Novella November-Snowlicious

Snowlicious by Leigh LaValle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

❄ A fun, flirty friends-to-lovers holiday romance. ❄

Mike and Thea have been friends for a long time. But now they're older and are secretly attracted to each other. They both have fears of ruining their friendship by taking a chance and going on to the next phase. Out of the Friend Zone into the L-Zone.
Mike is a lawyer who had many one night stands but they were never the ones he wanted, which was Thea. Thea has recently divorced and owns a Floral Shop. I guess it was time to throw caution to the wind and take a chance on Love huh.Christmas trees, snowstorms, holiday events prove to be an exciting backdrop for this novella. I enjoyed it a lot.

Goodreads Summary 

Snow's falling, carolers are singing, and holiday lights are twinkling. It's the most wonderful time of the year to get out of the friend zone... At least that's what Mike is hoping. But his best friend, Thea, is seriously lacking in holiday spirit. In fact, she's hot-and-bothered in the wrong way when her ex steals her entry in the Festival of Trees competition. Now, she needs to find the Best Tree Ever so she can win the competition before her florist shop loses business. The catch? Thea's using this opportunity to exert her independence and stand up for herself, but Mike can't pass up the chance to play Secret Santa and lend her a helping hand. Such an expression of holiday giving couldn't possibly backfire, right?

Novella November: The Boss Who Stole Christmas

The Boss Who Stole Christmas (Reindeer Falls #1) by Jana Aston

Kindle Edition
Published November 7th, 2019
Publisher Rutherford Press
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wow, talk about getting into the Christmas Spirit! This one is sure to set your stockings on fire.

Goodreads Summary 

Dear Santa, Please bring me a new boss for Christmas. Mine is the worst. The worst, hidden in a six foot tall package of male perfection. It’d be easier if he looked like an old Scrooge, wouldn’t it? Nick Saint-Croix doesn’t look like an old scrooge. He’s hot as- Um, never mind. Just bring me a new boss. Please. Sincerely, Holly Winter

Novella November: A Blind Date for Christmas

A Blind Date for Christmas by Jo-Ann Carson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**I received a free kindle book from JRT Publications via NetGalley in exchange for a review

In the small town of Mystic Keep, at The Perfect Brew cafe, Oscar and Annabelle's eternal flame burns perpetual and there is no stopping it, not even from Venomilia's curse. The story doesn't go into detail about how Oscar becomes the bearer of a curse, only that he is unable to fall in love or go on a second date. Having friends like Sanjay to help these paranormal star-crossed coffee baristas is a blessing.

Mistletoe and Mr. Right

Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Lyla Payne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hardcover, 368 pages
Published October 6th, 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Children's

Reading this contributed to the #HoHoHoRAT 2019

- Two Stories of Holiday Romance

Mistletoe and Mr. Right
This contemporary begins with a surprise visit to Ireland. Jessica wants a serious relationship with her boyfriend but he might not be the one for her when she quickly finds out Brennan never really was on the same page. He is shocked to see her! Not quite the response she was after, but ok. His family owns a B&B and from the minute she steps foot on their property, all the bad luck in the universe wants to spoil her mood. From running over their Nanny Goat to meeting his mother who had never heard her son mention Jessica at all. Wow, talk about disillusioned. This is often the case of loving someone who doesn't love you. There was someone else who needed her and who she had better chemistry with. He made all the difference in the world. I loved that Jessica got her Sleighride in the snow!

Sleigh Bells and Second Chances

A second chance at love. Christine Laker is Jessica's friend who also is in love with a guy she met 4 years ago. Cary White is the lead guitarist in a rock band called Pursuant. Christine is a PR agent recruited to promote Pursuant for a London Tour or some gig. What follows is a HEA. Yay.

Goodreads Summary

In "Mistletoe and Mr. Right," Jessica (not Jessie) takes a flying leap and follows her boyfriend home for the holidays for Christmas break, sure that Ireland will provide the perfect backdrop to the beginning of their happily ever after. But it turns out his family--and his gorgeous ex-girlfriend--don't feel the same way, and the only person making the trip worthwhile is the local farmhand, who has a way of showing up when Jessica needs him most . . . and least. The holiday hijinks continue in "Sleigh Bells and Second Chances," when Jessica's best friend makes her own way across the pond! Christina Lake does not want to be away at Christmas, but it's her duty to babysit one of London's hottest bands at their last-minute concert on Christmas Eve . . . even though she had a fling with Cary, the band's lead singer, that never officially ended. Now forced to reconnect, Christina is starting to think that maybe London is exactly where she's supposed to be to get the perfect New Year's kiss--at least until she finds out that he's been lying the whole time. Can Cary find a way to prove himself before the clock strikes twelve? Or will the New Year ring in a new romance? Lyla Payne wraps up two perfect holiday novellas, ties them with a ribbon of romance, and tops them with a light dusting of snow. Perfect to curl up with under the tree. Just add hot cocoa!

Novella November: One Snowy Night

One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis

Audiobook Narrated by Karen White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rory Andrews is 23 yrs old, living in San Francisco and works as a dog groomer. Her sordid past involves being a victim of school bullying. To make things right with her family she intends to spend Christmas with them. Things haven't been so great since she ran away from home at seventeen.

Max Stranton offers to give her a ride because he is going that way anyway, but she reluctantly agrees because...( she is crazy in love with him). They know each other from school but naturally, life got in the way. On the four hour journey to Tahoe, they get stuck in a snowstorm and are forced to stay in a hotel overnight to wait out the storm. Perfect time to make amends and cuddle. Max's furry Doberman loves Rory and is a welcome distraction.
This novella has an equal amount of action plot and adventure to make it exciting. I appreciate that.

"Reading this novella contributed to the 2019 #HoHoHo Readathon"

Goodreads Summary

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Heartbreaker Bay with a fun and festive holiday novella! It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl. Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south. They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.

Alone for the Holidays makes me feel I'm not alone

Alone for the Holidays by Vivien Mayfair

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I live for Novellas in November. Centred around Christmas, it's a perfect way to get into the spirit of the holidays. The author also includes a bunch of delicious recipes for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Also thanks to the author for including us alone ones that aren't typical in a Christmas novella.

I'm like Clara, keeping busy by reading books on Goodreads lol. I also blog when I want to. Nothing too stressful. I like how the author describes being alone: "She cooked her meals for one, stuck with a four-pack of toilet paper, and stopped shaving her legs months ago...She could eat as much as she wanted without embarrassment. Laundry day only came every other week, hair washing once a week, and housecleaning once a month" Yup. pretty much ;) I feel like exclaiming "SAME!"

Clara Neverov has gotten herself in a bind, wrapped in Christmas when a guy she meets in an online book group invites himself over. He doesn't know Clara isn't who she says she is. She posts online as Abigail for privacy reasons and now she is overwhelmed to have to spill the beans to this guy. O, good lord. No hilarity ensues, unfortunately, probably because the guy was too serious. Idk. I didn't like him. There is no surprise everything works out in the end. HEA.

**I received an advance review copy from Book Sirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb. A short and sweet holiday read.Snow is falling hard near the picturesque town of Woodstock with its scrumptious bakeries, brightly lit storefronts, and twelve-foot Main Street Christmas tree. Romance is in the air for everybody except spicy Russian Clara Neverov, recently divorced, bitter, and alone for the holidays. As an acclaimed romance author, she revels in her solitary life relying only on Internet book groups for her socialization under a fake name pulled from childhood memory and her best friend’s photo. When a mysterious editor from a Goodreads book group shares a sad story about being alone for the holidays, she accidentally invites him to spend them with her. The only problem is that her snowy country cottage is nowhere close to the magical Santa’s wonderland that she described. In fact, it closely resembles the underground Grinch’s lair on a bad day. The situation goes from bad to worse when Finn Jacobs drops an email that he’s on his way to spend Christmas with her and doesn't mention a date for his arrival.

About the author

Vivien Mayfair is the author of the sweet, clean, contemporary romance Snowdrop Valley Series, with a central focus on the theme of books, seasons, and holidays. Vivien always dreamed of being a writer. After years of raising children as a single parent from a young age and various dismal jobs with no direction, Vivien decided to indulge her passion for books by earning an MA in English before turning to writing romance full-time. She now creates sweet, wholesome, heartfelt romance that leaves readers feeling toasty on the inside and laughing on the outside. Her trademark sarcasm, themed holidays, and vibrant settings have gained her fans from all over. When not reading or writing, Vivien spends her time with animals, family, watching period drama movies or TV, or dreaming about her next autumn or snowy winter vacation to New England. Vivien resides in the Pacific Northwest.

 Visit Vivien's Website

Novella November: A Highland Ghost for Christmas

A Highland Ghost for Christmas by Jo-Ann Carson

Kindle Edition, 78 pages
Published November 13th, 2016 by JRT Publications

Goodreads Summary 

Jilted by her fiancé, librarian Maddy Jacobson is nursing a broken heart, when her best friend gives her an early Christmas present. Intended to be a fun, psychic reading in a spooky, tea house, the gift turns out to be life-changing. Maddy becomes haunted by a mischievous, Highland ghost. Ruggedly handsome, Cullen Macfie, the Highlander, has been dead for over three centuries, and never in all those years has he been so attracted to a woman, as he is to Maddy. He falls hopelessly in love and decides to woo her. Can there be a future for a librarian and a naughty, Highland ghost? 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What would it take for a 300-year-old Scottish ghost to graduate to an angel? If he could help Maddy get over a breakup then he would have done well. Maddy enjoys spending time with Cullen. I like that he wasn't afraid of messing with humans. I mean he isn't scary or malevolent. A Highland Ghost for Christmas has a perfect balance of romance and awesome. I loved it!

About the author:

Reports of Jo-Ann Carson’s death on a Gulf Island are greatly exaggerated or, at the very least, premature. The eclectic crew of ghosts that haunt her head spill onto the page in two series: The Gambling Ghosts and The Ghost & Abby Mysteries. A Viking with existential issues, a broken-hearted Highlander, a Casanova man-witch and a Pirate with a secret are just a few of the males her strong heroines encounter in tales of fantasy adventure and romance. A firm believer in the magic of our everyday lives, Jo-Ann loves watching sunrises, walking beaches near her home in the Pacific Northwest and reading by the fire.

Newsletter * Blog * Twitter * Facebook

One Christmas Eve

One Christmas Eve by Shannon Stacey

Goodreads Summary 

They couldn’t be more different. Or more perfect for each other. New York Times bestselling author Shannon Stacey returns with a warm and cozy opposites-attract Christmas story. Zoe Randall is busy living her life as she damn well pleases. She’s back in her favourite town, her divorce in her rearview mirror, and living out her childhood dream of running a bookstore with her cousin. She has no interest in the uptight nerd who opened his boring-ass business next to her shop…until he complains about one of her sexy window displays. Then it’s game on. Preston Wheeler knows he takes life a little too seriously. But when the saucy bookseller next door starts pushing his buttons, he can feel that changing. Beautiful, vivacious Zoe challenges him in all the best ways, and soon he’s pushing her buttons right back: teasing and flirting all the way through the holiday season. As Preston loosens up and Zoe is treated to the man behind the suit (particularly his forearms), she realizes she’s more interested than she cares to admit. And Preston comes to see the beauty—the absolute delight—in adding Zoe’s bright splashes of colour to his once very black-and-white existence. 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

** I received a free copy from the publisher HARLEQUIN - Carina Press VIA Netgalley in exchange for a review

I felt nothing for the characters, and in fact, I kind of hated Zoe and Preston. As much as I wanted to like 'One Christmas Eve' it didn't grip me due to lacklustre. It made me think they had a sex addiction and it was like watching a porn sesh! All's I got from reading this book was a headache. Don't waste your time

Novella November: Christmas Past

Christmas Past by Mary Burton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*I received a free kindle copy from the publisher via NetGalley
**Trigger warning of abusive relationships and brutality

The cover caught my eye and since it is Novella November I couldn't wait to dig in.
Christmas Past is a tale of romance and violence extending 3 days. David Ayden is absorbed by his attraction to Nicole. He wants to marry her. He's a good cop who lost his wife to cancer and is now a single dad to 2 teenage boys. Nicole is a struggling photographer and a single mom who is being tormented by her dead husband from beyond the grave. Her past is shaped by violence and abuse.
Can these two find a happily ever after? With a little help from their friends, they just might.

Because of her ex-husband, Nicole thinks she brings evil into everyone's life just like she did with Claire Carmichael, who was murdered for helping Nicole escape domestic violence. She doesn't want anyone else to die because of her. I got the impression Nicole was smart and capable though. When she reveals to Ayden a DVD she receives from her late husband, it appears Nicole was taking initiative and she needed to catch the one responsible. She was very strong and determined and a plan was formed which provided a very cozy romantic escape for the two of them BUT her life was still in danger and who better to have by your side than a 'warrior' sergeant?

About Mary Burton

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary Burton’s latest tale of romance and suspense is Hide and Seek. The author of thirty-two published novels and five novellas, she’s also written five works of contemporary fiction as Mary Ellen Taylor. Find out more on her website

A Christmas Worth Billions Novella

A Christmas Worth Billions (Silver Script Novel Book 2) by Jaclyn Weist

Kindle Edition, 186 pages
Date released: December 19th, 2016 Publisher: Dragons & Fairy Tales Press
My Review: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary: The only thing Lily wants is for her children to have a nice warm home, and to make sure her family’s diner survives. When handsome billionaire David walks in and leaves a rather generous tip, he not only helps her little family, he also gives her something she hasn’t had for a long time—hope. After the loss of his beloved wife, David moves to a small town in New York, hoping to escape the memories, along with the pressures of his life as the president of the largest ad agency in the country. The last thing he expects when he meets with his pastor is to run into the woman who will change his life forever. David is willing to shower Lily with everything she needs, but Lily isn’t sure she can handle the kindness after everything she’s dealt with in the past. Will her bad memories keep them from being able to have a future together? Or will he be able to convince her that love is what makes life worth living?

I liked how it all ends on a happy note but honestly, it was too little too late. Much too late and oh, so predictable.
First of all, I don't know what attracted a millionaire to what appears to be a poor single mother struggling to provide for her two children. She was very stubborn to think she could handle it all by herself. Child Welfare would have had a field day if they knew her kids were getting sick because it was so cold in their house due to no electricity and heat and no food in her cupboards! Just saying. She couldn't afford to pay her house bills because the measly money she made from her business was all going back into the Diner that she was about to lose if she didn't muster up more business. She was barely surviving and had it not been for Mr. Wonderful aka David, she would have not survived the winter.

Lily was too ignorant and proud to accept David's willingness to help her though. David himself was a multi-millionaire who had recently lost his wife in a car accident and was grieving. In order to escape bad publicity and the press harassment, he heads to a small town far away from New York City. Lily and her kids were just what he needed to take his mind off of his pain.

A Christmas Worth Billions didn't feel like a novella to me. It was long enough to feel it dragging on and on.

Taking advantage of people's money is one thing but not accepting someone's help when they are willing to help you, doesn't make sense and well, incomprehensible to me. Besides that, it's hard to get real help when you need it. I am of the persuasion where you take what you can get. lol, It would have been really stupid for Lily to ignore David when she needed him. Duh, it was a no-brainer.

About the Author

Visit her Website

Jaclyn is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close, but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve, at BYU, and they have six happy, crazy children who encourage her to keep writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. Her books include the Silver Script Novels—Ring of Truth, A Christmas Worth Billions, Fashioned for Love, Change in Harmony, and Another Chance for Love, Love in Return, and Waves of Hope; and the upcoming Roping His Heart and Never Say Necklace.

Novella November: Wedding Bells

Wedding Bells (The MacAllisters of Rivers End, #4) by C.J. Hunt

Get it on Kindle Amazon,
Novella ebook, 96 pages
Published on: September 17th, 2018
Publisher: Thigh High Ink
Add to Goodreads

Goodreads Summary:

When Jenna Murphy escaped to Isaac MacAllister’s Big River Lodge last winter, she was the Christmas gift he didn’t know he needed. Now, she’s moved to Rivers End for good, and he and his six-year-old daughter, Sara, couldn’t be happier. Isaac knows what he wants. But he can’t seem to find the perfect moment to pop the question. Jenna has been in Rivers End for several months, and business is thriving. But she’s been too wrapped up in Isaac to even unpack her apartment. When his ex rolls into town after five years, she brings a sports carload of unfinished business with her. Sidelined by the drama, Jenna knows she should strike out on her own. But how can she, when all she wants is to be a part of Isaac and Sara’s life?

All Jenny and Isaac want are to live with each other professing their undying fidelity to love one another which doesn't include Isaac's meddling ex-wife Lauren. Isaac was married to Lauren and had a child who he now looks after. Lauren, his wife at the time, ran off with his best friend 5 years ago, leaving her daughter Sara behind as well.

It was an unforgivable mistake, but when she comes back insinuating herself into his and her daughter's life, Jenny is forced to back off. So she decides to enlist the help of her brother Eli and his girlfriend Ginger, Shannon and Lucas, to help unpack her things and settle into her apartment. Waiting for Isaac to ask her to move in might never happen.

Isaac had every intention to ask Jenny to move in with him and Sara, in fact, he never wanted to see her apart but when she was forced to back off because of Lauren, she found perspective. It would mean more to Jenny to be married instead. She needed a strong and more definite agreement on Isaac's part. She already loved him and Sara to pieces and needed to be sure it is what Isaac wanted, wrapped up in a pretty bow with a ring on her finger. They got married on Christmas Eve. (view spoiler)[There is a hint she might be pregnant as well (hide spoiler)]

FYI, I don't think Christmas is a good time to be married. IMO it doesn't make it any more special if that's what the allure is about.

Quote from CJ Hunt "This song makes me feel the way I feel about Jenna and Isaac together in Wedding Bells 🙂 I put it on repeat when I was trying to picture the wedding at the end, and how they’d be feeling. So many stories in this video too...

  

About CJ Hunt

CJ Hunt a passionate reader and writer of romance. Her body is living happily-ever-after with her lovely game designer of a husband in Vancouver, BC, while her mind spends most of its time with her invisible friends in the fictional Vancouver Island town of Rivers End.
She can often be found sipping some sort of handcrafted cocktail while contemplating how to complicate everyone’s lives just enough that when they get their happy endings, you really feel like they’ve earned it.

Reindeer Games- Novella November

Reindeer Games(The MacAllisters of Rivers End, #3) by C.J. Hunt

Kindle Novella 129 pages
Published September 10th, 2018 by Thigh High Ink
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Get on Kindle Amazon

I am so happy that Jenny's brother comes clean. Stealing his sister's car and just being an overall douche made me think he was just a shit stain of a brother who spoils Christmas in Silver Bells, BUT to my excitement lo and behold Reindeer Games is about his own romance with Ginger and he's changed for the better! We find out that he isn't just a compulsive gambler who hates his life, who gets himself involved in some shady business deal with the likes of Russo that he has to borrow and beg to pay the money he owes him.
Only 20,000 in 5,000 installments with interest *coughs

No. I mean Eli Murphy is one heck of a lucky guy to have found the kind of people who would bail him out of the trouble he was in. He had Justin and Gareth and GND Security to thank for saving his sorry ass and catching the bad guys. I don't want to hear any more about Russo mmk?

Ginger has a lot of emotional baggage as well. She was left orphaned and abused by her foster father (I think) There isn't much background detail about it and I am glad because I don't want to hear about her abuse but she doesn't have much luck with the choices she makes in men. However, she seems to have a lot of good people around her, like Justin.

I was so excited when I heard about the Reindeer Games and that Eli + Ginger was a team. It didn't turn out the way I expected but the story was still HEA and that made me happy :)
Thanks, CJ Hunt for spreading joy at Christmas.

The author refers to a chick flick, Love Actually and is the inspiration to this next song. I actually like this movie and Ginger gets to watch it actually :P

I LOVED the Mariah Carey version of this song (Okay, fine. Still do. Judge away.) and since Love Actually was one of the winning clues in the Reindeer Games trivia contest how could I NOT pick this song? Add in the awesome video elements of the Hugh Grant storyline in the background which I adore… and here we are.

Goodreads Summary

GINGER LEWIS knows from personal experience that the world is full of bad and dangerous people. She’s been lucky enough to escape her rough past and cherishes her stable work family and lovable bulldog, Max. And she knows better than to try to rescue a stranger in a snowstorm. Especially one with a chiselled jaw, perfect stubble, and 1001 secrets behind those icy blue eyes.
ELI MURPHY, on the run and temporarily homeless, should be glad to spend the holidays stuck in the woods with no cell reception and no one who knows him. The isolation will allow him to regroup and plan his next move. But between the festive atmosphere, cozy cabin, and tempting fake girlfriend, Eli finds himself fantasizing about a future he doesn’t deserve. As the Reindeer Games draw to a close, he will have to come to terms with his mistakes or risk losing Ginger—and the chance to make a real home in Rivers End.

About the Author

CJ Hunt a passionate reader and writer of romance. Her body is living happily-ever-after with her lovely game designer of a husband in Vancouver, BC, while her mind spends most of its time with her invisible friends in the fictional Vancouver Island town of Rivers End. She can often be found sipping some sort of handcrafted cocktail while contemplating how to complicate everyone’s lives just enough that when they get their happy endings, you really feel like they’ve earned it.

Goodreads Author|
Visit her website for more information

Novella November Rivers End Romance : Silver Bells

Silver Bells(A Rivers End Romance)by C.J. Hunt

Kindle Amazon 

Length: 91 pages
Novella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love holidays and romance. Silver Bells is about a Christmas blogger named Jenny who decides to take a vacation in Rivers End to get away from the city and all the Christmas shopping, decorations and parties. She just wants to relax. Only that ain't happening. Her suite is filled with decorations and she ends up injuring her knee and walking with crutches for the rest of her stay. Her idea of fun involves sex and hot tubs and when she meets Isaac her dreams just may all come true. Gorgeous! Loved it.

I couldn't NOT want to hear and listen to Silver Bells after reading this romance. CJ Hunt writes on her website some of her thoughts about this

I’m not sure this one really needs an explanation 😛 But I loved this version because it makes me think of a barbershop quartet singing in the snow outside a lit up window of a small town store. Red brick, and twinkling lights, and only the occasional car… it seemed perfect for Silver Bells and Christmas in Rivers End!

There is an alternate cover as well. Which one do you like better?

Publisher Summary: 

Isaac MacAllister’s life revolves around building his business and doing his best to give his daughter Sara a strong sense of family. Over the years he’s had to learn how to keep their little family together on his own, but this Christmas Isaac is going to have some unexpected help. Christmas blogger Jenna Murphy has one goal for the holidays this year: to get far away from anything to do with Christmas. Her website sale is done, and after 1,825 posts about the big C, it’s one “season” she never wants to celebrate again. She’s ready to start a new life, and the Big River Lodge seems like the perfect place for her to figure out the details. The lodge is isolated, she has her own private cabin, and no one in her family will know where she is. But she didn’t plan on the highly distracting presence of Isaac MacAllister. Is Jenna going to let one sexy dad and his sweet kindergartener derail her plans for her holiday … and her life?

About the Author

I’m a passionate reader and writer of romance. My body is living happily-ever-after with my lovely game designer of a husband in Vancouver, BC, while my mind spends most of its time with my invisible friends in the fictional Vancouver Island town of Rivers End. I can often be found sipping some sort of handcrafted cocktail while contemplating how to complicate everyone’s lives just enough that when they get their happy endings, you really feel like they’ve earned it.

Tipsy A Rivers End Romance

Tipsy ( A Rivers End Romance) by C.J. Hunt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amazon Kindle 107 pages

Published September 15th, 2017 by Thigh High Ink

Quote:

When they finally came up for air, she whispered, “I love you, too. Now let’s get this party started.” Lucas felt a bit tipsy—drunk on adrenaline, nerves, and Shannon. Those magic words on this magic day had his head, and his heart, reeling. So this was what happiness felt like.

Tipsy is what Shannon is on New Years when she goes home with Lucas and wakes up in his bed with the memory of his kiss on her lips. They had a lot of baggage to sort out and straighten up between them but the simple fact is Lucas was in love with Shannon and she could not deny her attraction to him. She was good with kids and his niece Sara.
Rivers End is like Cheers: Where everybody knows your name.
Lucas has dreamt of owning a coffee shop and is determined to make 'Higher Ground' work for Sara's sake.

CJ Hunt has music inspired songs that fit well with her stories. She says about Tipsy:

I was in after the first few bars of this song—totally sounds like Lucas talking about Shannon in Tipsy. He takes care of her that New Year’s Eve, and he’s all in way before she realizes what’s going on for her. This video makes me cry. Just sayin’. Consider yourself warned. All the feels ahead…

Publisher Summary:

When old secrets and new passions come home to Rivers End... LUCAS HEYES is a man with a plan. Move back to Rivers End. Fix his broken relationship with his ex-brother-in-law Isaac MacAllister, and be a good uncle to his niece Sara. Oh, and open Higher Ground—the coffee shop he’s been dreaming about for years. There’s only one hitch: Shannon MacAllister—Isaac’s younger sister—is back in town too, and living across the hall from him. Apparently, his time away did nothing to temper his feelings for her. After what happened five years ago, he’s sworn never to keep secrets from the MacAllisters again. Will Shannon convince him to break that promise and keep what they have between them a secret? SHANNON MACALLISTER has one wish: to get kissed on New Year’s by a man nothing like her fiancé—make that ex-fiancé—before she tackles a new chapter in her life back in her hometown. She gets her wish. But along with it comes a whole whack of complicated. Her body wants Lucas, but her mind can’t help pointing out that while he's sexy as hell, he’s a liar, and she’s not about to go back to that place. It’s bad enough that they share a family as well as an apartment building. The MacAllisters went through hell once before because of the Heyes family. Will Shannon trust enough to open her heart and risk trying again?

About the Author

I’m a passionate reader and writer of romance. My body is living happily-ever-after with my lovely game designer of a husband in Vancouver, BC, while my mind spends most of its time with my invisible friends in the fictional Vancouver Island town of Rivers End. I can often be found sipping some sort of handcrafted cocktail while contemplating how to complicate everyone’s lives just enough that when they get their happy endings, you really feel like they’ve earned it.

Visit her Website http://www.cjhuntromance.com/

Review: Tide Dance: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Novella

Tide Dance: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Novella by Danielle Garrett

Kindle Amazon, 43 pages
Published September 19th, 2018
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute story. Holly, Evangeline, Adam and Nick help a misplaced Selkie- a magical creature. Clarice is a sea lion that can shift into a human. She is spotted in town and later gets arrested for stealing. She just wants to go back to her pod and be with her kind, only someone has taken her skin/pelt and she can't turn back into her true form and is stuck on land as a human. She needs to find her missing pelt before the Summer Solstice or she won't be welcome to rejoin her pod because they will think she would rather be a human and therefore is not a true selkie. She will be disgraced. She needs to get back to her pod!

Reading Tide Dance fulfills Novella November 2018

Publisher Summary

The Summer Solstice brings new mysteries from the deep.
Tourist season is underway in the coastal community of Beechwood Harbor. Holly Boldt is up to her eyebrows in work. Between the coffee shop and her potion business, things are moving at a break-neck pace. But when a teenage runaway starts causing trouble around the harbor, she has to step in, especially when she realizes the terrified girl isn’t just another out-of-towner on summer vacation.


With her posse of magical misfits, Holly’s ready to kick up some sand and get to the bottom of the guarded teen’s dilemma.

After all, summer in Beechwood wouldn’t be any fun without a little magic mystery.
**Previously published in the Spell or High Water Anthology**
***Fits in the timeline after the events of Lucky Witch, book five in the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries series**

About The Author

From a young age, Danielle Garrett was obsessed with fantastic places and the stories set in them. As a lifelong bookworm, she's gone on hundreds of adventures through the eyes of wizards, princesses, elves, and some rather wonderful everyday people as well. 

Danielle now lives in Oregon and while she travels as often as possible, she wouldn't call anywhere else home. She shares her life with her husband and their house full of animals, and when not writing, spends her time being a house servant for three extremely spoiled cats and two wild-child pups.

Visit her Website http://daniellegarrettbooks.com/

Along Came a Ghost: A Beechwood Harbor Novella

Along Came a Ghost (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery #4.5) by Danielle Garrett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Along Came a Ghost is a novella length work set after the events of book four, Witch Way Home. Perfect for fans of Amanda M. Lee, Kristen Painter, and Angie Fox. Come join the fun of Beechwood Harbor, the little town where witches, shifters, ghosts, and vamps all live, work—and mostly—get along!

When a relaxing weekend is cut short, Holly and friends scramble into action to keep a mysterious new ghost from terrorizing their peaceful life at the manor. With the help of the new ghost whisperer in town and her quirky sidekicks, it's a race against the clock to unlock the secrets of the past.

My Review: 

What a cute inspiring ghost tale! Danielle Garrett knows how to write her characters. In Along Came a Ghost we are introduced to Scarlet who works in a florist shop in Beechwood Harbor and Lenny who proves to be quite helpful in reuniting Posy and her husband Earl.

Get the Kindle Unlimited from Amazon.ca

Review: Christmas at Cranberry Cottage

Christmas at Cranberry Cottage by Talli Roland

Kindle Unlimited
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

With a whirlwind lifestyle travelling the world, the one thing Jess Millward relies on is Christmas with her gran in cosy Cranberry Cottage. When her grandmother reveals the house is directly in the path of a new high-speed railway, Jess is determined to fight. Can Jess save the cottage from demolition, or will she have no home to come to this Christmas?

Christmas at Cranberry Cottage just reminds me of how much I love novellas. Jess was a little too gung-ho over the prospect of saving her grandmothers' house but a little too late to do anything about it. The plans were to build a railway that would run straight through Cranberry Cottage. She was too late in finding out about it and everyone in town came to terms with it long before she did. They had all accepted that it was the best thing for business in their small town. Sometimes, change is good and it's only a matter of time before Jess realized it too. She should be happy for her grandma. She also needs to be open to the prospect of rekindling a relationship with her teenage crush Tom.

About Talli Roland

Talli Roland writes fun, romantic fiction. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and wine).
Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories--complete with happy endings. Talli's debut novel The Hating Game was short-listed for Best Romantic Read at the UK's Festival of Romance, while her second, Watching Willow Watts, was selected as an Amazon Customer Favourite. Her novels have also been chosen as top books of the year by industry review websites and have been bestsellers in Britain and the United States.

Visit her website: http://www.talliroland.com

Novella November Review: Last Christmas

Last Christmas by Talli Roland

A novella 

Kindle Edition 56 pages
Published October 28th, 2013 by Notting Hill Press
Free on Amazon.ca Kindle Unlimited
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A cute and sweet story about a rejected marriage proposal and an occasion to forgive.

Lucy proposes to her longtime boyfriend Robert, while in Paris on vacation and was rejected. One year later, she is still struggling to put together the pieces of her broken heart.

On a walk in the park one evening, Lucy runs into Robert and his new girlfriend Greta. She learns of their plan to be married at Christmas in a matter of weeks. Well, in spite of herself she decides if she is going to put the past behind her she needs to throw the best and brightest holiday party ever. In order to pay for a venue, she decides to pawn a watch she bought when she proposed to Robert and visits a local pawn shop. There she meets James. Now that he is in Lucy's contacts, Mimi sends out invitations to the party, inviting him to her party along with everyone else on her phone.
Allow me to just say I'm all about taking risks and Lucy takes a chance on James and risks getting hurt again but it all works out. Sometimes in order to heal, we must learn to forgive. Even though Lucy was indirectly pushed into the position of forgiving her ex, she benefitted from forgiving him when the peace and weight are lifted off her shoulders, by allowing her ex's marriage reception to be conducted at her party.

About the Author

Talli Roland writes fun, romantic fiction. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and wine).
Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories--complete with happy endings. Talli's debut novel The Hating Game was short-listed for Best Romantic Read at the UK's Festival of Romance, while her second, Watching Willow Watts, was selected as an Amazon Customer Favourite. Her novels have also been chosen as top books of the year by industry review websites and have been bestsellers in Britain and the United States.

Novella November: A Little Christmas Romance

A Little Christmas Romance by H.M. Ward

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hot New Adult novella just in time for the holidays! This is part of a collection of Christmas romance stories released on November 1, 2013. http://www.newadult12.com/

Goodreads Summary:

There’s no such thing as second chances, and Brooke would know. This Christmas will be spent alone and uncelebrated, same as the last. It doesn’t matter that she’s a disgruntled mall elf, standing next to a chimney-scented Santa with the most annoying co-worker ever. It doesn’t make Christmas more magical. It’s just another day to endure, and the holiday can’t pass fast enough. That is, until her old flame, Chris, spots her. After taking a picture with Brooke in her elf costume, things take an unexpected turn. Maybe getting through the night won’t be so difficult after all. 

This was a bit too short for me to give it more than 3 stars however Chris and Brooke were old flames that only needed to be rekindled. There wasn't much sex involved but Brooke did light up his life in a big way. Is it just me or why is it that in contemporary romances it's always the girls fault for failing to act? sheesh. It pisses me off that the girl is always the negative factor when it comes to sex and romance with a hot guy. She had run away from everything including Chris when her mother died 4 years earlier. Chris spotted her at the mall decked out in an Elf costume around Santa's throne so he took the opportunity to get his picture taken with the only elf he ever wanted. Brooke didn't know how much he wanted her and gives him the cold shoulder once too many, until Christmas day when they went to visit his parents' house and his mom and brother revealed how it broke his heart when she left and he was miserable all the time. Of course she didn't know that..... yet she liked him too. I guess this was just a case of life getting in the way of fulfilling their wants and desires.

Novella November: Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas: A Perfect Fit Holiday Novella

by Sugar Jamison

A Special Holiday Novella!

On the first day of Christmas, Dina Gregory, former wild child and prodigal daughter returns home to New York on a mission. Finding her young son’s father and making him take responsibility for the child he created is the only thing on her wish list. But instead of finding the man she was looking for she runs into his stuffy older brother Ben.
Ben has never liked Dina, but being trapped together on the holidays allows him to see a different side of her. She brings back his Christmas spirit and in the process reminds him what it feels like to love. Dina’s past makes her wary of falling in love, but Ben is determined to make her stay as his permanent Christmas gift.

I really enjoyed this novella! There is nothing better than having a bit of winter fun in the snow and with 'Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas' I was delighted with sleigh rides and tobogganing.

Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas was a dream come true for Dina. After being dumped by her boyfriend she found herself single and pregnant. I could sympathize with her because I know how hard it is to be a single parent having to support AND care for her child, so Dina took the bull by the horns and took a chance she'd never regret. She sought the help she needed and went to visit her child's wealthy father, who she didn't know was dead. His brother Ben however, was the only one who could help her now and she didn't think he would cuz they never really liked each other .....until she walked through the door. Ben immediately felt attracted to her and he could not put her and a baby out in the cold, besides he wanted to help her because he always wanted children and Dash was the only heir left who could carry on the family business. Dina was thankful for Ben's help and all she wanted really was some extra money for Dash. She was not expecting anything for her as she had a job and dreams of opening up her very own dance studio. I admired her for her self reliance. Life you could say got much better for Ben while she was around as they both had lots of fun with Dash and they fell head over heels in love with each other.

Favorite quote: Ben to Dina

“Come on, my sweet girl. Wouldn’t you like to make love beneath a Christmas tree just once?” “I might get pine needles in my hoo hoo.” “I’ll pick them out.”

About the Author: 

Sugar Jamison is a Southern belle trapped in a New Yorker’s body. With a love of big hair and high heeled shoes, she spends her day at her very normal day job and night dreaming up sweet and sassy romances.

Visit her Website