Cowboys Under the Mistletoe

You can't beat the price for five cowboy Christmas stories.

 I liked all the characters and felt their circumstances and backstories were all believeable and played a part in their present motivations and decisions. Each author has her own unique voice and style, yet the stories blended well together to form a satisfying whole.

I took a chance on this set based on my previous positive reading experiences with Liz Isaacson's work. As is usual with anthologies, some stories are better than others. Overall, they were well written, though some could've used more development of story and/or character.

Clean. Sweet. A touch of Christianity. Delightful kisses. And a sprinkling of mistletoe made all the stories bright.

A good read for the season.


Amazon

Bring Five Cowboys Home for the Holidays with New Stories from Best Selling Christian Romance Authors

The Cowboy's Christmas Wish by Kristen Ethridge
Sarah Murdoch knew bringing her daughter, Jamie, halfway across the country to Port Provident, Texas would cause more anxiety than feel-good Christmas memories. But when Jamie bonds with Grant McCray, the owner of Beachcomber Stables, she begins to come out of her shell. Can this big-city mom learn to embrace small-town simplicity and let a heart-scarred cowboy make a little girl’s Christmas wish come true?

Memories + Mistletoe = Love by Danica Favorite
Mallory McPherson’s act of desperation in accepting a long-lost relative’s Christmas invitation brings up difficult memories she doesn’t expect. Cowboy Nolan Masters knows what it’s like to come from a painful past. Can the lessons he’s learned bring healing- and maybe a happily-ever-after- to Mallory?

Up on the Housetop by Liz Isaacson
Archer Bailey has already lost one job to Emersyn Enders, so he's beyond angry when he sees Emery at the ranch interview anyway. Then the owner of the ranch announces a contest to see which cowhand applicant can earn the most stars by Christmas. Whoever does will win the job. Will Emery and Archer be able to navigate the ranch, their close quarters, and their individual circumstances to find love this holiday season?

Wilde About You by Deb Kastner
When their best friends' wedding is about to collapse the night before the nuptials, the best man, wrangler Matthew Wilde, and the maid of honor, Riley Weaver, must work together to make their friends' Christmas wish come true. Despite their differences and a family feud, can Matthew and Riley embrace the holiday spirit--and each other--before the clock ticks down?

Home for Hope by Jessica Keller
When Hope Beckett crashes on Rider Longley’s property during a snowstorm, she wonders if life could get any worse. Running from her troubles, she can’t afford to stay in Bitterroot Valley for long. But Rider’s kind and steady personality makes it hard to leave, especially in the midst of the Christmas season.

Hazel's Christmas Duet

I believe this is my first read by Ms. Rian. It will not be the last.

A sweet holiday read with all the right notes both musical and emotional. A slow building friendship blossoming into sweet romance. There are all the right amount of obstacles to overcome and yet aren't insurmountable. Certainly a worthy read to your holiday schedule.

I hope she'll add more tales to this locale. I'd like to go back to this small town and get to know more characters.

Amazon

Will music and love heal Hazel’s heart?

To escape the awkwardness of her recent break-up with her boss, Hazel takes a new job in a distant town, Holly Haven. Miles from friends and family, Hazel does her best to stay cheery despite knowing she may be all alone for Christmas.

After making a new friend at the local bakery and joining the community orchestra, Hazel's holidays are starting to take a turn for the better. Hazel even begins to develop feelings for the orchestra director, Michael, and looks forward to getting to know him better.

However, a skidding car on an icy winter day leads Hazel to a shocking discovery.

Hazel’s Christmas Duet is about finding friendship and love in the more trying seasons of life when they are needed the most.

Christmas at Edgewood Park

This might be my first read by Shaela Kay. If so, it's certainly not going to be my last. What a wonderful introduction to this author.

The story is a delightful regency tale of a spinster and a deformed gentleman coming together for the good of the community and their hearts. It's heartfelt and heart tugging. The characters are charming. Beautifully written. Clean. Sweet. Sigh worthy. Satisfying on every level.

I love the cover.

A delightful Christmas read. 


Amazon

At nearly thirty years old, Eleanor Eves is a confirmed old maid - and a rather wealthy one at that. She enjoys her independence, relishes her position, and delights in serving the people of Littleton. But when the reclusive Mr. Cartwright returns to town after eight years abroad, she finds herself the unwilling delegate volunteered to welcome him into the neighborhood. 

Not only is he shrouded in mystery, but Albert Cartwright is horribly disfigured, and carries a reputation for being somewhat of a brute. With Christmas on the horizon, a holiday bazaar to organize, and her aging father to care for, can Eleanor make room in her heart for Mr. Cartwright as well?

Love on a Limb

Ms. Lewis knows no bounds when it comes to heart/gut wrenching romance. This time it's between a dying cancer patient and his nurse/soon-to-be wife. The agreement is not to fall in love, in case the worst happens.

I seriously don't have words to describe the deep emotional roller coaster ride this book launches you on, leaving you dizzy, breathless, and believing in hope. It is little short of perfect in terms of a clean romantic read.

As always, Ms. Lewis is at the top of her craft. I imagine she'll stay there forever.

Amazon

Matthew Grayken is young, successful, and dying, which is why he’s about to propose to a total stranger. He isn’t interested in love. He needs a caregiver, a companion, and someone to be his legal voice when he can no longer speak for himself.

Lonely, compassionate nurse Mikaela Compton is intrigued by Matt Grayken’s tender request, but when their friendly marriage turns into love, she rejects the inevitability of Matt’s death and prays for a miracle instead.

Mikaela succeeds in reigniting Matt’s will to fight, but his body is losing the battle and he is suffering. She recognizes that her urgent need to save Matt has caused her to betray the fundamental promise she made him--to help him die peaceably. 

Matt needs a miracle, and Mikaela believes one is attainable, but she will need to leave him at the hour of his greatest need. She's about to learn that while love sometimes draws you close, it sometimes requires you to go out on a limb.

Adding Christmas

This Christmas romance by Rebecca Talley has it all: romance, clean kisses, conflict, and a satisfying ending.

The struggles of disliking Christmas for Chloe are real. And let's admit it, at some point in our lives, most of us have disliked some aspect of the holiday season for one reason or another. Her character is real and relatable. Plus, we all recognize a workaholic when we read/see one. She has good reason for that too. In all, her motives ring true, as do her responses to Mitch.

The jilted man. Sigh. Always makes us sympathetic to one who has been thoroughly ruined in love. I liked his upbeat, can do spirit even through his shattered in romance rose colored glasses.

A wonderful, holiday read that will satisfy your heart.


Amazon

For advertising executive Chloe Henderson, Christmas is a stark reminder of heartache and loss, so she avoids it every year and focuses all her energy on her career. With the promise of a promotion, Chloe is more determined than ever to work her way up the ladder. 

Mitch Powell thought he had it all until his fiancée walked out. Since then, he’s embraced his bachelor lifestyle and lived it up. When his father asks him to take over the family business, he reluctantly agrees, as long as he can make some changes. First up: a new advertising campaign. 

Chloe meets Mitch, a lover of all things Christmas, when she’s assigned his account. The attraction is strong and immediate, but she refuses to mix business with pleasure and put her job in jeopardy. Can she set aside her personal feelings and come up with a winning campaign to earn her well-deserved promotion, or will she risk it all for a chance at love? 

Fall in love with this sweet Christmas romance sure to warm your heart any time of the year.

Swing Vote

Be sure and check Donna Weaver's Swing Vote. She's one of my favorite authors and I have loved this series!

Swing Vote will be on sale for $.99 between Dec 11 & Dec 17.  

Marc survived an IED but will his heart survive McKenzie?

An IED blew up more than Marc North's career as a Cobra pilot; it shattered his plans for marriage. After being dumped by his girlfriend and spending more than a year in rehab, all he wants is to fly again. He jumps at the chance to partner with a combat buddy in a helicopter sightseeing business. Now in a boomtown in southern Utah, Marc gets caught up with local politics. And the local election official.

At work, McKenzie Terkildsen struggles to keep control of a dangerously contentious election. At home, she shares the challenge of raising younger half-brothers with her older step-brother. He complicates things by inviting a Marine buddy to stay with them while the two build a business together. As a council member takes liberty with facts and stirs the already caustic election brew, the last thing McKenzie needs is one more guy messing up her life—or her heart.

Amazon

Home for the Holidays

I'm a fan of Ms. Hoagland. I can always count on solid clean writing and likable characters.

Poor Avery brings home a boyfriend whose luster started diminishing prior to the holidays. A classic example of how different priorities end relationships.

There's lots of heart and the setting reminds the reader that not all holidays are celebrated in snowy climes with mittens. Loved the beach vibe of being in south TX. Plus, being a home renovation fan I like the house building going on. The right mix of everything for me.

Add it to your holiday list of reads.

Amazon

Spending Christmas vacation with her father is part of Avery Baumann’s plan—right between graduating with her MBA and starting her first real job alongside her successful boyfriend, Hayden. But it’s a plan she’s beginning to second-guess.

Architect Keenan Perry wants to design a plan of his own—one that includes Avery. If only it wasn’t for their rocky history, secrets buried in his past, and that pesky boyfriend of hers.

As Avery and Keenan work side by side to rebuild a friend’s home by Christmas, it may take more than a miracle for them to patch the past and build the future of their dreams . . . even if it isn’t what they had planned.

A Gift for Lord Trevelin

This is a short and sweet Christmas tale of mercy from Heidi Ashworth.

Actually, I would've liked it to be a little longer as for me there were two conversations, a declaration of love, and several loose ends. I enjoyed the characters and what drew them together. I would've liked to see more development of their clearing obstacles standing in their way of HEA.

The tale is clean and a quick Christmas read.

Amazon

**This story was first published as The Lord Who Sneered in "The Lord Who Sneered and Other Tales: A Regency Holiday Anthology".** Debutante Lady Sophie Lundell has been warned about the notorious Julian Silvester, Marquis of Trevelin, but when she encounters him at a Yuletide ball, she feels his loneliness. Her instinct is to go to him despite the scar at the corner of his mouth; one that leads most to believe he is sneering at them. Curious as to how he came by the scar, and convinced of its connection to his aura of desolation, she burns to speak with him. She follows him out onto the veranda and draws the story from his lips; one which he has told no one in its completeness; one of such deceit, betrayal, and misery, that her heart aches for him. Come Christmas day, she is surprised by a visit from the marquis. She is even more surprised when she learns the gift she has given him. A tender tale of hope, faith, charity, and true love. Though a stand-alone story, readers of The Lord Trevelin Mysteries will especially enjoy reading about "Trev's" Happily Ever After.

Summer's Squall Blog Tour

Do you like winter? There are a lot of people who don’t.
Just remember, summer is coming. Yes, it’s about seven months away, but we can
still celebrate it. And today, Amy Schliser is on the blog telling us all about
her new book, Summer’s Squall.

About the Book

Summer’s Squall,
begins in Baltimore where Baltimore City Police Detective, Abe (Lank) Lankton,
assumes he'll be helping his cousin solve a minor problem when she calls and
asks him to fly west. When he learns that he's been called out there to aid in
capturing an elusive stalker, his first instinct is go straight back to
Maryland. However, when he meets the alluring victim, Summer Cooper, all bets
are off. With his future, and his own life, in jeopardy, Lank must choose
between going back to the life he knows in America's Charm City or staying out
west to help Summer. But Lank's not sure that Summer is all that she claims to
be or that the stalker even exists. One thing he knows for sure, Summer is
guilty... of stealing his heart. Summer’s
Squall is published by Chesapeake Sunrise Publishing and will be available
in local book stores. It may be ordered through Amazon, Barnes and Noble,
iBooks, and most other online sellers.

About the Author

Award-winning author, Amy MacWilliams Schisler, grew up in
Maryland, not far from Washington, DC. She graduated from Salisbury University
with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Political Science and from the
University of Maryland with a Masters of Library and Information Science. Amy
began writing as a child and spent fifteen years working as a librarian, a job
she dearly loved, before becoming a full-time author. Her debut book was the
beloved children’s book, Crabbing With
Granddad, an autobiographical book about spending the day with her
grandfather that us used throughout the state of Maryland as part of its
Maryland history unit. Amy’s first novel, A
Place to Call Home, was published in 2014 by Sarah Book Publishing. Her
books, Picture Me and Whispering Vines, received 2016 and 2017
Illumination Book Awards, which recognize the best Christian themed books
published both in the traditional book form as well as the ebook industry. Whispering
Vines received a 2017 LYRA Award for the best romance of 2016. She followed
up her success with the acclaimed, Island
of Miracles in 2017. Amy’s weekly
blog currently has over 1000 subscribers, and topics vary from current events
to her home life with her husband, Ken, and their three daughters, Rebecca,
Katie, and Morgan as well as their two dogs, Rosie and Misty.

Schisler delights in speaking to groups, and more
information may be found at her website: http://www.amyschislerauthor.com.

You may
follow Amy online at the following places:

http://amyschislerauthor.com

http://amyschisler.wordpress.com

http://facebook.com/amyschislerauthor

https://www.goodreads.com/amyschisler

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amy-schisler

Twitter
@AmySchislerAuth

Giveaway

Amy is generously giving one lucky person two
signed paperbacks. One copy is for you and the other for your friend. You can
enter here: 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

December 4

Bookish
Orchestrations – Intro
Post

December 5

Lisa Swinton -
Queen of Random – Book Spotlight

Amy Schisler,
Author – Book Spotlight

Letters
from Annie Douglass Lima – Book Spotlight

Rachel Rossano's Words – Book Spotlight

December 6

Rebekah Lyn Books –
Book Spotlight

December 7

Among the Reads –
Book Spotlight

December 8

Adventures in
Publishing – Book Spotlight

December 9

Bookish
Orchestrations – Giveaway
winner