I know I should come to the Reindeer readathon knowing what books to read, but outside the two I spoke about in the wrap-up. However, there is some bookish content related to the holiday, and I want to carry on the tradition. Including reading 30 books set in this season, but I will tell you more about this in tomorrow’s post. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl, who has a new weekly topic.
December 2: Freebie – I’m keeping snow on the cover, snow is something magical to me, to the point that I named my dog after it. Plus, he was the whitest puppy from the litter.
Goodreads Blurb
It should be the perfect wedding day . . . But has Gwen’s groom got cold feet and will he make it through the snow in time?
A lovely Christmas romance short read that you won’t want to put down
Christmas is coming to the little Welsh town of Tonnadulais, and the much-loved characters from ‘The Green Hills of Home.’ But this year it’s somewhat overshadowed by a rather special wedding taking place on Christmas Eve.
Local girl Gwen Jones is finally marrying her man, London publisher John Thatcher, and she couldn’t be happier. Though as her friends and beloved mother help her prepare for the big day, Gwen can’t suppress the little nagging doubt that John shouldn’t still be stuck working in London the day before their wedding. Has the city boy changed his mind about marrying his country girl?
When a huge snow storm hits, it seems John might not to be able to make it back to her, whether he wants to or not.
Goodreads Blurb:
Sometimes, a simple field trip to the planetarium can be an act of bravery. In Giles Ashby’s case, it could also be a second chance with his lifelong crush.
Unbearably awkward and strangled by his anxiety disorder, Giles used surly snarls and abrupt remarks to keep everyone at a distance. As a result and surprising no one, he finds himself divorced and overwhelmed by the demands of parenting nine-year-old Milo —a shy, awkward clone of his father. Not wanting Milo to struggle through life the way he has, Giles enlists the help of Reid Marshall’s new nanny agency.
Of all the nannies in Manhattan… Reid had to send Giles’s childhood crush, Riley Fitzgerald. Still smitten and as flustered as he was in middle school, Giles bungles every encounter with the “new” nanny. But sweet, clever, outgoing Riley is exactly what Milo needs.
Riley thinks he knows what he’s getting into when he accepts a position working for his childhood nemesis, but Milo steals his heart the moment they meet. And “Giles the Jerk” isn’t as bad as Riley remembers. Or maybe Giles was never really all that bad… Riley finds himself swooning as Giles faces his fears in order to help Milo survive the fourth grade and win the science fair.
But can Riley really trust his heart, when all his past relationships have been cursed? Could this time be any different?
Goodreads Blurb:
Cheyenne Collins’s past has just come back to haunt her. Again. She runs to the sanctuary of her grandmother’s home in Willow Valley in the hopes of spending the Christmas holiday in a quiet, safe place. What she doesn’t expect is for her ex, Booker Banks, to also be in town. Right next door, in fact, visiting his grandfather.
Instead of the quiet, peaceful holiday Cheyenne envisioned, she must deal with cranky, bickering neighbors, an instigating niece, the emotions she feels for Booker and her past. As her and Booker began to repair their relationship, she fears he will run again, too.
Will she be able to make him stay this time despite the secrets she is hiding in her past? And when her abusive mother shows up on the scene, will Cheyenne finally take a stand or will she be the one to run?
Goodreads Blurb:
She’s made the biggest mistake of her life…
Tess McBride manages to snag a mid-year teaching job on Mackinac Island, Michigan. However, her timing is a little off, it’s the dead of winter and she’s never been in temperatures below fifty degrees. Just her luck, her landlord, Lukas, is as hot as the sun. A Michigan blizzard leaves them trapped in the same house together and things heat up, fast. Tess finds herself falling for Lukas, in spite of the secrets that could ruin everything before it even begins.
…and it’s about to ruin everything
Lukas Baird likes his quiet life hiding out on a frozen island making fudge. His past haunts him, but as long as he doesn’t have to talk to that many people he’s fine. But when Tess shows up, she stirs up feelings that he’d long since buried and for the first time in years, he lets his guard down. But when she reveals her secret, all he wants to do is run.
Goodreads Blurb:
Author Jennifer Gracen reunites sexy, sophisticated Sam and sweet but wounded Lydia in Book Two of the Seasons of Love series, ”Winter Hopes”. Newly divorced mom Lydia is still getting back on her feet, and still reeling from her intense encounter with Sam at a friend’s destination wedding. As they tentatively explore the demands and rewards of long-distance dating, their instant connection evolves against the vibrant backdrop of New York City. Each begins to trust again – opening up is difficult, even painful, but the joy and hope they feel in each other’s arms demands they lay their hearts on the line. Can their love survive the miles that separate them, and the complexities of nurturing a relationship via email, text and phone? And when Sam finally meets Lydia’s family, will old resentments and unspoken biases bring them closer together or driv e them apart? Full of the passion and tension any newly-joined couple experiences, this steamy yet hopeful book lays the foundation for Lydia’s budding relationship with Sam, and offers hope for second chances and a deep appreciation for the value of a loyal friend.
Goodreads Blurb:
Three things I know for sure:
1) I hate Charles Cavendish.
2) I hate Charles Cavendish.
3) Oh, and did I mention I hate Charles Cavendish?
Rich. Over-privileged. Smug. The guy’s far too good looking for his own good, and he’s always got that smirk teasing at the edges of his mouth, telling me what he thinks of me.
And now, my worst nightmare has come true.
Charles Cavendish has moved into my building which means I can’t avoid seeing him everywhere I go. He’s always there, judging me, especially when I come in late at night. Hey, I can’t help it if my “single American girl in London” writing gig means I’ve got to check out every new club in town. Charles is so tightly wound he goes to work before the birds have chirped their first good morning.
He needs to loosen up. Live a little. Actually, I don’t care what he does, just as long as he does it nowhere near me. Because I hate him with the heat of a thousand suns. And I always will.
Only now I’m stuck in an elevator with him.
On Christmas Eve.
Alone.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Goodreads Blurb:
With Christmas and a family showdown looming, can she find a miracle?
Hoping to reunite her mother with her long-lost brother for Christmas, interior designer Hayley Stevens travels to Montana to hand-deliver a Christmas card to the uncle she’s never met. Finding her uncle is easier than getting him alone to explain her mission. Reluctantly, Hayley hides her identity to learn more about her uncle and his family, but it’s his handsome and enigmatic partner who captures her heart and imagination.
Architect and builder Blake Dennison is attracted instantly to the beautiful Hayley, but he’s suspicious of her curiosity. Can she be a spy for a rival builder? He’s been burned by deceit before, but as he spends time with Hayley, he falls hard.
Hayley knows she has much more at stake than fulfilling her mother’s Christmas dream, and when she confesses to Blake the real reason for her visit, his reaction is what she feared. He wants her gone. But Hayley knows how to fight for what she wants.
Goodreads Blurb:
I hate Christmas.
I don’t know who thought every female must love shopping, wrapping, baking and hosting but I missed the memo. On top of that, I manage an upscale department store. Sprinkle in the fact I’ll be turning forty during this holiday season, and my life is a Christmas cookie recipe gone wrong.
And every year I become a little more Scrooge-ish.
But the spirit of the most wonderful time of the year seems to have a plan for me and my midlife-crisis attitude.
First, my past returns when I attend a high school reunion happy hour and run into that boy—the one I had a summer fling before I left for college, then promptly ghosted me.
The torture continues because that boy is now a man, worldly and wise and sexier than I remember. And he invites me to attend a holiday work party with him.
That’s where I learn this forty, fine, former NFL quarterback, now fireman has a new role: single father to the sweetest little girl, putting me at risk of falling for both of them.
However, I have my reasons not to believe in love and the happiest time of the year. And the first twenty-five days of December tests all my strength.
Just what the Dickens is happening? Charles himself might approve of this plot.
Even I’m a little curious to see how it all plays out.
Goodreads Blurb:
Quinn wants to save his bookshop, the last thing he needs is to fall in love…
Hay-on-Wye’s only queer bookshop is always a hive of activity. So when it’s threatened with closure, its owner Quinn Oxford is determined to do whatever it takes to save his beloved shop.
That is until romantic novelist Noah Sage arrives in town. Gorgeous, brooding and clearly unhappy to be there, Noah is the distraction Quinn doesn’t need. Noah has a history with Hay and it’s one he’d rather not face. But when the snow leaves him stranded, he’s left with no choice.
Hay is a small town, meaning Quinn can’t help but bump into Noah wherever he goes. And as the two grow closer together, is it possible that Noah’s feelings towards Hay will thaw? Can Quinn have a real-life romance and save his beloved bookshop? Or will he need a Christmas miracle…
Goodreads Blurb:
Trish Ackerly never expected to cross paths with Ian Rafferty again, but when she spots the former bully of her childhood years through her bakery window, she thinks she may just have been given the best Christmas gift ever: the opportunity to finally give Ian the comeuppance he deserves.
But clearly she does not have a knack for this whole revenge thing, because before she can make good on her plans, Trish gets inadvertently drawn into Ian’s life in an unexpected way that lets her see just how different the man is from the boy he used to be. In fact, much to her astonishment, she actually starts to like the guy.
A lot.
Trouble is, Ian doesn’t know who she really is, and explaining it to him is going to be a little difficult now—which is bad news, because Trish is starting to realize that all she really wants for Christmas this year…is Ian.
Mybookworld24 