Spotlight: Christmas in Glowing Springs by T.J. Amberson

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Publication date: September 24 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Avery Walsh is a romantic at heart, but her demanding career as a big-city attorney means she doesn’t have time for love. Dane Livingston is a small-town boy who has had his share of heartbreak, and so he vowed never to love again. When a Christmastime snowstorm leaves Avery stranded in Dane’s charming village of Glowing Springs, Avery and Dane team up to save the village’s beloved Huckleberry Inn. With Christmas Day approaching, will Dane and Avery be able to save the inn . . . and dare to take a chance on love?

A sweet (clean) romance told in 3rd-person, dual POV

Excerpt

Up ahead of her, unaware of Avery's presence, Dane was chopping wood. His lumberjack-style coat and forest green sweatshirt were draped over one of the woodshed's fence posts, leaving his chiseled torso covered in nothing but a fitted t-shirt as he worked. Every rippling muscle in Dane's neck, chest, arms, and back were on display as he skillfully and steadily swung the axe. His broad chest was rising and falling with exertion, his heavy breaths were visible against the cold, and a hint of sweat lined his forehead.   

            Avery started feeling a little lightheaded as a shock-like sensation coursed down her spine. Intense heat filled her body, momentarily displacing the cold. She swallowed hard, still barely able to move or breathe.

            This was most definitely not the way to get over her attraction to Dane Livingston.

            Dane stopped what he was doing, used his teeth to pull the working gloves off his hands, and wiped his brow with his forearm. He turned his head slightly, doing a double take when he caught sight of Avery staring at him. His eyes got big, and he spun so he was facing her directly.

            "Avery," he barked.

            "Um, hello," Avery said, her words coming out squeaky. She was suddenly grateful for the freezing temperature, since it made it appear as though her cheeks were only red from the cold. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you, but I didn't want to startle you while you were using the axe."

            Dane was still breathing hard from exertion as his brows snapped together. "What are you doing out here?"

            Avery started clenching and unclenching her hands into fists at her sides, trying to get some feeling back into them. "I'm finished in the kitchen, so I wanted to ask what else I can do to help." 

            Dane glanced down at Avery's hands, and then his steely stare returned to her face. He exhaled an exasperated-sounding breath. Brow furrowed, he dropped his axe and gloves, strode fast over to the fence, and snatched up his coat. He stomped through the snow toward Avery. 

            "You shouldn't be out here without a coat," he growled.

            Avery didn't have a chance to reply before Dane stopped right in front of her and draped his big, heavy coat over her shoulders. His touch instantly caused her respirations to catch, and she went completely still. He seemed to pause, too, with his strong, sturdy hands resting upon her shoulders. For another moment, neither of them moved. Avery started feeling the intense heat that was radiating from Dane's body, despite the cold, and her own body started quivering in response. Slowly, she raised her eyes. He met her gaze through the falling snow. Her heart pounded feverishly as she watched him search her gaze with his. 

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About the Author

TJ Amberson hails from the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and nutty cocker spaniel. When she's not writing, TJ might be found pretending to know how to garden, riding her bike, playing the piano, enjoying a hot chocolate, or scouring the Internet for cheap plane tickets. She adores all things cozy, seasonal, and holiday-themed; she cheers for happily-ever-afters; and she believes there's no such thing as too much seasonal decor. With a love of multiple genres, TJ writes sweet romance and romantic comedies for adults and advanced teen readers, and clean fantasy adventures for teen and advanced tween readers.

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Spotlight: How Snowball Stole Christmas by Kristen McKanagh

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(Snowball, #3)
Publication date: September 27th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday

It’s Christmas time at the Weber Haus mountainside inn, where the official greeter, watcher, and matchmaker of the hotel’s resident humans is an adorably mischievous bundle of feline fluff named Snowball. Snowball takes her job very seriously –even if it means being a little more naughty than nice –and she’s ready to celebrate her third holiday season by making the purrrrfect match.

Most cats have nine lives, but Snowball is one of the very few with two jobs. Officially, she’s the Weber Haus inn’s greeter. Unofficially, she’s the town matchmaker. Her track record is the cat’s pajamas—until she meets her owner’s grinchy brother, Peter Diemer. Peter hopes to move the family bookstore to a busy location downtown—but someone else has outbid him for the last storefront.

Christmas is the ideal season for Lara Wolfe to fulfill her dream of expanding her home business into a real shop. Too bad someone is posting negative comments on the town forum. What kind of Grinch objects to a toy store?

Snowball is sure these two are a perfect match. They already have so much in common—books are a kind of toy, right? Now all they need to add to the mix is love, and Snowball has just the shenanigans up her furry sleeve to deliver a sweet romance in time to make the season merry and bright . . .

Excerpt

When a grumpy grinch and a sunshine Christmas lover meet cute…

“I’m your neighbor next door.” Peter pointed.

She looked that direction, then back at him, a slow smile blooming. “Nice to meet you I’m—”

He wasn’t here for chit chat. “I’m afraid that you put some of your Christmas lights up on my side of the roof.”

The woman, whose face was still mostly in shadow, blinked. That much he could see. “Sorry?” she asked.

Did her voice waver with humor?

“Your lights.” He pointed again. “I’m in the condo next to you on the left. Your lights are on part of my roof line.”

She looked over his shoulder and seemed to study the lights, which were glowing a bright rainbow of colors. “I don’t understand.”

What wasn’t to understand? “I don’t want them on my part of the roof.”

“It’s only one little area,” she countered in a reasonable tone that only set his teeth on edge. He got that tone from his mother and sister a lot lately.

He crossed his arms. Why was she arguing with him? His roof. His rules. “But it’s right under my bedroom window and it’s making it hard to sleep.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip. “Don’t you have curtains?”

Peter gritted his teeth. The man he’d been even a year ago would have probably laughed it off and not even brought it up. But him these days, and after two sleepless nights in a row… “I have blinds. It shows through.”

“Oh,” she said again. “But it’s Christmas.”

“And?”

“The lights won’t be up more than a month and it would really throw the whole look off if I took them down. Do you think you could maybe handle it for that long?”

“No.”

The slump of disappointment was almost comical, then she suddenly straightened. “What if I get you a sleep mask?”

“No.”

Then she suddenly grinned and huffed at the same time, hands landing on her hips. “Do you not like Christmas, or something?”

Only she said it with such charm, that a tiny bit of his irritation trickled away. Not enough to give in though. “I like it fine. Just not when it’s shining in my bedroom window.”

A flash of white teeth in the shadow and her husky chuckle reached out through the cold and the dark and maybe even warmed him up a tiny bit.

Who was this woman? Most people these days didn’t argue with him. They just agreed or left him alone. His sister, Emily, said he could be intimidating when he wanted. So why was his neighbor laughing?

“Fine, fine,” she said. “I’ll take down that strip.”

About time. “That’s all I ask.” He gave a brusque nod then turned to head inside his own home.

“Hey,” she called after him. “Isn’t your name Peter?”

He pulled up sharply at that, swinging around to stare at her with a small pit if dread in his gut widening by the second. “How do you know that?”

The woman stepped out from behind the raised trunk of her car and the lights from her townhome illuminated her features. “We met a few years ago at Weber Haus. My name is Lara Wolfe.”

Recognition hit. Two years ago he, and several other single men, had flirted with her for a single night. Then he’d left to return to duty and oddly she’d stuck in his head for months after. Hard to forget a face like that though, or her soft grey eyes, or the air of fragility that had hung over her, tugging at every protective instinct he’d had.

 Peter hid a wince. Because the man she met two Christmases ago was not the same guy standing in front of her now.

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About the Author

Romance author Kristen McKanagh writes sweet contemporary romance & Amish romance. She loves plots that warm the soul, feisty heroines with sass, heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of HEAs! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.

Kristen attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing) and an MBA. However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

Kristen currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero, their amazing kids, who are growing up way too fast, and 2 adorable fur babies.

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Spotlight: A Shadow of Love by Amy S. Cutler

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When Annabelle flees her abusive husband and moves into an 1860's farmhouse, she soon learns that she is not alone; she shares her home with Christian, the ghost of a poet who killed himself in 1917. Christian, wanting nothing but solitude, tries to scare Annabelle away, but once they come together while she is dreaming, they fall in love. The clock is ticking for Christian, for moments after his hanging his fiance magically cursed his spirit to be stuck on earth for one hundred years, and his time is almost up.

With Annabelle's ex threatening her and the spirit she has fallen in love with on the verge of disappearing, Annabelle becomes obsessed with staying with Christian, and will do anything to be with him.

Being in love with a ghost is bad enough, but for Annabelle, discovering that her true love will be crossing over at any moment pushes her over the edge of reckless behavior.

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About the Author

Amy S Cutler, author of A Shadow of Love earned her master’s degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Most recently she was published in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work and featured in the Tales to Terrify Podcast, among others. Her writing focus is suspense, horror, science fiction, and ghost stories. She can be contacted through AmysHippieHut.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Cover Reveal: Love & Resistance by Kara H.L. Chen

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Published by: Quill Tree/Harper Collins
Publication date: July 4th 2023
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Chang is at her fourth school in seven years. Her self-imposed solitude is lonely, but safe. At Plainstown High, however, Olivia’s usual plan of anonymity fails when the infamous Mitzi Clarke (influencer, queen bee, bully) makes a pointed racist comment in class. Olivia knows what she must do: let it go. But Olivia is tired of ignoring things just so she can survive. This time, she defends herself.

And that is the end of her invisible life.

Soon, Olivia discovers, and joins forces with, the Nerd Net: a secret society who has been thwarting Mitzi’s reign of terror for months. Together, they plan to unite the masses and create true change at Plainstown High.

But in order to succeed, Olivia must do something even more terrifying than lead a movement: trust other people. She might even make true friends along the way . . . if Mitzi doesn’t destroy her first.

From debut author Kara H.L. Chen comes a razor-sharp tale of love, resistance, and the enduring friendships that make it all worthwhile.

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About the Author

Kara H.L. Chen grew up near Cleveland, Ohio, where she once had to shovel snow off her car with a plastic trashcan. She now lives on the West Coast with her husband and daughters, and is learning how to use an Instapot. She has undergraduate degrees in English and economics, a J.D., and an MFA in fiction. She has used her economics degree exactly once, when she tried to make a joke about marginal costs and marginal returns. It did not go well.

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Spotlight: The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews

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Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction

Publisher: ‎Berkley Romance (October 11, 2022)

A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.

Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.

For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt.

In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…

Excerpt

 Chapter Three, pp. 24-27

“That must be quite a book to hold your attention in all this din.”

Julia’s head jerked up. Her heart lurched.

Captain Blunt stood, silhouetted, at the entrance to the anteroom, his broad shoulders nearly spanning the doorframe. His scarred face was shadowed in the gaslight, making him appear even more sinister than he usually did—something she hadn’t thought possible. 

He wasn’t old enough to be her father. Indeed, he couldn’t be much above thirty.

“What is it?” he asked.

Julia hastily closed her book. She cleared her throat. “It’s, um, Lady Audley’s Secret.”

“Ah. I see.” He advanced into the room. Slowly. Deliberately. As if he was approaching a wild horse that might shy away from him.

Julia rather felt like one. 

Her heartbeat quickened as he drew closer. She instinctively shrank back against the silk-papered wall behind her, wishing she could disappear. 

No such luck. 

She was well and truly caught. And it was her own fault. She was the one who had chosen to hide in this particular corner. There would be no escaping him now.

He came to a halt in front of her. “Don’t be afraid.”

Don’t be afraid? He could say that when he was looming over her like a great beast in a fairy tale? 

“I won’t spoil it,” he said.

Comprehension came like a lightning strike. 

Julia inwardly groaned. 

He wasn’t talking about himself. He was talking about the book. 

She felt more than a little foolish. “You couldn’t spoil it. I’ve read it six times before.”

“Six times?” His black brows lifted. “Any particular reason?”

“Some stories are better the more you read them. You notice things you didn’t the first time. And not only that.” She hesitated. “Books you’ve already read are like old friends. It’s comforting to revisit them.”

He nodded once, as if in unspoken understanding. “And this is why you slipped away from the drawing room? To revisit an old friend?”

“No. That is…yes.” She couldn’t keep the stammer from her voice. Neither could she formulate a creditable excuse. The truth tumbled out unchecked. “I was feeling lonely out there.”

He gave the empty room a dubious look. “As opposed to in here?”

“Here I’m alone, but I’m not lonely. There’s a difference.” 

Here, there were no fashionable crowds to exclude her from their midst. No one to provoke her anxiety. To make her feel unwanted or unworthy. There was only herself.

And now him.

“You must like the story tremendously,” he said. 

“Oh, I love the story. It’s one of my absolute favorites.” Her gloved fingers fidgeted on the book’s cover. “Did you like it?”

“I did. Very much so.”

She stared up at him, speechless.

His mouth tipped at one corner. It was a semblance of a smile. A brief one at that. It vanished as soon as it materialized, his mouth reverting to its characteristic, scar-snaggled sneer. “You look surprised.”

“I am rather. Most gentlemen wouldn’t deign to read a novel. And if they did, they’d never admit to liking it.”

He shrugged. “Novels provide an inexpensive escape from the realities of life. One would be a fool to discount them.” He cast a glance at the empty place beside her. “May I?”

Julia’s mouth went dry. “Er…yes. If you wish.” She moved her flounced skirts out of the way, making room for him on the silk-cushioned bench. 

He sank down next to her. The bench creaked in protest beneath his weight. 

He was close. Too close. 

His leg brushed hers. She felt it through the barrier of her petticoats and crinoline, as surely as if their knees had touched without anything between them. Her already racing pulse skipped a beat.

She’d never been this near to him before. Never yet had the opportunity to fully appreciate his size and strength. The peculiar power of his presence. It was commanding. Almost menacing. And why not? He was a soldier. A dangerous soldier if rumors were to be believed.

If she knew what was good for her, she’d stand up and walk straight back to the drawing room. Instead, she remained where she was, a hair’s breadth away from one of the most ruthless men in recent military history. 

He may have been known as the Hero of the Crimea, but the moniker was rarely spoken with honorable connotation. Captain Blunt had been notorious during the war. 

She wasn’t privy to the particulars of his conduct. At the time, she’d been too young to read the papers. And now, among the ladies with whom she associated, there was only the vaguest of murmurings. All Julia knew for certain was that his notoriety had increased since returning to England. 

If what her best friend, Lady Anne, said was true, the captain’s haunted estate in Yorkshire was presently playing host to his brood of illegitimate children. A scandalous fact. What sort of gentleman flaunted his sins in public? The answer was evident: a man who was no gentleman at all. 

If he wanted to compromise Julia, he could, and easily. 

She contemplated running away, but glancing up at the captain, she found him gazing down at her with single-minded attention. 

“Miss Wychwood…” 

“Yes?” Her voice was a breathless whisper.

“I wonder… What is it that appeals to you about that novel?”

Julia blinked up at him. “You want to know about Lady Audley’s Secret?” 

“I do.”

She owned to a flicker of disappointment. What had she thought he was going to say? Something scandalous?

Something thrilling?

Stupid of her. One might think she wanted to be thrilled by him. 

Copyright © 2022 by Mimi Matthews

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About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.

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Spotlight: Second Stanza by Meg Napier

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Publication date: October 4th 2022
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

How can someone who’s dead save your life during a night of terror?

Jackie’s heart broke when her beloved college boyfriend died in an off-campus gas explosion—a pointless, horrible death. Nine years later and thousands of miles away, her own life is saved when a random stranger calls her name and covers her body with his during a mass shooting. She wakes in a hospital only to learn that the stranger is among the dead.

But was he a stranger? For those terrifying seconds, Jackie was sure he was her beloved Leo. Needing to hide such crazy ideas from friends and family, Jackie begins a search for the only man she has ever loved—now seemingly twice dead.

Excerpt

“You said your name was Jackie? Life is full of crazy coincidences, I guess. Jake had the strangest tattoo, and I’m remembering now that I’m almost certain it said Jackie.”

All the air was suddenly gone from the room. Jackie couldn’t breathe. 

“A tattoo?”

“Yeah. So unusual. I would never have seen it except that I got this thingamajig to attach to my toilet that was supposed to help with . . . well, not important. It was supposed to be easy to install, and I thought I could do it, but it absolutely did not work the way the instructions said it would. Every time I turned the water valve back on, water sprayed everywhere. I thought I’d need to call a plumber, but Jake stopped by and said he’d be happy to look at it.”

Mr. Riga chuckled softly, shaking his head and briefly closing his eyes. “He worked on it for about 45 minutes and made it work in the end, but he was completely drenched.” 

His smile broadened in memory. “This was last February, when it was still cold, so I told him he wasn’t going outside in wet clothes. I made him take everything off and gave him sweatpants and a shirt to put on and told him the least I could do was wash his clothes. He said it wasn’t necessary, but I didn’t want him getting sick on my account, and he eventually gave in. So he stripped right there in the hall” —Mr. Riga pointed to the small hallway off the kitchen where a door, presumably to a bedroom or bathroom was partly ajar— “and I saw it low on his belly. I was afraid it was a bruise and that he had hurt himself with the wrench or something, so I asked about it.”

Mr. Riga sighed again, and a look of complete exhaustion passed over his face. “He was such a sweet but serious young man. Not the type you’d expect to have a tattoo, especially there.” He looked slightly embarrassed but went on to finish his story. 

“Anyway, he said it was the name of the girl he’d loved and lost, and he’d put it in a spot where only he would ever see it.”

For a man sunken in grief, he’d been able to tell an animated story. Through her mesmerized attention, Jackie could see a resemblance to the gregarious and effervescent Danny she had never really known but heard so much about. It was his words, however, that had her biting her lip hard enough that she only stopped in surprise when she tasted blood. 

She and Leo had joked frequently about getting tattoos. Several of their friends had them, and Jackie had teased Leo about going together one day and getting them in places only the two of them would ever see. But like so many other plans, that one had vanished when Leo had died. 

“What kind of tattoo was it?” She had to know, despite the odd look shot her by Nadine. 

“I didn’t get up close to see, since I’d only meant to make sure he wasn’t hurt.” Mr. Riga reddened slightly, the spots oddly sweet on his otherwise pale face. “But he was a nice guy and saw I was curious. He drew a picture of it on a piece of paper. He knew I understood music because I’d told him I played the violin. He said it was something he’d doodled long ago and only had made into a tattoo one night after he got stupid drunk.”

He smiled at Jackie and Nadine. “Whoever that Jackie was, she must have been pretty special. When he talked about the tattoo, he was almost like a different person. But after that night, neither one of us ever mentioned it again.”

“What was special about it?” Nadine asked, and Jackie was grateful for her friend’s curiosity. There was no way she could have forced her voice to work.

“Well, he’d drawn a small musical staff.” He looked at them. “Do you ladies know what that is?” When they nodded, he continued. “And you know what a G clef sign is?” 

Jackie nodded, not breathing, while Nadine just shrugged. “He made the core of the clef sign stand out as the letter J and then had the rest of the letters of the name Jackie going up the staff like small notes. It was quite beautiful and unlike anything I’d ever seen.”

But Jackie had seen it. Years ago. Years ago, miles away, and in an entirely different life, the young man she had been in love with had sketched just such a design when they had joked about getting tattoos. They had never gotten them because Leo had died. 

Except apparently, he hadn’t. 

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About the Author

Meg Napier knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that love stories form the basis for everything that matters in life. Her hope is to bring joy, excitement, and a sigh of satisfaction to readers everywhere through stories that tell most frequently of second chances--in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life. Email her at MegNapierAuthor@gmail.com or find her on her website

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