Promo Tour: Xmas in July Romances by Nikki Lynn Barrett

XMAS IN JULY ROMANCES

We Wish You A Ferret Christmas, Scrooge You!, and It's Always Something

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

EskieMama & Dragon Lady Reads Review: A Home For Christmas by Ann Vaughn

A Home For Christmas

Home #3

by 

Ann Vaughn

Blurb:

Single mom, Jenna Blackwell wasn't having a very good start to the Christmas season; her purse got stolen on Black Friday. She's cursing her luck and herself for even being out in the Black Friday madness when the store manager brings in Riley Stanton, a former Navy SEAL who chased down the thieves and recovered her purse. Jenna is blown away by Riley: his looks, his smile, the fact that he ran down the purse snatchers, everything.

Riley Stanton had no idea when he chased down the kids who stole a few purses that he would walk into a room and have his life changed forever. He looked into Jenna's eyes and saw a strength in her that he found intriguing.

Riley soon learns that Jenna is everything he ever wanted in a woman. He falls for her and for her son harder than he expected to. Jenna is cautious but welcoming and hopes that she and her son can give Riley the one thing he hasn't had in years, A Home for Christmas

Review:                                     5 stars

Jenna Blackwell did not have a very good start to the Christmas Season, her purse was stolen and is angry at herself for being out on a Black Friday, the store manager brings in Riley Stanton a former Navy Seal, who single handedly chased the thieves and recovered her purse.
Jenna is totally captivated by Riley, his looks, his smile and the fact that her ran down the purse snatchers.
Riley Stanton had no clue when he chased the kids down that his life would be changed forever. One look into Jenna's eyes and he was lost, and he found her intriguing.
Riley soon learns that Jenna is everything he ever wanted in a woman. He falls for her and for her son harder than he expected to. Jenna is cautious but welcoming and hopes that she and her son can give Riley the one thing he hasn't had in years, A Home for Christmas.

Review by Jara

Happy Reading!

Book Blitz w/Giveaway: Honor by Nicole Blanchard

Honor

A First to Fight Novella by Nicole Blanchard Publication Date: February 13, 2017 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Holiday

Now Available: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks |Google Play

A gorgeous woman, a heart pounding kiss. It should’ve been the start to my new life, but I pushed her away. She deserved better than a wounded warrior, someone who could barely face getting up in the morning. A year later I’ve turned my life around, made myself into a man she could be proud of. A man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And all I want is a second chance with her.

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I’ll do anything to save her. A woman I’ve never met, whose name I don’t even know, gambled her own life to protect my child. In return, she was taken by a mad man. I’ll put my career, my security, and my life on the line to get her back, even if it means facing the truth about my own mistakes. The only thing she can’t trust me with…is her heart.

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I thought it was just one night with my brother’s best friend. The boy I had dreamt about since he gave me my first kiss, under the lights of the Ferris wheel. I knew he was about to leave for a year – no chance for a future. But our one night together would create memories for a lifetime. Our paths crossed again, but I had lied, and he was no longer the man he once was. He was warring against demons. Against the silence that was threatening to swallow him. And I had kept a secret from him, one he would never forgive me for. But my secret was about to be ripped open. Displayed for the world on national news. And I had only one way to repair the damage. I had to trust the man I lied to. The man I never got the chance to make a life with. The only man who could save what we had created together.

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I knew falling in love with him was bad for us both, but I did it anyway. For a brief moment, we had it all. Even though he was leaving to join the Marines and I had four years of college ahead of me, he was everything I ever wanted, but didn’t think I deserved. But real life has a way of dashing dreams—and that happy future we envisioned together? It disappeared at the hands of a monster. Ten years have passed, and I’m not the same naïve girl who believed in happily-ever-afters. When my mother passes away and I find myself caring for my two teenage brothers, the last thing on my mind should be reconnecting with the hottie-turned-hero who I loved at seventeen. If I want a second chance at his heart, I’ll have to trust him with the secrets that tore us apart. Please note there is a graphic scene that may be a trigger for some.

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I thought I put my past behind me. I lost everything when I testified against my boyfriend for the murders of five women. After the jury delivered a life sentence, I ran. I hoped if I could disappear, maybe the horror he caused would, too. When I return to Florida for the first time after his conviction, I’m determined to face my fears and get my life back. Then, a woman is murdered and I’m the only one who believes her death features the same signature as those I’m trying so hard to forget. Instinct tells me to run again, but local cop Logan Blackwell has never let a suspect–or a woman–get away. He’s made it his own personal mission to solve the case and he needs my help to do it. I have no choice once we learn I’m the next target, but I’m not interested in getting close to another man, especially not a sexy former Marine who has secrets of his own.

About Nicole Blanchard

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Nicole Blanchard lives in Mississippi with her family and their menagerie of animals. She chooses each day to chase her own fairy tale even if they contain their fair share of dragons. She is married to her best friend and owns her own business. Nicole survives on a diet of too many books and substantial amounts of root beer and slim jims. When not reading, she’s lavishing attention on her family or inhaling every episode of The Walking Dead and The Big Bang Theory.

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EskieMama & Dragon Lady Reads Midweek Spotlight w/Giveaway: In Mistletoe by Tammy L. Bailey

Welcome to EskieMama & Dragon Lady Reads

Midweek Spotlight!

Today we are spotlighting Tammy L. Bailey's

In Mistletoe

Enter below for a chance to win a 20.00 Amazon gift card from Tammy L. Bailey

Tammy L. Bailey's

In Mistletoe

At twenty-five, Grace Evans is steady picking up the pieces of everyone else’s life. So, when her younger sister decides to turn into a runaway bride just four weeks before the wedding, Grace, drops everything to chase after her and bring her back home. Only, when the trail leads Grace to Mistletoe, Washington, she finds herself at the mercy of the town’s most handsome and emotionally unavailable bachelor.

Ex-Army officer, Ayden McCabe, has three creeds in life: never make the first move, never fall in love, and never take anyone to Mistletoe’s Christmas Eve Eve Dance. Wanting nothing more than to keep his matchmaking sister from meddling in his personal life, he agrees to help Grace if she agrees to play his girlfriend. Too brunette and meek for his taste, Ayden believes Grace can’t tempt him enough to break any of his creeds. He could not be more wrong.

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Q & A with Tammy L. Bailey about In Mistletoe!
Tell us about In Mistletoe.
I think the best way to tell you about IN MISTLETOE is to share the blurb.

At twenty-five, Grace Evans is steadily picking up the pieces of everyone else’s life. So, when her younger sister decides to turn into a runaway bride just four weeks before the wedding, Grace, drops everything to chase after her and bring her back home. Only, when the trail leads to Mistletoe, Washington, she finds herself at the mercy of the town’s most handsome and emotionally unavailable bachelor.

Ex-Army officer, Ayden McCabe, has three creeds in life: never make the first move, never fall in love, and never take anyone to Mistletoe’s Christmas Dance. Wanting nothing more than to keep his matchmaking sister from meddling in his personal life, he agrees to help Grace if she agrees to play his girlfriend. Too brunette and meek for his taste, Ayden believes Grace can’t tempt him enough to break any of his creeds. He could not be more wrong.

What initially inspired you to write In Mistletoe?
I absolutely LOVE Holiday romances. After binge watching a few movies during Christmas break a few years ago, I thought about writing my own holiday romance. The story of Ayden and Grace evolved over several years.

Tell us little about the characters in In Mistletoe.
Grace Evans is a young woman who sacrifices her own happiness to make sure everyone else’s life runs flawlessly. So, when her little sister decides to “runaway” a few weeks before her own wedding, Grace drops her life, once again, to go find her and bring her back home. Grace soon discovers there’s life outside taking care of everyone else.

Ayden McCabe does not want to take responsibility for anyone else but himself. Regarding love, he has three creeds: never make the first move, never fall in love, and never take anyone to Mistletoe’s Christmas dance. (You’ll have to read why he’s adamant about not giving in to the last creed). He also believes a good relationship excludes one’s emotions. However, when Grace comes to Mistletoe seeking his help to find her sister, he discovers his creeds are very much in danger or being shattered.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?
In one word, TIME. I work full-time as a Senior Secretary for a Nursing Department, so writing a full-length novel does not happen in a few months for me. I wrote, IN MISTLETOE, over several Christmas Breaks from my job, and at 2 a.m. in the morning.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
My favorite chapter includes the scene where Grace and Ayden go out to look for a Christmas tree together. I love their chemistry in this scene and how they’re beginning to break down each other’s emotional barriers. With this scene, as well, I called in a little help from a wonderful nursing instructor. Thanks, Sue!! I wanted to make sure the scene was as realistic as possible.

What are your future project(s)?
My first love is historical romance, so I’m finishing up a historical romance called (tentatively) MISTRESS OF PENNDRAKE. It’s where the hero is being blackmailed into marrying a woman in order to retain his property. When he decides to ruin her instead, their life takes an interesting turn down the road to matrimony.

Now an exciting excerpt from In Mistletoe!

Yanked out of her reflection, Grace glanced up at Neil and followed his gaze to a man who stood about six-feet tall with wavy brown hair. She blinked, realizing the flyer did not do him justice. In person, he was dressed in a pair of Timberland boots, Levi jeans, and a blue and white flannel shirt under a rugged Sandstone jacket.  

His shoulders were broad and masculine, as if they could withstand a hefty stack of 2x4s with little effort. He stepped forward, pausing only to rip the flyer off the post on his way by. She pressed her back against the leather cushion, finding his expression unreadable, his gait purposeful. He stopped a few inches from where she sat.

“I’m afraid you’re wasting your time, Miss…,”

“Evans. Grace,” she said, surprised by his slight Irish accent and unfriendly tone.

She wondered what Neil had said to him to cause such a reaction. Then again, maybe the flyer had something to do with his curt introduction. Well, she didn’t care. Too much depended on her staying in Mistletoe, with or without Mr. Ayden McCabe rendering a smile or a pleasant hello. Too late for polite conversation, she stood.

“You could at least hear me out,” she said, straightening to appear taller, although she barely cleared the bottom of his chin. His face softened, but not enough for her to relax. Then the corners of his mouth lifted, and her pulse sputtered.

“Look, I’m flattered, but I’m not interested.”

Tammy L. Bailey grew up in historical Appomattox, Virginia and moved to Ohio the day after she graduated high school. A third-generation veteran, she joined the Army National Guard in 1988, served five years in the active duty Army, and retired as a Master Sergeant from the Ohio Air National Guard in 2011. She is a wife and a mother of two boys. She is a huge Jane Austen fan and loves watching Jane Austen movie adaptations. Her favorite romance genre is historical romance. 

Her debut novel, Lord Bachelor, became a finalist in the Heart of Excellence, Reader's Choice Awards. 

When she's not writing contemporary or historical romance, she enjoys Star Wars movie night with her 10-year-old son and going to drumming practice with her 13-year-old son. Fall is her favorite season, the B-17 is her favorite plane, and Hawkeye is her favorite Avenger.

Social Links

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Tammy L Bailey Spotlight Giveaway

NBTM w/Giveaway: Unwrapping a Marriage by Reana Malori & Michel Prince

Unwrapping a Marriage

by Reana Malori and Michel Prince

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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Reana Malori and Michel Prince will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please visit GoddessFish.com to follow the tour, remember the more you comment better your chances on winning.

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BLURB:

What do you do when the love that once set you free, feels like it’s holding you prisoner? Sterling and Elizabeth Jackson have built a life most would envy. A beautiful home, two wonderful children and a very comfortable lifestyle. Yet something is tearing them apart. With divorce looming, they are trying to make it through the holiday season for their family.  With clashing schedules, demands from employers and two busy kids, the former lovers have managed to stay out of each other’s orbit, at least for a while. But Fate, or maybe their well-meaning family, has set them up on a collision course. Past memories bubble up to the surface and there’s nothing to stem the flow. What once was amazing has turned hurtful and full of pain. But is that the real story? Is it too late for a couple who once lived and breathed for each other to find their way back? There’s a thin line between love and hate. Will Sterling and Elizabeth be able to mend a love that seems broken and lost, or will the final pull on the holiday ribbon unwrap their last chance to save their marriage.

Buy Links

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Book Trailer

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Excerpt Two:

Somber music started playing from the den and Sterling felt a pull to find out what Beth was doing. They’d spent too many nights ruminating within their own thoughts to ever know what the other might be thinking. This was their problem. Why had he come home determined to find a way to get his wife back, only to go into a separate room?

Rounding the corner, he saw her sitting amongst a pile of toys almost reaching the ceiling. Wearing only a tan oversized sweater and pair of fuzzy socks, she looked snuggled in amongst the presents she was wrapping. On the floor where she sat was her half-full glass of white wine, along with the plate of cheese, crackers, sausage and wrapping paper she was measuring. He smiled when he noticed the grapes were all gone.

“I’ve heard of divorcing parents spoiling their kids to compensate for the loss, but don’t you think you went a little overboard?” Sterling asked as he stood in the doorway of the den

Beth didn’t look up from the task at hand. Instead, the hiss of the scissors slicing through the paper disrupted the music. “If you must know, divorcing parents also forget important things, like their kids presents. Sadly, not one of these are for our children.”

“Then why are you being an elf?”

“Because Christine couldn’t be bothered with it I guess. Too much planning for her big trip back home to San Diego to think about the kids in Chicago.” Beth finished taping the paper to the box and then picked up an empty sheet of labels. “Damn it.” She stretched her neck and hunted around without getting up.

Sterling saw a pile on the desk across the room and pointed to them. “Those what you’re looking for?” he asked, a bit afraid to enter the Tetris like maze Beth had created.

“Yes,” she said as she pulled herself up.

Then he caught a glimpse of the crest of her ass right before the sweater dropped to her thick thigh. Sucking in his lips, he felt his hands tingle imagining the feel of it again. Tasting his way from the back of her knee around front as he worked his way to her core.

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Q & A with Reana Malori & Michel Prince

What books/authors have influenced your writing?

Jeanie Johnson and Jayha Leigh. They also write interracial /multicultural romance and through their books I discovered that romance novels can have angst, humor, heartbreaking moments, and heroines that were just as strong as the hero’s. Plus, all of the heroines, who happen to black women, are smart, educated, loving to their family and friends, and give as good as they get. Their stories inspired me, not only as a reader and ultimately a writer, but as a woman.

Tell us something you hate doing. Why?

Michel-I hate cleaning. I know for some people it’s therapeutic and in a way I guess it is for me too. Usually if my house is clean then I either have writers block or someone has really upset me.
Reana – Taking naps. I fight it tooth and nail like I’m a three-year old child who had to turn off their favorite cartoon right when it was getting good. I always feel like I’m going to miss something when I take a nap (which I don’t do often). It’s so funny. Sometimes our bodies need naps, but I don’t have to be happy out it.

Share a funny incident in your life.

Michel-While in Nashville for A Weekend with the Authors the goal and “hash tag” for the western party was to “keep Michel in her dress.” It was a new dress and I thought Reana had tied me in well enough, but apparently my girls just kept wanting to come out to play.

What's your pet peeve?

Reana – it’s so corny, I know, but when someone sneezes, coughs, or yawns and doesn’t cover their mouth.

When you are in writer mode, music or no music? If music, do you have a playlist?

Michel-Music is great, for this Reana did make a playlist, but I tend to have my music on a loop.
Reana – Definitely music. It helps me relax and gets me in the general mood for writing. It becomes white noise, but helps keep my creativity going.

Who was your favorite hero/heroine?

Michel-Rhage from the Black Dagger Brotherhood, putting his sexiness aside, he makes me laugh.

Have you ever had one character you wanted to go one way with but after the book was done the character was totally different?

Michel- I had the opposite happen. For some reason I love falling for the bad guy in my paranormal books. What can I say the hero has his heroine and the bad guy has a little bit of good in him.

Reana – Oh yes, a couple of times. Even with Unwrapping a Marriage started to veer off a little bit. For me, I may have a general idea of how I want my character to behave, but they usually have their own ideas. I’ve quickly learned, when I want to go right and the character decides to go left, we’re going left.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Reana Malori

Reana Malori writes Contemporary novels focusing on Multicultural / Interracial Romance. She firmly believes that love in all its forms should be celebrated and her stories reflect that belief. She hopes to weave stories that pull the reader into her world and helps them to share in her universe, even if only for a short time.

An avid reader since the age of 14, she decided to pursue her passion in 2009 and released her first novella, To Love a Marine. Since then, she has released more than 20 books, to include Weekend Fling, Escape to Heaven, Closer to You and Finding Faith.

When she is not writing, you can most often find her enjoying a good book as she is, first and foremost, a romance reader. Reana currently resides in Montclair, Virginia with her husband and two sons who keep her busy laughing, having fun, and making sure she doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Social Links:

Facebook

Michel Prince

Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes new adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.

With characters yelling "It's my turn damn it!!!" She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.

Social Links:

Facebook

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Release Blitz w/Giveaway: Christmas In The City II by Various Authors

Book Title: Christmas In The City II 

Authors: Ashlee Taylor, Misha Elliott, Samantha Chase, Shari J. Ryan, Savanna Grey, Stephanie Rose, Janine Infante Bosco, Madison Street, CS Patra, Elizabeth Hayes & Jennifer L. Allen 

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Release Date: November 1, 2016 

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

All proceeds will go to Caring Community Foundation 

Eleven newly written stories by Authors in the City authors.

This anthology will benefit Caring Community Foundation, located in Raleigh, NC where the 2017 Authors in the City book signing will be held.

Authors in the City is hosted by:
Stephanie's Book Reports


Christmas Once Again - Samantha Chase
Like Christmas - Ashlee Taylor
Ugly sweater - Elizabeth Hayes
A change of heart - Shari J. Ryan
Christmas break - Misha Elliott
Joyful Temptations - Janine Infante Bosco
Dancing Snowflakes - Madison Street
The Lovers of Vale - CS Patra
Christmas Interference - Jennifer L. Allen
Rewrite - Stephanie Rose
All I Want for Christmas - Savanna Grey

 

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Virtual Book Tour w/Giveaway: A Holiday Wish by Courtney J. Hall

 

A Holiday Wish

by Courtney J. Hall

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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Courtney J. Hall will be awarding a $15 or $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please visit GoddessFish.com to follow the tour, remember the more you comment better your chances on winning.

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BLURB: 

Noelle Silver has been a wedding planner for six years, and in all that time, the only bride she's failed to get down the aisle is herself. Abandoned by her fiancé and disillusioned with love, Noelle is ready to pack it in and leave town when Brooke St. John, orphaned heiress, offers her a staggering amount of money to do Brooke's Christmas Eve wedding to a much older man. Though she's reluctant at first, the payment Brooke offers is enough for Noelle to return to her hometown and start a new life. It's also an opportunity to prove to herself - and her former fiancé - that despite her broken heart she still has what it takes to pull off a wedding worthy of an heiress in the mere two months Brooke has given her. But the best man, Brooke's gorgeous older brother Everett, seems dead set on stopping the nuptials. Will he succeed, driving the final nail into the coffin of Noelle's career as a wedding planner - and completely shattering what's left of her expectations of love?

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Excerpt:

He gives me a curt nod when he sees me looking. Brooke envelopes me in a hug, as if we’ve known each other for years instead of days.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I ask her. “I mean, with your parents.”

“It’s not ideal. I’ll give you that,” she says with a small smile. “But I knew going in that my options were going to be seriously limited. And I know it’s the best you could do, and that once we’re inside it won’t feel like a—what it is. So yeah. I’m all right with it.”

From the looks of it, though, Everett’s not. A quick glance reveals that his eyes are narrowed, flicking between his sister, me, and the looming “Springhollow Fire Hall” sign that hangs over the entrance. I might be imagining it, but it looks like a spasm of pain contorts his face for a split second.

I want him to know that I’m sorry, that I really didn’t have any other choice. If it were up to me Brooke’s wedding would be in the country club’s Diamond Hall, with its pendant fan vaulted ceiling that makes it look like some European Gothic church. But Everett doesn’t look as if he’d be receptive to an apology. His arms are crossed over his chest, his spine rigid, his mouth closed. So I don’t say a word. It’s not like I think telling him I’m sorry will make him forget what happened to his parents, so why bother?

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Q & A with Courtney J. Hall 

What books/authors have influenced your writing?
A few, and they’re all so different! I was twelve years old when I stole a Bertrice Small historical romance novel from my mother’s bookcase and even though I was definitely too young for a lot of what went on in that book, it awakened in me a lifelong love of sixteenth-century England, which serves as the setting of my first novel, Some Rise by Sin. I’m an enormous fan of L.M. Montgomery – the Anne books, of course, but I also love the Emily books. As a writer, I love reading about characters who are writers. When I started writing contemporary, I drew upon authors I love like Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, whose characters are real and flawed and not always likable, but you find yourself rooting for them anyway.

Tell us something you hate doing. Why?
I loathe putting gas in my car. I always have. I think it has something to do with the fact that once I’m in the car, I just want to go. I don’t want to have to stop anywhere. Especially not to do something that costs too much money and makes my hand smell.


Share a funny incident in your life.
I’m not terribly good at walking. I have weak ankles that can twist and give out at any time, for no particular reason. When I was a senior in high school, my sister was a freshman and we’d walk home together. One afternoon we were walking along and she was talking and the way she tells it, she looked at me, thinking I was next to her, but I wasn’t there. She turned back and saw me about half a block behind her, lying on the ground in some gravel because my ankle had turned and I went down like a sack of potatoes and she had no idea – she just kept talking. She ran back and helped me up, and apparently my mother heard us laughing through her bedroom window when we were still a few blocks away from home.

When you are in writer mode, music or no music? If music, do you have a playlist?
No music. I find it much too distracting. I do have songs and playlists that I listen to in order to wake up the muse, but once it’s time to work, I buckle down in quiet. The only kind of noise I can use is white noise, and I have an app called Coffitivity that simulates the background noise one might hear in a coffee shop. Supposedly it’s been scientifically proven that productivity is increased by that kind of noise. I don’t know about the science, but it definitely helps me concentrate!

Who was your favorite hero/heroine?
Anne Shirley. She was her own person no matter what anyone said to or about her. She went through so much and her spirit was never broken, and she ended up getting everything she wanted (including Gilbert Blythe, who was my very first literary crush).

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Courtney J. Hall is the author of Some Rise by Sin, a historical romance set in the tumultuous final days of Mary Tudor’s reign, and A Holiday Wish, the first book in the Silver Bells contemporary romance series. She lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband and a stolen cat.

Website: http://www.courtneyjhall.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/courtneyjhall.author
Twitter: @courtney_j_hall
Instagram: @akacourtneyjhall

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