Heart Note by Cassandra O’Leary

Heart Note by Cassandra O’Leary

by Carol3 Comments
I love a sweet holiday romance and "Heart Note" fits the bill. Lily is adorable and Christos is sexy as all get out. Sparks start flying from the minute they meet, and I honestly liked them both. It was light-hearted and fun. Their romance is believable, and their are a couple of steamy-ish parts, but nothing to make you blush. They are just a good couple. The other ladies who work at the perfume counter are enjoyable too. One's very Parisian and the other is a bit of a gossip, but I can see why they are all friends. The mystery aspect of the plot was a bit lacking, but that's not really the focus anyway. The bad guy gets caught, Christos has to save Lily from a moderate amount of trouble, but it definitely doesn't overshadow the romance. The story takes place at Christmas in Australia, which makes it a bit different for me. It's summer there this time of year, so...
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Mince Pies and Movies by Kiltie Jackson, author of A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle

Mince Pies and Movies by Kiltie Jackson, author of A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle

by Carol2 Comments
Today, I've got a wonderful guest post by Kiltie Jackson, author of A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle. There's also a giveaway; the rafflecopter's at the bottom of the post. Mince Pies and Movies by Kiltie Jackson Sukie McClaren, the leading lady in my novel A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle, is over the moon when she is sent to Salzburg on a business trip. The reason for this being, that she has a very deep love for the film ‘The Sound of Music’. She has fond memories of her childhood Christmas’s being spent sitting on the sofa with her mum, eating either mince pies or working their way through a tin of sweets, while the movie played out in front of them. This got me to thinking about my own Christmas movies and mince pie traditions. We’ll start with the mince pies. Mr Mogs and I are still working on finding the perfect mince pie. We believe the best thus far can be found in a...
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Killer Holiday by Amy Korman

by Carol7 Comments
Killer Holiday is a fun, slightly silly romp of a mystery. Kristin and her friends are a hoot and I wish I had read the series in order, so I could feel like I knew them better. They're all introduced well here, but I felt like I was missing some insight into their relationships. It's a large cast, too, and knowing them better would have made it easier to keep track of who was who. As far as the mystery goes, it's pretty straightforward. Once the crew meets Eula's new boyfriend there's little doubt who stole the luggage, but who kidnapped Chip is still a question. It's actually nice to have a mystery that involves theft and kidnapping, but no murders. It's light-hearted and has enough Christmas cocktails, decorations and parties to make it a true holiday read.   Read an excerpt from Killer Holiday: Chapter One Bootsie McElvoy burst through the front door of The Striped Awning, a bag of ice in her right...
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Spotlight on After Lucas by Tudor Robins

by Carol2 Comments
Read an excerpt: Chapter One A gaggle of little girls wearing jodhpurs, with their long braids tied with bows, clusters around the car next to our trailer. A man with a big voice and hearty laugh is frying an egg on the hood. “Who wants sunny side up?” he asks. A round of giggles, and one girl says, “Over easy for me!” Those hair bows – triple layered, in shades of pink, purple and turquoise, some with gems in the middle – make them look so sweet, but I know what those girls grow up to be like. “Mavis!” Laney snaps her fingers at me. “Please tell me you didn’t just snap at me,” I say. I’m used to riding coaches being tough, but those are top-notch coaches with full barns and waiting lists. Not you-weren’t-even-here-a-year-ago coaches trying to turn an old-school Western barn into a show stable. Laney, though, hasn’t received the memo that she shouldn’t look a gift horse like mine in the mouth. That the...
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A Visit to Bar Harbor, Maine – Guest Post by Heather McCoubrey, author of Back to December

by Carol6 Comments
Today, Heather is taking us to visit one of the setting locations from Back to December. When Cooper invites Anna to go away for a weekend, he takes her to a little town called Bar Harbor, Maine. Bar Harbor holds a special place in my heart: two days after my wedding, my husband and I packed a moving truck and moved from Virginia to Maine. Between my husband, my sister-in-law and myself, we drove three vehicles north--the moving truck broke down twice and we had to constantly pull over to fill it with oil. We arrived in Maine in the early hours of the morning and spent the night in a hotel. The next morning, we woke to do the final walk-through, and on approximately four hours of sleep, we closed on our house. We spent the next two days unloading the moving truck and then we decided to it was time to finally take our honeymoon. So we left our brand...
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Spotlight on Unexpected Outcomes by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

by Carol3 Comments
Read an excerpt: CHAPTER ONE “I can’t believe I’m gonna die. Please, no. Why are you shooting at us?” I pulled the trigger and watched as the bullet raced through the air, smacking my best friend in the center of her chest. I bolted upright; sweat dripping from my forehead, tears streaming down my cheeks, my heart beating faster than ever. I’d just dreamed I’d shot my best friend. My best friend. “It’s just a dream,” I mumbled. “Just a dream.” My husband, Jake rolled over and rubbed my leg. “You okay, Babe?” I lay down and snuggled into him. “I just shot Mel in my dream.” He squeezed his arms tight around me. “We both know that would never happen. You’d be lost without her. It was just a dream. Don’t let it upset you.” I glanced at the clock. It was four AM, and I knew I wouldn’t fall back asleep, so I kissed Jake and got up for the day, resigned to the fact that...
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