a town disaster, they start to realize that maybe there’s something more between them. Something with a depth they weren’t expecting. Something that feels a lot like falling in love.

Exclusive Excerpt

“That was great,” Bells says from where she’s lying flat on her back next to me. “I know we gave Boyd shit about it when he said he enjoyed yoga with Ruby, but maybe he’s onto something.” 

I smile, staring up at the sky and the trees that sway in the light breeze above us. We both lie there for a while, just enjoying the outside time and the beautiful weather.

“Hey, B?”

When I feel her hand slip into mine, I look over and find my sister watching me, her light brown eyes narrowed with concern.

“I know I’m not Boyd,” she tells me, “and I know I’m younger than you and you’ve never really, you know, talked to me about your life in any kind of real way…but I just want you to know I’m here for you if you need somebody.”

Something thick settles in my throat, something that feels oddly like the sensation right before tears. I work hard to swallow it down.

“Like if you want to talk about what happened with Chad, or…”

I pull my body up so I’m no longer lying on my back, letting go of my sister’s hand in the process.

“Thanks, but I’m good.”

I know my words aren’t what Bellamy wants to hear. She’s the definition of being our mother’s daughter—outgoing, friendly, and above all, has a strong desire to talk about things.

But I don’t want to talk about Chad. I don’t want to talk about my life with him where I felt so unhappy. I think about it enough on my own.

Nobody else needs to hear about the mistakes I made. Nobody else needs to know about all the times I let myself down.

Because that’s really the reason I left Chad.

He didn’t cheat on me. He didn’t hit me or hurt me. Sure, he might not have been the biggest supporter of me going after things I wanted, and yeah, he basically just wanted me to be a woman who took care of him and slept with him and didn’t cause a fuss.

But I left because I was disappointed in myself.

I had all those big plans, big plans and big ideas for my big life in the big city, and I let myself get made small. I let myself get dismissed, settling into a life that made me so unhappy I hardly knew what to do with myself.

I’m ashamed of who I became. I didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror anymore, having allowed the man in my life to warp what I saw until I finally smashed my reflection to pieces.

How am I supposed to talk about that with my younger sister? She’s supposed to be able to look up to me, and all she’ll see if I tell her about Chad and my life down the mountain is someone who failed.

So I do the thing I know how to do.

I give her a smile and pull away, keeping the broken and ugly bits of myself tucked away safely inside.

Nobody really wants to see those parts anyway.

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About JIllian Liota

Jillian Liota is a new author writing contemporary romance and new adult fiction. She lives in Kailua, Hawaii with her amazing husband, 2 cats, and 3-legged pup.  

She is the author of the new adult romance novel The Keeper, which focuses on a female college soccer goalie, as well as the follow up novella, Keep Away. Her newest release, Like You Mean It, is in the contemporary romance genre and has a more mature voice, as it follows a pregnant mother finding love in a new town. The next novel in the Like You Series, Like You Want It, will be published in Spring 2019 

She has a master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs, and she is passionate about all things improvement, development and organization. 

She’s also a big fan of taking walks with her husband and dog Maia, reading romance (obviously), watching a handful of horrible reality TV shows, and exploring the island she calls home. Check out her Contact page for more information on how to connect. 

Connect with Jillian:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Email  

Spotlight: Never Let Me Go by Kianna Alexander

Publication Date: 9/1/2020

Tender, emotional contemporary romance—you’ll fall in love with this band-of-brothers and the strong women they’re determined to win.

Architect Maxwell Devers is laser-focused on winning the contract to build a new cultural arts center—his biggest project yet. But as a single dad of a beautiful baby girl, he has to find some help if he’s going to stay on track.

Yvonne Markham is thrilled to get her first nanny assignment. She knows the high-paying job will speed her progress toward owning a child care center of her own. Maxwell’s daughter is a delight, and she quickly comes to love the bouncing baby girl. Falling for her handsome new boss, however, was not part of the plan…

Hang on to your heartstrings: This multicultural romance features a single father, a sweet baby daughter, and the nanny who falls in love with them both.

Excerpt

Yvonne clutched her black leather purse tightly, the straps crushed between her fists as she crossed the parking lot toward Devers Architectural. The conversation she’d had at the Wittenmyer office with Mrs. Cross thirty minutes prior was still playing in her head.

“You’re in luck, Ms. Markham,” Mrs. Cross had said. “You’ve been with us for a very short time, and we already have an assignment for you. I’ll need you to be at this address within the hour.”

After that, her boss had gone on to give a vague description of the job. A father had requested someone of the highest skill to care for his baby girl, and the client had offered a generous bonus to get someone over right away. Yvonne’s jaw had dropped when she heard the salary, but she’d quickly shut it. Wittenmyer was the top agency in town, and she didn’t want to look like a poor country urchin in front of Mrs. Cross or the two coworkers also in the office.

Now, as she approached the beautiful, contemporary building, she wondered why she was meeting the client here instead of at his home. She pushed the thought away, knowing she’d find out the answer soon enough. For a fifteen-hundred-dollar bonus, we could’ve met wherever he liked.

Entering the building, she stopped at the reception desk.

The petite redhead there greeted her right away. “Welcome to Devers Architectural. I’m Mary Alice. Can I help you, miss?”

Feeling her hand begin to cramp, Yvonne finally loosened her grip on the purse straps. “Hello. My name is Yvonne Markham…”

Mary Alice stood. “Oh, from the agency. Just go down the hallway to your right. Carson will be waiting for you.”

“Thank you.” Yvonne turned and went in the direction she’d indicated, taking in the soft-hued decor, wood paneling, and modern art. The place was immaculately decorated, but then she supposed she should expect no less from an architect.

At the end of the corridor, a rather nervous-looking young man with brown hair and blue eyes stood, tapping his foot. When she approached, he asked, “Are you Yvonne?”

She nodded. “I am. Are you Mr. Devers?”

The tapping stopped, and he seemed less agitated now. “No. I’m his intern, Carson. I’ll escort you in. He’s waiting for you.”

Carson turned and opened the heavy wooden door behind him, gesturing for her to enter.

Yvonne entered the room with Carson close behind her. It was a small office, and by Carson’s quick steps, it appeared they were only passing through. They came to another door, this one made of the same wood but with an intricate monogram, MD, carved into it.

Carson knocked.

“Come in,” called a deep voice from within.

Carson opened the door and stepped away. “Go in, please.”

Yvonne took three cautious steps into the room. This inner office was much darker than the outer one, and looking around, she could see most of the window blinds were shut.

Except for one window, where a man stood, looking out. His back was to her, but she could see his shape clearly. His frame, tall and broad-shouldered, seemed imposing despite the size of the room. Without being able to see his face, she couldn’t gauge his mood. The dimness of the room didn’t exactly make her feel  welcome. This was her first encounter with her very first client, and she didn’t want to do or say anything that

might offend him. She stood by the door, waiting for him to speak.

After a moment or two of silence, he spoke. “Come in, Ms. Markham. Have a seat.”

She eased to the chair by his large, oddly shaped desk and sat down, placing her purse in her lap.

He turned then, and her eyes widened at the sight of the sleeping baby in his arms. Sure, it was the first  meeting, and she didn’t know exactly what being an architect entailed. Still, she doubted bringing a baby to work was standard practice for professionals in the field. I suppose that’s why I’m here.

He moved away from the window, circling the room and opening the vertical blinds, all while carefully balancing his slumbering child. As the light began to fill the space, it became far more inviting. Once all the windows were adjusted, he came to stand behind the desk.

As she looked at his face for the first time, a prickling sensation went down her spine. The afternoon sun streaming into the room let her see his smooth, caramel-skinned handsomeness, and she thanked the heavens for the good weather. He had a strong jaw, piercing brown eyes flecked with green, and the most kissable lips she’d ever seen. His suit, a rich shade of royal blue, had obviously been tailored with care to fit his tall, muscular frame. She knew she should say something, but staring at him seemed to be all she could manage.

***

Excerpted from Never Let Me Go by Kianna Alexander. © 2020 by Kianna Alexander. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

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About the Author

Like any good Southern belle, Kianna Alexander wears many hats: loving wife, doting mama, advice-dispensing sister, and gabbing girlfriend. She's a voracious reader, history nerd and craft fanatic. A native of the TarHeel state, Kianna lives with her husband, two kids, and a collection of vintage 80's Barbie dolls in Raleigh, NC.

Author Website: http://authorkiannaalexander.com/

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Spotlight: Her Sweet Temptation by Nina Crespo

When good things come in bad-boy packages.

She vows to find the right kind of guy but a tempting stranger challenges everything…

“Bad Choices” should have been Rina Tillbridge’s middle name and it’s time to turn over a new leaf. But when stuntman Scott Halsey struts onto her property for his latest film, her impulsive alter ego threatens to make a comeback. The quintessential thrill-seeking stuntman has no designs on commitment. So why are all his red flags igniting white-hot passion…and inspiring dreams of a Hollywood ending?

Excerpt

“Friendship. That’s what Rina wanted, and he respected that. But being near her like this chipped away at his resolve. The voice in his head telling him to let go was lost in the sound of his heart beating faster and echoing inside of him.

Rina laid her hands on his chest.

He leaned in a fraction, waiting and hoping she wouldn’t push him way. Scott lowered his mouth to hers and as soon as she opened to him, arousal flared. The control he’d held on to so closely around her for too many long weeks, days and hours weakened to nothing. Rina slid her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms firmly around her. Every stroke and glide of their deepening kiss driving him nearer to pure want.

She pressed closer and her breasts pillowing against his chest short-circuited his brain to just one thought. More. Taking hold of her hips, he brought her against him, letting her feel how much he wanted her. But now wasn’t the time. Still he stroked his hands upward, gliding them under the hem of her shirt. The warmth of her skin seeped into him. He desperately wanted to kiss her there and any place the straps of the harness may have left a temporary mark or a bruise.

Rina eased back from the kiss.

He drew in an unsteady breath and stared into her eyes. “Just so you know, I’m not sorry that happened.”

“Neither am I.”

“So does that mean we might get to do that again outside of the barn?”

Her gaze dropped as she slid her hands to his chest. His hopes sank in the silence. Had that kiss cost him everything?

She looked back up at him and smiled. “There’s more than a possibility that could happen again.”

Excerpt From: Nina Crespo. “Her Sweet Temptation

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About the Author

Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions — the beach, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing.

Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel.

Let Nina’s sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales feed your own addiction for love, romance, and happily ever after.

Stay connected with Nina on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or through her newsletter.

Connect with Nina: Instagram | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Bookbub 

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