Licking Her Christmas Cookies
Alina Jacobs
Publication date: November 16th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

In hindsight, opening a Christmas tree ornament shop in a small town was a terrible idea.

The Thanksgiving turkey is still warm, and I’m already up to my eyeballs in debt from my failed business.

To make matters worse, my knight in flannel never appeared—you know, the guy, the one who was tall, dark, and plaid, who had a friendly yellow lab and a truck and sold firewood, the one who showed the big-city heroine the true meaning of love and Christmas.

Yeah, he did not come rescue me.

Instead, Matt Frost showed up like the Prince of Winter to yell at me about the rent I owed him.

He did not feature in any of my Christmas fantasies. In fact, he was exactly the type of Christmas-hating alphahole billionaire in a suit I left Manhattan to escape.

I can’t worry about him.

I need to fix my life.

I have to make a bunch of money before Christmas Eve or I’m a toasted marshmallow.

No ornament will be left off this Christmas tree of desperation!

Gambling on the Christmas raffle that lets you win either ten thousand dollars, a giant snow globe, or a snack-addicted reindeer? Spin that roulette wheel and bring it on.

Moonlighting as an elf for an irate Santa? Mama’s gotta get paid.

Entering in The Great Christmas Bake-Off in hopes of winning the grand prize? Fetch me my custom elf apron.

I so have this bake-off wrapped, ribboned, and in my Christmas stocking.

Except when I’m paired with Matt the Grinch, I see my dreams of a debt-free Christmas going up in Yule log flames.

Matt Frost and I are not compatible baking partners.

Especially not after he licks the frosting off my Christmas cookies while I scream.

Not like that! He’s a Christmas-hating Scrooge who ruined my bake-off entry.

I am not in the market for a Christmas romance.

Especially not with a six-foot-five guy with ice-blue eyes and washboard abs.

No, not even when he’s covered in frosting, standing in front of a decorated tree, and looking better than an edible Christmas card.

Nope, not even then.

‘Tis the season for holiday romance! This is a full-length standalone holiday romantic comedy with nonstop Christmas and romance. If you love over-the-top small-town Christmas festivals, overbearing but well-meaning great-aunts, and smoking hot guys in nothing but a Santa hat who will melt the snow off the roof of your house, snuggle up with a spiked hot chocolate and get in the Christmas romance spirit!

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“This is a bomb cookie,” I said happily, taking a picture of the finished dessert for Instagram. “I’m totally winning.”

A shadow passed over my baking station, and the temperature dropped ten degrees.

“This is your big plot to find my rent money?”

I looked up into Matt’s icy blue eyes.

“I have a multipronged approach.”

“You need to get a real job,” he said curtly. “Running a Christmas ornament shop is not a real job, and neither is participating in a bake-off. You’re not winning, and you’re delusional if you think so.”

“Neither are you,” I replied hotly. “They clearly just brought you on as the pretty face. Though why they bothered I’m not sure. Clearly, everyone is going to have eyes for Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Flannel over there.”

“Brody?” Matt snarled.

I laughed.

“Isn’t he amazing?” I continued, needling Matt.

As if he knew we were talking about him, Brody turned to catch me staring. I blew him a kiss, smirking when Matt growled in annoyance then swooning a little bit when Brody flexed his pec muscles at me. He wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“It’s not even sanitary,” Matt hissed through his teeth.

“Ooh, someone’s jealous!”

“I’m not.” Matt slammed his hands down on my table.

“Watch it!” I yelled. “You’re going to mess up my cookies. I don’t want your Christmas-hating cooties all over my dessert.”

“Too late,” Matt said and picked up the cookie I had just spent ten minutes decorating.

“Don’t you dare touch my cookies!” I shrieked.

“A lot of women want me to touch their cookies,” Matt said, the corner of his mouth quirking.

“Doubtful,” I retorted, grabbing across the table to the cookie.

He held it aloft.

“In fact, they want me to lick them.”

“I swear I will have you gutted and stuffed as a Christmas tree ornament,” I warned.

“So, you don’t want me to lick your cookies?” He gave me a smoldering glare.

Lick my…oh…ohhh…shit.

My face went hot under the stickers, glitter makeup, and hair spray.

No.

Yes.

Maybe?

No, Merrie, jeez!

“I have standards,” I told him.” There’s only one man here who I’d want to lick my cookies, and it’s not you, so give me back that snowman.”

“I’m supposed to be judging,” he retorted, “and I can’t do that without a taste test.”

Then he licked my freaking Christmas cookie! Ten whole minutes of frosting work was gone.

“You… you!” I sputtered. “I spent a million years decorating that.”

He bit the head off the snowman then tossed it back on the platter.

“That was actually pretty good for a Christmas cookie. I think I might have to lick your cookies again.”

“You…” I wanted to curse him out, but we were on live TV, and this was supposed to be a family-friendly program. The cameramen, sensing drama like sharks sensed blood, were hovering around us.

“You…doo-doo head!” Not as satisfying as calling him a fuckface asshole but it would have to do.

Matt snorted. “I think you should stop wasting time on name-calling since you clearly suck at it and get back to baking.”

He clapped his hands at me. “Chop chop.”

Fuck this asshole.

“Chop this!” I hollered, scooping out a handful of bright-red royal icing and throwing it at him.

Matt cursed, for real, with multiple F-bombs because if you were some sort of moneyed Manhattan type, you did not care about ruining the sanctity of The Great Christmas Bake-Off.

Author Bio:

If you like steamy romantic comedies with a creative streak, then I'm your girl!

Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…

Sign up for my mailing list to get the free novella, AFTER HIS PEONIES, along with special bonus content, giveaways, and more!

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♦ ♦ ♦

Get a diploma. Find the love of her life and marry him. Go for a career and have kids. Twenty-one-year-old Kate knows exactly what she wants, but when she gets shot and almost dies, she discovers that life isn’t a checklist. It’s hard, unpredictable, and dangerous.

There are fears to overcome, the mafia to hide from, and Mason Scott to resist. One of Scotts’ Private Investigation and Security operatives who keeps her safe and is a professional womanizer who’s insanely considerate and charming. 

Kate doesn’t do players, which is why she distances herself from his swoon-worthy body and ignores whatever weird fan-girl emotions are going on inside her.

But when another threatening situation forces her to share a small two-bedroom apartment with him alone, Kate might have to reconsider who’s the bigger threat: the mafia or Mason Scott?

♦ ♦ ♦

♦ ♦ ♦

Enter the Release Giveaway HERE!

♦ ♦ ♦

KATE

“Really?” he asks as he opens the door of my bedroom and looks me up and down. “It’s perfect what you’re wearing.”

“God, Mason.” I glare at him. “You have to stop barging in my room like that. What if I was naked?”

“I knew you weren’t,” he says self-assuredly. “You didn’t sound like you were getting dressed.”

“I didn’t sound like I was getting dressed?” I repeat. “Now, you have to tell me how that sounds.” I huff, zipping up my hoodie vest.

“I’d demonstrate it if we had time, but we don’t. We need to move, or we’ll be late.”

Late? Maybe I do want a demonstration.

Then I get this visual of him stripping off his black sweat pants and white shirt, and I feel my face flushing.

Oh no.

“What are you thinking about?”

Of course he notices.

I walk straight for my desk and grab my phone. “We should get going if we don’t want to be late.”

And then I slip past him out of the bedroom before I have to come up with a lie as to why my cheeks just flushed bright red.

Or worse, before I involuntarily tell him the truth, again.

♦ ♦ ♦

Read the First Chapter HERE!

♦ ♦ ♦

Julia Crosswood is a teacher and a mom of two by day.

A writer and avid reader by night—or when the kids are napping.

Although writing and self-publishing her books take a lot of time, she makes sure there’s enough left to make sweet memories with her family, including lots of vacations—yet it’s never without her laptop or Kindle.

Under the influence of a serious dose of caffeine and after a long, hard, and sweaty run—and of course a refreshing shower—Julia writes romance stories spiced with a touch of drama and a pinch of suspense.

♦ ♦ ♦

Accidentally In Love
Danica Flynn
(MacGregor Brothers Brewing Company, #1)
Publication date: December 7th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

At thirty-five and single, I’m tired of the dating game. Tired of men who look at me and say, “You’d be prettier if you shed a few pounds.”

There’s only one man I want a future with — my grouchy friends with bene fits, Nolan. But he’s adamant about keeping things casual.

All that changes when one night we get careless, and those pink lines show up on the pregnancy test months later.

Nolan wants to do right by me. He wants to give me what I’ve been searching for, but I’m pretty sure he’s only doing it out of obligation. It’s not like the bearded brewmaster loves me like I love him.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Eden Books

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EXCERPT:

Are you sure you don’t have the flu or something?” Gemma asked from across the kitchen table, stirring her burrito bowl in thought.

Gemma lived in South Philly, but commuted to the brewery in Drakesville. When we could, we’d have dinner together before her shift. I tried to cancel tonight, but she insisted. My sister could be needy.

I shrugged and pushed my untouched bowl of food out of the way. I had zero appetite tonight.

“PMS?” she asked.

I stared back at her in silence.

“Avs, when did you last get your period?”

“Not since before the Arts Fest,” I admitted in a low whisper.

Her eyes turned to saucers. “That was two months ago!”

I cringed. “Maybe it’s stress?”

Gemma looked horrified.

When Gemma was in college, she had a pregnancy scare, and I drove all the way up to State College to be with her. She didn’t want kids, and an unplanned pregnancy hadn’t been in the cards. She ended up not being pregnant and got her period the next day, but to this day, she always was stressed if it was late. If Gemma had been in my shoes, she wouldn’t have ignored the signs. She would have taken a pregnancy test the day her period was late.

She stood up and put on her coat.

I furrowed my brow at her. “Where are you going?”

She glared at me. “Going to the pharmacy to get a pregnancy test.”

Before I could argue, she ran down the steps and out of my apartment. I cringed at my door slamming shut behind her.

Gemma was gone for maybe fifteen minutes before she clomped back up the steps and waved a bag of pregnancy tests in my face.

“Come on, let’s take these,” she said and led me into my bathroom.

Ten minutes later, we stared down at the third and final pregnancy test and waited for the results. The first two tests were positive, so I didn’t have a good feeling about this one. I knew I was pregnant before those pink lines showed up on the first test, but I didn’t want to accept it. I ignored what my body told me and tried to will the pregnancy away. I had even been avoiding Nolan because if I had seen him, I would have burst into tears and told him everything.

My timer chimed, and I handed the testing stick to my sister. “Please look. I can’t.”

She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Oh, Avs,” she cooed and squeezed my hand in comfort.

“I’m pregnant, aren’t I?” I sobbed.

Author Bio:

Danica Flynn is a marketer by day, and a writer by nights and weekends. AKA she doesn’t sleep! She is a rabid hockey fan of both The Philadelphia Flyers and the Metropolitan Riveters. When not writing, she can be found hanging with her partner, playing video games, and reading a ton of books.

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All that's forgotten isn't always gone...

Washed Away by RC Boldt is now live!

USA TODAY bestselling author RC Boldt brings us a sizzling romance chock-full of intrigue and deceit in this brand new romantic suspense...

All that's forgotten isn't always gone...

I'm at death's doorstep when my body washes up on shore in Panama.

My memory is a blank slate. I can't even remember my name. I don't know who shot me and left me for dead--or why.

Patient and kind, the lone doctor there mends my body while offering me refuge.

But as tiny flashbacks of my past occur, I wonder if there's anyone I can trust.

It's up to me to discover whether I'm in danger or a danger to others. Whether I've actually found love or if it's all been a lie.

I need answers to find out who I really am.

If only I could remember...

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RC Boldt is a USA Today bestselling author currently living in part of the Costa Rican jungle with the love of her life and her mini-me.

If you’re in the mood for some killer mojitos or can’t recall the lyrics to a particular 80s song, she’s your girl.

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Brother's best friend, enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance... this collection has it all!

Love Stories: A Novella Collection by Samantha Young is now live!

A collection of contemporary romance novellas from New York Times Bestselling Author Samantha Young.

This volume includes novellas previously only available exclusively to newsletter subscribers. They have now been collated into this romantic collection of modern love stories.

Includes:
The Forbidden Christmas Gift:
It's Christmas at Shaw's Department store in Edinburgh! Reid Shaw should feel nothing but gratified by his success. But he's not satisfied because the sexy Scot wants forbidden fruit for Christmas: Evan Munro. Reid's Evan's boss. He's thirteen years older than her.
Oh ... and she's his best friend's little sister.

New Year's Eve:
After Ryan drunkenly kisses the object of her crush, Joe--her sister's father-in-law-- at his son's birthday party, all she wants to do is avoid Joe for the rest of eternity. But when they find themselves stranded alone together on New Year's Eve, Ryan discovers Joe most definitely doesn't want to avoid Ryan...

Loving Valentine:
Micah Green has loved Valentine Fairchild for over ten years; ever since they were kids brought together by Micah's difficult family life. Too many outside factors have gotten in their way, pushing them further apart over the years. But Micah, no matter how hard he tries, can't forget her. When he finds a way to see her again, he realizes he's wasted too much time loving Valentine from afar. Now he just has to convince her to let go of their past so they can move on with their future. Together.

Ember in the Heart:
Loosely Inspired by Pride & Prejudice.
When Ember Bonet overhears her sister's fiancé's best friend uttering rude remarks about the Bonet sisters at the engagement party, she instantly dismisses him as a pretentious man-child. Then said man-child, Foster Darwin, moves into the house next door along with his five-year-old daughter, making him hard to ignore.
Foster can't believe his best friend, Colt, omitted to tell him the spinsterish Bonet sisters live in the house next door to his new home. Problem is, Ember Bonet is anything but spinsterish. From the moment they met, Foster has fought an overwhelming attraction to her. An attraction he has no time for. Not only is he determined to prioritize his daughter Georgie, he can't fail his own father again. And Edward Darwin has made it clear that Foster must settle down with the right woman. Unfortunately, his family's idea of 'right' isn't the sexy massage therapist next door who's eleven years his senior.
Determined to keep her distance from Foster, Ember fails when it becomes clear he and Georgie need support in their new life together. But proximity to one another is too great a temptation, and physical chemistry soon turns into so much more. If only Ember could get over their age difference and Foster his family pride...

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I got swept away in the drama and yearning and love in every single story of this collection. I honestly can't say which couple was my favorite, they all had their own unique story that made me root for them.

The Forbidden Christmas Gift:

There is nothing like that touch of the forbidden to make things that much more intense and risky. Evan and Reid learned that the hard way as they tried (and failed) to keep their attraction to one another at bay.

New Year's Eve:

Age gap- not my favorite but holy crap I could not get enough of Ryan and Joe. Throw a snowstorm and a cabin in the woods into the mix and it was a recipe for hotness.

Loving Valentine:

Opposites attract is the name of the game in this sweet love story that started with Valentine and Micah as teenagers. Miscommunication and missed opportunities only made it that much sweeter when they FINALLY let themselves have what they've wanted for years.

Ember in the Heart:

I am a sucker for a single parent romance. That being said, I was so not a fan of how Foster treated Ember. BUT! I was a huge fan of how Ember stood up for herself and didn't take his crap. And under all that animosity and anger was a simmering attraction that would not be denied.

Samantha Young gave me sweet and sexy and scandalous in equal measures with Love Stories. I hope she keeps putting these out because there were plenty of side characters that need their stories told.

Meet Samantha

Samantha is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over fifty books, several of which have been nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards. She writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction. Her books have been published in 31 countries. She resides in Scotland.

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