I’m a man of action. When I see something I want, I go after it.

So after one night with the intoxicating Nadia I know what I need next – her. She’s a workaholic who’s in need of a holiday distraction. I’m happy to take the reins and help. She can try to hide her passion behind a frosty attitude and a cool smile, but I know I can melt her heart. I just have to catch her first.

Fall in fa-la-love this holiday season with bell ensemble group All My Jingle Ladies. Three feisty bell-ringing friends must face the music when the magic of Christmas brings them their happily ever afters.

Title: Jolly Hour
Author: Melissa Williams
Series: All My Jingle Ladies (Book 2)
Pages: 60
Genre(s): Contemporary, Insta-Love, Christmas Romance
Hot Buttons: n/a

Release Date: 19th November, 2020

Happy Holiday insta-love

4 stars

This is the second in a trilogy of Christmas insta-love stories by Melissa Williams. Each story stands completely alone although they all focus on a member of a bell ringing group (I know, right? How fun!) and do have some crossover (that you wouldn’t even notice if you decide not to read all three books).

This story features uptight Nadia - someone who always puts work ahead of everything in her life. She doesn’t trust easily and isn’t really a cut-loose, let her hair down, kind of girl. So she’s as surprised as anyone when she heads down to her company’s Christmas Jolly Hour and instead of staying for 10 minutes, finds herself sipping way too many Christmas cocktails and getting it on with a sexy stranger.

Despite knowing each other a relatively short time, you definitely feel a connection between Nadia and Ajay and that translates delightfully into their sex scenes. This is an insta-love story but there’s definitely a distinction between how Nadia and Ajay react to those feelings. Nadia is understandably wary while Ajay is just delighted.

And that’s one of the main things I liked about Ajay. He sees Nadia and he is smitten. He’s happy he’s found his person and is looking forward to having her in his life. He’s still a strong, alpha man, but it was so sweet that he was so all-in. I liked Nadia, too, and was pleased she acted true to her nature but even happier that she found someone who understood her.

This was a sweet, fun and Christmassy story that delivers exactly what you want and expect from an insta-love tale. I’ve been enjoying Ms Williams’ stories of late - especially the way she weaves festive magic in with the hot romance. This is a book that will have you reaching for your own Christmas cocktail and handheld bell. 4 stars.

 

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Seth Loveless has been my weakness since I was sixteen years old.

Two years ago, I moved back to my hometown. I started a business, bought a house, took up yoga, and went on hiatus from dating. Life is good.
If I never had to see Seth, it would be perfect.
After all, my history with my ex-boyfriend is anything but simple. It’s taken us years, but we’ve finally learned to live in the same town without killing each other.
Is there an elaborate set of rules governing our every casual interaction?
Yes.
Do I still think dirty, off-limits thoughts every single time I see him buying apples at the grocery store?
Of course. I’m only human, and Seth and I are practically experts at the two F’s: fighting, and…
...sleeping together.
Still, we’re managing just fine.
And then?
He shows up at my sister’s wedding. The man looks like pure sex in a suit, handsome as the devil himself and twice as charming.
Worse, he claims he’s my date.
We flirt.
We dance.
We break every one of our carefully-crafted rules, and we… should stop.
Too bad I’m having the time of my life.
I know I should end it. After all the heartbreak, hurt, and anger we can’t be more than enemies.
But Seth asks me for one more night.
Just one night.
Then, we’re back to being virtual strangers to each other.
I know I should turn him down.
I know this ends with my heart shattered into a million pieces.
I know lunacy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

But I’ve always been bad at resisting a weakness.

Title: One Last Time
Author: Roxie Noir
Series: Loveless Brothers (Book 5)
Pages: 528
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Second Chance
Hot Buttons: n/a

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A story of perfectly imperfect love

5 stars

For those who have been reading their way through the Loveless Brothers’ series - this is the one we’ve had teased since the first book - and the one we’ve all been waiting for - Seth and Delilah’s story. For those who are new to the series - fear not - this story does stand alone although you’re going to want to snap up the rest of the series after you’re done with this one.

Seth and Delilah have a history. And it’s complicated. Although, going in, I knew none of the detail of their story before starting the book, from comments in other books, Delilah isn’t the best liked girl in Sprucevale - by the Loveless family at least. So I was delightfully surprised to find myself not just liking Delilah but loving her. She’s a bit of a hot mess in the best possible way. She’s quirky, funny and just as confused about life, love and everything as the rest of us. My heartstrings weren’t just tugged, they were wrenched, as Delilah and Seth battled their feelings and each other.

Seth is a Loveless brother so he’s already exactly the kind of hero I want to read about - even before we learn more about him. He’s the organised, analytical brother who, despite his tendency towards more casual relationships, has feelings so deep even he has trouble both understanding and controlling them.

The actual relationship between Seth and Delilah is combustible. It’s at times hard to read when you can clearly see how much they care for each other. But it’s also easy to see how they get into all their fights. Hurting each other as they themselves are hurting. It’s heartbreaking at times.

Of course, all the sex more than makes up for any poignant moments! As I said, the pair are combustible and in those scenes I was on fire just as much as they were. *Fans self* But even when the pair decide to date without sex, it’s still so steamy your kindle will melt.

And we also get a whole lot of humour. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion, cementing the fact that Roxie Noir writes hella funny stories better than most.

The banter is, as always with Ms Noir, completely on point. I could read about the Loveless brothers - and their significant others - just chatting away, ribbing each other and loving hard, all day. We also get some moments of Rusty - Seth’s 9 year old niece. I’m not normally one for kids in my romances but Rusty is the exception. She’s a hoot! And - thank the Lord - Silas makes a couple of appearances. I cannot wait for his story. And now I’m also looking for the story of Wyatt and Lainey - Delilah’s cousin and best friend who seemed to have some chemistry during their brief appearances in this story.

This is the best kind of story and the most satisfying to read. It’s got that deep, forever-love kind of feeling but with enough obstacles to make the final outcome so gratifying it’ll make you want to cry. And cry I did. Happy tears. Because it all worked out in the end and nobody deserved it more than Delilah and Seth. And us, of course! So highly recommended. Left me with a delightfully happy feeling. 5 stars. 

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AUTHOR BIO!

I love writing sexy, alpha men and the headstrong women they fall for.

My weaknesses include: beards, whiskey, nice abs with treasure trails, sarcasm, cats, prowess in the kitchen, prowess in the bedroom, forearm tattoos, and gummi bears.

I live in California with my very own sexy, bearded, whiskey-loving husband and two hell-raising cats.

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LOVELESS BROTHER'S SERIES! 

 

 

 

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I’m a firefighter. So when I hear bells, I run into action.

But the kind of bells I hear when I first see Libby are anything but alarming. They’re angelic.

All I want to do is throw her over my shoulder and make her mine. Her Christmas spirit is endearing, her laughter addictive and there’s nothing I want more this holiday season than her.

She won’t be a single jingle lady for long – not if Santa’s on my side.

Title: Jingle Lady
Author: Melissa Williams
Series: All My Jingle Ladies (Book 1)
Pages: 66
Genre(s): Contemporary, Insta-Love, Christmas Romance
Hot Buttons: n/a

Release Date: 12th November, 2020

A cute, Christmas insta-love story

4 stars

Sometimes I’m just in the mood for an over the top insta-love romance and what’s even better about this story is that it’s covered, head-to-toe in Christmas magic.

Our story is short - about 65 pages and taking only about an hour to read. It’s the story about Libby and Brendan and their cute, Christmassy tale of meeting and falling in love.

Libby is the slightly quirky, slightly awkward but fully relatable heroine who, while almost burning her house down, connects with one of the hunky firefighters sent to rescue her.

Brendan is said hunky firefighter and he’s your perfect insta-hero. He’s protective, kind, sweet and completely accepting of all of Libby. Oh, and he’s hotter than a burning inferno. But what makes this more than just your standard insta-love story is that while Brendan is happy to spend time with this girl who makes his heart beat faster, he’s also completely panicked and overwhelmed by all these feelings he’s having. It struck me as hilarious and really worked to make the story more realistic…while still giving us what we all want from an insta-love story.

We get sex and it’s hot, heavy and delicious but it doesn’t overwhelm the story. There are also a number of laughs and moments which tickled me. As well as all the Christmas references. And I love me some Christmas!

This is the first in an inter-connected set of three standalone novellas about three friends from the All the Jingle Ladies bell performance group. There are snippets in this book that give hints of what’s coming in Nadia’s book (The Jolly Hour) and Gretchen’s book (Oh my Garland) but this story stands completely alone.

This was a super cute and fun Christmas story that really rung my bell in the best way. If you’re a fan of insta-love and Christmas then you’ll likely find this just as fun a read as I did. And no doubt, you’ll be looking for your nearest bell performance group to join, when you’re done reading. 4 stars.

 

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She's discovered his secret.

Now the trouble really begins...

After three years of mourning—and turning her dear deceased husband's gazette into the ton's sauciest source of fashion and gossip—Hollis Honeycutt feels her life has been strangely bereft of late... Her sister is living abroad, and her best friend moved to the country. What must a young widow of rank and reputation do? Why, transform her society gossip sheets into serious investigative news, starting with a rumored coup...and the rather dashing, mysterious gentleman whom Hollis suspects might be the villain of her first real story, and she is the only one who can write it.

Marek Brendan is investigating terrible rumors of treachery and treason that threaten his home country of Wesloria, but he must proceed with caution. No one can discover the truth. After all, who would ever believe he is Wesloria's lost crown prince? Only Hollis Honeycutt's cerulean-blue eyes seem to know more than she's letting on—and worse, Marek can't seem to resist her curious charms. But even as betrayal threatens a nation and a throne, nothing is quite so dangerous as the lovely young widow who's determined to find the truth...and a prince of her own.

 

Title: A Princess by Christmas
Author: Julia London
Series: Royal Wedding Series - Book 3
Pages: 384
Genre(s): Historical, Victorian, England, Royalty
Hot Buttons: n/a

Christmas Tree

 

Many of Britain’s Christmas traditions were popularised by Queen Victoria through her husband, Prince Albert. Albert was brought up in Germany where, during the Christmas festivities, it was popular to bring in a tree to the home, decorating it with candles, fruits and sweets. He brought the tradition to Britain where it quickly became the fashion.

In 1848 the Illustrated London News published a drawing of the royal family celebrating around a Christmas tree filled with candles, ornaments and with an angel on top.

“I was saying that Prince Albert brought the tradition of a Christmas tree to London, and none of us have been the same since! I told Donovan we must bring a tree and trim it with all the proper things, and he asked me what the proper things are, and really, I don’t know. Bows, I should think.”

Christmas Carols

Although Christmas carols, or Christmas hymns, can be traced as far back as the 4th century, many of our more well-known carols were either written or popularised in the 19th century. This was, in part, to do with the publication of Christmas music books - sheet music that people would buy to play the most up to date music at home. Similarly, the Victorian era saw the first time that Christmas carols were sung in churches, further popularising the festive tunes. It has been suggested that this might be the reason that people went to the streets to sing carols - since they couldn’t do so in church.

A gift of la fée verte from the Marquess of Douglas and three sprigs of mistletoe from Lady Chartier made the evening much more festive than anyone might have anticipated. Neighbours reported that carollers threw open the windows and the sound of their voices could be heard blocks away. Three hackneys were called the following morning to cart some of the most ardent revellers away.
- Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies

Kissing Under the Mistletoe

 Mistletoe, in many cultures and religions, has magical properties, offering protection from witches, demons, spirits while also being regarded as a symbol of fertility.

The Romans also associated mistletoe with peace and love, hanging it over their doorways both to bring good favour to the household and also offer protection. They also used mistletoe in the festival of Saturnalia, from which many Christmas traditions take their roots.

Mistletoe would also be included in kissing boughs - a globe of greenery popular in England from the middle ages. Visitors would embrace their hosts under the bough, showing they only brought goodwill with them during their visit. Similar ‘kissing balls’ of evergreen and mistletoe were popular in the Victorian era.


Kissing under the mistletoe was immortalised in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in 1843. It is thought that the serving class in Victorian England helped to really cement this tradition in our traditions.

 

She glanced up, to the mistletoe hanging over their heads. Marek looked up, too. Before he could discern what she was thinking, Hollis caught his lapels and pulled him forward as she rose up on her toes. “Happy Christmas,” she said, and she kissed him.

Plum Pudding

 

 

The origins of plum pudding are just as unclear as many other Christmas traditions we still hold dear. What’s clear is that plum pudding was definitely being eaten well before the Victorian period, even being served at William IV’s birthday feast.

In 1861, Mrs Beeton included a recipe for Christmas Plum Pudding in her popular cookbook but its popularity was cemented due to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s inclusion of the pudding in their own Christmas day festivities.

 

 

Ruth came to help her dress, and she put on the best gown of those that fit. “I shouldn’t have had a second helping of the plum pudding,” she complained as Ruth helped stuff her into a gown.

 

 

Mince Pies

The original mincemeat pie was likely invented in the 13th century. Mincing meat with spices, suet and fruits was an alternative preserving method to salting or smoking.

With the inclusion of meat, mince pies started off as a main course dish. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that the inclusion of meat fell out of fashion, and the pies became smaller, rounder and turned into the sweet treat we know today.

They haven’t lost their appeal since Victorian times, either. In 2019, the UK would eat approximately 781,177,935 mince pies during the Christmas season.

They all made their way across the hall to the dining room, then squeezed around the table. Margaret had gone to a lot of trouble. The goose was cooked to a golden-brown. She’d prepared oysters and Yorkshire pudding and, she said proudly, “A sweet mince pie.”

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