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Merry Christmas! All the best to you and yours.

Today is great day to cherish all those we hold dear, and maybe escape from some of the hassle with a short novel if you can make the time. (I know how quickly you read, romance readers!)

Today, it just seems fitting to point you in the direction of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired novel, Hope in a Handbag by Annie Jones.

It begins: “My name is Finola Barrett and I’m a head-in-the-clouds, miracles-still-happen, Christmas-has-NOT-gotten-too-commercial-if-you-have-the-spirit-in-your-heart believer. I believe in God and try to put my personal faith into action everyday. I believe that people who set goals and work toward them can still realize their dreams. This is my story.”

And if that isn’t enough to get you to open this present, here’s more: “Finola Barrett is also a woman on a mission—to achieve the resolutions she made for herself at New Year’s, almost exactly one year ago: Finding Mr. Right, owning a home, starting her own business and lastly…to find the perfect handbag. She thinks she may be able to complete them in time, if only the man who manages her trust fund—her own personal Scrooge—would approve her business proposal. Will she be able to overcome the banker who stands in her way? Will she ever find Mr. Right? And will she have a great handbag when she does?”

This still will suck you in right from the beginning. And what better way is there to spend Christmas than with love in your heart?

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas Eve! I know you’re going to be really busy today, so here’s a great story to warm you up for tomorrow… or warm you up for tonight!

In Making Merry, Raine Weaver has cast a hot spell on the North Pole… er, I’m not going to actually make a joke about the “Pole” part, but you can guess. Kris Kringle has cast a glamour. You know, he isn’t actually old or fat. He’s hot! And Mrs. Kringle strayed, so he’s single.

I won’t give away the rest, but it’s definitely a Christmas present for the adult readers of this blog, brought to you by the wonderful people at Samhain Publishing .

If you like this, check out Raine Weaver’s page and her other work.

Try not to let the last-minute craziness get to you, and have a wonderful Christmas eve!

Today, I’m giving you a link to a great FREE story that the author and editors make much more complicated than it really is.

The story is A Little Mischief by Kasey Michaels.

Okay, follow closely. “Sunshine sisters….” (Sunshine is their last name.) “…Jade, Jolie and Jessica are out to prove that their ex-cop father did not murder anyone and then take his own life.”

Rose: All right. I’m with you. Three sisters, father innocent. Gotcha.

“Their stories are told one by one in (so far) Dial M For Mischief (Jolie’s story) and Mischief Becomes Her (Jessica’s story, available now from HQN).”

Rose: Lots of J-names, and lots of “mischief”. A little confusing, but I’m holding on.

“Still to come will be 24 Hours of Mischief (Jade’s story) next spring, and the last in the series, Mischief Old/Mischief New, in which we’ll all travel back to Becket Hall, scene of the seven Kasey Michaels bestselling historical romances for HQN about the Beckets of Romney Marsh.”

Rose: I’m confused by that last part. Why go to the fictional world built in another series?

“Whew! That’s a lot, right?”

Rose: Yes, it is, honestly. It’s a lot to take in at once. For me, it’s still a blur of J-names and “mischief”.

“There are always stories within stories, little snippets, additional characters, and two of these people show up—just peek their heads in and wave, really—in Mischief Becomes Her. Kasey thought it might be fun to give them A Little Mischief of their own. Enjoy!”

 Rose: Okay, readers, you only need to know two things–

1. This is a matchmaking story. A woman named Jessica is trying to get a man and a woman she works with matched together. It’s a fresh change so I wanted to link to it on this blog.

2. It’s a FREE story from HQN, which is an imprint of Harlequin.

See? It’s not that confusing, after all.

Harlequin American Romance

In a Cowboy’s Arms
by Marin Thomas

Here’s the summary: “At eighteen, all Sandi Drake wanted was out. Out of the little Texas town that suffocated her. Out of her father’s ranch that didn’t appeal to her bookish interests. And out of the influence of the sexy and irresistible Travis Moretti, the one thing she regretted leaving behind.”

It’s a shame the author chose the name “Moretti” for her hero, unless it’s meant as a homage to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. One of the two heroes in those novels is named Joe Morelli, and it’s hard to read this story without already picturing Joe in my mind. But, back to the summary….

“Twelve years later, her father’s death brings her back to the Broken T ranch. Back to Travis. Back to the sparks and to the fire that she could never deny—and in her heart of hearts could never forget.”

(Small aside: I would have punctuated this summary a little differently. Never mind.)

“Travis hasn’t forgotten either. Not the way she made him laugh, and not the way she hurt him when she left. Now that she’s returned, they have a second chance. But is it a second chance at love, or another opportunity for her to break his heart.”

This one is sweet and to the point. The main conflict is the two of them reconciling over the past. So this is good if you’re just not in the mood for a big, bad villain.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good villain, but I like this because it’s realistic. Nice for a change… and I’m a sucker for a happy ending.