Cookie Spotlight: Cheryl Colyer

COMING NOVEMBER 9

This witch isn’t giving up without a fight. 

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.

Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/m0BJBV

Vicky Burkholder and The Gingerbread Lodge

Title: the Gingerbread Lodge 
Author: Vicky Burkholder 
Series: The Christmas Cookie Series
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Sweet Romance/Holiday Romance/Friends to Lovers/ Fantasy 
Publisher: TheWildRosePress 
Release Date: Nov 3, 2021
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook 
Blurb/Synopsis:
Gisele Reid returns to the Gingerbread Lodge to help her aunt, but without paying guests, she’s afraid the lodge will have to be sold. An event she vows to stop. When an old friend shows up, she is astonished to find Max has turned into a man who makes her knees and heart tremble. Max Oakley, a developer, has a client interested in buying land around the lodge. He has fond memories of the resort, as well as the girl who left him behind. When he runs into Gisele again, she’s even more beautiful than ever. A woman who could make him forget everything—even his job. Plumbing problems, electrical outages, and the return of Gisele’s family throw a wrench into Max’s plans to woo Gisele. But when the truth comes out, she believes he’s betrayed her trust, and it will take a Christmas miracle to make everything right again.

Continue reading “Vicky Burkholder and The Gingerbread Lodge” →

Cookie Spotlight: Sofia Aves

AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 16

Exchanging gunfire is easier than facing reintegration at Christmas alone.

A package determined to derail his scheduled future delivered by a mystery woman. A tiny note hints at who she is—and how to find her.

When veteran and acting Brigadier General Dominic Cage returns from deployment days before Christmas, he’s unprepared for the shortbread cookies pressed into his hands in a case of mistaken identity by a stunning woman. Unable to forget her, Cage trusts Violet’s promise of a true Christmas—until the lines of his reality blur.

Damaged and resolute, and unable to escape the gunfire that haunts him, Cage’s choice could cost them everything.

Amazon

A personal bit of information that I’ll slowly be filtering through over time: Most of you know that I’m an Aussie defence wife to a veteran and that we’ve spent years working through PTSD. Actually, nearly every generation of my family has produced at least one soldier going back quite a long way.

Shortbread Shakedown was inspired by hubs experience in the US, travelling out of uniform. An elderly gentleman he didn’t know approached him with a bag of shortbread cookies to say ‘thank you for your service”. The gentleman hands out cookies his wife makes every weekend at the airport. He refused to take hubs’ explanation that he wasn’t from the US, but the man had recognised him as military regardless. As an Afghanistan veteran, hubs was floored, and that moment still brings me to tears.

Shortbread Shakedown is centred around this tradition, and I’m rather heavily invested in this book that releases November 16 as an ebook only due to length.

The second part of my reasoning for this book is a little less serious but no less heart wrenching. Last year, my then 4 year old son finished Kindy and we discovered afterward that the little girl he was best friends with wasn’t going to his school. As an ESL family, I’d had little contact with Violet’s dad. On the final afternoon of kindy, my son burst into tears and I discovered to my absolute horror that Violet had been his first girlfriend. Amidst tears on both sides, he made me promise to write a story about Violet….and so here she is.

And now I’m in tears. Again.

Cookie Spotlight: Carol Henry

Linzer Tarts and Broken Hearts

Tag Line: Christmas Cookies aren’t the only thing heating up in the kitchen this Christmas

Amber Talbot’s daughter, Beth, has invited her new best friend, Joanna, to bake Christmas cookies this year. Officer Jace Gunderson, single dad, insists on checking out the family first. From there, thanks to the two inseparable first graders, Amber and Jace’s lives intertwine over the holidays where they, too, become inseparable. But Amber doesn’t need another lawman in her life. Her first husband was killed in the line of duty. Can Jace win her over, despite her reluctance to commit to their fledgling relationship? Or will Amber reject his advances and ruin everyone’s Christmas?

Amazon

Cookies and Holidays!

The Wild Rose Press (my publisher) is doing a special event this season with a cookie themed set of stories. All the stories are set in the December time and all have to have a cookie theme. That was the only criteria. So there are a lot for you to choose from. There are mysteries, contemporary romances, paranormals, and more! So pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage and cookie, and sit back and enjoy. Note: the stories are all short and sweet (novella length) so are quick reads too.

Check them all out at The Wild Rose Press

Or: Amazon

And, over the next few weeks, I’ll be spotlighting the individual books so enjoy! I’ve already had the chance to read some of them and they are positively delicious!

Spotlight: Jill Piscitello

Book blurb:  

Hair stylist Scarlett Kerrigan lost her job and her apartment. To alleviate a touch of self-pity, she succumbs to her stepmom’s pressure to attend a wedding in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Unfortunately, she runs into the vacation fling who promised the moon but disappeared without an explanation. Months have passed, but she is not ready to forgive and forget.

After a chaotic year, executive Wes Harley settles into his family’s event venue, The Timeless Manor. His carefully structured world is shaken to its core when Scarlett arrives for the Victorian Christmas wedding weekend. The feelings he never quite erased flood to the surface.

When secrets are revealed, will a magical chateau and a sprinkle of tinsel be enough to charm Scarlett?

Purchase Links:

Amazon          Nook

About the Author:

Jill Piscitello is a teacher, author, and an avid fan of multiple literary genres. Although she divides her reading hours among several books at a time, a lighthearted story offering an escape from the real world can always be found on her nightstand.

A native of New England, Jill lives with her family and three well-loved cats. When not planning lessons or reading and writing, she can be found spending time with her family, trying out new restaurants, traveling, and going on light hikes.

Social media links:

Website ~ Twitter  ~ Facebook ~  Instagram

New Reviews

Four romances and a paranormal mystery for you to enjoy today:

Under LGBTQ+ for Adults: The 4 Sparkler NOWHERE TO RUN by Andrew Grey

Under Romance:

5 Sparklers for RED VELVET CRINKLES AN CHRISTMAS SPRINKLES by Maria Imbalzano

4 Sparklers for: THREE WIDOWS OF WYLDER by Julie Howard

4 Sparklers for PRINCE OF GRANOLA by L.A. Sartor

Under Mystery:

5 Sparklers for DON’T WAKE THE DEAD by C.C. Wood

Enjoy! I know I did!

Spotlight: Vicky Burkholder

It’s my birthday so I’m celebrating the upcoming release of my newest book: The Gingerbread Lodge. It’s part of the Christmas Cookie Series from The Wild Rose Press. It’s a novella – only 86 pages – so a short, sweet contemporary romance with a HEA that leaves you smiling.

Gisele Reid returns to the Gingerbread Lodge to help her aunt, but without paying guests, she’s afraid the lodge will have to be sold. An event she vows to stop. When an old friend shows up, she is astonished to find Max has turned into a man who makes her knees and heart tremble.


Max Oakley, a developer, has a client interested in buying land around the lodge. He has fond memories of the resort, as well as the girl who left him behind. When he runs into Gisele again, she’s even more beautiful than ever. A woman who could make him forget everything—even his job.


Plumbing problems, electrical outages, and the return of Gisele’s family throw a wrench into Max’s plans to woo Gisele. But when the truth comes out, she believes he’s betrayed her trust, and it will take a Christmas miracle to make everything right again.

To Preorder:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

The Wild Rose Press

Spotlight: Julie Howard

Tagline: Three women. Three terrible secrets.

Blurb:

Three women on the run.

After the death of her husband, Clara flees a hanging judge and seeks refuge with her brother in Wylder, Wyoming.

With secrets of her own and good reasons to flee, spoiled and vain Mary Rose joins Clara on the trek to Wyoming. Surely a suitable man exists somewhere.

Emma is a mystery. A crack shot and expert horsewoman, her harrowing past seeps out in a steady drip. She’s on the run from something, but what?

After the three women descend on Wylder, a budding romance leads to exposure of their pasts. As disaster looms, will any of them escape?

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Widows-Wylder-West-ebook/

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-three-widows-of-wylder/id1585169665

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-three-widows-of-wylder-julie-howard/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-three-widows-of-wylder-the-wylder-west-by-julie-howard

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58903448-the-three-widows-of-wylder

Excerpt:

Emma stood, legs apart, one hand on the pistol at her hip. The covered wagon was the type used years ago by pioneers, before trains tamed the prairie, and they still lumbered across areas where tracks hadn’t been laid. Two women sat side-by-side, too focused on their argument to yet notice the camp they entered. Their one horse, overmatched by the heavy wagon, was damp with sweat, its mouth flecked with froth.

“We should have stayed on the main road.” The peevish one appeared much younger, curly gold hair topped by a large straw hat. She wore a light-yellow dress with lace at her wrists and throat, a perfectly inadequate outfit for travel. “Someone could have provided directions.”

The older woman had finely-drawn features, a few strands of gray threaded through her dark, uncovered hair. Dressed in sensible blue calico, she gripped the reins too tight and the poor horse gave a pathetic shake of its head. “The whole point was to avoid people,” she sniped.

Emma strode forward and seized the reins. “For God’s sake, you’re killing him.”

The two women gaped as though at an apparition. The horse, released from harsh hands, lowered its head and halted. Its sides heaved as flies drank at its sweaty flanks.

“Whomever let you two fools handle a horse should be whipped.” Tempted to dispatch the women to hell for their cruelty, Emma rested her hand on the pistol’s handle.

They two travelers spoke in tandem. “Who are you?” and “How dare you call me a fool.”

As Emma crooned into in the horse’s ear, her expert fingers undid the buckles at its shoulders and haunches. By the time the older of the two women climbed to the ground, the horse was unhitched and Emma led it to the creek.

“That’s our horse,” cried the one in yellow. “Clara, what is that insane girl doing? She’s stealing him.”

Emma halted, shoulders stiff. She turned and pointed the pistol at the one with lace at her throat. “I’m no horse thief.” She cocked the hammer. “Apologize.”

About the author:

Julie Howard is the author of the Wild Crime mystery series and Spirited Quest paranormal mystery series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. She is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and editor of the Potato Soup Journal. Learn more at juliemhoward.com.

Website: http://juliemhoward.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/juliemhowardauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18116047.Julie_Howard

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Howard/e/B07D6CS4NQ/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/julie-howard?list=author_books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JulieMHoward

Follow her on Instagram: @authorjuliehoward

Spotlight: Amber Daulton

A perfect Christmas wedding, a snowstorm, and a shocking secret. What could go wrong?

Susanna Lorican must marry the man she loves before the truth is discovered, or face the gossip of the ton. With an unexpected snowstorm injuring the minister, her future hangs in the balance.

Viscount Camden Beckinworth vows to keep his bride safe, even if he must betray her confidence. When their love is put to the test, how will he uphold her honor without jeopardizing his own?

Warning: this sweet, complete Regency romance novella features a brief scene where the heroine is assaulted.

– Second edition. Newly revised and edited.

Universal Buy link

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press, Books to Go Now, and Daulton Publishing, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Social Media Links {Please choose the universal link or the individual links, but not both.}

Universal link – https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton

–or–

Website – https://amberdaulton.wordpress.com/

Newsletter (free ebook to new subs) – https://bit.ly/amberdaultonnewsletter

Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/amber.daulton.author

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AmberDaulton1

Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/amberdaulton5/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624921.Amber_Daulton

Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/14JoZff

Book Bub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amber-daulton

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amberdaultonauthor1/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/pub/amber-daulton/87/538/368

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYg7JZ7XXp24Vg1O3IYeYkA

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@amberdaultonauthor1