Hello everyone and welcome back to Romancelandia! The land of kissing under the mistletoe, sexy trysts at end-of-year office parties (well … not this year, of course) and wreath-laden Hallmark movies.
Yes, it’s Christmas here in Romancelandia and we are nutso for the season! I know, I know. You’d think our big celebration would be Valentine’s Day, right? But, nope! Romance readers luuurve Christmas, as evidenced by the plethora of snowy covers that hit shelves about mid-October and stick around well into the New Year.
Even here in Oz, where we’re sweltering through a summer that is already promising to be brutal, we reach for the complete antithesis of what our own lived Australian Christmas experience is – a cold one (well, who can blame us?).
So sit back, grab a glass of eggnog or mulled wine – or, if you live in the southern hemisphere, something very long and very cool – and check out these festive beauties! I have books by Aussie authors and an overseas selection and they’re all available via Booktopia in either print or digital, so just click on the covers if something takes your fancy.
Australian Romance Authors
The Highlander’s Christmas Countess
by Anna Campbell
Kit Laing is a genius with Glen Lyon’s horses and a favourite with his employer’s family, but he isn’t all he seems. In fact, the shy stablehand isn’t a he at all. Kit is actually Christabel Urquhart, Countess of Appin, on the run from a greedy, violent stepbrother with designs on her fortune. Quentin MacNab, the dashing heir to Cannich, has had his suspicions about the new stable lad from the first. Kit is far too pretty to be a boy – and far too well spoken to be a servant.
Now passion and danger combine to create a Yuletide like no other.
Buy it here
Holly Ever After
by Anna Foxkirk
Burtonbridge School in the north of England might look and sound like a magical place to teach, but with Christmas fast approaching and work piling up, young Kiwi teacher Holly Hadaway is feeling out of place and out of her depth.
Clyde Hunter has dropped out of university to pursue his writing dreams. Being a member of the school ‘grounds and building maintenance’ team should be the sort of work that allows him headspace to think and be creative. But the festive season is proving testing, and one prickly teacher is about to puncture his solitary bubble when he’s tasked to fix the lock on her stationery storeroom door.
Maybe stationery storeroom is too grandiose a word. It’s more of a walk-in cupboard/closet. And when Holly and Clyde find themselves locked in together, it starts to feel uncomfortably tight.
Buy it here
The Six Rules of Christmas
by Penelope Janu
Picking up the reins of her father’s law practice, Ariella Blake has made a place for herself in small-town Warrandale. But when stand-in farrier Jack Adamson blows in for the holidays, with his good looks and infuriating evasiveness, he challenges her to embrace the rules of Christmas. Step by step, will Christmas – and Jack – get under her skin?
Buy it here
International Romance Authors
Miracle On Christmas Street
by Annie O’Neil
When Jess Green arrives at her new home on Christmas Street, she quickly realises that this will be a December to remember! After the disaster of last year, she was hoping to curl up and avoid the festivities – but her new neighbours have other ideas …
Together, they’re creating something extraordinary: a real-life advent calendar. As each house opens its door for wreath-making, gingerbread icing or carol singing, Jess finds herself swept up in the holiday cheer. Every house, that is, except for No. 24, home to the cantankerous Mr Winters.
Buy it here
A Soldier Under Her Tree
by Kathy Douglass
Could a fake boyfriend be her real hero this Christmas?
When her ex-fiance shows up at her shop – engaged to her sister! – dress designer Hannah Carpenter doesn’t know what to do. Especially when her former fling Russell Danielson sees her plight and rides to the rescue, offering a fake relationship to foil her rude relations. The thing is, there’s nothing fake about his kiss … but when things get real, will the sexy soldier once again stop short of commitment?
Buy it here
Write Before Christmas
by Julie Hammerle
You’ve probably heard of me.
Reclusive fantasy author turned famous when his series got developed into a mega TV hit. Except now I’m way behind deadline, and the whole world is waiting to see what I’ll write next. The pressure is getting to me, and I. Can’t. Write.
Cue: small town where people don’t recognise me.
Cue: my assistant insisting on a personal chef to keep me fed and nothing more.
Cue: finding the first bit of inspiration I’ve felt in months whenever she’s around … Am I a walking cliche now, or what?
Buy it here
Amy’s Favourite of the Month!
As an extra treat each month, I recommend one of my fave reads/authors to you. This month I’m recommending Nalini Singh.
Nalini was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand and is an absolute legend in Romancelandia. From her hugely popular Psy/Changeling and Guild Hunters series to her contemporary romances to her recent foray into thrillers, Nalini is an absolute master of the genre and also the most generous, warm human being you could ever hope to meet!
With a mind boggling back list, it’s hard to recommend just one of her books but today I present you Rock Addiction. I loved this book and Nalini’s way of digging deep and really getting to the heart of the romance between Fox and Molly.
A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk…
Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.
Buy it here
And that’s it for this month and indeed, for 2020. I know this year will not be missed one single iota but I’d like to thank you all, including the good folks at Booktopia for indulging me here in Romancelandia!
I will be back spreading more fairy dust and HEA’s from February next year! Stay safe and well. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and happy holidays to everyone!
Amy Andrews
About Amy
Amy Andrews is an award-winning, USA Today best-selling Aussie author who has written eighty plus contemporary romances in both the traditional and digital markets.
She’s sold three million books and been translated into over a dozen languages including manga. She has won three Ruby awards and is a triple RITA finalist.
In her other life, she was a paediatric intensive care nurse for twenty-one years. Amy lives near the sea with her husband of thirty years.
You can find out more about Amy and her books here.
All’s Fair in Love and Chocolate
When it comes to love and chocolate, it's game on...
When traveling chocolatier Vivian Dawson comes to Marietta to open Delish, a chain chocolate shop, she's unfazed by angry locals. She's not looking for friends - she's the competition, and her target is Sage O'Dell's Copper Mountain Chocolates. To create marketing buzz and a friendly rivalry, Vivian declares Delish's hot chocolate the best in town and will prove it at Marietta's Christmas Stroll. Everyone takes a side, and Vivian hopes a certain deputy will take hers for another unforgettable night...
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