North for Christmas by Christina Dymock

Ruby Jeavon takes a position as a Christmas elf in order to evaluate the Nashville North Pole Program from the inside. For years, the program has been losing money and investors want a reason to pull out. Ratting out a Santa isn’t Ruby’s style, but someone has to do it. She’s mortified by the striped tights and elf shoes, but she has a goal and nothing, not even the handsome Nashville native, North Foxwell, will stand in her way.

North’s dad was diagnosed with cancer. The news brings North home to Nashville for the holidays where he’ll have to face his past, his grudge, and his bossy sister. North gets more than he bargained for when Ruby steps into Santa’s workshop. He’ll do everything he can to save the North Pole Program, but in the end, it’s North that needs saving – and Ruby’s just the girl to take on the task.

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Excerpt
“Are you Mr. Foxwell?”
”Yes, sir.”
“I’m Mitch.” He tucked the clipboard back under his arm. “We’re waitin’ for one more passenger.”
“Will it be long?” North’s stomach rumbled.
“Her flight just landed, so it should only be a few minutes.”
They made small talk as they watched the people gather around the baggage claim.
“I’ll bet that’s her,” said Mitch.
North followed his gaze. Walking toward them was none other than Ruby Jeavon in a pair of designer black boots, tight jeans, and an oversized, but somehow still flattering, sweater. She expertly maneuvered two large bags, a carry on, and her purse in their direction.
Maybe it was Karma that brought her here. Or maybe it was an angel with an overactive funny bone. Either way, North was not at all surprised to see the one woman who could make his trip home more awkward. He’d gathered from Ruby’s inclusion in the charity review meeting that she was on some sort of training schedule with Kathleen, and being here was probably a step up the ladder for the spoiled daughter of a powerful executive.
He still hadn’t figured out a way to explain his behavior yesterday. He hadn’t meant to embarrass Ruby more than she embarrassed herself, but his laughter in the elevator had done just that. She needn’t worry about him or Fredrick saying anything that would tarnish her reputation or the reputation of the company, but Ruby didn’t know him from Adam and had little reason to trust him at this time. Not only did North need Ruby as a future client, he couldn’t shake that moment when their eyes met over the conference table. He’d found himself thinking about it at random times throughout the day. He decided she may have a hard candy shell, but what he’d seen in those eyes was sweet and kind, even if he only caught a glimpse before she turned into Bumble the Abominable Snowwoman.
He’d put it off sending an email or flowers or a bouquet of candy canes to smooth things over so that the next time they met they could both just ignore it and move on. Deciding that was the best course of action, he put a welcoming smile on his face and stepped forward. “Can I help you with your bags, Miss Jeavon?”
Ruby blanched and an awkward silence formed between them faster than ice on a Memphis highway.
“Miss Ruby Jeavon?” asked Mitch.
Ruby ignored North. “Yes, that’s me.”
“I’m with the North Pole Express Shuttle Service. Can I help you with those bags?”
Ruby gave Mitch a genuine smile and allowed him to take the larger of the two bags and her carry-on. “Thank you.”
She took quick, long strides to keep up with Mitch as he led them toward the waiting van. North, who was used to being the tallest in the group, had to stretch his legs to keep up. He found Ruby’s hurried pace comical. It reminded him of the way he could get under his sister’s skin without trying.
Ruby glared over her shoulder. “Are you following me?”
North laughed. “Technically, yes and no. I think we’re riding together, so I’m not following you just to follow you. But you’re walking in front of me, so I’m following you.”
“Accountants,” Ruby muttered. She pulled up short and fixed him in place with a look that could make Jell-O hold still. “Wait, we’re riding together? As in, we’re going to the same place?”
“I guess so,” he replied with a cautious note.
She took off again, her shoes ticking against the concrete like a timer on a bomb. Tick. Tick. Tick.
“What exactly are you doing here?” she threw the question over her shoulder.
The airport doors slid open and an icy blast of air bit North’s cheeks. He braced himself for more than the cold weather as he contemplated his answer. His reasons were personal, and he had no intention of sharing them with a near stranger no matter how pretty she was with her cheeks pinked by the cold December air. Ruby shimmied into her coat and efficiently buttoned it up as she walked, never letting go of her roller. It was a feat worth admiring, and North found that he enjoyed admiring Ruby despite her obvious dislike for accountants.
His constant awareness of her beauty surprised North. Ruby, and her international Christmas travels, were the exact opposite of what North valued in a woman. He wanted to share his life with someone who was as dedicated to sharing as he was. A woman who wanted a family, a home, perhaps a dog…
Before he could come up with something to say, she demanded, “Did my mother send you?”
“Did your mother send you?” North fired back. He groaned in frustration as Ruby whipped around and climbed into the waiting van without another word. He wasn’t doing a very good job of making amends. Feeling a little like a lump of coal, North settled into his seat in the van.

Praise for North for Christmas

“There was so much heart and depth packed into this romantic and fun Christmas story, I loved every page of it. Ruby and North each have issues and pasts, making it that much sweeter when they can help each other through the hurt to find the joy.” ~Cami Checketts, author of Christmas Makeover, An Echo Ridge Romance

Author Christina Dymock

Christina Dymock graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications. She currently resides in Central Utah with her husband and four children. Along with writing romances, Christina loves to spend time in the kitchen and has written several cookbooks. Among other things, she enjoys cycling, skiing, wakeboarding, sewing, reading, and baking.

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Book Giveaway
To celebrate the release of North for Christmas Christina is giving away a copy of her cookbook The Healthy Family Slow Cooker Cookbook.
Open to US Only
Ends 11/4/15

The Healthy Family Slow Cooker Cookbook

Feed your family the foods they love—with a healthy twist.

Everyone knows slow cookers are a busy mom’s best friend, but it can be a struggle to find healthy Crock Pot recipes your kids will actually eat. Not anymore.

These delicious family-sized meals are perfect for parents and kids alike.

Chicken and Artichoke Fettucini
Teriyaki Pulled Pork
Cajun Rice with Shrimp
Butternut Squash Soup
Chicken Quesadillas
You’ll even find some tasty ideas for sugar-free desserts, like the Blueberry Pudding Cake. And every single recipe can be made in the morning and ready to eat by dinnertime. With a little prep and planning, you’ll soon be enjoying nutritious, healthy, home-cooked meals every night of the week!

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Lord Fenton’s Folly by Josi Kilpack

Lord Fenton is a gambler, a dandy, and a flirt-and he must marry or else he will be disinherited, stripped of his wealth and his position. He chooses Alice Stanbridge for two simple reasons: he once knew her as a young girl, and she is the least objectionable option available to him. However, Alice has harbored feelings for Fenton since their first meeting ten years ago, and she believes his proposal is real. When she discovers it is not, she is embarrassed and hurt. However, a match with the most-eligible bachelor in London would secure not only her future but that of her family as well. Determined to protect herself from making a fool of herself a second time, Alice matches Lord Fenton wit for wit and insult for insult as they move toward a marriage of convenience that is anything but a happy union. Only when faced with family secrets that have shaped Fenton’s life does he let down his guard enough to find room in his heart for Alice.

Amazon * Deseret Book

Excerpt

Fenton groaned and put his saucer back on the tray, making an instantaneous decision that eased his mind quite a lot. To look at every woman he met as a potential wife was irritating, and after only two weeks he was quite tired of it. Perhaps the solution was to orchestrate a match that would not lay all aspects of matrimony at his feet all at once. Perhaps treating it as a business arrangement would help it to be exactly that, thereby freeing him from all the discomfiting realities he was not yet prepared to face. “I leave for Fentonview on Tuesday and shan’t be back for a week. Courting is such a boring prospect, and you yourself said that to become infatuated with anyone might become a complication.” He paused, considered one last time what he was going to say next, and decided he felt as good about it as could be expected. “You like Alice Stanbridge and feel she would make a good wife for me?”

Lady Chariton looked confused and perhaps a bit concerned. “I do, but-”

“Then that is good enough for me,” Fenton said, rising to his feet and smiling broadly at his mother, who stared back at him in surprise. “I do find her appealing and what’s more she is not a silly little thing without a practical thought in her head.”

His mother’s eyes widened and her eyebrows rose upon her forehead. Fenton struck a pose of consternation, with his thumb and forefinger on his chin as he looked toward the window a moment, then nodded crisply and turned back to his mother who still looked shocked by his pronouncement.

“Yes, I think that Alice Stanbridge is exactly what I should like in a wife, and so I shall see to it before I leave for Hampshire-I see no reason to wait until Michaelmas and might as well get it over with.” He leaned in and kissed his mother’s hand. “Thank you for your help, Mama. I shall let you know how she responds to my proposal.”

Author Josi Kilpack

Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney award for Mystery/Suspense in 207 and Wedding Cake, book twelve in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series won in 2014. Josi was also the Best of State winner in Fiction for 2012. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her husband, children and super-cute – but not very friendly – cat.

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$25 Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon eGift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 10/29/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com eGift Card or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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It’s that time of year again! Who doesn’t love checking out over 200 book blogs with giveaways? Just click on the first link to be directed to I Am A Reader’s blog, enter her giveaway, and click on the next link to continue on to the next blog. Have fun, and good luck on winning some great books and cash!

I am not participating in this hop, as things got a bit hectic for me at the last minute. However, I always support clean reads, and although I don’t know many of the blogs in this hop, I Am A Reader keeps her hops clean–no erotica. There’s a great mix of adult, YA, and children’s bloggers, so be sure to check them all out!

I Wish by Elizabeth Langston

What Lacey needs is a miracle. What she gets is a genie with rules.

Lacey Linden is hiding the truth of her life—a depressed mom, a crumbling house, and bills too big to pay. While her high school classmates see a girl with a ready smile and good grades, Lacey spends her evenings seeking ways to save her family. On a get-cash-quick trip to the flea market, Lacey stumbles over a music box that seemingly begs her to take it home. She does, only to find it is inhabited by a gorgeous “genie.” He offers her a month of wishes, one per day, but there’s a catch. Each wish must be humanly possible.

Grant belongs to a league of supernatural beings, dedicated to serving humans in need. After two years of fulfilling the boring wishes of conventional teens, he is one assignment away from promotion to a challenging new role with more daring cases. Yet his month with Lacey is everything that he expects and nothing like he imagines. Lacey and Grant soon discover that the most difficult task of all might be saying goodbye.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

Praise for I Wish

From School Library Journal (I Wish #1)

Langston wisely limits the power of wishes, so there can be no easy fixes to complex problems. [The story] is all the better for it, putting the focus on the compelling and sympathetic characters.

… the denouement offers enough twists and unresolved questions to have readers wishing the next book was already available.

From K-books blog:

I Wish is a fantastic storyline, with a dash of romance that is perfect for any YA fan. I can’t recommend it enough.

From Reese’s Reviews blog:

This is definitely one of the most beautiful and amazingly written books I’ve ever read. Elizabeth Langston has written a fantastic story that drew me in from the first page.

Wishing for You by Elizabeth Langston

She’s a girl who can’t remember. He’s the guy she can’t forget…

It’s her final semester of high school, and Kimberley Rey is curious to discover what will come next. She needs to pick a college, but her memory disability complicates the choice. Will her struggles to remember make it impossible to leave home?

Help arrives through an unexpected and supernatural gift. Grant is a “genie” with rules. He can give her thirty wishes (one per day for a month) as long as the tasks are humanly possible. Kimberley knows just what to ask for–lessons in how to live on her own.

But her wishes change when a friend receives a devastating diagnosis. As she joins forces with Grant to help her friend, Kimberley learns that the ability to live in the moment–to forget–may be more valuable than she ever knew.

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Excerpt from Wishing For You

There was a pounding on the bedroom door. My eyes fluttered open to find sunlight streaming into the attic.

Lacey groaned. “What is it, Henry?”

The door creaked and then banged against the wall. “Did Kimberley sleep over?”

“Does it look like she’s in this room?”

“Yes.”

“Then she did sleep over.”

“Cool.” Lacey’s younger brother ran over to my side of the bed and plopped cross-legged on the floor. “Do you want breakfast?”

I turned my head toward him, trying to focus. “Yes, I do.”

“Mom is making pancakes. Do you like them?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Bacon?”

“One of my favorites.” I could smell it in the air.

“Good. It’s one of mine too. Will you be ready to eat soon?”

I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from snorting. Lacey had the most adorable little brother ever. “Is your mom making you wait until we come down?”

“Yes, she is.”

“Give us ten minutes to get dressed.”

“Ten? That sounds like a lot.”

“Seven, then,” I said in a firm voice.

He rose and ran from the room.

Beside me, Lacey laughed. “You handled that very well.”

“How do you keep from laughing every time you talk to him?”

“Practice.”

We were ready in six minutes and were about to head down the stairs when Lacey caught my arm. “Do you know where Sean went for Christmas?”

“I don’t think so.” I grabbed my phone and opened my notes. “What made you think of that?”

“It’s been puzzling me. Mrs. Tucker and Sara kept their consignment shop open until Christmas Eve. Did his father go with him?”

“Yes.” Lacey was right. It had felt strange when Sean mentioned it. But if I’d asked other questions, he hadn’t answered because my notes only had the one detail. “Maybe he was visiting colleges.”

“Someone like Sean would already have that decision made. Has he said where he’s applying?”

I shook my head helplessly. It seemed like the kind of information a friend should know, but nothing was emerging from the recesses of my brain.

“Hey, guys,” Henry called up the stairs. “It’s been seven minutes.”

Lacey called back, “On our way, little man.”

We smiled at each other. There were pancakes waiting. We’d have to solve the Sean puzzle later.

Author Elizabeth Langston

Elizabeth Langston lives in North Carolina, halfway between the beaches and the mountains. She has two college-age daughters and one old husband. When she’s not writing software or stories, Elizabeth loves to travel with her family, watch shows on dance or Sherlock Holmes, and dream about which restaurant ought to get her business that night.

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BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 11/1/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Just thought I’d give a quick update on the Alissia Roswell Series. Most of you all know I decided to go back through my debut novel, Unexpected Metamorphosis, and update it to my current writing style. What I thought would be a quick editing job turned into a thorough edit. The plot is and was perfect, but I changed and rearranged many of the words to give more strength and emotion to the story. Although it’s receiving great reviews, I do not feel that my first novel conveys my current writing style, as I’ve grown a lot over the past few years, and I want it to be as strong as my other novels.

I will soon write a post with a few examples of the changes so that you can see for yourself what I mean. I am currently working on the last chapter.

Unexpected Beginning is dying to come out, and I can’t wait to dive into this part of Alissia’s adventure. I have many stories keeping me up at night, and my creative side is burning within me. It’s time to get back to it!

This weekend I will be blessed with a writing binge, and I’ll have the entire weekend to myself to do nothing but write. It’s the perfect way to get back into my writing, and I can’t wait!

Stay tuned! I’ll try to give a few insights into Alissia’s new adventure while writing.

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Westly: A Spiders Tale by Bryan Beus

This is tale of a caterpillar named Westly who is destined to be a Monarch butterfly and the next king of the butterfly kingdom. But sometimes things don’t turn out the way we plan. When Westly emerges from his cocoon he is nothing like he expected. As a spider he must rediscover who he is. Adopted by the “dirt eaters,” Westly is determined to make a difference. He is determined to belong, to be loved, and most importantly, to become who he was born to be.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book

Author Bryan Beus

Bryan Beus – which rhymes with Zeus – is the winner of the Kirchoff/Wohlberg Award from The New York Society of Illustrators. He works full time as an illustrator for magazines, book covers, film and game conceptual art, and more. When not writing and drawing, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Amanda, mindful meditation, drinking root beer floats, and eating far too many Sour Patch Watermelons. Westly is his debut novel.

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$25 Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon eGift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 10/15/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com eGift Card or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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