Christmas Crumble

Blurb: At home alone for the holidays, Agatha Raisin decides to host a dinner party for the elder residents in her Cotswold village of Winter Parva. Agatha’s never been much of a homemaker, but she’s dead-set on making this the perfect holiday for the “crumblies,” as she affectionately calls them. She’s decorated a tree while fending off her cats Hodge and Boswell, and even made a (lumpy) Christmas pudding in between swigs of rum. But when Agatha dumps the pudding on the head of the local self-proclaimed lothario—an eighty-five year old with a beer belly and fingers like sausages—his death by dessert proves more than a trifle as mysteries mount higher than the season’s snowfall. So much for trying to do good by her neighbors. Now Agatha needs no less than a Christmas miracle to get herself out of this one...

My Review: "There are a lot of crumblies in this village. I mean sometimes the Cotswolds feel like God's waiting room. Come in, number five, says a voice from the heavens. Your number's up. I'll give them a slap-up Christmas dinner." Thus begins Agatha Raisin's latest adventure as she decides to throw a Christmas dinner for the village's elderly residents. Agatha never fails to make me laugh, and this story is no exception. The shortcuts she takes while making a Christmas pudding are absolutely hysterical, and of course disasterous...but are they deadly? 

The Sunday Post #17

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! On Monday my Kindle Fire arrived and it has pretty much consumed me the entire week! Oh the apps, videos, music and magazines available to me at the click of a finger!!! As you can see, I also took advantage of many Black Friday book sales...how can I resist Christmas books that range from free, to 99 cents, to $1.99??? And Cyber Monday is right around the corner...

Downloaded/Purchased:
    

Color Me A Crime (An Olivia Davis Paranormal Mystery) by Tonya Kappes
A New Tradition (A Small Town Romance Short Story Series) by Tonya Kappes

Santa Paws by Meg Mims

The Wishing Cake by Ellen Meister

Gentleman of Her Dreams (A Ladies of Distinction novella) by Jen Turano

Long Trail Home (The Texas Trail Series) by Vickie McDonough

A Christmas for Katie: A Christmas Families of Honor Novella by Shelley Shepard Gray

Like Casablanca by Sylvia Massara

To Love A Scoundrel (The Law and Disorder Series, Book 4) by Sharon Ihle

The Christmas Grandma Ran Away from Home by Nancy Warren

Border Collie Christmas (A Romance in Four Seasons) by Nancy Warren

Darcy Christmas Anthology

The Thief Who Stole Midnight by Christiana Miller

Happy Hour (Racing on the Edge) by Shey Stahl

Trading Paint (Racing on the Edge) by Shey Stahl

The Book Of Love (Baby Its Cold Out) by Mary Eason

The Inconvenient Duchess by Christine Merrill

Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes

The Anteater of Death: A Gunn Zoo Mystery (Gunn Zoo Series) by Betty Webb

Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha

The Gift by Tiffany Reisz
My Kind of Christmas (A Virgin River Novel) by Robyn Carr

Scrambled (A Susan Sleuth Mystery) by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

Paw Prints in the Moonlight by Denis O'Connor and Richard Morris

Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter: A Memoir by Melissa Francis

Won/Gifted:
 

NetGalley:
 

The Christmas Grandma Ran Away From Home

Blurb: For every woman who's ever felt overwhelmed and under-appreciated at Christmas comes the story of a decent woman, a widowed grandmother, respected matriarch of a big, noisy family who snaps one holiday season and decides to run away for the holidays. Little does she realize what adventures are in store.

Long time widow Sandy Forbes is breaking out this Christmas. In her 71 years on earth she has stuffed and cooked 55 Christmas turkeys, baked hundreds of pies, turned out thousands of shortbread cookies and hoisted enough pine trees in her living room to reforest the Amazon.

Her family love her. They come to her for every occasion, eating, drinking, squabbling and then leaving her with a mass of dishes and crumpled holiday wrap. But this is the year everything changes. When she wants someone else to take over for one year, the family lays a big guilt trip on her and Grandma rebels. Sandy’s giving herself a gift this Christmas. She’s running away from home for the holidays.

My Review: I honestly bought this novella because the cover made me think of Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer...I had no idea what to expect when I started reading a story about a 71 year old lady who runs away from home to escape her family for the holidays. I was completely surprised by the adventure that awaits her, and was absolutely delighted by Sandy and Earl's story. This one is completely unique and touching.

Buy for 99 cents here.

Santa Paws

Blurb: The last thing Lacey Gordon—divorced with a teen daughter and two cats—needs is a rescue dog coming into her life. To top it off, she's rooked into a "Get Under the Mistletoe by Christmas Eve" dating contest. Since Buddy the dog prefers to be the only "new guy" in Lacey's life, will Santa Claws ruin her holiday for good?

My Review: I really enjoyed this sweet novella and particularly the mother/daughter relationship between Lacey and Deena. Lacey has so much on her plate raising a daughter alone and dealing with a difficult ex, she is a real hero for taking in a problem pup in desperate need for a home. Deena's baggage going back to being bit by a pit bull as a child made for great conflict when she begins getting frustrated by Buddy's antics and wants to give up on him, which Lacey admirably won't let her do. A very sweet romance develops over mochas lattes when Lacey meets Reuben during a disasterous dating contest. Four legged family members sometimes make the best matchmakers!

Buy for 99 cents here.

Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop, hosted by Heather from Book Savvy Babe, Jenn from The Bawdy Book Blog, and Lisa from Alive on the Shelves!

There will be a different book given away at each of the stops. At the bottom of this post are all the sites participating in the book hop. Make sure to visit (and follow) everyone and enter their giveaways! :-)

So, on to my part in the hop!

Do you have an animal lover on your gift list? Have I got the perfect book for you...Paws to Reflect: 365 Daily Devotions for the Animal Lover's Soul. It is hardcover and an absolutely beautiful gift book. Simply leave a comment telling me about a special pet or about your love of our four-legged friends with your email address so I can contact you...and if you choose to follow my blog I'll enter you in my giveaway twice. Good luck and have fun!!! (Open to US residents only.)

Book Blurb: Sometimes human communication falls short in conveying spiritual truth. God speaks through whatever means He chooses and often he chooses animals. Dogs teach unconditional love. The purr of a kitten can bring peace. Horses show us how to harness our strength with grace.

Paws to Reflect offers gentle daily reflections for those who seek to grow spiritually by observing the animal kingdom and all the lessons it teaches.

 

 

A New Tradition

Book Description: For Sabrina Englehardt, Christmas has always been a special day filled with family, friends, and a wacky tradition of watching Breakfast At Tiffany's while dressed up in the stars costumes. . .…tiara tiaras and all.

Sabrina's biggest client insists on having a Skype call on Christmas day to secure a deal of a lifetime, which is fine with her, because this year she's going to make a new tradition. ; Celebrating Christmas alone with her cat at her snowy remote family cabin as family and friends go their separate ways to celebrate the holiday.

When things everything start starts to go array, Sabrina has to call on her hunky neighbor for help in order to secure the her deal of a lifetime.

Will it all work out or will Sabrina pull the quilt over her head waiting for Christmas to be over?               
 
My Review: The busy holiday season was made for short, sweet reads such as this enchanting Christmas story. Everybody needs a break, so what could be better than to cuddle up with a mug of cocoa, a cat, and download this darling 99 cent story and get lost in the lives of Sabrina and Wynn (and Henry and Eliza...sigh). I loved these characters so much I only wish it was a full length novel! Set in New England in the midst of a nor'eastern...pure bliss for this Christmas story fanatic!!!

Rebel Bride Cover Reveal/Book Introduction

From the author of Undercover Rebel comes . . .

Eileen Sewell sparks plenty of gossip by spiteful matrons and their horse-faced daughters that she’d find herself alone due to her picky ways. Of course, she didn’t believe them. Then again, she also didn’t expect to be a mail order bride either. It wasn’t easy snagging a husband who hadn’t heard about her willful nature. Eileen finally gave up hope of finding love, and decided to settle for whatever she’d find out west. If that wasn’t lowering enough, she’d just witnessed the first train robbery. Unfortunately, the outlaws saw her too. Enter Marshal Colt Sheppard, who excels at extracting information from reticent witnesses. His crooked smile and broad shoulders won’t charm her. She’d played this game before, only she never had a worthy adversary. Talk about bad timing.

From Rebel Bride  

“What has your pretty little brow all furrowed up like that?” he asked with a touch of laughter in his voice.

     “Well-I-well…” This was her favorite type of man, one who would flatter her with words of her beauty. Without thinking, she fell into her normal flirtatious attitude, batting her eyes coquettishly. This should be easy.

“Maybe you’re deciding which lies will work on me best. Is that it?” He put one hand on a seat and leaned forward, closing the distance separating them.

He called her a liar. “How dare you!” She hissed the words, pulled her back ramrod straight, and narrowed her eyes. She learned how to project indignant from the best, her mother. Never mind the fact she’d been contemplating which lie to use on him.

His laughter unnerved her, but not as much as his hand touching her cheek. She looked up into his suddenly somber eyes. What was he thinking? He looked so serious. She blinked twice. Her eyes must be playing tricks on her because his face seemed closer, closer still, until he grew unfocussed. She closed her eyes briefly, hoping to clear up her vision.

Lips landed on hers, warm and firm. Her eyes popped open. Sure enough, his slightly out of focused nose and a hunk of blond hair filled her vision. Once she conquered her shock, she decided to let him kiss her. It wasn’t as if she could stop him. Unlike her previous beaus who made awkward attempts she naturally foiled, this was nice. Her skin felt warm despite the wind seeping around the window. Her heart kicked up in an odd flutter, and her toes curled. Could this be what her sister talked about when she described kissing Gray? To think she scolded her sister, calling her no better than a light skirt. Did that make her a light skirt too? She couldn’t afford to be one. She pulled away from the kiss.

“Unhand me sir!”

His eyes crinkled in suppressed laughter. “Look at where my hands are.”

She looked at one large hand still rested on the back of the seat, the other hung lax against his side. Hard to argue with him on that, but still he kissed her. He shouldn’t have done that. “You shouldn’t have kissed me. It was unpardonable of you to take advantage of a war widow.”

Colt crossed his arms and shook his head slowly back and forth. “War widow, my foot. I doubt that very much. Don’t know why you’re parading around in weeds, but I am interested in finding out.”

“What makes you think I am not a widow?” Eileen was miffed over her costume not deceiving him. It could be widows did not go around kissing strange men or at least recent ones didn’t. She’d heard there were some friendly widows in town, but their deceased husbands served only as a name, making her wonder if they ever existed.

He eyed her up and down, smiled, and then let loose a bark of laughter. “Ah, if you were ever married, then your husband should be horse-whipped for his failure to kiss you properly. You do not kiss like a woman with experience. You are more like a love-starved virgin than a widow.”

Eileen stiffened her spine. His words were true, but she resented them just as the same. “Sir, I beg you not to speak poorly of my husband.”

“Ma’am, I can’t speak for a man who doesn’t exist. If you were my wife, you would be well kissed, well handled, and well pleasured.” He said the last word in a suggestive growl.

Author Morgan K. Wyatt

Morgan as a child had to suffer through movies with clueless heroines rescued by smart men. Her mother dutifully read her stories where princesses waited for princes to jumpstart their lives. There were no proactive female role models in the media at that time, with the exception of Wonder Woman. It is for this reason, and that it is fun, Morgan writes about strong women going after what they want.

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Learn more about Morgan at: http://www.morgankwyatt.com.

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