Welcome to my stop on the Blogtour and Giveaway for Christmas in July, hosted by Lit Connection this week! I love Christmas stories, and having one that is actually set in July appeals to me a lot. As you can see, it will be released tomorrow, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Christmas in July
by Debbie Mason
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Elements/Tags: romance, Christmas
Series: Christmas, Colorado, #2
Publisher: Grand Central/Forever
Publishing Date: June 24, 2014
Format: Print and Ebook
Length: 416 Pages
Summary:
Grace Flaherty had given up hope of ever seeing her husband again. After all, it’d been over a year since he went missing in combat. So when he strides through the door of her bakery in downtown Christmas one sunny afternoon, she can hardly believe her eyes. But her happily-ever-after is going to take some effort – because Jack has no memory of his family.
All Jack Flaherty remembers about Christmas is that he couldn’t wait to leave town. Now he’s a local hero with a wife and son he doesn’t know. Even as he struggles to rekindle the romance with his wife, he knows in his heart what he wants: a second chance at love.
“4 Stars! A quintessential romance with everything readers love: familiar and likable characters, clever dialogue and a juicy plot.” ~ RT Book Reviews
Goodreads |Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Milion | Powell’s
Meet Author Debbie Mason:
Praised as a “writer to watch” by RT Book Reviews, Debbie Mason also writes Scottish-set historical paranormals as Debbie Mazzuca. Her MacLeod series debuted in April 2010 and is said to “combine the passion of Hannah Howell’s Highand romances with the seductive fantasy of Karen Marie Moning’s bestsellers.”
Check out the rest of the Christmas, Colorado series at http://authordebbiemason.com/books.html
Giveaway Details:
One US/Canada commenter from the entire tour will win a Barnes & Noble Nook, plus a digital copy of THE TROUBLE WITH CHRISTMAS.
Tour Stops:
6/16: The Romance Dish
6/17: Aly’s Miscellany
Sun Mountain Reviews
6/18: Urban Girl Reader
6/19: Lush Book Reviews
6/20: What I’m Reading
6/23: (un)Conventional Bookviews
6/24: ExLibris
Harlequin Junkie
6/25: Riverina Romantics
6/26: Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Half the people who are gathered in the bakery to welcome Jack home wanted to run him out of town at one time or another, and now they ‘re treating him like a hero. It makes him uncomfortable. And that goes double for Nell McBride, his grandmother’s old friend, who insists Jack sit at a table with her and her friends, Ted and Fred.
Christmas in July – excerpt
Sawyer came over to the table. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Yeah, seems we have a lot to catch up on,” Jack said with a meaningful look at his wife, who walked toward them carrying a cup of coffee and a platter of cupcakes and cookies.
Her gaze shot from him to Sawyer, and she stumbled.
Jack reached out to steady her at the same time Sawyer did.
Nell sighed. “Let go of her before she spills the coffee.” She took the platter from Grace. “Thanks, Nell,” his wife murmured in her cultured voice, then handed Jack the cup.
He kept one hand on her slender arm until Sawyer lowered his.
“Call if you need anything, Grace,” Sawyer said.
She gave a jerky nod and cleared her throat. “Would anyone else like something to drink?” Fred and Ted each asked for a cup of coffee. The band of tension across Jack’s shoulders loosened when the door closed behind Sawyer.
“She’s a good girl that wife of yours,” Nell said, pulling out the chair beside him. “Your grandmother would be proud of what she’s done.”
Before Jack could ask what she meant, several people he’d gone to school with came to say hello
He relaxed in the chair, when about an hour later, the crowd started to thin out. He caught sight of Grace cleaning tables and frowned. Every so often she’d checked in with him, making sure his cup was filled, that he had enough to eat. The same as she did for everyone else. He didn’t understand why she was playing hostess and not the attractive owner, who spent most of her time working behind the counter. Maybe they were short staffed and his wife had decided to pitch in. She seemed to be good friends with the woman. Now that he thought about it, his wife seemed to be friends with most of the people who’d crowded into the bakery. Obviously, she’d spent a lot of time in Christmas while he’d been gone.
Gage, who’d been manning the door, ambled over. “Reporters promised to give you some space for a few days, but that’s about all I can guarantee. They’d probably lose interest if you gave one of them an interview.” He handed Jack a card. “This guy wasn’t as aggressive as the rest.”
“Maybe you can put in a plug for the bakery.”
With a laugh, Gage shook his head at the woman who’d come to stand beside him. “You’re shameless, you know. Jack, this is my wife, Madison.”
She nudged her husband then smiled at Jack, extending her hand. “It’s great to finally meet you. You’ve had a lot of people praying for you.”
Jack stood and shook her hand. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you, too.” He looked around, taking in the changes to the bakery that he’d hated as a kid. “The place doesn’t look anything like I remember. You did a great job fixing it up. And your cupcakes are amazing.”
The woman gave him a confused look. “I didn’t—”
Nell McBride snorted. “She couldn’t bake a cupcake to save her life. You should’ve seen what she did to my gingerbread. This is all your wife’s doing. I told you your grandmother would be proud of what Grace has done. She’s turned the place around.”
No, there must be a mistake. Jill said . . . So this is what she’d been keeping from him. He was going to kill her, but before he did, his wife had some explaining to do. “Will you excuse me a minute? I need to speak to Grace.”
Thanks for stopping by today, good luck in the Giveaway!
I’m sufficiently intrigued, Lexxie. This sounds like a feel-good story! Thanks for sharing about it and for the giveaway. 🙂
*big hugs*
I agree, Brandee! It does sound like a feel-good story. I look forward to reading it 🙂 *BIG HUGS*
That excerpt has me very curious.
I agree, Laura 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Am reading the first in the series right now. Love Christmas stories very much and always enjoy a good contemp series.
Very curious about the nature of Sawyer and Grace’s relationship.