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Review & Giveaway: Mistletoe Miracles by Jodi Thomas

MISTLETOE MIRACLES
Ransom Canyon
by
JODI THOMAS
Sub-genre: Holiday Romance / Western
Publisher: HQN
Date of Publication: September 25, 2018
Number of Pages: 354
Scroll down for an exclusive giveaway from Jodi Thomas! 
A small-town Texas Christmas story, where hearts are lost, love is found, and family always brings you back home.
Griffin Holloway is desperate: the Maverick Ranch has been in his family for generations, but lately, it’s a money pit. He’d sooner marry one of his horses than sell the ranch. Marriage, though, could be a solution. If he can woo a wealthy bride, he might save the ranch—just in time for Christmas. Jaxon O’Grady likes his solitude just fine, thank you very much. But when a car accident brings the unexpected to his door, he realizes just how much one person can need another. Crossroads is the perfect place for Jamie Johnson: avoiding nosy questions about why she’s single, she’s happy to keep to her lakeside home. So she’s baffled when she gets the strangest Christmas present of all, in the form of a Mr. Johnson, asleep on her sofa. Who is he, and why does everyone think he’s her husband?

In this uplifting novel, three unlikely couples discover just what Crossroads, Texas, can offer: romance, belonging, and plenty of Christmas spirit. 
”Deeply poignant moments and artfully
rendered characters create a rich story that
transports readers to an idyllic place.”
Publishers Weekly
 
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review
I didn’t read the summary or the book jacket before diving into this lovely Christmas romance, so I didn’t know that I would get three love stories for the price of one. It was sort of a Love Actually feel, three stories running parallel to each other, dipping and twisting together every once in a while. Thomas did a fantastic job of making me care about each and every character (except for the bad guy) and every storyline.
This is the first romance novel that I have read where the leading ladies don’t appear until chapter 7. (Actually, one appears in chapter 3 but she is unconscious, so it doesn’t count.) I found that a bit unorthodox, but I liked the tone it set. You really get to know the men in this book, and I loved the three Holloway brothers’ banter so much! It makes me wonder if Thomas based them off of close friends or family because their hilarity is so vivid. Actually, all of her characters are so full of life and color. Not a single detail or conversation felt cliche or disingenuous.
 The reluctant and slow (although, is less than a month really slow?) love that develops between the three couples feels believable. Never was there a moment that I scoffed, ‘she wouldn’t do that’ or’ he wouldn’t say that.’ I was lapping up every detail and so sad whenever I had to take a break from reading to do something else.
My only critique is that there are some typo and type setting issues, at least with the e-book. I hope that those little blunders were caught before this lovely book went off to the printing press. Overall, I really really enjoyed this modern day western romance. I highly recommend it to sad hearts that need a smile, but also to anyone who just loves to feel the glow of new love in their soul.
A fifth-generation Texan, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A former teacher, Thomas traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable. 
 
With a degree in family studies, Thomas is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics. Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Thomas enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A&M University campus, where she currently serves as Writer in Residence.
 
Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Thomas said, “When I was teaching classes full-time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher or nurse or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I’m still making the world a better place.”
 
When not working on a novel or inspiring students to pursue a writing career, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating a historic home they bought in Amarillo and checking up on their two grown sons.
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(No purchase necessary. Transportation is not included. Winner will have one year to select available dates. Limit of four people at the condo for selected dates. No exchanges.)

 

 

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Review & Giveaway: Racing Storms by Sara Russell


RACING STORMS
Chasing Desire Trilogy #1

by
SARA RUSSELL
  Genre: Clean Contemporary Romance 
Publisher: North Loop Books
Date of Publication: April 25, 2017
Number of Pages: 198
Scroll down for giveaway!
Decoursey dreads the upcoming weekend. A big NASCAR race is taking place at the speedway near her home–and her abusive, murder-threatening ex-husband just so happens to be a member of a NASCAR pit crew. Determined not to let her ex-husband have a decent opportunity to make good on his threat, Decoursey puts an ad online, hoping to find some security in the form of a guy needing a place to crash. 

Enter Kennan, a storm chaser looking to get away for a few days. Fresh off a failed storm chase, Kennan doesn’t make the best first impression. But that quickly changes as Decoursey gives Kennan a chance and finds the recently broken heart of a gentleman hidden beneath the surface. As sparks fly, so do hopes that they can dream of romance once again. But when their newfound trust is broken, will Decoursey and Kennan weather the storm to find a love that lasts? 
Racing Storms, the exciting debut in Sara Russell’s Chasing Desire trilogy, will get your heart pumping all the way to the finish line.
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Praise for Racing Storms:

“In Racing Storms, fresh new voice Sara Russell begins her three-book series with a courageous and adorable hero, a sassy but vulnerable heroine, spicy love scenes and an insider’s view of daredevil storm chasers! What more could you want from a romance?” 
— Vicki Lewis Thompson, New York Times bestselling author

 


Russell’s debut successfully tackles the idea of finding love when you least expect it.” 
–RT Reviews

“Austin-area writer Sara Russell’s self-described ‘first foray into fiction’ is a smoothly written, nicely plotted romance novel that will entertain many readers who like books with contemporary Texas settings.” 
–Lone Star Literary Life
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300b2-review
Let me just start by saying that I love this title. It’s witty! The crazy, stalker ex-husband works for NASCAR; the love interest is a storm chaser. So, Racing Storms… Get it? Get it?! Amazing, I know. Just like the rest of the book.
The main character, Decoursey, is instantly likeable. She’s not perfect, tall, and blonde. She’s not working at her dream job and she’s certainly not making perfect decisions. Then you meet Kennan, who is hanging with some very real and douchey guys. He is also not so perfect in the sense that he fails to physically fulfill Decoursey’s ideal (read: tall or big enough to ward off the crazy ex).
If you read romance books at all, you can kind of guess where this is all going, and you’d be right. But how it all goes down would surprise you. And that’s what reading these lovely books is all about, right? It’s about the journey. And where I really applaud Russell, is that she doesn’t give us the obvious where she clearly could have. And she doesn’t pull the rookie mistake of throwing complete curveballs either. Every moment of tension between Decoursey and Kennan is completely believable, because they as characters are believable.
There is no suspension of disbelief necessary to imagine this curvy, down-to-earth girl who enjoys things your grandma likes to do – there’s been a revolution of these retro lovelies if you haven’t noticed. And while it’s all so dreamy to imagine the hunky guy who got his broken by the gorgeous ice princess, I know a few of those as well. Ok, maybe one. But the point is, he’s real too. And in my imagination, I want those two to get together as well.
Russell’s writing is flawless. No need to reread passages that confuse or mucking through clunky dialogue. I can hear these character’s voices in my head perfectly. The whole book actually played out as a nice little movie in my head.
Some scenes are spicy enough to make you need a cold beer, but overall it’s a safe read while in the waiting room or taking a break from work. I cannot wait for the next installment. I look forward to anything else this author writes. Russell, feel free to hit me up if you want to crochet together sometime.

Sara Russell is a near-native Texan who sees nothing wrong with using “y’all” in formal conversation. She maintains that one can do practically anything in a cute dress and flats, including storm chasing, attending motorsports events, and exploring the endless delights of the Austin area, where she’s lived since childhood. When not writing or hunting & gathering at Whole Foods, Sara spends time with friends & family and enjoys live music and dancing.

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September 19-28, 2017
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