Happy Publication Day -31 August 2023

The Gingerbread Christmas Village By Kiley Dunbar

Everyone deserves a Christmas treat…

The annual Wheaton gingerbread exhibit (a model village made of gingerbread) and grotto has been an important part of the sleepy Cotswold hamlet’s Christmas celebrations for decades.

For years the gingerbread exhibition drew visitors from across the region and each year the model town grew more elaborate and ambitious but recently, interest has been dwindling. The gingerbread grotto needs to be rehomed or close forever.

Sixty-four-year-old Margi, the event’s founder, has had enough of village life (and its total lack of eligible men) and is planning to sell up and head to Birmingham to live closer to her niece.

She has lost her spark and her Christmas spirit and decides this will be her last gingerbread village, but despairs when she finds her only support is her old friend, Izzy, her niece Lucy from Birmingham, and Fern, the shy young farmer’s daughter. Oh, and Patrick, the gorgeous, reliable school caretaker.

As if this wasn’t enough, Lucy is determined to get her out dating again and persuades her to try some online dating apps but Margi’s had her heart broken too many times and wonders if she has just missed her chance.

Can they save the Gingerbread Grotto and can Margi get her old spark and her Christmas spirit back?

Protecting Mandy By Leslie North

Even an ace mechanic can’t repair a broken heart…

When Mandy’s father died he left her alone, heartbroken, and buried in crippling debt to an unscrupulous bookie. Now, Mandy’s the proud owner of an auto repair business whose only other mechanic just quit. Things couldn’t get any worse. Until former Navy SEAL Chance McCallister, the man who broke her heart when they were teens, walks through her door. He’s looking to help, and even hotter than she remembers. She’d be crazy to hire him as her new mechanic.

And she’d be even crazier to fall in love with him again…

Chance knows Mandy’s in trouble. And even though he doesn’t want to get involved, he just can’t stop those feelings flooding his heart, the same way they did when he was a kid. Nothing has changed… Except Mandy is even more beautiful, more fierce, more everything. But he’s not going down that road again. One messy breakup is enough. He’ll protect her. He’ll put his life on the line. And he’ll do what he can to keep her safe.

But this time, he’ll protect his own heart as well…

Book Review – The SEAL’s Hookup By Leslie North

Romance and risk go hand in hand when a Navy SEAL’s unborn child is threatened…

Navy SEAL Jonathan Winter and DEA Agent Tabitha Andrews have a long history together. And it’s about to get longer. Tabitha is determined to clear Jonathan’s name after a mission gone wrong. But her case just hit a bump in the road… a baby bump.

The two shared one night of passion—and now Tabitha is in a fight against time. She’s the only one who believes Jonathan is innocent, so she has to keep working the case. And she won’t be allowed to do that if her superiors learn she’s pregnant with the gorgeous Navy SEAL’s child.

Jonathan’s upbringing tells him marriage is the only option when he learns Tabitha is pregnant. And when he realizes her life may be in danger thanks to the investigation, keeping Tabitha—and his unborn child—safe becomes his only goal.

They decided years ago that a relationship between them couldn’t last. But working together to solve a deadly puzzle may send this headstrong couple in a direction neither anticipated…

Published Date: 9 March 2023

My Review

Jonathan and Tabitha share a complicated history. Jonathan is a Navy SEAL, while Tabitha works as a DEA Agent. When their team faces internal betrayal, Tabitha becomes their best hope in clearing Jonathan’s name through her investigation. However, her discovery of being pregnant with Jonathan’s child prevents her from assisting him. Now, both she and the baby are potential targets, and Jonathan must ensure their safety. This well-crafted and captivating story revolves around a suspenseful romance, featuring strong chemistry between the main characters. As they work together to solve the puzzle of their case, their personal relationship begins to unravel. Overall, it is an engaging and enjoyable read.

My Rating