Weekly Update #346, December already...


Welcome to my Weekly Update where I share what's been going on and what's coming up!

I'm linking up to The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

This year is just going too fast! This last week was a mix of taking time out to relax and spend time with my family, working like crazy on book tours, and taking care a sick child. My youngest has been dealing with a cold for over two weeks with a cough that will not go away and began getting fevers on Wednesday and then her fever got up to 103 degrees today, so I've had to keep on top of her meds and keeping her hydrated. Thank goodness she likes Gatorade. Let me tell you, I do NOT like 103 degree temperatures!!! I did get to see Sarah M. Eden on Friday and have her sign all my books not already signed. She is such a wonderful person besides being a favorite author. We also went to see Frozen II, which we all really enjoyed. 


This next week the kids are back in school and I resume my part-time school aide job. I'm not really looking forward to it because honestly, we're just ready to be off for winter break. I'm still behind on my reading, but at least I am enjoying what I'm reading.

This Week


Events of Note

Here are two upcoming events this week that you should check out (each is linked to its tour):



Last Week

New Releases/#Free & Bargain Books for November 25th - December 1st #freebook #booksale #booklinkup #booklinky


Here are the New Releases / Free & Bargain Books, hosted by
Sharon over at Beck Valley Books, for this week! Check it all out below...

Authors please feel free to add your own books.
Readers please free to add your own finds.
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!


By adding your link, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy and transmitted to Inlinkz in accordance with their Privacy Policy.

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here

Come back and check out the new selection every week!

How you know you're living in an Austen novel... Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance by Jennieke Cohen (Guest Post & #Giveaway) @The_FFBC


Welcome! Check out a fun guest post from the author and the tour giveaway below...

Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance
By Jennieke Cohen
YA Historical, Suspense
Paperback & ebook, ? Pages
December 3rd 2019 by Harper Teen

Summary

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!

Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.

But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season.

Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exact circumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.

Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.

(Affiliate links included.)

Guest Post: 
Top Five Things that Tell You You're Living in an Austen Novel
  1. You have no money but you’re accomplished or pretty and have everything else going for you.
  2. The guy you like can’t communicate and/or doesn’t have control of his finances.
  3. That handsome rake you have your eye on will never be the great husband you imagine.
  4. If you’re riding in a two person carriage with a man you don’t know, it always ends badly.
  5. You seem to only be attracted to men that look inexplicably like Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen.
  6. Bonus: Things could have turned out differently, you suppose…but they didn’t.

About the Author


Jennieke Cohen (JEN-ih-kah CO-en) is used to people mispronouncing her name and tries to spare her fictional characters the same problem. Jennieke writes historical fiction for young adults inspired by real people and events because life is often stranger than fiction. She studied English history at Cambridge University and has a master’s degree in professional writing from the University of Southern California. Jennieke loves exploring new locales but always returns home to Northern California where the summers are hot, the winters are mild, and life is casual.


Tour Schedule
Tour-Wide Giveaway

Win (1) of (2) copies of DANGEROUS ALLIANCE by Jennieke Cohen (US Only)
Ends December 11, 2019

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Is this on your list to read? What did you think of the author's list?

The wise man searching for the Messiah... The End of the Magi by Patrick W. Carr (#Giveaway) #EndMagiPrism #BHPFiction


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

I've been a fan of this author since A Cast of Stones and have been looking forward to this
one! I'm reading it now and enjoying it. Learn more and enter the tour giveaway below...

The End of the Magi
By Patrick W. Carr
Christian Historical Fiction
Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 384 Pages
November 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers

Summary

Centuries before the magi arrived in Bethlehem,
a prophecy sets a young magus on his path . . .

Following his vision of the coming Messiah, the prophet Daniel calls forth a select group of men who will count down the calendar until the arrival of Israel's promised king. Centuries later, as the day draws near, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, flees for his life when his adoptive father and others are slain by a ruthless Parthian queen.

Equipped with very little, in haste Myrad escapes the city and, searching for a way to hide from the soldiers scouring the trade routes, tries to join the caravan of the merchant Walagash. The merchant senses that Myrad is keeping secrets, but when the young man proves himself a valuable asset, an epic journey filled with peril, near captures, and dangerous battles begins.

With every day that passes, the calendar creeps closer to the coming Messiah. And over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can't forget, and the promise that the world will never be the same.

Praise for the Book

"Carr retells the story of the Magi in this bustling biblical adventure . . . . Myrad's divine vision of the star and his arduous trek battling his own physical problems to pay homage to the Messiah capture the majesty of biblical narratives and will appeal to Christians well versed in scripture."--Publishers Weekly

"Patrick Carr brings us a captivating tale in The End of the Magi. Based on the Holy Bible, he weaves a fictional tale of the adventures of a group of magi from the east looking for the Messiah. Myrad is a strong main character even though he doesn't see himself as strong. He has great character traits and these help him find triumph over tragedy. . . . The End of the Magi is a great holiday read and gives us much to think about in our journey to know God better."--Fresh Fiction

(Affiliate links included.)

About the Author


Patrick W. Carr is the author of the acclaimed fantasy series The Staff and the Sword. A Cast of Stones won the 2014 Carol Award for Speculative Fiction and the 2014 Clive Staples Award. A Cast of Stones and The Hero's Lot were both finalists for 2014 Christy Awards. He teaches high school math and makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee, with his incredible wife, Mary, and their four sons.


Tour Schedule


Tour-Wide Giveaway


- One winner will receive a print copy of The End of the Magi and a $20 B&N gift card
- Four winners will each receive a print copy of The End of the Magi
- US only
- Ends November 29, 2019

Grab Our Button!

Are you a fan of this author? Do you enjoy reading fictional biblical stories? Any thoughts on this one?

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're spending time with family over Thanksgiving. We're actually experiencing winter-like weather this week, which is actually not the norm for Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to get to wear a sweater. Lol! Is it cold where you are?

And because I think they're cute and only get to show them off once a year, here are my pilgrim owls:

I hope that wherever you are, it's a great day for you. If you live in the US, HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!! Watch some football, eat some great food, spend time with family and friends, and remember to be thankful! 😃

I Can't Wait for... Cry of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse (Can't-Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday) #CWW #WOW #BHPFiction


Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you're continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

I'm super excited for the third book in this series coming in February. I've loved the covers and the whole premise of the series, and that it has a strong female lead. It's my pick this week...

Cry of the Raven
(The Ravenwood Saga #3)
By Morgan L. Busse
Christian Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
February 4th 2020 by Bethany House Publishers

Summary

Lady Selene Ravenwood has come into her full power as a dreamwalker just as the war with the Dominia Empire begins. Working with the other Great Houses, Selene and Damien use their gifts to secure the borders and save those devastated by the war. But conflict, betrayal, and hatred begin to spread between the Great Houses, destroying their unity as the empire burns a path across their lands. At the same time, Damien Maris starts to lose his ability to raise the waters, leaving the lands vulnerable to the empire's attacks.

The only one who can unite the houses and restore her husband's power is Selene Ravenwood. But it will require that she open her heart to those who have hurt her and let go of her past, despite the one who hunts her and will do anything to stop her power.

Will Selene survive? Or is she destined to fall like the dreamwalkers before her?

(Affiliate links included.)


Will you be reading this one?

On #SALE & Upcoming Audiobook... The Thirteenth Guardian by K.M. Lewis (Guest Post & #Giveaway) #13GuardBlitz

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

***Soon available in audiobook! Listen for FREE to the first four chapters here.***

The Thirteenth Guardian
(The Thirteenth Guardian #1)
By K.M. Lewis
Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Thriller
Paperback & ebook, 307 Pages
June 11th 2019

DA VINCI'S SECRET PALES. Michelangelo concealed an explosive truth in his famous Creation of Adam fresco in the Sistine Chapel. Eve did not cause the fall of man. She carried a far more devastating secret for millennia—one that will change the world forever.

As the modern-day world suffers the cataclysmic effects of the “Plagues of Egypt,” Avery Fitzgerald, a statuesque Astrophysics major at Stanford, discovers that she is mysteriously bound to five strangers by an extremely rare condition that foremost medical experts cannot explain. Thrust into extraordinary circumstances, they race against time to stay alive as they are pursued by an age-old adversary and the world around them collapses into annihilation. Under sacred oath, The Guardians—a far more archaic and enigmatic secret society than the Freemasons, Templars, and the Priory—protect Avery as she embarks on a daring quest that only legends of old have been on before. Avery must come to terms with the shocking realization that the blood of an ancient queen flows through her veins and that the fate of the world now rests on her shoulders.

The Thirteenth Guardian is Book One of a daring new Trilogy that will shake you to your core.

(Affiliate link included.)
On sale in ebook for a limited time!

About the Upcoming Audiobook

Book reviewers raved that the opening chapters of The Thirteenth Guardian hooked them immediately: so, I am excited to release the first four chapters (and a bonus excerpt) in free audio format. The audio chapters are available on all major podcast platforms—including iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher and TuneIn. Check them out here.

I interviewed quite a few voice actors. I chose the “Three Days” excerpt (which I released first) as the real test of the voice actors because the chapter, in many ways, represents the overall tone of the novel - fast paced, full of suspense, and totally gut wrenching. I needed a voice that would truly capture the weight of the story and convey the gravity of what unfolds in the book. I still shudder every time I listen to the “Three Days” audio excerpt—its pretty powerful. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

I also wanted to provide a window into what was going through my mind as I wrote the novel. So I thought a short behind-the-scenes commentary tied to each of the free audio chapters would be a cool addition. The Thirteenth Guardian is a pretty daring novel, and I think the commentary gives the reader an added dimension to the story that really brings it to life.

—K.M.

About the Author

K.M. Lewis has lived in multiple countries around the world and speaks several languages. Lewis holds a graduate degree from one of the Universities featured in his book. When he is not writing, Lewis doubles as a management consultant, with clients in just about every continent. He does much of his writing while on long flights and at farflung airports around the globe. He currently resides on the East Coast of the United States with his family.


Blitz Giveaway


One winner will receive an ebook of THE THIRTEENTH GUARDIAN
Open internationally
Ends November 30, 2019

Grab Our Button!

Read an excerpt from The Cracking of Monday Egg by B.T. Higgins (Excerpt & #Giveaway) @justreadtours


Welcome! Follow the tour here, and read an excerpt and enter the tour giveaway below...

The Cracking of Monday Egg
By B.T. Higgins
Children's Book, Christian
Paperback & ebook, 206 Pages
October 31st 2019 by Emerald House Group, Inc

Summary

An Egg World Allegory

The Maker created Monday Egg for a very important reason. Monday just doesn’t understand it yet. Being an egg with arms and legs has its advantages. Monday can run like the wind and climb trees easily, but he is an egg. What happens when he cracks?

The Cracking of Monday Egg is the story of a cranky crow, a sick little girl, a kind squirrel, and Monday’s struggle to deal with his own crackability.

(Affiliate links included.)

Excerpt

Five massive fingers slid around Monday Egg and gripped him like raptor claws. Monday felt the pressure jolt through his shell, the pressing to the point of crushing. Then, he awoke fully and felt the tsunami of panic, which hit him like a wave moving inside to out.

“What is this?” he screamed.

Then the pain of the crushing ate the words from his mouth. He was flying through the air. Massive rises and drops. Dizziness overcame him.

He could not see anything. A weight was over his eyes and mouth, but many sharper points burned along his back. The only sense left untouched by the attack was his ears.

He heard laughing. The gentle laugh of a child, a girl.

“Daddy!” she shouted, her voice full of excitement and wonder. “Daddy, I found one. I got an egg.”

Then more giggling. He felt his body rocket into the air and then jolt left, right, left. Sharp blades of agony cut through his shell and radiated down his right leg.

Then came a series of violent jerks and distant thuds. “I got one of our eggs, Daddy. I want to show you.”

“Mary, honey,” said the Daddy, “all of our eggs are in the barns.”

The girl stopped and shook Monday Egg.

“No, they aren’t,” said the girl. “I got one.”

“Mary, if you found an egg over there, it is a wild egg. It isn’t a chicken egg. Put it back and come here. I’ll show you our eggs. Come quick.”

For the first time, the girl loosened her death grip on Monday Egg. Her hand opened slowly, and Monday Egg was looking into the bright green eyes of human girl. She was young, maybe six years old. Monday could not move even as the pain began to subside. He lay in her palm, unsure if he was cracked or just nearly so.

He looked into those green eyes and they looked like emeralds as the morning sun lit them from the side. The girl studied Monday Egg. Then a look of confusion came. She saw his arms and legs. The girl looked into his eyes and saw his intelligence. She turned her head toward her daddy, “This isn’t one of our eggs, Daddy. This one has arms and legs!”

About the Author


B.T. Higgins lives in the wild urban jungles of Alaska with his wife and four children. As you might expect, he is an avid fan of long naps and noise-canceling headphones. He has been a garbageman, a propane technician, a teacher, a tutor, a musician and an exotic-bird-cage scrubber, but writing stories is, by far, his favorite job.


Tour-Wide Giveaway


(1) winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card & free collection of short stories by the author!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight November 22, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on November 29, 2019. US only. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Weekly Update #345, 600 posts...


Welcome to my Weekly Update where I share what's been going on and what's coming up!

I'm linking up to The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

I posted my 600th post Saturday for 2019. That's a lot of posts. Kind of crazy all added up like that and I still have another month to go this year. This week did not go at all as I had planned. We had a family emergency as well as some other things not originally in the schedule and my less busy week turned into another busy one. I literally read one book and now have more to catch up on in order to not fall even more behind. I do plan on enjoying this coming Thanksgiving and spend a lot of quality time with the family and get some good downtime for me. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


This Week


Giveaways

Go enter my monthly giveaway for an Amazon gift card:

Last Week

In case you missed any of these over the past week...

Home for Christmas by Catherine Lanigan (Tour Grand Finale & #Giveaway) #HCTour

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops
you'll find snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch - Note from the Author

Home for Christmas was pure Joy for me—in every chapter and word. I was thrilled when my editors gave me the green light to write this, the first Christmas story set in Indian Lake. I certainly hope it’s not the last for my beloved characters.

This story is especially dear to me because it’s cut right out of my life. In my hometown of La Porte, Indiana, there was a magical all-glass greenhouse just like the one Joy Boston inherits. From my earliest memories of Christmas, visits to the Bernacchi Greenhouse to choose the right poinsettias for aunts and friends was practically part of my DNA. For decades, even when I moved out of town and lived in big cities and foreign countries, Christmas memories always began in those greenhouses. . .


"I absolutely loved the setting, too! The poinsettia greenhouses anchor this story with their potential and fascinating, town-edifying history. Grandfather Frank’s dreams are renewed, and his memory is revived in a surprising and sweet way. Home for Christmas infused me in the spirit of Christmas and satisfied me with its ending."


"This is your typical second-chance romance with a bunch of Hallmark movie thrown in. And because it is a Christmas book, that makes it fit absolutely perfectly. You can't help but love this formula at this time of year, because it always makes you feel good."


Joy shoved the phone in her purse and saw the Uber driver at the bottom of the escalator, holding a sign with her name on it.

She walked up to him. “Hi! I’m Joy Boston.”

The middle-aged man nodded. “I’m Roy. Happy to see you. I’ll take your bags for you. Do you have more luggage to claim?”

“No, this is it. I won’t be staying long.”

“Oh, that’s a pity,” Roy said, as he politely ushered her toward the outer door.

“Why’s that?”

“Indian Lake is so lovely at the holidays. So many decorations and activities. The Christmas Concert. The symphony. The children’s Christmas pageant. The caroling parties. The Candlelight Tour…”


Pause for Tales - Review

"This was like Hallmark in a book. Another sweet second chance romance between two people who have had their love rekindled again."

Paulette's Papers - Guest Post

A CAROLING WE GO

This is my front door where yes, last year, a small group came to my door and sang Christmas carols. Luckily, I still had some Christmas cookies to gift them. . .

onemused - Review

". . . the second chance romance, Christmas setting, and lovely characters all bring the book together in a lovely way. I would highly recommend for fans of Hallmark movies- this is a sweet and heartwarming (clean) book!"


"Home For Christmas displays how the magic of community and holiday spirit come together to rejuvenate a person’s spirit. Even if you’re away from an extended period time, one can truly return home and find the key to inner peace. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a holiday tale with a strong sense of community!"


"I really loved this book. If you are looking for a book to get you into the holiday spirit look no further. This one did get me a little teary eyed in the beginning because it is sad. This book gave me plenty of heart and feels. It's also a great second chance romance."


"First of all, this is a beautifully-composed, sweet romance with no offensive content. In fact, if you love Christmas rom-coms that appear on the Hallmark Channel every year, this is the book for you. This is just like a Hallmark Christmas movie, except it’s even better!"


Roy drove into town, past the red sandstone county courthouse with its one-hundred-and-forty-year-old clock tower and onto Maple Boulevard. They passed houses she remembered, belonging to Sarah Jensen and Mrs. Beabots. Saint Mark’s Church. The Indian Lake Police Station. Specters of past, happy days flew around Joy, pulling her back to Indian Lake like magnets. And with each memory, she missed her mother, her father and especially her grandfather all the more.

That was why when Roy drove up to the three glass greenhouses, which her grandfather had built right after World War II, her vision had been blurred by her tears. She couldn’t possibly be seeing correctly.

“What is this?” she asked Roy, like a stupefied tourist.

“Boston Greenhouses.” He waved his hand across the expanse of the windshield. “This is it.”


Splashes of Joy - Review

"Home for Christmas was just the right book to get me in the mood for Christmas. I really enjoyed following Joy and her friends as they prepared to reopen the old greenhouses Joy’s grandfather loved so much. It was interesting to learn everything involved to reopen the greenhouses. . . . If you are looking for good Christmas stories to read during the Holiday season, this is a really great one to check out."


"Whether you’ve been a fan of Lanigan’s long-running Shores of Indian Lake series from book one or you’re just arriving on the scene, the close-knit small town’s charm will quickly wrap you in twinkle lights and hot chocolate. Joy and Adam’s story is a look at grief, bitterness, forgiveness, restoration… and coming home again. Second chances abound in more ways than one in Home For Christmas, and you’ll love discovering each one."


"Home for Christmas by Catherine Lanigan is a great book that I devoured it. Joy jumped out of the pages and into my head along with the other characters. I love happy endings. Ms. Lanigan is an excellent writer. I am giving Home for Christmas five stars and recommending it to everyone."

Wishful Endings - Guest Post

TREE FARM DAY

It was a year to pull out all the stops. And I did.

The tree farm was the first stop. I hadn’t been to our “Pine Country Tree Farm” in decades. What an eye-opener. Trust me, the scenes in any movie you’ve seen don’t compare to the real thing. What an operation. There was a gift store. A Santa all suited up sitting in his own cabin! Florals, garlands, wreaths were being shipped out by truckload. A horse-drawn wagon took folks up to the rolling hills to chop down their own tree. Hot apple cider and cocoa awaited them upon their return. . .


"Home for Christmas set a beautiful scene for the upcoming holidays for me as I read it. This second chance love story had such heart ad a great setting. . . . This was a very heartwarming story and was lots of fun to read."


"Home for Christmas is a touching story of forgiveness and second chances – on a personal level between Adam and Joy, and also as the community comes together in support and help. Home for Christmas would make a moving Hallmark movie and the company is missing a great opportunity if they don’t snatch this one up. But the book is even better than a potential movie because of all the richness and depth that a movie can’t convey."

Heidi Reads... - Guest Post

THE CHRISTMAS POPS CONCERT

The Christmas Pops is truly unique. It’s held at our Civic Auditorium, built in the 1920’s and houses over 3,000 people. The main floor, where basketball used to be played when I was in high school, is filled with linen covered tables and chairs, decorated with flowers and candles and the ceiling is draped, flung and crisscrossed with thousands of Christmas lights. The La Porte County Symphony plays as various choral groups, the Children’s Choir, soloists and local harmonizing groups perform. The night is upbeat and fun. Everyone dresses up, lots of tuxes and gowns; Christmas dresses and fun Christmas ties, I have to say. . .


"This is a wonderful, heartfelt story of love, betrayal, misunderstandings, confusion, forgiveness and grief. The setting is in a small town during the Holidays. . . . The characters are so endearingly realistic, the scenes described in a way they are easily visualized. . . . I feel this novel earns a Five Stars rating. . ."

Cover To Cover Cafe - Review & Excerpt

"Another hit by one of my favorite heart warming authors! Lanigan has done it! Once again, she has created a Hallmark worthy story for readers. Every page turn pulled me farther into the story, and help me captive until the very end."

She looked toward the back of the retail gift area. Two French doors led to a smaller greenhouse where specialty orchids, amaryllis and hybrid poinsettias used to be displayed on long wooden tables. That was Joy’s favorite area, where her grandfather would test his yearlong projects of coral-and-white-striped poinsettias, yellows, ambers, and try as he might, the absolute impossible task of creating a blue poinsettia. Blue poinsettias didn’t exist naturally, and he would dye white ones to please designers in Chicago, but he was a dreamer. He’d often told her he wanted to create a flower that was not only beautiful but timeless. Something the world would never have seen if it hadn’t been for him.


"The book has so much meaning to it. There are lessons we can learn — especially one concerning Joy’s grandfather."

Locks, Hooks and Books - Excerpt & Review

Adam took off his hat, and as he did, his thick black hair fell over his forehead.

Joy nearly gasped as the movement reminded her of when they’d been in love.

“I know that Frank didn’t want to destroy your memories of this place. How it was.”

“It was glorious, wasn’t it?” Joy felt her first smile creep slowly to her lips as she remembered so much.

“It was,” he replied wistfully, still staring at her.

"I loved this magical tale! . . . I am giving Home for Christmas a very well deserved five plus stars. It is most definitely a must to add to any reader’s Christmas reading."

Remembrancy - Review

"This settles it. I want to live in Indian Lake surrounded by friends who show up, a mentor like Mrs. Beabots, and the romance that permeates the town. . . . Catherine Lanigan gifts readers with a story of second chances, forgiveness, and finding home again through Joy and Adam’s eyes. I didn’t want this story to end."

Kat's Corner Books - Interview & Review

5. What is your favorite thing about having a “story world” that you can return to in new books?

C: For my series set in Indian Lake, I truly cherish the ability to go back with each story and see what mysterious, elegant and tight-lipped Mrs. Beabots is up to. Though she is the doyenne of the community, she is the wise sage. The giver of all gifts. The mirror for every heroine or hero to face at one point during the story.

"This was my first book by Catherine but it won’t be my last. Beside sharing a name, and thus automatically qualifying as awesome, she has a talent for weaving a sweet story with just enough depth to keep the characters growing throughout. . . . I look forward to returning to Indian Lake and getting to know the residents better."


“So, Dad,” Titus said as he dipped thin chicken tenders in a mix of flour, chili powder, granulated garlic and black pepper, “do you think we should ask Mr. Boston’s granddaughter over for Thanksgiving dinner?”

Adam stopped pouring the olive oil into the frying pan. “How do you know anything about Joy Boston being in town?”

“Mrs. Beabots. She came over to Timmy’s house and made oatmeal cookies for us.”

“Oh, she did? And how many did you eat?” Adam asked, hoping to change the subject.



". . . when you find a romance as good as this one (and the whole series really) you just have to keep reading!

Home for Christmas will keep you reading. It will feel like you just sat down with a good friend and before you know it, the whole book is over and you’re still longing for more time to chat."


"Catherine Lanigan has become one of my favorite authors because she truly does write heartwarming novels that are suitable for all readers, ones you can share with your daughters, mothers. grandmothers, friends and family. I love a sweet, clean romance and Ms. Lanigan is one of the best authors in this genre."


The excitement on Titus’s face hit mega wattage. “We’re gonna have the biggest, bestest tree ever! We’re going out to Pine Country Tree Farm, where you can ride out to the groves and pick any tree you want. They cut it down, unless you wanna do it yourself.” He tilted his head up to Adam. “You gonna do it again this year, Dad?”

“Probably.”

Titus turned back to Joy. “Then we ride back and they bundle it up and put it in our truck. I want a really, really huge one this year.”

“Wow,” Joy replied. “Just how big is that?”



"If you are ready for some happy tears and heartwarming scenes, start looking for HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. It will have you in a festive and giving mood in no time plus you might just end up a happy puddle of happy Holiday goo!"


CHRISTMAS COOKIES

I get it that a lot of people don’t bake anymore. Slice and bake or pick up from the local bakery or grocery store. As long as they look like Christmas cookies that’s good enough, right? Well, not in my house. Every year I make hundreds—bordering on a thousand—Christmas cookies for friends and family. I mail them all over the country and to Canada. I know. I must be nuts. That’s another thing. I order my nuts from a local charity every year. If I’m not Suzanne’s larger client/supporter, then the honor must go to a retailer. I plow through a lot of nuts, butter, flour and sugar.

Hallie Reads - Review

"Travel to Indian Lake for a sweet, second-chance romance this Christmas. . . . Catherine Lanigan’s Home for Christmas is everything I love to find in a holiday romance. Heartwarming and feelgood, it’s one to add to the Christmas TBR if you love contemporary romance."

Harlie's Books - Excerpt & Review

Adam pulled up to the bank. He put the truck in Park and turned to her. “What are you asking me?”

“Have you got an ulterior motive, Adam Masterson? Because if you do, it’s time to lay your cards on the table.”

“Initially, I wanted to show you that Indian Lake wasn’t the hall of horrors you thought it was. That the people here were wonderful and loving and that maybe you could come to need them.”


"Yall, this book had all the feels. I got caught up with all my friends from the other books and it warmed my heart to see them come together for Joy and Adam. Sometimes it does take a village and it was evident here. . . . If looking for a feel-good second chance romance with the backdrop of poinsettias, this is for you. Adam and Joy are ranking up there as one of my favorite couples in Indian Shores. Mica and Grace, you have competition. Thank you, Ms. Lanigan, for this book. It is what I needed for the start of the holiday season."

underneath the covers - Guest Post

IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS WITOUT POINSETTIAS

My love for this book, HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, is far more emotional than I’d thought when I started out writing it. Poinsettias remind me of nearly every “passed on” family member of my life. My grandmother, Ethel, who was born in the deep South and lived in Northwestern Florida most of her adult life, adored tropical flowers. Both she and my mother not only absolutely, indisputably had to have poinsettias in the house, but they also always had red anthuriums on the dining table for Christmas dinner.


"I love how Home for Christmas opens the door into Joy's life by a heartfelt wave of sentimental nostalgia for her grandfather's Thanksgiving at Indian Lake. . . . I personally have always appreciated the compelling ways in which Ms Lanigan pulls you back through her vision for Indian Lake. . . Lanigan makes us feel as cosy comfortable in Indian Lake as if we had been reading it since the first novel released. And, that is one of the reasons I love this series as much as I do. . . . The story was a bit sweeter round the edges due to the Christmassy inclusions and the back-drop of this revolving round a favourite (and cherished!) holiday flower which is only available during the holiday seasons."


". . . I loved loved this story on 2nd chances. . . . Her story is putting me in the Christmas spirit and I can almost see this as a Hallmark movie with a happy ending for Joy and Adam. . . . This is a new to me author that I will look forward to in the future. Her writing is sweet. I love sweet and heartwarming stories like this one."

Becky on Books - Interview

What 5 things should readers know about you?
  1. They should know I take my writing very seriously. I feel a responsibility to deliver the best of my talent at the age I am when writing it.
  2. I’ve been writing for 40 years.
  3. I work endlessly on screenplays.
  4. My first Hallmark movie, THE SWEETEST HEART was aired last year
  5. I love to cook.
EmpowerMoms - Review

"I love holiday books and I have read other books by this author so I was excited to read this book.This story is book 12 in the “Shores of Indian Lake” series but they can be read as stand alone books. I have only read one other book in this series and I really enjoyed it! . . . This was a sweet romance about second chances, family, and making a home with the people around you. I really enjoyed reading it!"

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of this post...

Home for Christmas
(Shores of Indian Lake #12)
By Catherine Lanigan
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
November 1st 2019 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Can a magical Christmas under glass…

…bring them back together for good?

Widowed dad Adam Masterson still doesn’t understand why Joy Boston left Indian Lake and broke his heart all those years ago. Now she’s returned to sell her grandfather’s beloved poinsettia greenhouse—and Joy and Adam’s connection is as strong as ever. But Joy has a life in New York. And Adam has only until Christmas to convince Joy that she belongs in Indian Lake—with him.

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Other Books in the Series


About the Author

Catherine Lanigan is the international bestselling and award-winning author of over forty-five published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile. Ms. Lanigan’s novels have been translated into over twenty-four languages. Lanigan was tasked by the NotMYkid foundation to pen a collection of compelling and informative true stories of teen addicts. Ms. Lanigan’s SHORES OF INDIAN LAKE series for HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING includes LOVE SHADOWS, HEART’S DESIRE , A FINE YEAR FOR LOVE, KATIA’S PROMISE, FEAR OF FALLING, SOPHIE’S PATH, PROTECTING THE SINGLE MOM, FAMILY OF HIS OWN, HIS BABY DILEMMA, RESCUED BY THE FIREFIGHTER and HERS TO PROTECT (2019).

Ms. Lanigan is a frequent speaker at literary functions and book conventions as well as inspiring audiences with her real stories of angelic intervention from her Angel Tales series of books. She is an outspoken advocate for domestic violence and abuse and was honored by The National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. She has been a guest on numerous radio programs including “Coast to Coast” and on television interview and talk show programs as well as blogs, podcasts and online radio interview programs. She writes a monthly blog for Heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com.

Tour Giveaway


- One winner will receive a $100 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally)
- Two winners will each receive a signed copy of Home for Christmas with a bookmark (US only)
- Ends November 27, 2019

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