Tinsel My Heart Links:

 Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Goodreads

Synopsis:

Becca Huntley’s produced the Lyndale Park Players’ over-the-top Christmas show for ten years. It’s a beloved Minneapolis tradition, and the theater’s main fundraiser. But this year’s production is in danger of being canceled when their director disappears into rehab. Good thing his directing partner steps in to save the day. Except for the minor fact that he hates everything about Christmas.

Jack Whittaker wiped this town off his shoe with his graduation tassel and never looked back. But duty compels him to fulfill Tyler’s promise to direct the show. Even though it means working with Becca, the girl he always wanted, lost to Ty, but never forgot.

It’ll take more than a few handfuls of tinsel to soften Jack’s heart toward Becca’s favorite holiday. Steamy kisses that melt the snow right off his boots are a step in the right direction. They’ll both discover that Christmas is about making each other’s dreams come true. But will it require sacrificing their chance at a happily-ever-after together?

My review:

Tinsel My Heart is a holiday novella by author Christi Barth and is part of the All I’m Asking For: A Contemporary Christmas Anthology.  I adored this read and, in fact, it may actually be my favorite work from Christi!

The pressure to put on the Lyndale Park Players’ annual Christmas show and fundraiser has never been greater for Becca Huntley.  And of course, this is the year that the show may not go on.  In an attempt to raise money for a new home for the LPP, they decided to make this year’s show into a DVD to sell.  Ty, her childhood friend and famous movie director, agreed to donate his time and make it happen.  Now, only a few weeks before LPP needs to make the move to a new home and have their funds raised, the director ends up in rehab.  At a loss for what to do next, Becca is shocked when Ty’s directing partner and also a childhood friend, Jack Whittaker, comes to the rescue.  Figures that the guy she’s had a crush on since a kid and the biggest Grinch she’s even known would be here to help.  Becca’s new mission is to change Jack’s mind about Christmas and try to keep her old feelings at bay…..the latter of those two not looking promising.

Jack Whittaker couldn’t believe the mess he was in now, thanks to his best friend and business partner Ty.  He never wanted to step foot in his hometown again, especially at Christmas. Now, facing all of the bad memories of being made fun of all through his childhood, he has to direct the annual Christmas play.  He was going to kill Ty when he gets out of rehab.  The only saving grace in this whole mess is that he would be working with Becca.  The girl he’s had an insane crush on for as long as he can remember.  Seeing her again may be the only thing that keeps him sane during this Christmas hell.  Seeing her again also makes him realize he has to tell her how much she means to him and how much he needs her.  She’s the one that could thaw out his frozen heart.

This story was fantastic from start to finish.  They backstory between Ty, Jack and Becca really added to things.  The way they were the three amigos when they were kids was a layer to the story that I enjoyed.  I loved that Becca and Jack had a mutual hidden attraction for years and finally have a chance to act on it.  Becca is a loyal and caring gal with a big heart for the ones she loves.  I admired how much she put into making this show work.  Jack was a tough nut to crack, if I do say so myself.  Not that I didn’t love him from the very beginning, but in that Becca sure had her work cut out! He is also loyal and kind to the people he holds close which is at odds with the gruff exterior he displays.  I fell in love with him even more when we learned about his childhood and how rough it was for him growing up in a small town and being labeled a poor kid.  It absolutely broke my heart.  Becca, knowing how difficult it was for Jack to be back, was there for him and it was beautiful to see them reconnect but in a much deeper way than they ever had….and it was sexy and hot and oh-so-delicious! Oh, and the ending scene?  So.  Freaking.  Perfect!

I highly recommend this holiday read.  So, grab some hot cocoa, sit by the fire and enjoy!  Thank you, Christi, for a heartwarming story!

Five Loves

All I’m Asking For: A Contemporary Christmas Anthology Links:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Goodreads 

Synopsis:

Put love on your wish list

This Christmas, the producer of a small-town holiday spectacular is swept away by a handsome Hollywood director. Being stranded in a snowstorm offers a couple a second chance at a future together. And an American in London helps a brooding Brit put the ghosts of Christmas past behind him. Wherever you are, however you celebrate, this collection of three festive novellas will bring warmth to your holiday season.

Edited by Angela James, this anthology includes:

Tinsel My Heart by Christi Barth
Season of Second Chances by Brighton Walsh
Mine Under the Mistletoe by Kat Latham

Stories also available for purchase separately.

About the author:

Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage.

A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning.  Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance.

Christi is President of the Maryland Romance Writers and lives in Maryland with her husband.

Website  ~  Goodreads  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

Out of the Ashes releases December 12

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Out of the frying pan and into the fire…

Paige Hill is discovering who she is again after losing everything she loves in a tragic fire. She’s endured a long road to recovery with the help of her best fiend Gillian and is finally beginning her life again: college, a job, and a blossoming love she never even saw coming.

Clay Forbes is the notorious campus playboy. He’s a star athlete, a senior architecture major, and the only son in a family with power and money back in his hometown. When he crashes into Paige, his whole perspective on life shifts, and his world as he knew it becomes nonexistent. He’s wrapped up in her.

They’re both learning how to love, but Clay’s ex-girlfriend Hannah won’t make it easy for them. She puts a target on Paige’s back, and won’t stop until she’s derailed their budding romance once and for all. Who will be left standing after the ashes settle for the second time?

My review:

Out of the Ashes is the first in a new series from author Diana Gardin and a book I really enjoyed.

After a horrific fire took her entire family from her, Paige Hill enrolls in college with her best friend and is trying her best to live her life.   The scars that mar her skin have healed pretty well, but the scars that mar her soul will never go away.  It’s those emotional scars she wants to keep buried deep.   Keeping people at a distance is always a safe bet but when Paige meets a gorgeous soccer player at the beginning of the semester and, after spending more and more time with him, she finds herself wanting to share her secret pain.  Can this gorgeous, blue-eyed soccer jock look past her scars and grow to love her?  Not if his vindictive ex-girlfriend has anything to say about it….

Running into the beautiful stranger at the bookstore has been on Clay’s mind for the last few days.  Never had he been so affected by a girl before.  On a mission to find out who she is, he’s surprised when she turns up at a party at his apartment.  Turning on the charm he’s known for, he can’t help but feel that she’s special and she won’t be like any other girl he’s ever been with.  With her shy smile and her understated beauty, he knows he will do whatever it takes to gain her trust and her heart.  Now he just has to make sure his ex-girlfriend knows it’s over between then for good.

Paige and Clay have more than a few obstacles in their way.  Paige’s family tragedy, Clay’s hateful ex-girlfriend, raw emotions and navigating a new love are just a few of them.  They have found something special, but will it be strong enough to withstand all that life throws at them?

Ok, so I will say it now: this book has a cliffhanger ending.  Now, I don’t mind them but I know a lot of people do.  If you’re one of them, I suggest waiting until the second book comes out and read both books back to back.  That being said, the ending had me gasping and my eyes bugging out when I read it.  Not in a bad way….quite the opposite.  It was a huge twist and I loved it.  Paige has been through so much and I admire her will to live and to pick up her pieces and move forward as best she can.  Clay is so amazing with her and treats her exactly how she needs to be treated.  He is really in-tune with her needs and emotion states.  He’s gentle, loving and kind but knows when he can give her a little push.  I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow.  Paige’s best friend, Gillian, is a friend anyone would be lucky to have.  She’s strong and loyal and is the rock Paige needs at her lowest moments.  Clay’s has two close friends that also some great people.  However, the ex-girlfriend, Hannah, is a raging psycho and tormented poor Paige.  I wish I could hunt her down and give her a piece of my mind.  Grrrrr.  All of the relationship building and ups and downs leads us to an ending I never saw coming.  Whoa.  Diana really shocked me and I loved it!

Overall, Out of the Ashes is an enjoyable story about new love, letting go of the bad and letting in the good and overcoming the worst life can throw at you.  If you don’t mind the cliffhanger ending, I definitely recommend this book.  Thank you, Diana, for a fabulous story.  I cannot WAIT to see what book #2 holds for us!

Four Loves

About the author:

Books are my passion. Whether I’m writing them or reading them, they have always been a big part of my life. As an adult who just entered my thirties, I realize that it’s something I can’t live without, and what I really want to do for a living every day. It’s, for me, the job that doesn’t feel like work. So now, I’m proudly able to say that I’m a crazy wife, a worrywart mama of two, and a passionate writer. Love this life!

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