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Below are some of my favorite Christmas Albums of all time. Included are also some new. This is what I will be listening to today. (As I have throughout the season)
What do you listen to that helps you to enjoy the Merry Holidays? What do you do with your family? Do you have traditions that you choose to keep? What is it like in your home?
Leave a comment below and help us discuss the season.
1. The Carpenters, with The Carpenters’ Christmas Portrait, favorite song on the album: Merry Christmas Darling.
2. Mannheim Steamroller, with A Fresh Aire Christmas, favorite song on the album: Carol Of The Bells.
3. Bing Crosby, with A Christmas Sing with Bing Around The World, favorite song on the album: White Christmas.
4. Nat King Cole, with The Magic Of Christmas, favorite song on the album: The Christmas Song.
5. Amy Grant, with Home For Christmas, favorite song on the album: David Foster’s, Grown-Up Christmas List.
6. Pentatonix, with That’s Christmas To Me, favorite song on the album: Title song, That’s Christmas To Me.
7. Vince Guaraldi, with A Charlie Brown Christmas (soundtrack from the 1965 motion picture.), favorite song on the album: Linus And Lucy.
8. Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., with The Chipmunks, from the single The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late).
9. Stephen Bishop, on the all i want for Christmas on (soundtrack from the 1991 motion picture), favorite song on the album: All I Want.
10. Mariah Carey with Merry Christmas, favorite song on album: All I Want For Christmas Is You.
I would love to share with you my favorite tradition. We always sing on Christmas Eve as we wonder around together in the neighborhoods nearby checking out the homes all decked out!!
In my time on this Earth, I have always been intrigued by the written word. As a child, I was always a strong reader. As I grew older, I found other hobbies, that was until I was introduced to Edward Cullen, yes, I was a Twihard! I loved the Twilight Saga very much and opened my eyes back to the Young Adult book world. I was ravenous again, reading any YA book I could get my hands on.This eventually lead to the inevitable right? Fifty Shades of Grey entered my world, and while I, like many, enjoyed it. But I was left thinking, wow, the romance genre really has changed, and I like it!! I began paging through Amazon desperately searching for books. Then I discovered book blogs and my world was done.
I eventually became a reviewer for a blog, and couldn’t have been more thrilled. I discovered a love within myself for dark, dangerous antiheroes that could be found within the pages of books. This amazing indie book world introduced me to some of my now best friends, opened my eyes to amazing authors, and has turned into a career that I know love.
After reviewing for another blog and helping with blogging duties, I craved running my own blog, and with the help of some of the most amazing women, we created #Minxes Love Books. Silly name as it may seem, we had fallen in love with Jaimie Roberts writing, and we were known for creating funny hashtags in her street team. She began calling us her #Minxes, so we KNEW when we started a blog, that it just had to be that! We have grown a following and love what we do!!
Now, join me as I enter into the world of authorship. I honestly cannot wait to share this story as these characters have been screaming in my head for years for me to tell their story.
Book Title: Only For You (The Lick Series Book 3)
Author: Naima Simone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 12, 2016
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
It’s been five years since I’ve seen her.
Five years since Gabriella James damn near destroyed me with her betrayal, sending me to hell in a cage.
I’ve crawled free, escaped the mob, opened a night club, and continue to battle my demons through underground fighting and sex. But now Gabriella’s back, begging for absolution, wanting my forgiveness. All I want is what she’s denied me for all these years — her body.
Sex. That’s all we’ll ever have.
Because Gabriella is still keeping secrets. I see it in her eyes.
I don’t trust her, and I’ll never forgive her betrayal.
But that won’t stop me from taking her.
Over…and over…and over…
“Leave the clothes,” he reiterated.
She shook her head, her grasp on her jeans tightening. “Humiliation wasn’t part of this bargain. I’m not walking out of here without any pants on.” A shadow crossed his face even as his lips firmed into a straight line.
“Humiliate you? You think I want to give every motherfucker out there material to go home and fuck their fist to? Let them look at those thighs and imagine them wrapped around their waist? Their head? No, Gabriella, my intention isn’t to humiliate you,” he murmured, the silken tone all the more dangerous.
“My sole focus is hustling your pretty little ass next door and upstairs as fast as possible. Whatever you think about me, I’d never place you in harm’s way, and that includes exposing you. Now,” he lowered his face until she could easily detect the green flecks in his golden eyes. Something flickered in those eyes. The same thing that, for just a moment, softened his mouth so he appeared almost…vulnerable. Hungry. No, no. Need. Like he needed her to walk out of this room with him. But in the next instant, the emotion disappeared behind a shuttered mask.
“Are you in…or out?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she dropped the clothes and walked to the door, that brief flash of…whatever accomplishing what the pretty little ass and the possessive tone he’d uttered it in couldn’t.
Naima Simone’s love of romance was first stirred by Johanna Lindsey, Sandra Brown and Linda Howard many years ago. Well not that many. She is only eighteen…ish. Though her first attempt at a romance novel starring Ralph Tresvant from New Edition never saw the light of day, her love of romance, reading and writing has endured. Published since 2009, she spends her days—and nights— creating stories of unique men and women who experience the first bites of desire, the dizzying heights of passion, and the tender, healing heat of love.
She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: COMPLETELY YOURS
Author: Erin Nicholas
Series: Opposites Attract, #1
On Sale: December 20, 2016
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $5.99 USD
eBook: $3.99 USD
The first book in a brand new contemporary romance series from New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas about three geeky girls and the hunky guys who fall for them.
Kiera Connelly leads a quiet life, and that’s just how she likes it. She’s built a name as a graphic designer and meets up with her friends online, all from the comfort of her living room couch. But when a rare outing turns disastrous, Kiera finds herself up close and way too personal with an unbelievably hot real-life hero.
Zach Ashley doesn’t see himself as a hero. He’s just a regular guy who gets to help people every day as an EMT. But when he’s called to a scene and has to treat his most gorgeous patient ever, he finds himself mixing work with pleasure. He never hesitates to put his life on the line…but will he ever risk his heart?
BUY THE BOOK HERE:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Books-A-Million ~ Google Play ~ iBooks ~ Indiebound ~ Kobo
She was still watching the ambulance, and she nodded absently. “Okay.”
He moved in front of her and crouched to get on eye level. “You can go right over and see them at the hospital. Mass General. If you’re not family, they might not be able to tell you much, but if you can get in touch with their families, they can come and sit with you, right?”
She nodded again but Zach wasn’t sure she’d heard him. He really wanted to know that someone was going to be there with her. Shock in survivors wasn’t uncommon. The that-could’ve-been-me thing could kick in at any moment if it hadn’t already. But there was nothing like seeing someone you cared about hurt.
He put his hands on her arms again, this time rubbing up and down and just ignoring how good her skin felt against his rough palms. Mostly. He needed to comfort her more than he needed to worry about how she made him feel.
“Do you know where Mass General is?” He didn’t love the idea of her driving herself over there. She was clearly overwhelmed.
Kiera nodded. “Yes.”
“You can get there?” he asked.
She nodded again.
Okay. So…
“Zach! Let’s go!”
Zach glanced over at Reed. His co-workers needed help so he was going to be here for a while. He couldn’t be messing around, obsessing about a woman who liked to play dress-up. “Kiera, I need to go but…”
“Yeah, of course.” She shook her head and looked around. “You go.”
“But…” But nothing. She was fine, and he was needed by people who weren’t fine.
“Okay.”
He had the fleeting thought that he wanted to kiss her goodbye. But that was crazy. They’d just met. In the middle of an emergency. No way should he kiss her.
Finally, he let go of her and stepped back. But not touching her didn’t do a thing to make him not want to touch her. He forced himself to turn away and head toward Reed, trying to clear his mind of green and gold sweet-smelling flowers as he went. But when he got about twenty feet from her, he glanced back.
And she was still standing there. Hugging herself. Looking lost.
Fuck.
“I’ll be right there,” he told Reed.
Reed glanced back. “Dude…”
“I know.” And he did. He needed to not be distracted. But the only way that was going to happen was if he knew for sure that Kiera was taken care of.
He jogged back to her side. “Hey princess, what’s up?”
She looked at him, and her look of confusion cleared. That made him feel stupidly good.
“I don’t have a way…”
She trailed off, and Zach frowned. “You don’t feel up to driving?”
“We brought Sophie’s car, and her fob thingy is with her.”
Ah. A little issue. “You have someone you can call?”
“I didn’t bring my phone.”
“You can use mine.”
“No one’s home. I live with Maya and Sophie,” she said. “Obviously, they’re not… there.”
Her voice wobbled, and Zach worked on not grabbing her and hugging her.
They’d just fucking met. Hugging and kissing wasn’t appropriate. Dammit.
“How about a cab?”
“I don’t have any money.”
He looked her over again, revisiting the curves he realized he’d already memorized. He could give her money for a cab of course. He could get her home. But she’d be home alone. He could get her to the hospital, but they wouldn’t talk to her and she’d be stuck in the waiting room for God knew how long. Alone.
And leaving her alone was simply something he could not do.
“You need to come with me.” He reached out and snagged her hand before he could tell himself that holding her hand was a bad idea.
Because it was. Her hand felt good in his, and the way she curled her fingers around his tightly and followed him without question felt good. And the idea that he was going to get to spend more time with her felt good. And all of that was bad. And yet, he pulled her along with him through the convention hall and into the heart of the chaos.
“What are we doing?” she asked.
“I need to go help with some more injured. And I need you to stick with me.”
“Me? Why?”
He looked over at her. Her cape floated behind her, and for the first time, he noticed the golden sword swinging at her left hip. Damn. That was kind of hot. “Because you’re a gorgeous kick-ass warrior princess, and the people in here are gonna need some gorgeous kick-ass stuff.”
She looked at him with surprise, but as he held her gaze, he saw something that turned him on even more than her smelling like candy—a spark of determination. She pulled up straighter as she walked, and he felt her hand tighten on his.
“Kick ass. Right. I can do that.”
He smiled. “And I could use some help from an interpreter.”
“An interpreter? I speak some Spanish but that’s about it.”
“You don’t speak geek?” He hoped he wasn’t committing a faux pau in calling her, and all of this, geeky.
But she actually gave him a half smile. “Oh, geek. Yes, I’m fluent.”
THE SERIES:
COMPLETELY YOURS, #1
FOREVER MINE, #2
Top 5 List for Kitty’s Book Spot!
Music or Whether music/playlist influence your writing:
I do often listen to music while I write and most of my books have a playlist, but it just depends on the book. I often listen to country music but for this series, including Completely Yours, I found myself listening to more instrumental and especially enjoyed Lindsey Stirling and her Lindsey Stirling album!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).
Website — Facebook — Twitter — Goodreads
FOLLOW FOREVER ONLINE:
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Pinterest
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Rocker Shenanigans: Sylvie + Shandor
Alyson Santos & Sunniva Dee
Publication date: December 19th 2016
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance
They rock hard, play hard, and live life freaking hard. So when it comes to love it’s no surprise they screw up just as hard. Join an amusing cast of characters from Sunniva Dee’s and Alyson Santos’ rock star novels as they meet and pursue each other amidst the backstage chaos of their world.
Rocker Shenanigans is a romantic comedy series of novellas that will toss you into the fun, sexy, and hilarious side of rocker life.
Rocker Shenanigans I:
Sylvie Drake is ecstatic when her rock-goddess sister invites her to a charity event in the Bahamas. With a lineup featuring legends like Night Shifts Black, Clown Irruption, and Tracing Holland, how could this weekend not be totally epic?
One word: Shandor.
Smoldering gaze, cocky smile, and passionate hands that dominate a guitar. Everything about this mysterious stranger screams out-of-her-league.
Shandor Xodyar is here to work. And keep his fiery cousin out of trouble with the threat of former flames breathing down their necks. What he didn’t count on is a three-word bombshell disrupting his mission:
Holland’s teen sister.
Unassumingly sexy, raw, and barely legal, there’s no way entertaining the forbidden electricity can end well.
Then again, some ignored warnings are worth the consequences.
I swear his eyes grazed mine before they dismissed me because I’m not famous. Not my sister. But gosh, I want to change his mind. Have to.
I do a quick scan to test my conclusions, but no, only the old cougar with the scandalous miniskirt could have been the other recipient of that smoldering message. Maybe she… no. No! I know nothing about that overload of hotness except he doesn’t need a desperate grandmother to feed his ego. Okay,
I don’t know that. Sometimes you just have to have faith, right?
I can’t tell if he wants me to approach or stay the hell away, but I don’t have a choice when the paralysis wears off and my bare legs start guiding me toward his loose-cut jeans. Jeans that hide… I blush. I don’t usually worry about what could be going on in a guy’s jeans.
Say something, Sylvie. And not about his pants.
“I like your guitar.”
Ugh! WTH?!
I might as well have said I liked his subscription to Time Magazine.
He just stares at me for a moment, and I’m praying that slight slip in his expression is because he didn’t hear me.
“Uh, thanks.”
He’s so not grateful for my praise, but I can’t stop now that I have his attention. I find myself rising on my toes, hoping the slim muscles in my toned thighs are making a pretty picture beneath my tiny shredded shorts. Yes, it’s December. It’s also the Bahamas at a resort that promised a buffet of hot rockers. Funny, I suddenly only notice one. And he needs to notice me.
“I’m Sylvie Drake,” I continue, even though I know that means nothing to him. “My sister is Holland Drake.”
I shoot a thumb toward the opposite corner where my dear sibling is… hanging on Luke. If Luke, then Casey. Thank you grade-nine Algebra, and I’m suddenly annoyed I never got that promised text from Holland. Then again, since my attention zeroed in on this inferno, I haven’t noticed much else. My phone could be replacing the moons of Jupiter with all its flashing and I wouldn’t know it.
“Hi, Sylvia.”
“Sylvie.”
His brows knit because that’s what he said, except he didn’t. Still, I don’t know how to correct him with him looking at me like that. Even slanted in confusion, I feel the intensity of those golden embers shaded by dark lashes. Darnit, I’m Sylvia. It’s fine. I can be Sylvia because he’s… my body doesn’t need words as it answers his piercing concentration with all kinds of adult stuff. Holland would kill me if she knew what was going through my head. So much worse than gin and tonics. So much tastier. Tastier? Too adult. The lady with the miniskirt thinks he’s “tasty.” I think he’s… crap. I suck at this. What would Holland say?
“What key are you playing in?”
Author Bio:
Sunniva Dee:
Between studies, teaching, and advising, Sunniva has spent her entire adult life in a college environment. Most of her novels are new adult romance geared toward smart, passionate readers with a love for eclectic language and engaging their brain as well as their heart while reading.
Born in the Land of the Midnight Sun, the author spent her early twenties making the world her playground. Southern Europe: Spain, Italy, Greece–Argentina: Buenos Aires, in particular. The United States finally kept her interest, and after half a decade in Los Angeles, she now lounges in the beautiful city of Savannah.
Sometimes, Sunniva writes with a paranormal twist (Shattering Halos, Stargazer, and Cat Love). At other times, it’s contemporary (Pandora Wild Child, Leon’s Way, Adrenaline Crush, Walking Heartbreak, and Dodging Trains, coming in late March 2016).
This author is the happiest when her characters let their emotions run off with them, shaping her stories in ways she never foresaw. She loves bad-boys and good-boys run amok, and like in real life, her goal is to keep the reader on her toes until the end of each story.
Sunniva Links:
—
Alyson Santos:
I’m a writer, musician, and cat lover. I also have an alternative music obsession. Seriously, it’s a real problem.
I write what needs to come out, whether it’s pain, tears, or laughter. I write people and relationships, about the beauty and horror of what we do to ourselves and each other. I write Love. Vengeance. Compassion. Cruelty. Trust. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Darkness, and the incredible way humans destroy and heal each other.
I like to eradicate barriers, refusing to be confined by the laws of physics or limitations of reality. I will befriend a vast population of possibilities and introduce them in ways that might surprise you.
Links:
Title: Take a Chance
Sub-Title: A Collection of Gay Romance for New Adults Authors: Various
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow ‘
Release Date: December 15th, 2016
Genre(s): Anthology, M/M Romance, New Adult Words: 93,500
A single moment can change everything.
A university student preparing to confront the adolescent crush who betrayed him. A demon embroiled in a battle against his very nature. A soldier, mentally scarred after fighting in The Great War, torn between propriety and his heart. Though separated by time and distance, culture and reality, these young men all have one thing in common: they each stand at a crossroads in their life and face a choice that will alter the course of their future.
The twelve tales in this collection of gay romantic fiction range from sweet to erotic, contemporary to historical, paranormal to grittily realistic. Whether centred around the fear associated with coming out, the thorny issue of trust, or the struggle for survival, each story explores in its own way the courage needed to overcome personal obstacles and take a chance on love.
Reflections by Chase Potter Stranger than Stars by J.A. Rock Another Story by Jamie Deacon Howl by Kelley York A Boy Named Khwahish by Dee Aditya Want You Bad by Lynn Michaels Far From Texas by Eric Gober The Right Words by Elinor Gray Class-A by Debbie McGowan Lockdown by Kari Jo Spear Dream Infected by Melissa E Costa Cheese and Pickle by Claire Davis and Al Stewart
Just as I sat, Mr. Keno hit the lights. Everything went black. It hadn’t been so dark in my old school. The blinds over the windows must be heavy enough to be bombproof. Comforting thought. Nobody believed the worn-out phrase “it can’t happen here.” We all knew it could.
“Keep your phones put away,” Mr. Keno said. “It’s going to be OK.” Those would be the last words we’d hear until it was over.
An instant later, someone pushed in next to me, between me and the file cabinet. Just my luck. I squished over against the wall as tightly as I could. Even so, our hips touched. It was so dark I couldn’t tell anything about the person, except that he or she smelled pleasantly of some herbal shampoo. Since I’d only been in the classroom a few minutes before the lockdown started, I hadn’t gotten a chance to really look at my new classmates.
I pressed against the wall as if I might become one with it. What I really wanted to do was curl into a ball. I settled for bending low over my legs, crossed at the ankles. I had too much imagination. It did crazy things when I was afraid. I closed my eyes in the darkness and willed myself to be calm, but every nerve was so keyed up that my pounding heart refused to slow down.
First thing in the morning was the perfect time for a gunman to attack. Kids would be in their classrooms for attendance, so he could move freely in the halls without people hanging around to either jump him or run. Since the classrooms would be full, the gunman could find victims behind every door.
I focused on what I could hear. The fan in the ceiling that I hadn’t noticed before became an insistent whir, so loud I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been aware of it the moment I’d walked into the room. It covered the sounds the kids on the other side of the filing cabinet had to be making—little sounds people couldn’t help but make, like scraping a shoe across the floor when they shifted position, or a stifled cough. I listened so hard it hurt. Only the fan. Nothing in the hallway.
Surely, if this were a real situation, there would be turmoil somewhere in the building. Unless the administrators were expecting something to happen that hadn’t happened yet. I imagined a man prowling the corridors, intent on his destination. Or perhaps he hadn’t chosen his victims yet. He might be waiting for something to speak to him, like the tone of a cell phone from behind a door, or the thump of a backpack falling off a chair. It might only take some little thing like that for him to burst in here and…
Taken from Lockdown by Kari Jo Spear
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Take A Chance Anthology by Jamie Deacon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The exciting thing about reading an Anthology is the fact that there are so many books to read and enjoy! This collection is from a dozen authors and offers a range of reads. From sincere first loves – to hot shapeshifters to swoon over.
I found many stories within that I enjoyed. Even one, that I wish had been longer, since the book was so compelling! This collection has something for everyone. Available right now for preorder, this is a book full of stories that give you pause, as well as the feels.
***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an honest review only.
Enter below for your chance to win a fabulous eBook bundle which includes the following:
Choice of backlist title by Claire Davis and Al Stewart
Caught Inside by Jamie Deacon
The King of Cups by Elinor Gray
Of the Bauble by Debbie McGowan
Cupid’s Christmas Arrow by Lynn Michaels
The Race for Second by Chase Potter
Choice of backlist title by J.A. Rock
Under the Willow by Kari Jo Spear
Suicide Watch by Kelley York
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Kane Kavanagh has always had one goal: being the best mixed martial arts fighter alive. With the MMA National Championships in Las Vegas fast approaching, the man they call “Killer” has no intention of letting anyone or anything get in his way. Somehow, though, a feisty opponent has slipped beneath his guard—and stolen his heart. Fiery and passionate, Nora Hannigan is harder to pin down than any rival Kane has faced in the ring. And she isn’t afraid to tell Kane that she wants nothing to do with him.
With her best friend about to marry into the Kavanagh family,
Nora has been resisting Kane’s shameless attempts at flirting for months. But after their undeniable chemistry finally takes over, leading to the hottest night of Nora’s life, she’s running scared. There’s a lot about her life Kane doesn’t know, and she won’t be responsible for ending his career. Now Kane’s out to prove that he’s ready for a commitment by winning her heart—and he’s never lost a fight.
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