Category: Guest Post

Holly Cassidy’s Easy Holiday Party Games | Author Guest Post + Giveaway

Posted December 11, 2023 by Jana in Bookish Little Christmas, Giveaway, Guest Post / 0 Comments

Banner photo by freestocks on Unsplash 

I’m so pleased to welcome Holly Cassidy, author of The Christmas Wager, to the blog today to celebrate A Bookish Little Christmas with me! Holly is here to share some fun holiday-themed party games, and I love a good party game (anything Christmas-themed is a million times more fun). Read more about Holly and her new book below, and don’t forget to enter to win a copy of The Christmas Wager for yourself!


Who doesn’t love a good holiday party? Yummy food, great company, maybe a glass or two of mulled wine… But what if you want to change things up a little for your guests and make it even more of an event to remember?

In The Christmas Wager, Bella and Jesse enter the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. While you may not have enough snow to play Dead, Dead Snowman (axe-throwing with bonus points for a clean decapitation) or space in your backyard to build an obstacle course like the Ultimate Maple Run, here are few ideas that require little preparation, and which are sure to bring festive cheer.

These team games can also be used for work holiday parties!

1. Munchable Movie Magic

Game preparation:

  • Bake (or buy) a rectangular slab of gingerbread for each team (recipe here but omit cutting the dough into stars, and adjust baking time accordingly).
  • Prepare equal amounts of edible baking decoration supplies such as ready-made icing, piping bags, jellybeans, chocolate chips, sprinkles, sugar pearls, and so forth for your teams.

How to play:

Task your teams with turning a slab of gingerbread into a scene from their favorite holiday movie. Award points based on how many teams guess the film correctly (the team that gets it right receives a point, as does the team whose movie scene was guessed correctly).

2. Human Singing Christmas Tree

Game preparation:

  • Fill a box with holiday decorations (tinsel, garland, baubles, etc.) for each team.

How to play:

Give your teams 20 minutes to transform one of their members into a human Christmas tree and task the teams with performing a Christmas song together once done. Award points based on the most creative tree and the best/funniest/most original song rendition.

3. Holiday Movie Pictionary

Game preparation:

  • Write the names of holiday movies (use this list for inspiration) on separate pieces of paper, fold them in half, and put them in a Santa hat.
  • Prepare paper and pencils for each team.

How to play:

  • Team members take turns pulling a movie from the Santa hat.
  • Without talking, making noises or gestures, or writing letters/numbers, the team member has 60 seconds to draw the movie they picked while their team tries to guess what it is.
  • If their team gets it right within the allotted time, they receive a point and take another turn pulling a movie from the Santa hat to draw.
  • If their team is wrong, the opposing teams take turns trying to name the movie. If a team guesses correctly, one of their members pulls a movie from the Santa hat to draw for their team.
  • If nobody guesses correctly, the turn to pick a movie passes to another team.

Note: Instead of drawing, you could play this game as charades where the team members act out / mime the holiday movie.

4. Holiday Scavenger Hunt

Game preparation:

  • Decide which areas of your venue are out of bounds.
  • Hide holiday ornaments around the approved areas of your venue.
  • Prepare a list of the holiday ornaments you’ve hidden.

How to play:

Task your teams with finding the hidden holiday ornaments and assign points based on how many they locate.

5. Pin the Nose On the Snowman

Game preparation:

  • Use the free template to print a snowman and make a separate nose using cardboard.
  • Hang the snowman on a wall (make sure it’s a wall where you don’t mind pin holes!) and put a pin through the nose.

How to play:

Task each blindfolded team member with pinning the nose on the snowman. Award points based on how close they are to putting the nose in the right spot.

6. Name That Song – Holiday Edition

Game preparation:

  • Prepare paper and pens/pencils for each team.
  • Access The Christmas Wager’s official playlist on Spotify.

How to play:

Play five seconds of each tune and have your guests write down the name of the song. Assign points based on correct guesses.

There are so many more games you can play, be they indoors or outdoors, especially if you live in a snowy area. With these tips, I hope you enjoy your best holiday party yet, and, most of all—have fun!

Holly Cassidy


The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on September 26, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance — Christmas
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One rivalry. Eight days until Christmas. Let the holiday games begin.

When LA-based real estate developer Bella Ross arrives in the sleepy, mountain town of Maple Falls, she has one mission: to acquire the local failing Christmas shop, Always Noelle, securing the promotion of her dreams. Nothing can get in her way. Except the shop owner’s stubborn grandson, Jesse Harrison.

Both refuse to budge, until an unlikely wager is struck: Bella and Jesse will compete in the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. Winner decides the selling price. They’ll give each other a run for their money, but as the competition heats up, Bella and Jesse’s icy feelings toward each other begin to thaw. It’ll take a Christmas miracle for them to admit there’s a spark, but what if it’s just another game?

Holly Cassidy is the pen name for internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon. Her suspense novels include The Revenge ListThe Neighbors, Her Secret Son, Sister Dear, You Will Remember Me, and Never Coming Home. McKinnon was born in England, grew up in Switzerland, and now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and three sons. The Christmas Wager was her first novel writing as Holly Cassidy.

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The Last Bookshop in London: A Christmas List by Madeline Martin | Author Guest Post

Posted December 7, 2023 by Jana in Bookish Little Christmas, Guest Post / 1 Comment

Banner photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash

I am so excited to welcome Madeline Martin, author of some of my absolute favorite historical fiction novels, to the blog today to share a short Christmas bonus story from my favorite book of hers, The Last Bookshop in London! I fell in love with historical fiction this year, and read all three of Madeline’s currently released historical fiction novels. They’re all wonderful, but The Last Bookshop in London has burrowed into my heart. I love that book so much, and I love this short little treat that Madeline wrote just for A Bookish Little Christmas! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Read more about Madeline and her books below!

The Last Bookshop in London
A Christmas List
by Madeline Martin

December 1, 1942
London England

Christmas would arrive soon and Grace had much to do to prepare.

She stared down at the careful list of names written on the back of an old order confirmation. One had to reuse what they could these days.

Her Christmas list for friends should have already been written out a month ago, the gifts purchased and neatly wrapped. But this marked the fourth Christmas since war broke out, and the first year without Mr. Evans. A hollow ache resonated in her chest had made rallying a cheerful disposition somewhat difficult.

Many others in England were in a similar mindset. She’d heard as much from her patrons. Parents were missing children who had been evacuated and once who had been sent to war, families were displaced and broken apart. They needed something to warm their spirits.

And a bookshop was the best place to make that happen.

Which was why she’d been preparing for the Christmas day celebration at the shop Mr. Evans had left to her, Primrose Hill Books. She scanned the preliminary plans that included her reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, a nativity play Jimmy was writing with Mrs. Weatherford’s assistance, and carols to be sung by Mrs. Nesbitt.

Grace had concerns about the latter, but was sure all would be well.

She hoped.

Anyway, she’d already accepted Mrs. Nesbitt’s offer and there was no going back.

Instead, Grace turned her attention to the list once more. There had to be just the right book for each person on her list. Otherwise, she had entirely no business owning a bookshop.

She addressed the first name on her list and wrote the book in careful script.

Viv – Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence

It was a fortunate thing Grace owned her own bookshop and could easily procure a copy. Having to purchase one from an employee would leave her red as Santa’s coat.

Mrs. Weatherford – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

If ever there was a book about the bonds of family, it was Little Women. And if ever there was a woman who could take strangers into her home and make them family, it was Mrs. Weatherford. Grace smiled, knowing full well how the book would warm Mrs. Weatherford’s heart.

George – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Truth be told, Grace didn’t need to add George onto the list, but she liked seeing his name on the page alongside the others of all those she loved. His gift had already been sent several weeks earlier to ensure its arrival by Christmas. One never knew how long the post would take to reach him. Wherever he was. There were too many censorship holes cut through his last correspondence to deduce any specific location.

Sarah – Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Mongomery

Sarah and Jimmy had been living with Mrs. Weatherford now for well over a year, her adopted children, making the Grace’s former landlady a mother once more. Though Mrs. Weatherford loved both Jimmy and Sarah as any mother would, Sarah struggled with being an orphan, and confess to Grace once that she wondered whether she might truly belong anywhere. It was Grace’s hope that Sarah would see how much Anne was loved by the Cuthberts and help her realize how well she fit into Mrs. Weatherford’s life and heart.

Jimmy – The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Knowing how much the book had meant to George as a boy made it the perfect option for Jimmy who craved adventure. Especially being such a large book, reading it might actually take a full week or longer. Maybe.

Mr. Stokes – Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Mr. Stokes had come a long way from the disparaging ARP warden she’d been stuck patrolling the streets with and had because a dear friend. But that didn’t mean he still didn’t sometimes fall prey to his ready judgments. This book would remind him of the stories that existed behind people’s actions. And if nothing else, it would be an entertaining read.

Mrs. NesbittFirst edition copy of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

It was terribly difficult to find just the right book for a woman who also owns a bookshop. But through various means, Grace knew the first edition of Mrs. Nesbitt’s favorite book would be the ideal present for the woman who had become a close friend.

And for Tabby, he would get the bits of wrapping and string to bat around and pounce upon after the presents were opened.

Grace leaned back, satisfied with the list. Now she just had to prepare a list of what needed to be done before the Primrose Hill Books Christmas Program. Tapping the pencil against her lip, she considered. Jimmy and Sarah would likely enjoy decorating the shop. She could put them on a committee to do so.

A chime sounded at the door, interrupting her thoughts. The post woman stepped in, a smile on her face as she wished Grace a Happy Christmas and deposited several parcels and envelopes on the counter.

Thanking her, Grace began sorting through the stack, seeking out anything from George. There were none in the small pile of envelopes. Her shoulders fell slightly, as they always did when there was nothing from him. She glanced at the parcels and immediately recognized the handwriting.

George.

The weight and shape of the item suggested a book was wrapped within. Already loving whatever it was, she hastily drew the brown paper off and seeing what lay beneath, she laughed.

She held his present in her hands, its red cover soft with a velvet-like material and gold letters spelling out the words: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

They had given one another the exact same book for Christmas.

Thank you so much for reading this little short story of Grace’s Christmas list. I’ll have a slightly longer story coming out in my newsletter in December detailing the Primrose Hill Books Christmas Program. If you’d like to make sure you receive that, please sign up for my newsletter.

Several books included in Grace’s Christmas list are ones featured in my other books as well:

The Last Bookshop in London (the story I used to create this Christmas list read) is about a woman’s unexpected love of books during the Blitz in London and how it brought together a book community around one little bookshop. This book features The Count of Monte Cristo and A Christmas Carol.

The Librarian Spy features an American librarian sent to neutral Portugal to gather pamphlets and other intel amid a world of spies and secrets, as well as a woman with the French resistance who runs the printing machine to create those clandestine papers. This book features Little Women.

The Keeper of Hidden Books is based on the journals of Warsaw’s public librarians and their efforts to save books from Nazi looting and destruction and how they ran secret libraries when they were ordered to shut down. This book features Les Miserables.

My upcoming book, The Booklover’s Library (Sept 10, 2024) is about a widowed single mother who must send her daughter away with the evacuations and finds solace in the book community at her job at a lending library. This book features Lady Chatterly’s Lover, Anne of Green Gables and Jane Eyre.

I am a huge advocate for shopping independent bookstores. As such (and back by popular request), I will be stopping by my local bookstore San Marco Books & More on December 12th to personalize all orders for my books. If you would like to order a personalized copy of any of my books, please contact Desiree at San Marco Books for more information.

Thank you so much, everyone!! Happy Holidays <3

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
Published by Hanover Square Press on April 6, 2021
Add to GoodreadsBuy on Amazon (also part of Kindle Unlimited)

Inspired by the true World War II history of the few bookshops to survive the Blitz, The Last Bookshop in London is a timeless story of wartime loss, love and the enduring power of literature.

August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe. Grace Bennett has always dreamed of moving to the city, but the bunkers and blackout curtains that she finds on her arrival were not what she expected. And she certainly never imagined she’d wind up working at Primrose Hill, a dusty old bookshop nestled in the heart of London.

Through blackouts and air raids as the Blitz intensifies, Grace discovers the power of storytelling to unite her community in ways she never dreamed—a force that triumphs over even the darkest nights of the war.

About Madeline Martin

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and internationally bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty-five different languages.

She lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions), two incredibly spoiled cats and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She is a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. When she’s not writing, researching or ‘moming’, you can find her spending time with her family at Disney or sneaking a couple spoonfuls of Nutella while laughing over cat videos. She also loves to travel, attributing her fascination with history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany.

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Letters to Santa from Bettie & Hall of Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle | Author Guest Post

Posted December 22, 2022 by Jana in Guest Post / 0 Comments

You might remember my post from earlier this month, which featured Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle. This book is chock full of humor, heart, and festive holiday spirit. It’s unbelievably whimsical, and I cannot believe it came out of Sarah Hogle’s mind. She’s so creative and such a great writer! Hall and Bettie will forever live in the part of my mind where it’s always Christmas. Bettie is a little grumpy and spoiled and couldn’t care much for Christmas. But then she accidentally summons the Spirit of Christmas himself, Hall, and they fall in love (of course). They both learn so much from each other, and end up being the missing puzzle pieces in each other’s lives. It’s a chaotic, heartwarming, pine-scented breeze of a journey towards love and I adored every sentence of it. Today Sarah Hogle is back on my blog, with some exclusive bonus content for Just Like Magic! Bettie and Hall have both written letters to Santa, and Sarah is sharing them with us today! If these letters don’t make you even more excited to read Just Like Magic (or make you fall even more in love with these characters), then I don’t know what will!


Bettie’s Letter to Santa

Claus:

First of all, the whole coal thing is cruel and unusual. Do you hate the environment? Do you want babies breathing in nitrates (or whatever’s in pollution)? That is certainly the impression you give when you fill monogrammed alpaca fur stockings with COAL. Why don’t you just light an endangered forest on fire! This horrific tradition of withholding gifts when people do not succumb to your impossible-to-achieve “be nice” standards is nothing more than glorified revenge. I expected better from you. By the way, have you met most people? Not everyone deserves to be treated nicely. Anyway, you can atone for your offenses against me and my ruined stocking (I’ll be awaiting a replacement–you can trim it with rubies and emeralds or whatever precious gems you’ve got on hand) by gifting me a few of the basics. This Christmas, I would like the below to be fulfilled/delivered. You can find the link to the candle in the linktree in my IG bio.

1. “This Candle Smells Like Dame Judi Dench’s Tonsil Stones” $815.00. Manufacturer’s warning: This item is non-heat-safe. Wick is decorative only: exposure to flame may cause hallucinations.

2. I want you to fill the Alexander McQueen on Rodeo Drive with eighteen inches of week-old motel coffee.

3. Twenty million dollars. Find a way to make sure I don’t have to pay any tax on it.

4. I would like my own island off the coast of southern California. I’m not picky, but there’d better be plumbing available, electricity, etc. as well as a fully-furnished home, guest home, and personal shopping plaza. It’s the least you could do. Please see my Pinterest board for decor inspiration, or leave extra money in the microwave and I’ll save you some time by doing it myself. Consider it a Christmas present from me to you.

5. Kindly relocate any coal you plan to send my way this year to my sister Athena’s and brother Felix’s stockings, in a loose, powdered form.

Cheers,

BH

Follow me on Instagram @RealBettieHughes and sign up for a three month subscription of VerdIgRIS Tea. Now in passion fruit flavor! Use coupon code NAUGHTYLIST for 20% off your first order.

 

Hall’s Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

Hello! How are you doing? I hope the weather’s been to your liking up at the North Pole, and that the elves and reindeer have been keeping lovely company. It is an honor to finally be writing to you, via a sleepwalking gentleman in Bristol. I’m a Holiday Spirit, which means I do not have my own hands to write with or stationery to write on, so I don’t have many options beside persuading people to write on my behalf, while they are unconscious and more susceptible to magical influence. I hope you do not mind that his penmanship seems to be rather sloppy.

It feels ungrateful to ask for anything, because my life is perfect. Or, at least, it is nearly perfect. (I am quite happy with my purpose as a Holiday Spirit!) The one and only thing I would maybe like, if you don’t mind, if you have the time (no worries if not!) is to be corporeal. Only temporarily, of course. I am not complaining at all about the state of my being, which is invisible gas, because I’m aware I’m lucky to be sentient at all, and to have the extreme fortune to spread joy all over the world. It is an enviable position. However, I confess that after observing humans for…a very long time…I’ve been more and more curious lately about what certain sensations might feel like, as a human, and this curiosity has inflicted a fair bit of distraction. I think that if I could just have a physical form for a little bit, perhaps twenty-four hours (although I’d be happy with any amount you could provide), to ride a train, drink hot chocolate and finally find out what it tastes like, pick an apple from a tree, smell a book, roller skate, take a walk down a country lane, drive a mail truck, rearrange the kitchen sets at IKEA to make them not quite so matchy, call in to a radio station for advice, test the weight of an anchor (I feel like I could pick one up if I gave it a go), pet a fox, walk toward a bird and watch it fly away, put together a large salad, create a checking account, experience a kiss, and feel the crunch of autumn leaves under my shoes, I would satisfy my curiosity so that I would no longer think about such things. I’m sure I would not enjoy being a human, anyway. Who would want to be hungry all the time? And to eat a variety of sugary holiday treats all day long, if they wished to? Not me. I love being invisible gas. But just for this Christmas, only for the littlest bit, I’d deeply appreciate the opportunity to…not be.

I hope you can help, but if not, I completely understand. You’re under a lot of pressure this time of year. (And please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you!!)

All my best,

Gratefully,

With love,

You’re doing a wonderful job,

Hall


Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle
Published by Putnam on October 4, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance — Christmas
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From the author of Twice Shy comes a sprightly Christmas novel, a rollicking romp through the absurdity of family holidays and the hope of new love.

Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a ridiculous collection of designer shoes and a stealthy addiction to CBD oils. That is, until her parents snipped her purse strings. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is: Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea.

Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when a drunk Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backwards and accidentally conjures Hall, an unexpectedly charming Holiday Spirit in the form of a man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé.

But as the wiles of magic lose their charm, Bettie finds herself set off-kilter by Hall’s sweet gestures. Suddenly, Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways come back as soon as the holidays are over?

These letters are so perfect, right? Have you read Just Like Magic yet?
If not, there’s still time before the holiday season ends!
Maybe ask Santa to bring you a copy? I’m pretty sure he wants to anyway.

Banner photo by Artboard Studio on Unsplash


Meet Me Under The Mistletoe Bonus Scene by Jenny Bayliss | Guest Post

Posted December 14, 2022 by Jana in Guest Post / 0 Comments

I’m so excited to welcome author Jenny Bayliss to my blog today to share an exclusive bonus scene for her newest novel, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe! Jenny’s Twelve Dates of Christmas was the highlight of my Christmas reading last year, and I was immensely excited when I discovered that she was writing a new Christmas book! I can attest to the fact that it’s absolutely wonderful, and this bonus scene is the icing on top! I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did. Read more about Jenny and Meet Me Under the Mistletoe below!

I was really chuffed when Jana asked me if I’d like to contribute to her Christmas blog event this year. She very helpfully suggested some blog ideas, one of which was to write an extra scene for a book, and that got me thinking. I love a book to have a happy ending, especially at Christmas but I also like to think about what lies beyond that final page. What happens to those characters in the immediate aftermath of saving the day, winning the girl/guy, capturing their hearts desire? In the real world those moments, while important and often lifechanging, are not the end, but rather the beginning of a new chapter in our own stories; the birth of a child, a wedding day, a new job etc. So, I decided to write a scene after Isaac and Nory’s happy ending but before the epilogue. If you haven’t read Meet Me Under The Mistletoe, then I should warn you now that this extra scene contains spoilers!

Meet Me Under The Mistletoe Bonus Scene by Jenny Bayliss

It was Christmas day and Nory had been like a meerkat all morning, never too far from one of the steamed-up windows, in the hopes of spotting Isaac on his way to the house.

Following their estrangement of the previous weeks, she and Isaac had spent a blissful Christmas Eve together, wandering around the deserted Castle grounds and having the most excellent make-up sex in Isaac’s cottage.

Nory had returned home later that afternoon – to a barrage of nosy questions – for the obligatory Christmas dinner vegetable prep-a-thon. This involved the entire family, including Ameerah, sitting around the kitchen table drinking dad’s homemade damson gin while peeling and chopping the components for the next day’s feast.

Jackson and Lucas had been set the task of filling the log baskets in the sitting room and kitchen with wood from the log-store at the far end of the garden. The garden was long, and their little arms could only carry two logs at a time, which meant several trips; it was a cunning plan designed to tire out two small boys over excited by the prospect of Father Christmas visiting that night.

After a supper of mum’s famous chestnut and sherry soup with hot crusty bread, they settled in the sitting room to watch A Muppet’s Christmas Carol. And when the credits began to roll Shelley and Thomas bundled their sleepy children into hats and coats and made the short walk home, to hang stockings and set out treats for Santa and his reindeer.

Nory had awoken on Christmas morning with more than what was in her stocking on her mind. Not even her dad’s excessively boozy breakfast bucks’ fizz or the doorstop bacon sarnie was enough to quell her nervous anticipation. As much as she wanted to be with Isaac at Christmas, she wasn’t sure Isaac was ready for the full force of the Noels’.

This was the first time Nory had ever invited a boyfriend to spend Christmas day with her family and she felt a little anxious. Her dad was infamous for scaring off her boyfriends and her family in general could be a little intimidating for the uninitiated.

Of course Isaac already knew everybody but this was the first time he’d been around the family as more than simply her brother’s mate and a customer of the family business. Would their romantic status change that dynamic? Would her dad suddenly start grilling Isaac about his political leanings and intentions, as was his habit with the men Nory brought home. Would her brother regale Isaac with mortifying stories of previous boyfriends and embarrassing childhood antics? Would her mum, who never knowingly let a person leave her house hungry, feed Isaac until he was sick? And how was Nory herself supposed to behave with Isaac in front of her family? Would it be weird to hold his hand? Should she kiss him on the lips or the cheek when he arrived? What if their knees touched on the sofa!

‘Seriously Nory, you have got to stop over-thinking this!’ Ameerah was wearing a purple plastic tiara – her Christmas present from Jackson and Lucas – which weirdly suited her.

Nory had begun to pace the shag pile carpet.

‘I just don’t want anyone to freak out. This is uncharted territory; I don’t want it to be weird. I need everyone to play it cool so as not to frighten him off.’

‘He’s not a rabbit, Nory, and if our friends didn’t frighten him off, I doubt your family will. The only person freaking out here is you. Relax, it’s not like Isaac has to win anyone over, your family already thinks he’s the dog’s boll…’ she caught sight of Lucas eyeing her and cleared her throat, ‘the cats pyjamas,’ she finished.

‘I suppose you’re right. And we could always hide in one of the polytunnels if things get uncomfortable.’

Ameerah opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Isaac was here. Suddenly all Nory’s concerns evaporated as she waded through the discarded wrapping paper on the floor and ducked beneath low hanging paperchains to get to the front door. She wrenched it open and there he was, her Isaac, smiling back at her. Without a second thought she leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist and kissing him fiercely. He kissed her back, laughing.

‘Now that’s what I call a hello,’ he smiled. ‘Can you promise to always greet me like this?’

‘So long as your spine can take it,’ Nory replied.

‘Oh, I think I can handle you.’ He winked.

‘Merry Christmas Isaac.’

‘Merry Christmas Nory Noel.’

‘So much for playing it cool,’ said Ameerah.

Nory unwound herself from Isaac’s embrace and they turned, grinning sheepishly to find the rest of the Noel family standing in the doorway observing them. Jackson and Lucas giggled uncontrollably at the spectacle of aunty Nory and Isaac ‘doing snogging.’

Sasha clapped her hands together.

‘Well, don’t just stand there you two, come on in, dinners about ready and that 12lb turkey isn’t going to eat itself! I hope you’re hungry Isaac because nobodies leaving this house until every last stuffing ball is eaten.’

Nory followed in behind Isaac as he was clapped on the back and hugged and welcomed by all. She closed the door on the cold grey weather outside and took a moment to revel in the warmth and chaos of her impossibly loud, complicated, wonderful family. Every window was opaque with condensation, Christmas pop music blared out of her dads old CD player and there was hardly enough space to stand let alone sit. The little house was bursting at the seams with the people she loved best in the world and Nory knew that whatever the day presented, this would be a very merry Christmas indeed.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on September 27, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance — Christmas
Add to GoodreadsBuy on Amazon

A city bookshop owner heads to the English countryside for a holiday reunion— only to face her childhood enemy.

Elinor Noel—Nory for short—is quite content running her secondhand bookshop in London. Forever torn between her working-class upbringing and her classmates’ extravagant lifestyles at the posh private school she attended on scholarship, Nory has finally figured out how to keep both at equal distance. So when two of her oldest friends invite their whole gang to spend the time leading up to their wedding together at the castle near their old school, Nory must prepare herself for an emotionally complicated few days.

The reunion brings back fond memories, but also requires Nory to dodge an ill-advised former fling. When she falls quite literally into the arms of Isaac, the castle’s head gardener, who has nothing but contempt for the “snobby prep school kids,” the attraction between them is undeniable. And as Nory spends more time with Isaac during the wedding festivities, she finds herself falling hard for the boy she used to consider an enemy. Nory and Isaac explore their common ground, but pressures mount on all sides, and Nory must decide what kind of life she wants to live and what sort of love is worth the risk . . .

About Jenny Bayliss

A former professional cake baker, Jenny Bayliss lives in a small seaside town in the UK with her husband, their children having left home for big adventures. She is also the author of The Twelve Dates of Christmas, A Season for Second Chances, and Meet Me Under the Mistletoe.

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Header photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash


5 Steps for the Coziest Christmas Getaway by Cindy Steel | Author Guest Post

Posted December 12, 2022 by Jana in Bookish Little Christmas, Guest Post / 0 Comments

Today I’m welcoming Cindy Steel, author of Faking Christmas (which I reviewed last week), to the blog to share her tips for a cozy Christmas getaway! I love this post because Cindy highlights all my favorite things about Faking Christmas, which I highly recommend you pick up this month (it’s in Kindle Unlimited, too!). Read more about it below!

5 Steps for the Coziest Christmas Getaway by Cindy Steel

  1. Find an impish friend who will trick you into bringing your family to a Christmas Lodge in Vermont…full well knowing that your hot coworker nemesis will be there too.
  2. Add in a bit of fake dating…if your nemesis is up for it. (To avoid the awful ex-boyfriend, of course.)
  3. Make sure your nemesis is super flirty and looks good in flannel. It really fits the vibe and helps set the mood for Christmas bliss. Bonus points for him chopping wood and having a plethora of nicknames for you.
  4. Throw in a dash of real and heartfelt emotions. Your nemesis (who at this point is beginning to feel much less like an enemy and more like a…well…anyway) just might be the one to help you sort through your grief and emotions bottled up in your heart.
  5. Kisses must be plentiful and performed often. For the fake dating stage, of course. Teasing and flirting and banter are a must. But the key is having your nemesis turned fake-but-maybe-not-so-fake-boyfriend being a man who knows exactly what he wants and is not afraid to go after it.

BONUS points for literature and movie quotes referred to in abundance.

I hope this guide is helpful in providing you with your coziest and most sizzling Christmas yet!

Merry Christmas!

Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel
Series: Christmas Escape #3
Published by Self on November 2, 2022
Genres: Contemporary RomanceHoliday – Christmas
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Buy on Amazon

One little white lie.

That’s all it took. Now I’m suddenly having to fake-date my work nemesis to get me through a week at a Vermont Christmas lodge with my family.

The problem? I can’t stand Miles Taylor. Not only that, but I don’t date people I work with. But I can handle it. I’ve had practice faking my emotions for years. So it shouldn’t matter that Miles never lets me get away with anything. And that he happens to boil my blood hotter than a steaming pot of wassail. So when he throws his annoying grin my way or forces me on dates he knows I’ll hate, I’ll just grit my teeth and smile.

Or maybe not. Did I mention that Miles is the one person in the world I can’t seem to fool?

When my emotions begin feeling less like a sham and his arms feel way too comfortable, it makes me think that maybe Miles had a plan of his own. And I’m starting to like it a lot more than mine.

★ Faking Christmas is a sweet, closed door romance full of sizzle, witty banter, and chemistry, but without explicit content.

About Cindy Steel

Cindy Steel was raised on a dairy farm in Idaho. She grew up singing Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire songs at the top of her lungs and learning to solve all of life’s problems while milking cows and driving tractors—rewriting happy endings every time. She met and married a handsome Idaho boy and is the proud mother of two wild and sweet twin boys. Which means she is also now a collector of bugs, sticks, rocks, and slobbery kisses. She loves making breakfast, baking, photography, reading a good book, and staying up way past her bedtime to craft stories that will hopefully make you smile.

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Header photo by Jessica Delp on Unsplash