Teresa shares the books she’s tempted by in 2013

Meet the authors behind the Christmas magic…

 

Meet Ros Clarke

 

We all know what a perfect Christmas is supposed to look like: the family sits around the tree, laughing and smiling, while outside, snow falls gently.  Adorable children squeal with delight–but not too loudly–as they open their presents. A serenely calm and enviably slim mother in a glamorous cocktail dress occasionally goes to check on the turkey and then serves up a full dinner with no fuss. A jovial father wearing a ridiculous sweater with a reindeer on it leads everyone in a rousing chorus of Christmas carols followed by a game of charades.  But real Christmases are never quite like that. Children are frustrated by “batteries not included”, their mother is harassed because the turkey is still defrosting and isn’t going to be cooked until midnight, and Dad has had too many glasses of sherry and is snoring happily in the corner.

 

My memories of Christmas include both the good times and the bad times. Waking up to a white Christmas when I was seven or eight was a very special moment (white Christmases are very unusual in the UK!) and spending the day building a snowman in the garden and trying out our new sledge.  Listening to my favorite radio panel show (I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue) as it sent three generations of my family into helpless laughter – to this day you only have to say “Dame Judi is an actress” for me to start grinning. Driving to my grandparents’ house for lunch and taking bets on how many different kinds of vegetables she would serve with the dinner.  I think it was thirteen one year.  There has been lots of laughter and lots of love.

 

But there are sad memories too.  Last Christmas, my grandmother was too ill to come to our house for Christmas lunch, so my mother and I took lunch to her in the nursing home. She didn’t eat much, but she enjoyed what she did eat.  We helped her open her presents.  I had knitted her a shawl out of the softest cashmere-blend yarn. Less than a month later, I wore that shawl at her funeral.  It will be strange this year, to have Christmas with all of my grandparents gone.  I know I’m lucky to have so many years’ worth of happy memories to balance out the sad ones.

 

Christmas is a time for remembering, but it’s also a time for celebrating the present and looking forward to the future.  I hope that this year you will all be making happy memories.

 

About All I Want for Christmas: 

Last night, Anna Gardner was the life of the office Christmas party—right up until she threw herself at gorgeous advertising executive playboy, Hugh Munro. Again. Last year, Hugh let her pretend their passionate kiss never happened, but this year he’s determined to make Anna admit she wants him as much as he wants her.

 

Except, Hugh doesn’t know the office party is the only night of the year his friend lets her hair down. That every hour she’s away from the office is spent caring for her sickly mother. That her mother’s condition, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, is hereditary.

 

When Hugh finds out what she’s been hiding, he’s forced to do some serious soul-searching. It’s not fair to Anna or her mother for him to get involved casually, but casual relationships are all he knows. Can he prove to himself—and to Anna—that she’s all he wants for Christmas?

 

Get your copy of All I Want For Christmas at | Barnes & Noble | Books On Board |

 

About Ros:

Ros Clarke is a writer, a student, a church worker, a crafter, a blogger, a twitterer, a lazy gardener, and an appalling housekeeper. She is interested in almost everything except cricket and football (US and UK) and mostly she likes happy endings in fiction and in real life.

You can find Ros at her website and follow her on !

 

Meet Faye Robertson

We all have an image in our heads of the “perfect” Christmas. Usually it involves the whole family sitting happily around the table, eating a traditional roast dinner. However, sometimes the most interesting Christmases are those that don’t conform to our ideal view.

I now live in New Zealand, and our first December here is very memorable – we spent some of Christmas Eve paddling in the Pacific and had a barbecue for dinner! Another unforgettable holiday is the one where the cooker broke down and we ended up making our own sandwiches and cutting them into Christmas shapes, to much fun and laughter.

In my December novella from Entangled Publishing, Holly and Noel also have a very strange Christmas. Alone and miserable, they decide to spend the festive weekend on a retreat to Loch Ness in Scotland, thinking to pass the time in solitary sadness until it’s time to go home. They have no decorations, and end up eating baked beans on toast for Christmas dinner. However, they end up finding comfort in each other’s presence, and eventually discover romance and a little Christmas magic in the snow, which goes to show that love can make any day into a celebration.

About Holly’s First Noel:

Music teacher Holly Jones is in a festive predicament. Her boyfriend just dumped her the week before Christmas, so why is she only depressed he made off with the mince pies? When the charming science teacher next door overhears the dreaded call and suggests she accompany him on his Scottish holiday retreat, she accepts, eager to spend a quiet week rediscovering herself.

Noel Coward’s wife died on Christmas Eve three years ago. To bury the memories of that day, he spends the holidays getting drunk and watching action movies—which makes him perfect company for a fellow teacher in need of solitude. Except, instead of wallowing in his grief, Noel finds himself comforted by Holly’s presence, fascinated by her mind, and after one innocent kiss, on fire for her touch. As the snow piles up outside, the temperature inside soars, while together, they discover the human heart’s amazing capacity to heal…and love.

Get your copy of Holly’s First Noel at | Barnes & Noble | Books On Board |

About Faye:

Faye Robertson lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. She writes fun, flirty, and sexy contemporary romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and hunky but approachable heroes. She’s won several romance writing competitions and is a member of the Romance Writers of New Zealand. She would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies. She also writes romance under the name Serenity Woods.

You can find Faye at her website, on or connect on !

Entangled Publishing is pleased to offer new imprints, Flirts and Ever Afters.  All I Want for Christmas (So nice of Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber to do the promo single for this title), by Ros Clarke, and Holly’s First Noel, by Faye Robertson, are paving the way for these two lines. We hope you enjoy our holiday gifts to you with these Christmas novellas. Flirts are priced at just .99 cents and enjoy Ever Afters for only $2.99.

And… Entangled Press would like to share a free copy of All I Want for Christmas or Holly’s First Christmas to two lucky winners!

So tell us, what’s your favorite Christmas memory and why? 

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