Tagline: When two Scrooges unite to save a bar in trouble, a kiss under the mistletoe sparks the sexiest Christmas miracle ever.

Back Cover Blurb: Bartender River Lundqvist has a damn good reason for hating Christmas. Bangers Tavern is the perfect place to lay low over the holidays—until Charlie walks in. His first encounter with the saucy server nine years ago was utter humiliation. Her reappearance stirs up powerful desires and hopes for a new start. But the timing is all wrong. Back in Tacoma to care for her estranged dad over the holidays, freelance web designer Charlie Khoury braces herself for the suckiest Christmas ever. A temporary job at Bangers Tavern gives her a chance to escape Dad’s criticism and blow off some steam. But why does the hunky bartender seem to hate her?   A pretend girlfriend is just what River needs to keep his family off his back—until a kiss under the mistletoe flares hot enough to melt the North Pole. When greedy developers threaten Bangers Tavern, River and Charlie must team up to save it. Their sizzling chemistry feels like the real thing—but everyone knows rebound relationships don’t last. Come to Bangers Tavern for an enemies-to-lovers tale of reconciliation, found family, holiday cocktails, and the sexiest Christmas miracle ever.

Excerpt:

Her low, throaty chuckle made him want to kiss her again. Though he pretty much wanted to kiss her anytime she was within range.

She laid her hand palm-up on the center console. “The thing is, I’m not looking for a relationship.”

Remembering a bit of Dawn’s wisdom, he nestled his hand into hers. “You never find a relationship when you’re looking for one.”

Her gaze softened, open and vulnerable. “Are you looking?”

Warning sirens blared inside his head. This was a question to answer very carefully. “If you’d asked me a month ago, I’d say, ‘No way.’ But then, I kissed this girl under the mistletoe, and…”

She closed her eyes, lifted his hand, and pressed it to her sternum. Beneath his palm, her heart thudded fast. His pulse sped to match hers. He held his breath.

“I like you, River.” Her whisper matched the brush of snowflakes against the windows.

“I like you too.”

She inhaled deeply, then met his gaze. “Enough to be my friend?”

He nodded, mesmerized.

“Because my life is a mess right now, and I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing.”

Her coarse language stirred up a heady swirl of laughter, sympathy, and arousal. He scooted as near as the center console allowed and placed his lips close to her ear. “I’ll tell you a secret. Me neither.”

Fire flickered in her eyes’ inky depths. Her lips parted. A golden thread wound around his heart and tugged him toward her. His thumb stroked the delicate line of her jaw as he closed the distance.

Link for ARC download page on Story Origin:  https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/b509cb13-a6ea-4d03-93d2-e35584992b44

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JKW3XR2

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-rekindled-sadira-stone/1137720901?ean=2940162818212

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1532772664

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/christmas-rekindled

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55430214-christmas-rekindled

Universal book link: https://books2read.com/u/brW5Ok

Bookbub link: https://www.bookbub.com/books/christmas-rekindled-a-bangers-tavern-romance-by-sadira-stone

Tweets:

When two Scrooges unite to save a bar in trouble, a kiss under the mistletoe sparks the sexiest Christmas miracle ever. Come to Bangers Tavern for an enemies-to-lovers tale of reconciliation, found family, holiday cocktails, and grumpy, snarky love. #Christmas #Romance #Steamy

Author Bio:

Ever since her first kiss, Sadira’s been spinning steamy tales in her head. After leaving her teaching career in Germany, she finally tried her hand at writing one. Now she’s a happy citizen of Romancelandia, penning contemporary romance from her new home in Washington State, U.S.A. When not writing, which is seldom, she explores the Pacific Northwest with her charming husband, enjoys the local music scene, plays darts (pretty well), plays guitar (badly), and gobbles all the books. Visit Sadira at http://www.sadirastone.com.

Visit Sadira on All the Socials!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadirastone/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadiraStone

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadira-stone

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadirastone/

Author newsletter: https://eepurl.com/dKLMP2

I’d love to hear from you! Please visit me on all the socials.

Tell us about what you write (short stories, novellas, novels, non-fiction)?

I write steamy contemporary romance set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. My Book Nirvana series centers around a quirky bookshop in Eugene, Oregon. Gelato Surprise is a steamy older woman/younger man beach romance novella. The Bangers Tavern Romance series is set in a neighborhood tavern in Tacoma, Washington, where I live—the town, not the tavern! Each story features a holiday celebration in Bangers Tavern: Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, 4^th of July, Halloween, etc. During this sad time when so many bars, restaurants, and other businesses are shut down, Bangers Tavern gives me the chance to virtually share the fun, camaraderie, and bar food I miss so much. And each volume includes tasty cocktail recipes I’ve personally tested and tweaked—a tough job, but I do it for my readers (wink).

Under my own name, I write cozy mysteries and creepy short stories—think The Twilight Zone—but so far only one creepy short has been published. I’ll get to the rest of them eventually, but right now I’m having too much fun writing romance!

I have a new review up in the Non-Fiction area. “Crafting Category Romance” by Amy Lane – a 5 Sparkler review and a great reference book for writers. Check it out.

And now… WordPress has decided to “make things better” by changing the way we bloggers do things. In doing so, they have fouled up a lot of my pages causing me no small amount of headaches and time wasted trying to fix my pages. I have spoken with their “help desk” (HAH!) multiple times and nothing has been done to correct the problems that they created. If you find something that looks badly formatted, please let me know. And if nothing else, I post to Amazon, Goodreads, and other places and you can read my reviews there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you to Vicky and Sparkling Book Reviews for inviting me back!

I’m so excited about my new duology. It started a really long time ago, when I read an announcement of a book by another author. I thought it said something like “A couple has to learn how to live together for the first time in their marriage…” and I thought that was a really cool twist. And then I realized it was the opposite (how to not be together) and I was even more excited. Because now I could write that story!

So More Than You Know was born! Because I’m me, I had to come up with a paranormal reason that Avery and Reed haven’t been together, and an action/high-stakes reason they now have to try to live with each other. The stakes can’t get much higher than a deadly allergy, a serial killer, kids in trouble, and oh, hey, how about how annoying someone suddenly is when you can’t get away from them? LOL

If you’re in central Pennsylvania, I’ll have copies of More Than You Know at Cupboard Maker Books on Saturday, October 10 from 1-3.

Avery Kale is a paranormal law enforcement agent in charge of rogue solars—people who use their ability to harness the sun to commit crimes. Her husband Reed is a teacher, helping young solars adapt to becoming part of the solar community. Their marriage has been a delicate equilibrium ever since their deadly allergy to each other nearly killed Reed, a balancing act neither is able to endure much longer. But Reed’s insistence on finding a better solution wars with Avery’s fear that trying could be fatal.Then Avery and Reed are enlisted for a multi-jurisdictional homicide case. Someone has been using heretofore unknown powers to kill using the sun. They need Avery’s unique ability to determine if their main suspect is a solar. Paul Adranian, a DC billionaire, is hiring a husband-wife bodyguard team for his kids, and Avery and Reed are the task force’s best option. The risk seems low: Get hired, get in, identify him, and get out. But the not-so-quick job drags on and gets complicated when Paul enlists them to clear his name, using an enticement they can’t turn down.Now not only are Avery and Reed targets of the most dangerous solar ever known and a danger to each other, being together every day has put a spotlight on problems they didn’t know they had. If they survive the killer and the allergy…is their marriage doomed anyway?

Buy Now:

Kindle

Apple Books

Nook

Kobo

Google Play

Smashwords

Goodreads listing

Paperback

Excerpt from More Than You Know

The most boring part of Reed’s day was the three hours the kids were in preschool. The teacher didn’t want their presence distracting her students, so she didn’t allow him and Avery in the classroom during most of the lessons. They stood sentry outside the classroom door, taking turns prowling the hall and the outside of the building. It gave him a new appreciation for the Beefeaters in London. But it also made him want to take a nap.

Today was even worse. They’d followed the kids around all weekend—a soccer game and gymnastics exhibition on Saturday, church and summer clothes shopping on Sunday—and Reed had wanted someone to shoot him in the head by the end of that. Both nights, they’d gone to the club where Alec was tending bar. Avery hadn’t detected any solars in either place, but some of the dancers didn’t come on until after eleven, so they’d had to stay late to make the visits completely worth it. Reed wasn’t used to keeping such hours. His most recent assignment, with Scott, had followed farm hours. Early bed, early rise, and nothing strenuous—for him—in between. He kept rocking in place, his eyes closing, when he wasn’t the one walking the perimeter.

Then there was the sex thing. They’d been too worn out to repeat their Friday night interlude, but it was still strong in Reed’s mind. He didn’t think it was appropriate to be thinking about it in a school, and trying not to was distracting him from his job.

“Stop yawning!” Avery covered her mouth as she copied him. “You’re making me sleepy!”

“I have nothing to do with you being sleepy,” he countered, but yawned again. “God, I need coffee.”

“Good idea. Go see if the lounge has any. The secretary told me last week we could help ourselves. And do a perimeter walk while you’re at it.”

Reed gratefully left his post. Even though Avery was staying behind, he glanced into the classroom window on his way by. The kids were all working on some kind of art project at two round tables, one for the three-year-olds, one for the fours. Josh’s back was to him, but he could see Emma’s tongue poking out as she concentrated. He smiled with affection. She glanced up and saw him, beamed, and gave him a thumbs-up. He returned it and continued down the hall, letting the warm feeling in his chest permeate the rest of his body.

He did the perimeter check first. The preschool used a handful of classrooms in an old elementary school that was no longer being used by the local district since a new, bigger school had been built. They planned to rent out additional space for offices, but currently the preschool was the only occupant. That made Reed and Avery’s job a little easier, without a lot of people coming and going to keep an eye on.

He went outside and checked the locks on the front door first. He varied his routine every time, in case anyone was watching, and tried not to develop any kind of pattern. While he crossed the front lawn to go around the left side of the building, he scoped out the parking lot. The six cars were the same as on his last circuit. Two teachers, two staff members, one parent’s car, left behind while they went shopping or something with another mom, and Avery’s. Usually Heather dropped them and the kids and did errands while they were in class, but today Avery and Reed had offered to give her a little extra time by taking the kids to school themselves.

He’d gotten to the corner and was about the check the door at that end when he heard a vehicle behind him. Staying close to the shrubbery, Reed watched a little Yaris pull up in front of the school. The driver left it running and got out, jogging up to the doors and yanking one. He was an unimposing man, at least half a foot shorter than Reed and a bit on the soft side, slightly receding hair, weak chin. He could be a parent, but Reed had never seen him before.

The man tugged all four entry doors and when none of them opened, cupped his hands around his eyes to peer inside. Nothing happened. Reed figured the secretary was in the bathroom or copy room or something, or she would have buzzed him in by now. Unless there was a reason she didn’t want to. Reed walked toward the steps, preparing to confront him.

The man looked at a folded piece of paper in his hands, flipped it around, looked to his left and behind him, then shrugged and stuck the paper between two doors. Then he started to jog back to his car. Partway there he spotted Reed and picked up his speed. Reed pushed into a run. The paper could wait. He didn’t think he should let this guy get away. He ran toward the car at an angle to cut off the shorter man, who was closer. They were going to reach the car at the same time, but the man had to go around it to get to the driver side. Reed bounced a ray of sunlight off the windshield into the man’s face, trying to slow him down, but the ray twisted away before it hit.

“Crap.” The guy was a solar. Reed pushed faster and reached the man just as he got to the car, but as he reached for him the guy leaped into the air and caught a sudden breeze that carried him over the Yaris and dropped him right next to the driver’s door. Reed cursed again and yanked on the passenger handle, but it was locked. A moment later the car screeched away. He quickly read off the license number while he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“A-two-nine-C-three-B. A-two-nine-C-three-B. A-two-nine-C-three-B.” He punched it into the memo function and saved it, then speed-dialed his wife. When Avery answered he said, “Get inside with the kids. I’ll be right there.”

~~~
The second book in the duology, , is releasing November 1st and is available for preorder.

Teresa has a new review for you – The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi – a mystery. Unfortunately, she didn’t like it much. You can see her complete 2 Sparkler review on her page.

I just finished reading an action/adventure romance called “Ambush in the Everglades” by Petie McCarty. This 4 Sparkler read will tell you all you need to know about the Glades in an entertaining way. Look under “Romance” for my full review.

Two new reviews for you today, both in the LGBTQ Adult page. Both with ghosts! So much fun.

The first, “Unfinished Business” by B.G. Thomas, is a 5 Sparkler novella that is a quick read and has a perfectly satisfying ending. A definite pick this one up.

The second, “The Player” by Joe Cosentino, is a 4 Sparkler 2-in-1 book with two short novellas in one book. The ghost in this one is hilarious and there are cozy mysteries to boot. A fun read.

Enjoy! I know I did.

A new Tallie Graver mystery!

This Christmas, Tallie Graver would like to take a break from running her cleaning business to be with her boyfriend, Max, and enjoy their first holiday together—alone. Instead, she’s stuck keeping her mother and grandmother from duking it out during the town’s annual Christmas Eve bingo game. As for festive spirit, she’ll have to settle for her mean-spirited Aunt Ronda, whose mouth could use some soap.
 
The night only gets worse after Tallie discovers Ronda’s body. It seems someone cleaned her clock with a can of varnish. While all the evidence points to Ronda’s husband, Tallie doesn’t believe her beloved Uncle Hoagie could do such a dirty deed. Of course, his sudden disappearance doesn’t help his case. If Tallie hopes to clear his name, she’ll need to dig up some dirt to locate the real killer. Otherwise, someone else could get rubbed out.

Links:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1496723767?tag=sa-sym-new-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/646349/varnished-without-a-trace-by-misty-simon/9781496723765

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50250281-varnished-without-a-trace

About the author:

Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock… Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time. She knows how to hula, was classically trained to sing opera, co-wrote her high school Alma Mater, and can’t touch raw wood. Never hand her a Dixie cup with that wooden spoon/paddle thing. It’s not pretty.

Touching people’s hearts and funny bones are two of her favorite things, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two insane dogs in Central Pennsylvania where she is hard at work on her next novel or three. She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at misty@mistysimon.com. https://mistysimon.wordpress.com/

High-level election officials mysteriously disappear from key presidential election swing states. A nursing home franchise in Minnesota keeps patients chained to their beds. Former General Frederick Farmington, a populist candidate with a radical protectionist agenda, inexplicably soars in the polls.

Are these incidents connected? Colonel Zack Kelly and his national security team suspect persons unknown within the president’s inner circle of aiding Farmington by tampering with the election.

Zack’s partner, Rene Garcia, infiltrates the Farmington campaign. She uncovers a plot to rig the election by hacking into state computers and using artificial intelligence to “cook the books.”

Zack finds the roots of the conspiracy run so deep they penetrate the lives of not only his team, but also his father, daughter, high-school classmates, and his first love of years ago.

Racing against time, Zack has to dig deep and use all his skills to rescue his colleagues from vicious killers who will stop at nothing to seize presidential power.

Not all of them will survive.

During his time in the military, Don Helin served at a number of stateside posts as well as overseas in Vietnam and Germany. He is the author of six thrillers that draw from his military experience, including three tours in the Pentagon. He writes for “TheBurg”, a community magazine based in Harrisburg.

His novel, Secret Assault, was selected as the Best Suspense/Thriller at the 2015 Indie Book Awards. His novel, Long Walk Home, won a Five Star review at Readers Favorite Awards and his latest novel, Roof of the World, was just awarded a Finalist in the 2020 Indie Book Awards.

You can reach Don at: http://www.donhelin.com.

PRAISE FOR MISSING

MISSING s a top-notch political thriller, as timely as it is terrific. Thriller vet Don Helin turns his sights on shenanigans arising in the days leading up to a presidential election in a tale that is both eerily prescient and scarily on point. Call MISSING a book ripped from headlines we never want to see as Colonel Zach Kelly and his crack national security team race to prevent a crisis of catastrophic proportions that would change the nation forever. A tour de force destined to be shelved right alongside Seven Days in May, Advise and Consent, and Six Days of the Condor.”

— Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author

**

“Don Helin’s new thriller, MISSING, starts with a literal bang and never lets up. Old flames, old pain and problems from the past put Colonel Zack Kelly at the center of a perplexing mystery full of shocking twists and turns. His team of tough and colorful characters have returned to help him investigate a high-tech conspiracy that couldn’t be more topical. If you’re looking for an action-packed page turner with a story ripped from today’s headlines, look no further”

 — Haris Orkin, award winning author of YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE and Amazon Best Selling Author of the JAMES FLYNN THRILLERS

**

Don Helin has a prescription for a fever pitched thriller that sounds a loud constitutional alarm for today. With his new novel, MISSING, Helin infuses the likes of Robin Cook and David Baldacci into a highly-charged, fast-paced warning that our political health might well be on life support.  A timely and exciting read.”

 — Gary Grossman, Best-selling author of Executive Actions, Old Earth and Red Hotel.

**

This is a 4 Sparkler review of a contemporary romance that takes place in the mountains of North Carolina near Asheville. It’s a decent story with several subplots that keep things moving. For my full review, look under the “Romance” page.

RECLAIMING QUINN by Parker Williams

Fiction, Shapeshifter Romance, LGBTQ

4****

Publisher Blurb: Shifter Quinn Adler knew he would live and die as a slave. Quinn’s life was filled with pain until he was rescued from an abusive pack. But in Lydon, Quinn can’t be sure of anything, so he’s terrified of everything. With no one to give him direction, he is lost—until Deke takes control of him. Deke Timmons hates that he has to play the role of master to his mate. Unfortunately, Quinn won’t accept his love until Deke can show him what being mates means. Vowing to help Quinn, Deke takes him into the world he’s never seen. Though sometimes their relationship is tense, his methods seem to be working. Then a power-mad Alpha swoops in to kidnap Quinn and ends up getting Deke by mistake. Now Deke must play submissive to a wolf complicit in Quinn’s abuse. He’ll do whatever it takes to get back to his mate—but with Deke in peril, Quinn must find his courage and reclaim the person he was meant to be.

Thoughts: This is the second in a paranormal series. Quinn was taken as a boy from his family by an abusive alpha. He was raped, beaten, starved, and treated as a slave until he was rescued by another family. Unfortunately, he has trouble reintegrating to a regular life and especially with his new “master”—who turns out to actually be his true mate. Deke knows he has to take things slow with Quinn and tries to. Then Deke is kidnapped and Quinn realizes what Deke means to him and he will do anything to get Deke back.

What I liked: the characters are strong and well-drawn with quirks, flaws, and strengths. The world building is excellent, especially with the vampyres being created to protect the Omegas. There’s a happily ever after that satisfies, but it’s also obviously part of a series because a few threads are left dangling even though this is a stand-alone. And you don’t need to have read the first one to know what’s going on in this one.

What I didn’t like: The book was slow to start for me. Okay, not really, but I had to skip over the first few pages because of the violence there. There are a lot of “triggers” in this book for some people. I didn’t get the whole “Omega” (and other Greek letters indicating who was what in society). Maybe that was explained in the first book. I also didn’t understand the whole “guy” got pregnant thing that obviously had to do with being an Omega.

Recommendation: It was a good book with strong characters and excellent world building. There are some triggers (rape, violence, abuse) that may take away from some readers’ enjoyment but overall, it’s a good read.