Seriously - You need to Ungrinch Yourself with this Story.

"A sweet story that is kinda perfect
to kickstart the holiday season!"
★★★★★

Christmas Sugar is Now Available with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon Universal

Title: Christmas Sugar

Author: Melanie Moreland

Release Date: December 3, 2018

Dylan Maxwell is a busy man. His no-nonsense approach to life and business keeps him balanced – and alone. His life is bland – devoid of any kind of sweetness or light.

An unexpected business trip close to Christmas, however, brings three people into his life he never expected.

An oversharing teenager.

A lisping little angel.

A sexy, unassuming woman unlike any he has ever met. Her bossy attitude challenges him, while her green eyes melt the frost around his heart.

They draw out something in him that he has never experienced.

Feelings.

Are they the Christmas miracles he needs – or will he walk away from the sweetest gift he has ever been offered?

Love.

Want a taste of Christmas Sugar? Head on over to Book+Main and check out these Bites!

A Bad Word | Mr. Maxwell | Decisions

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.

While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.

Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.

Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com.

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Plus, visit Melanie’s website to learn more about ALL of her books!

A Cup of Sweet and Dash of Spicy - Release Blitz and Review for Christmas Sugar by Melanie Moreland

“If you love the holiday season, then this is a MUST read.”
★★★★★

Title: Christmas Sugar

Author: Melanie Moreland

Release Date: December 3, 2018

Dylan Maxwell is a busy man. His no-nonsense approach to life and business keeps him balanced – and alone. His life is bland – devoid of any kind of sweetness or light.

An unexpected business trip close to Christmas, however, brings three people into his life he never expected.

An oversharing teenager.

A lisping little angel.

A sexy, unassuming woman unlike any he has ever met. Her bossy attitude challenges him, while her green eyes melt the frost around his heart.

They draw out something in him that he has never experienced.

Feelings.

Are they the Christmas miracles he needs – or will he walk away from the sweetest gift he has ever been offered?

Love.

Amazon Universal | iBooks, Kobo & B&N

This time of year everyone on social media is looking for the same thing:

Recommend a holiday movie

Recommend a holiday album

Recommend a holiday book

December seems to bring out the happy in us. We want something that will make us walk around with a silly grin for the rest of the day. Look at Lifetime and Hallmark channels. They roll out the OTT (over-the-top) movies that normally we don't tolerate that amount of cheese. Except me. 

As you know >> BIG FAN << of the sweet happily ever afters with an instant connect. I want the cheese 24/7/365. Guess what? Melanie Moreland yet again delivers in all things HEA  rolled up in a powdered sugar confection meant to be devoured by readers. 

Now, fans of Melanie Moreland know - she writes a male POV like no other. Her beloved Richard Van Ryan still tops as her number #1 book boyfriend for readers. Step aside Mr Van Ryan, here comes Dylan Maxwell. 

Dylan is a self absorbed business man with narrow focus. He travels to Newfoundland with one goal - seal the deal. Now, what he finds is an adorable 4 year old with a teenage babysitter and her single mom. Dylan tries to be demanding but these three disarm him at every turn. Alex Walsh isn't going to give him an inch. Seth thinks he needs to roll with the flow. And Noelle - well, she just knows the adults seem to think he is an 'ath-hole'. 

As a reader, you feel the connection between all the characters as they form a thin, fragile - yet temporary bond during a snow storm. It's the story of finding the unexpected and learning that you can bend and not break. 

Again Melanie Moreland's secondary characters break through and leave an imprint along with Dylan and Alex. This is the fan base plea - give us a story for Seth and Noelle. We'd love to see their future too (maybe a surprise release next year?)

If you've not read Ms Moreland and looking for a holiday read, this will not disappoint. This addition to her Insta-Spark collection is perfection. I HIGHLY recommend this standalone novel. 

✔︎ 5 plus lisping angel stars! 

✔︎ Personal Favorite

✔︎ Buy It

Want a taste of Christmas Sugar? Head on over to Book+Main and check out these Bites!

A Bad Word | Mr. Maxwell | Decisions

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.

While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.

Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.

Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com.

Facebook | Reader Group | Newsletter | BookBub | Book+Main

Plus, visit Melanie’s website to learn more about ALL of her books!

Christmas Sugar Cover & Blurb Reveal - Melanie Moreland is going to make our holidays sweeter!

Are they the Christmas miracles he needs – or will he walk away from the sweetest gift he has ever been offered?

Title: Christmas Sugar

Author: Melanie Moreland

Cover Design: Melissa Ringuette | Monark Design Services

Release Date: December 3, 2018

Dylan Maxwell is a busy man. His no-nonsense approach to life and business keeps him balanced – and alone. His life is bland – devoid of any kind of sweetness or light.

An unexpected business trip close to Christmas, however, brings three people into his life he never expected.

An oversharing teenager.

A lisping little angel.

A sexy, unassuming woman unlike any he has ever met. Her bossy attitude challenges him, while her green eyes melt the frost around his heart.

They draw out something in him that he has never experienced.

Feelings.

Are they the Christmas miracles he needs – or will he walk away from the sweetest gift he has ever been offered?

Love.

Amazon Universal | iBooks, Kobo & B&N

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.

While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.

Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.

Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com.

Facebook | Reader Group | Newsletter | BookBub | Book+Main

Plus, visit Melanie’s website to learn more about ALL of her books!

Ho Ho HO - It Holiday Romance Season and what a way to start!

Would a man that didn't believe in romance inspire my greatest love story or leave me with unfinished chapters?

Title: A Novel Christmas

Author: Lynsey M. Stewart

Release Date: November 16, 2018

Go to an island, my publisher said. Reclaim your writing mojo, he added. Be inspired, he suggested. Oh, sexy shenanigans, was I inspired. Drew Carolla would do that to a woman. Reclusive and brooding, an ex-pilot-come-sexy-woodcutter-come-luxury-wedding-venue-owner-come…here.

Writing romance doesn’t come easy when you don’t have a muse, and I was on a deadline. Four weeks to write my next bestseller or face being dropped by my publisher. Thankfully, watching Drew chop wood, sweaty and shirtless, soon had the words flowing like water through Cornish coastline rock pools.

But Drew had his own stories to tell. Why did his luxury wedding venue no longer host weddings? Why did he scoff at the idea of romance? And why, despite that, did he look at me like he wanted to wake up on Christmas morning and find me naked in his bed?

Conundrums. Drew was full of them. Too bad I wasn’t writing psychological thrillers.

Would Drew Carolla, a man who didn’t believe in romance, inspire my greatest love story or leave me with unfinished chapters?

• Free with Kindle Unlimited •
Amazon Universal

I had set the alarm for 7:30 am. I wanted to get a good start on outlining and possibly write some words that involved more than just planning sexytime scenes. I jumped in the shower, dried off my hair and put on some make-up before changing into a pair of comfy black trousers and a slouchy sweater. Perfect writing uniform. The fire had stopped burning during the night and it was colder than an igloo on the North Pole. I put more wood on the burner before I went to bed, unsure of what to do to keep the cottage warm for the morning. It hadn’t worked. I made a note to ask Drew how to stop chilblains from forming on my feet. It was a typical December day. Grey skies, a chilly wind. Freezing. I made myself a cup of tea and found myself humming, ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ as I fired up the laptop and opened the curtains.

Drew had told me the previous night that the view was amazing. I’d been looking forward to seeing it in the light this morning as I knew this was going to be my writing spot for the next month. I looked across the fields rolling along the skyline. The tops of the barns were poking through, and as my eyes dropped, I saw Drew, his flannel shirt unbuttoned to the navel…swinging an axe.

Ping! A decision was made.

My male lead came to me in the swing of an axe. He was going to be a shirtless woodcutter, strong and muscular. Robust and fit. Looking after the land. Alpha-male dominance. Romance trope heaven.

‘Holy mother of fudge,’ I said as I blew away the steam from my tea. It misted up my reading glasses and I smudged my finger over them like a windscreen wiper. He looked up like he’d heard me, wiped his arm across his head, slow-motion style and still glistening from the man sweat of good honest hard work. He waved before cutting a block of wood like it was as natural to him as giving out a smouldering look.

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Lynsey M. Stewart enjoys writing stories about characters that experience a few bumps in the road before finding their happily ever after (also known as contemporary romance with plenty of heat.) She lives with her husband, her soulmate and muse, along with their gorgeous, precious, ridiculously independent little girl. Lynsey began writing after being inspired by great books, amazing writers and wonderful stories that she couldn't stop thinking about long after reading the last word. If she’s not writing, you can usually find her with her head in a book or singing along to music. She’s hopeless, but she enjoys pretending to be Adele every once in a while.

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New-To-Me and New-To-You: Spotlight Jennifer Hanks

Least you forget I have book pimp. She recently reached out to me saying she was sending an author my way. This author had several books published and was looking for readers to take a chance to read her back catalog. Word of mouth can be gold for exposure.

Now, this situation is a bit unusual. I'm not always known for making good choices. Beth, is asking me, the lone wolf to try out an author all by myself.

GULP! 

This is reader equivalent of jumping without a parachute. I can do this? I can do this! I mean, before finding social media other than Goodreads, I did this. So let's tap back into my adventurous side. Watch out Jennifer Hanks, here I come! 

Let's start with an overview of the two series: The Dimarcos and Elite Securities

Read as a series or Standalones? 

Recommendation: Series

Both series are interconnecting and I recommend you read in order to get the character relationship development. 

Trope/Catagory/Angst?

Karen's Category: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance

Karen's Trope: Suspense, Instalove, Alpha Males, Strong Females, Family Ties

Angst: 5 out of 10

Sometimes the categories on Amazon aren't the best, but really this firmly fits into the Romantic Suspense with each book. Think: Susan Stoker, Mary Jordan or Dana Marton. 

Now a bit of cover snark. To be honest, if I'd judge a book by it's cover (never do), I'd instantly think "sweet" and "instalove" while cruising the KU catalog. I'm a big fan of instalove so no problem, but in no way would I call these stories sweet. And for book 1, Lucy, I will admit I did do a bit of judging a book by it's cover, so I was surprised in the direction the story went. Although the idea of beautiful women standing on their own is represented in the image,  it's the Elite Securities that nails the main series trope. 

Time now to turn to each individual book for my review summary:

Lucy - The Dimarco Series Book 1

Release Date: March 15, 2016

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NJqeoh

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Review:  Lucy introduces us to the family of the Dimarcos. They are loud, in your business but love you to death. Ben and Lucy are college friends and that's where it ends. But Ben is tired of the inquisition when he comes home and enlists Lucy in a 'fake relationship' favor. However, when they get home an unsuspecting insta-chemistry with twin Christian happens. There is an irresistible pull that Christian plays push away and I want to go 'Moonstruck' on him. Lucy gets into a situation that sends the lovebirds into a tailspin, but love wins out in the end. 

Angst level was a 7 for me, maybe a bit of repetition in the storytelling. However this is a debut so wide berth given. 

4 stars

Sydney - The Dimarco Series Book 2

Release Date: August 30, 2016

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NKWeZ7

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Review: Cameron is the perfect of overprotective alpha male, and Sydney is the unlikely female counterpart that isn't going to deter from her plan. Each one is keeping secrets from one another. But they are after the same result with putting away a scum bucket where he can't dirty their lives. 

This story ramps up the suspense aspect in Ms. Hanks storytelling. The reader gets insight into the characters associated with Elite Securities for future stories. Although there is some angst in the developing relationship, the suspense keeps the story moving for this reader. We fall deeper in love with these bossy men including their patriarchs. 

4 stars

Gianna - The Dimarco Series Book 3

Release Date: July 5, 2017

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LTHsxu

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Review:  The story starts out with a case of mistaken identification and surprise from a one-night stand. However, this not the only mystery to be solved. Once everyone is partnered up correctly, Brody and Gianna make a go in the world of co-parenting. But the insta-attraction Brody felt isn't going to burn out but flame higher. 

Out of all the brothers, Brody is the 'yummiest' of them all. Maybe the overprotective, alpha, broody male but the way he takes to fatherhood, guard your ovaries ladies. 

The storytelling takes stride with better pacing. Readers get more story development for the family dynamics and emotions to keep the pages turning. 

4 stars

Elaina - The Dimarco Series Book 4

Release Date: December 12, 2017

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LWe6hI

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Review:  Jake is the funny brother. Always one to make any moment lighter. When a tragic injury happens while out with his brothers, Jake takes the blame and a lot of his bright light is dimmed. However, a beautiful neighbor and interfering family just might bring this single dad back to his happy self. However, once again, trouble still lurks in the Dimarco family shadows and it's time for the brothers to save the day. 

This time Ms. Hanks brings humor to the relationship development. But it's not all fun and games. There is seriousness with Luke's injury and those responsible. Elaina and Jake get pulled into the tension and leaves the reader wanting to help Jake see the light. 

4 stars

My Redemption - Elite Securities Book 1

Release Date: May 21, 2018

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PYI5sV

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Review: Now it's a turn for the adoptive family members of the Dimarco family to get their HEA. Who better to feature first than Pike. You meet him in the Dimarco family books and we get to learn all his insecurities when finding his HEA. This wounded vet has a heart of gold and Bella is just the woman to need to help heal her insecurities to find the perfect ending. 

This book expands the world of the Dimarcos introducing unique secondary characters. As always, Mom and Dad Dimarco are there to lend the right words at the right time. This story is more suspenseful scenes. However, they keep the story flowing and ready to learn more. 

4 stars

Overall Series Rating: 4 Stars

If you are on Kindle Unlimited, this is a great series binge to get hooked on and read through. It's entertaining romance with suspense.  It may have been a bit more angsty at the start of the series. However, this is storytelling growth. I found that as the author wrote more, she develops a style to apply angst to keep the reader engaged without drawing the reader over the emotional wringer. 

Jennifer Hanks definitely has a talent for storytelling and looking forward to more stories she will deliver to the romance bookshelves.