I would like to thank Lifeway and B&H Publishing Group for allowing us to review this book. The opinions and impressions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
For more information check out:
The B&H Website.
I would like to thank Lifeway and B&H Publishing Group for allowing us to review this book. The opinions and impressions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
For more information check out:
The B&H Website.
A snowstorm. Her much older business partner. A snowstorm changes Laura Holiday and Russ Matheson's relationship forever. Contemporary Romance fans will love this sexy holiday romance from New York Times Bestselling Author Noelle Adams!
About Stranded for Christmas:
Title: Stranded for Christmas
Author: Noelle Adams
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 4, 2018
Publisher: Noelle Adams
Series: Holiday Acres #4
Format: Digital eBook
Digital ISBN: 9781386913887
Stranded for Christmas (Holiday Acres #4)
A snowstorm. Her much older business partner. One very hot night.
Laura Holiday doesn’t believe in romance. Her life revolves around her work and her six-year-old son. The last thing she wants is a fling with her friend and business partner, Russ Matheson, who is emotionally unavailable and thirteen years older than her. But one night in a snowstorm changes their relationship forever.
Add to your TBR list: Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes
Excerpt:
“The snow is getting bad,” Russ said, turning back to look out the window.
“Is it?” Laura looked pretty and flustered and breathless. Her shoulder-length brown hair was slipping out of her ponytail, and she must have gotten hot because she’d taken off her sweater. She was wearing a fitted white shirt that gave him a clear view of her slim body, including the luscious curve of her breasts.
Russ dragged his eyes back up to her face, but that didn’t really help because she looked flushed and tousled, like she might have just gotten out of bed.
His bed.
He gulped, remembering how she’d looked that morning in her pajamas.
He really needed to stop thinking such things.
Laura would be mad as hell if she found out.
“Russ?”
He blinked, trying to refocus on their conversation. “What?”
“I asked if it was really bad out there.”
“Oh yeah. Take a look. It looks like the parking lot is mostly empty, so the customers have obviously cleared out. The roads must be pretty bad. You probably should have picked Tommy up early.”
“Shit.” Laura came over to stand beside him so she could look out the window too. “Well, I better go get him now before it gets any worse.”
“You want me to drive you?”
She turned her gaze up at him, her brown eyes big and deep. “I’m capable of driving in the snow, you know.”
“I know you are. It was just an offer.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll take the SUV.” She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Olivia and Penny have to go out in this too. And I’ve got to stop by Candy Cane Cottage to assess the damage to the bathroom.”
“Surely that can wait.”
“We’ve got someone else renting it this weekend. I need to assess it so Ed has time to fix it tomorrow morning.”
Russ shook his head. “That driveway to Candy Cane Cottage is steep. You’re never going to get up it in this snow. And if you get up, you won’t be able to get down.”
“I’ll be fine. I told you I’m taking the SUV.”
“You’re putting a lot of faith in the powers of an SUV.”
“Oh shut up.” Her words weren’t sharp. Her expression was almost fond. “I can’t believe this snow. Why couldn’t it wait a few more hours?”
“The weather isn’t prone to following your timeline.” His voice was dry because she was still standing very close. He could smell the fresh scent of her hair. He wanted to tangle his fingers in it. He wanted to trace the freckles on her face and neck with his tongue.
“I don’t know why it shouldn’t follow my timeline. My timeline is a good one.” Her voice lilted slightly, and she leaned against the wall as she gazed up at him.
Russ took a step closer to her so he could smell her again. “I’ll let the weather know it needs to improve its performance to fall in line with your schedule.”
She took a shaky little breath, and her eyes dropped, causing her thick lashes to spread out against her freckled skin in a way that enchanted him. He edged a little closer, bracing one hand on the wall beside her.
He had her trapped against the wall now, and he’d completely forgotten the track of their conversation. His breathing had quickened, and his body had tightened, and his mind was buzzing with attraction. Need.
Something a lot deeper.
She wasn’t pushing him away. She wasn’t trying to cut the tension. She looked breathless. Excited.
Like maybe she wanted him to kiss her.
He wanted to kiss her more than he’d ever wanted to kiss anyone in his forty-five years. He’d assumed that was something she’d never want, but maybe…
Maybe…
He leaned forward a little more. He could hear her quick intake of breath. Her eyes darted up to his face and then down again.
“Russ,” she said, raising a hand to put on his chest the way she had that morning in the kitchen.
“Yes?” His voice was way too husky, but there was nothing he could do about that. She was so close. Almost within reach at last.
Her fingers fisted in the fabric of his shirt. “Russ.”
“Yes.” This time it wasn’t a question. It was the pure articulation of his heart.
She licked her lips, and the small gesture made his groin harden. “Russ, please don’t.”
He’d been leaning forward even more, but at that he grew very still. “Don’t what?”
“You know what.” She took another breath—different this time—and looked up to meet his eyes again. “Please don’t.”
“Laura, I’m not going to do anything you don’t want, but I think maybe you do want—”
“I don’t—” She broke in, dropping her hand from his shirt. “Please don’t.”
Russ sighed and took a purposeful step back, feeling like he’d been hit by a truck.
Laura gave him another quick look and then grabbed her purse and started for the door.
“Be careful,” Russ said as she left. “The roads are bad out there.”
“I’m always careful.”
Copyright © 2018 Stranded for Christmas by Noelle Adams
Other Books in the Holiday Acres series:
Stranded on the Beach (Holiday Acres #1)
A forced vacation on the beach. The man who broke her heart. A second chance at love.
Rebecca Holiday’s sisters force her to take a two-week vacation on the beach for some much needed rest, but then she runs into the man who broke her heart, the only man she’s ever loved.
When they decide to spend time together, it’s only supposed to be closure, but what they might discover is a second chance at love.
Add to your TBR list: Goodreads
Available: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes
Stranded in the Snow (Holiday Acres #2)
An unexpected snowstorm. The man she hates the most. One very hot night.
Olivia Holiday does not expect to spend the weekend stranded in a romantic cottage during a snowstorm with the one man she resents the most. Scott Matheson is a player and holds a grudge against her family, and she really shouldn’t find him so hot. They share a deep history as well as an attraction, and it all comes out as they’re trapped together for one hot night.
Add to your TBR list: Goodreads
Available: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes
Stranded in the Woods (Holiday Acres #3)
A surprise snowstorm. A grumpy recluse. One very hot night.
When Penny Holiday gets stranded during a snowstorm, she has to seek refuge with Kent Matheson, a childhood friend who lives like a hermit and has never forgiven her family. Kent is everything she shouldn’t want, but feelings are awakened in his cabin in the woods that don’t disappear when the snow finally melts.
Add to your TBR list: Goodreads
Available: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes
About Noelle Adams:
Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she reads any book she can get her hands on and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway
This cowboy is falling hard.
Mason James is the responsible one who stayed behind to run the ranch while his brother, Rock, took off to play professional hockey. Women have used him before to get to his brother—and Mason intends never to get burned again. But after he meets quirky Tessa Kane at his brother’s wedding, Mason discovers he’s ready to take a chance on love.
Tessa Kane is a reporter on the verge of losing a job she desperately needs—unless she’s clever enough to snag a story on the famous Rockford James. But when she falls for her subject’s brother, she’s caught between a rock and a hard-muscled cowboy. What will happen when Mason finds out who she really is?
Amazon: amzn.to/2ADndBP
B&N: bit.ly/2ESvZ2W
Apple: apple.co/2ESwgTw
IndieBound: bit.ly/2ESwLwS
Author Bio:
Jennie Marts is the USA Today bestselling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. She is living her own happily ever after with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies, in the mountains of Colorado.
Giveaway:a Rafflecopter giveaway
Love comes to the rescue.
Vet school drop-out Tess Grasso dreams of having her own pet therapy business, but she meets one disastrous obstacle after another. There’s no denying she has a way with animals, so in the meantime she puts her skills to use at a local no-kill shelter. Between helping her furry companions and a budding relationship with fellow dog lover Mason Redding, Tess begins to find fresh confidence...
What Tess doesn’t know is that Mason is recovering from an accident, hoping to get back to his pro-baseball career. He’s afraid the truth will ruin everything—and he’s right. But in the midst of hurt and betrayal, a free-spirited stray Husky enters their lives, and teaches them a few things about faith, love and forgiveness.
Amazon: amzn.to/2M2jncH
B&N: bit.ly/2LXvQOG
Apple: apple.co/2niQZ79
IndieBound: bit.ly/2LZDkB0
EXCERPT:
Tess lifted her mug of tea and carried it into the kitchen and away from the wall of windows and the remarkable St. Louis night skyline. If this were her place, she’d get nothing done in the evenings as she cuddled against that couch, sipping tea, and gazing at the beautiful lights.
“I had no idea a veggie meat loaf could smell so amazing. I’m so hungry, I could eat… Wait, I don’t think you can say you could eat a bear when you’re vegetarian, can you?”
Mason laughed and said she could say whatever she wanted. He was slicing through a cucumber with a gleaming chef knife.
“After we eat, I’ll be good to get back out there and search again.”
“Me, too. I’ve been standing here thinking what it could be like if we succeed. I want the dog. No question. And I know he’ll have a better life. A much better life. But I can’t help but wonder if he’ll want to be here.”
Tess joined Mason at the opposite counter. “He will. I’m sure he will.” Her hand closed reflexively over his forearm in reassurance, and she had to refrain from jerking it away. Seeing his strength was one thing. Feeling it was another.
What would he do if she slid between him and the countertop and allowed her lips to land where they wanted?
She forced a stepped back. “Do you have honey?”
“Yeah. In the pantry.”
His pantry was relatively uncluttered, and she spotted the honey right away. A family-sized box of Cocoa Puffs on the top shelf made her smile.
“What?” He pulled open a drawer and handed her a spoon. “Are you grinning at my juvenile selection of pantry foods?”
“That’s a big box of Cocoa Puffs.”
“Aren’t they a kitchen-pantry requirement?”
“I certainly wished that growing up, but not in my house. At least not unless it was a special occasion. My parents both worked full-time when I was growing up, and I went over to my grandparents’ house every day before school. My grandma’s idea of a quick breakfast is a bread roll with butter and jam or day-old biscotti to dip in her coffee.”
“Somehow that doesn’t make you sound deprived, if that’s what you were aiming for.”
Tess laughed as she squeezed a bit of honey into her mug. “How can I help?”
“I’m almost done, thanks. I have a red on the counter and a white in the fridge, if you’re up for wine.”
“I’d like to try this,” she said, picking a Barolo, “if you like red.”
“Sure.” He pulled a corkscrew from one of the top drawers. “How about you open it while I finish up?”
Mason had a beautiful salad prepared, and a small pot of gravy was warming on the stove. When he opened the oven, she spotted a ceramic bowl of mashed potatoes, another of green beans, and the veggie meat loaf.
As Tess opened the wine, she thought of her grandma. Nonna had taught her never to belittle someone’s effort in the kitchen by equating their work to trouble. “Wow,” she said instead. “Everything looks great. I can’t wait to try it.”
“Thanks. My, uh, slow season is in winter. Cooking is a hobby I’ve wanted to take up for a while. Like I said, before tonight I’d only ever made three different main dishes.”
“You said that, but you didn’t tell me what they are, aside from meat loaf, that is.”
“Want to guess?” Mason grinned as he carried over the salad bowl to a dining table long enough to bring to mind Beauty and the Beast. Mason had set two places, one at an end, the other in the seat adjacent to it. Tess’s heart beat at the intimacy of it.
“Absolutely. Let’s see. You grew up on a farm in rural Iowa, and your family is not Italian, so I’m guessing one of them is not lasagna.”
“You would be correct.”
“Hmm, what’s farmy to cook? I’m trying to picture the Cracker Barrel menu in my head. And before you ask, I only got to eat there when I went to Florida with my cousin’s family on vacation. Okay, let’s see. Chicken and dumplings?”
Mason chuckled. “Nope, though that’s one of my mom’s go-to winter meals.”
“Country-fried steak?”
“If we were playing hangman, you’d have a head and body.”
“Chicken pot pie?”
“And there’s a leg, or is it the arm next?”
Tess clicked her tongue and slid into the open seat next to him. “Pot roast?”
“Well done.”
“Really?” Tess waggled her eyebrows. “Pot roast and meat loaf. Two very hearty meals. Impressive.”
“I bet you hang before you guess the third.”
Tess pierced a bit of salad and silently counted off the meals she’d guessed. “Barbecue ribs?”
“Add the second leg. I can barbecue as well as the next guy, but I wasn’t counting it. Slathering a rack of ribs with some sauce and enjoying a beer while it sizzles over the coals isn’t the same as preparing a meal from scratch.”
“True, I guess.” She pointed her fork his way. “Don’t tell me. I’m going to get this.” She was halfway through a bite of salad when she smacked her palm against the table and hurriedly swallowed. “OMG, I’ve got it. I’ve totally got it. I know your third meal, Mason…” Tess paused. “I know your third meal, but I don’t know your last name. How weird is that?”
Mason sat back in his chair and took a sip of wine, appraising her, his mouth pulled up in the crooked smile that she adored. “With that reaction, this is the all-or-nothing round. Get it right, you win. Get it wrong, that’s the arms, feet, hands, everything, and you’re hanged.”
“I’m okay with that, only what’re we playing for?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that. Something bigger than who does the dishes, that’s for sure.”
Tess agreed with him. “How about winner calls it?”
His gaze dropped to her mouth for two solid seconds before returning to her eyes. “Yes, definitely.”
Author Bio:
Debbie Burns’ writing commendations include a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly and a Top Pick from RT Book Reviews for A New Leash on Love, as well as first-place awards for short stories, flash fiction, and longer selections. Her hobbies include hiking, gardening, and daydreaming, which, of course, always leads to new story ideas. She lives in St. Louis with her family, two phenomenal rescue dogs, and a somewhat tetchy Maine coon cat who everyone loves anyway.
Giveaway: