Tag: #holiday

Posted in #BookTours

Can’t Hurry Christmas

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Can’t Hurry Christmas
Melissa Baldwin
Publication date: November 13th 2025
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

The holiday spirit is the last thing on my mind, and he’s focused on his new beginning. But one mistletoe moment might change everything.

Callie
Spending the holidays alone for the first time in four years wasn’t exactly on my wish list. But with a major shake-up at work and more changes than I ever saw coming, embracing my new reality seems like the only option.

And then there’s Travis—charming, handsome, and a Texas drawl that could make any woman weak in the knees. But is it too soon to start something new? I’ve been out of the dating game for a while, and maybe this season is meant for family, friends, and finding joy in my new season.

One thing’s for sure—I’m in no hurry for Christmas to arrive.

Travis
Christmas in the Northeast? In the freezing cold? Yeah, not exactly my idea of home. But turning down this job offer wasn’t an option—it’s the kind of opportunity that doesn’t come around every day.

Still, spending the holidays away from everything and everyone I love is tougher than I expected. And then there’s Callie. I never planned to meet someone like her, let alone work so closely with her.

Now I’m left wondering… is taking this risk worth everything I’ve worked for?

Have you read the award-winning UnLucky Christmas? Don’t miss the chance to catch up with your favorite characters in Can’t Hurry Christmas from USA Today Bestselling Author Melissa Baldwin.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Callie, I know this isn’t a typical holiday season for you. I can’t imagine how you are feeling now that…things are different without …”

“You can say his name, Hannah.”

“Joey,” she says softly. “I’m sorry. I know this is a difficult time.”

I shake my head. “Don’t be sorry. I asked him to set a wedding date, and he said he wasn’t ready and didn’t know when he would be. That pretty much told me everything I needed to know. Our goals were not exactly as aligned as I thought they were.”

She places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I’m really proud of you.”

“Proud? For getting dumped?”

“No. For not settling,” she explains. “And for letting me drag you into crazy holiday chaos instead of spending the night alone, binge-watching TV shows you’ve seen a hundred times.”

I laugh under my breath. “You’re not wrong. This is good for me—I always do better when I’m busy.”

“You might even enjoy yourself at the festive family night,” she says, tying another bow in less than two seconds.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be a blast,” I say flatly. “Hundreds of children, awkward small talk, and tacky decor. I’m all in.”

She giggles. “By the way, Anna’s new friend is coming with us. Her name’s Mia. She’s such a sweetheart.”

“Cool,” I say, biting my lip as I attempt another bow.

“And her dad’s meeting us there.”

I glance up. “Okay?”

“He’s a very nice guy…”

I narrow my eyes at her. “That’s great. Is there a reason you’re telling me this?”

She conveniently avoids making eye contact with me.

“Hannah…”

“Yes?”

“What are you up to?”

“I’m not up to anything,” she says, innocently. “I just thought it might be nice for you to meet a new friend.”

I stare at her. I should’ve known she was up to something. She was very insistent that I go to the festive family night.

She shrugs. “Anyway, he’s single. And nice. He has a good job. And he’s very—”

“Stop right there,” I interrupt. “No setups. You promised.”

“I didn’t set you up,” she says. “I merely mentioned that a single, employed man who also happens to be a devoted father will be in the same vicinity as you.”

“Oh, well in that case,” I say, rolling my eyes again.

She smirks and reaches over to take the mangled ribbon from my hands. “Here, let me help. You’re not exactly grasping the bow tying process here.”

“I didn’t get Mom’s crafty gene like you,” I mutter.

She laughs. “No. But you certainly inherited the moody gene from her.”

“I’m not the only one,” I tell her.

She holds up a perfectly wrapped box, complete with an elaborate gold bow. “See? We make a good team.”

“Always,” I say. “You do the work, and I’m here for moral support.”


Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Melissa Baldwin always dreamed of sharing her stories with the world. She brought this vision to life, becoming an award-winning, bestselling author of over thirty romantic comedies and cozy mysteries. Melissa is also a wife, mother, new empty-nester, and travel advisor.

Her books feature charming, ambitious, and real women, whom she considers part of her tribe. Although she rarely takes a day off, when she’s not writing, she enjoys quality time with her family, traveling, attempting yoga poses, and booking Disney vacations. Melissa still uses a paper planner, and her guilty pleasures include Beverly Hills 90210 reruns and General Hospital.

Visit authormelissabaldwin .com to sign up for her newsletter.

Fans of Melissa’s books, join her Reader Tribe on Facebook

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Instagram / TikTok


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Posted in Cozy Mysteries

The Inn at Holiday Bay: Note in the Nutcracker

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

A heartwarming cozy mystery series about starting over, finding family, and embracing the magic of the holidays.

After a personal tragedy, Abby Sullivan leaves San Francisco behind and buys a sprawling seaside mansion in Holiday Bay, Maine—a place she’s never even seen. What she thought she needed was solitude to heal. What she found instead was an inn she never knew she wanted, a Maine Coon cat named Rufus who refuses to leave her side, a gentle giant of a dog with an inferiority complex, and a drifter named Georgia, whose own tragic past soon intertwines with hers.

In Book 7 of the series, new guests arrive at the inn, each with their own story to tell. Among them, Mylie discovers a long-forgotten letter to Santa tucked inside a life-sized nutcracker. The child’s Christmas wish isn’t for toys or games—it’s for time with her parents and simple holiday experiences like building a snowman or taking a sleigh ride. Determined to fulfill the list while waiting for her own Mr. Right, Mylie sets out to create holiday magic for someone else.

Meanwhile, Abby becomes intrigued by the mystery of the letter—who wrote it, and why has it been hidden all these years? Her search pulls her into an unsolved mystery that she is determined to solve before Christmas arrives. And as Georgia experiments in the kitchen, hunting for the perfect cookie to enter in a local contest, the inn is alive with warmth, laughter, and a little holiday magic.

The Inn at Holiday Bay Innis a story of healing, friendship, love, and the unexpected joys that come when we open our hearts to new beginnings.

Posted in #BookTours

That Boy

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

That Boy
Briar Black
(The Cheshire Set, #3)
Publication date: November 6th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance, Suspense

Building an impossible tea farm in the Cheshire countryside was Sofia’s second chance. A way to prove herself. A fresh start. She knew it would be graft. She anticipated a degree of isolation. But with Christmas imminent and the farm failing, her thoughts have grown darker. She’s searching for something — an ineffable force to make this year the magical wonderland she always craves and never finds.

Yet with the farm failing there’s no time to fix her ailing social life. Sofia resigns herself to another lonely holiday.

Enter Matt.

Delaware Grange’s twenty-one-year-old assistant gamekeeper. Nice enough, a bit dopey.

As she hunkers down for winter, Sofia thinks she’s prepared for everything. Nothing could prepare her for Matt. For the abrupt awareness of him. For the way he’s far more capable than he seems. Thoughtful. Considerate. Quietly intelligent.

Way sexier than he appears.

Suddenly impossible to ignore.

But Matt isn’t what he seems. A darkness runs beneath Delaware Grange — insidious, creeping, buried deep.

Sofia was little more than a challenge, a box for Matt to check, an assignment to complete. Until he fell.

Hard.

Now all he sees is her. All he wants is her. And all he knows is she has no idea who he truly is. While Sofia fights her feelings in the face of forbidden fruit, and Matt wrestles with the reality of his true purpose on the estate, the pair fall into an intoxicating, passionate, volatile romance.

As winter deepens and Christmas closes in, two lonely souls struggle to find peace in each other, and trust becomes the most dangerous choice on the estate.

Falling for Matt threatens everything Sofia has worked so hard to build. Falling for Sofia might just be the making of Matt.

That Boy is a high-heat, secret-identity romance where desire, deception, and devotion collide in a snowy small-town Christmas.

While not required, it is highly suggested to read Nightshade before That Boy.

Author’s Note: Each novel in The Cheshire Set can be read as a standalone, but the following order avoids spoiling the reading experience of earlier books.

Recommended Reading Order for The Cheshire Set:

  1. Bane
  2. Nightshade
  3. That Boy

Eve Was Framed, a prequel novella to Bane, isn’t strictly part of The Cheshire Set but is available for free download on the author’s website.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

‘Twas The Gloam Before Christmas…

A quiet, introspective moment between Matt and Sofia after a near-disaster. As they talk about “The Gloaming”—that melancholy space between Halloween and Christmas—their chemistry deepens and the novel’s central themes of loneliness, yearning, and rediscovery of light emerge.

“What’s the Gloaming?”

“Oh. Right.” I shifted, trying to find a way to lean that didn’t hurt my shoulder. It was useless. Until someone could pop it back in, I was doomed to dull agony. “It’s that feeling that threatens to drown you…” I paused, swallowing hard and staring out the window.

The world nearly drowned me tonight.

“This time every year.” I finally managed. “You know?”

Keep talking. Stay conscious. Don’t toss your cookies into his lap.

“That…overwhelming urge to…cover everything in cheer. But…” I took a little more water. “…the more you try, the less cheerful you feel. So you just keep…adding more.”

He chuckled.

“Hoping the cheer finds you before you’re…” Another tiny sip of water. “…crushed by baubles and fake fir garlands.”

He stared at me.

Great. Now he thinks I’m a total weirdo.

“I get it.” A slow smile spread across his face. “You’re staring at all the decorations. Watching the snow fall. And somewhere inside you’re sure you love Christmas. But you never quite seem to feel it.”

“Yes!” I sat up, and momentarily thought I’d blackout from the effort.

He eased me back into the sofa.

“Nailed it.” I swallowed. Talking was so much effort. Thinking was weirdly worse. “It’s a coping mechanism, I guess.”

He nodded, but when I didn’t continue, he made a winding motion with his hands.

“Every year this…fog descends. When Halloween’s over. This looming sense of…dread.”

“And it’s right when everyone else is getting excited.”

I nodded. “Exactly. Not me.” The wind howled savagely by, rattling the window and making us both jump. I turned my face away from the glass, not wanting to think about the carnage outside. “I’m sat there like a…miserly Scrooge.”

“Scrooge was never that pretty.”

I shook my head. “Don’t flirt with me.”

“Keep talking then.”

I didn’t want to. I just wanted to sleep.

My eyes drifted, and he nudged my knee with his. “Sof?”

With gargantuan effort, I rallied. “Welcome to Gloamas!” I wheezed. “Not quite Christmas. Not quite apathy. Some…twisted netherworld.”

He permitted me another tiny sip of water for my effort.

I swallowed it and continued, “You’re stuck for weeks. Longing to be…joyful and merry. But…that ineffable light is…absent.”

Matt pursed his lips. “So…it’s not gloomy, it’s gloamy. You’re in the twilight. Daylight’s gone. You know it will be back at some point, but in the interim, you’re left with a hollow echo—”

“How you…loved Christmas…as a kid,” I managed. “Desperately wish to…feel it all.”

He grinned. “But for now, the light’s faded. Until the sun rises, you’re left wisting after a feeling.”

I stared at him. “And someone to share it with.”

Matty shifted a little closer. He was still soaking wet from the rain. Must have been freezing. Yet he hadn’t complained. Hadn’t even seemed to notice. I leant into him and shivered. More at the thought of how cold he must be than anything else. But he stripped off my blankets (now soaked) and wrapped me in two new dry ones.

The phone rang, and he shot up to grab it.

“She’s okay, I think. Conscious, talking, the bleeding’s stopped. Her shoulder’s bad, but—”

A pause as whoever was on the other end of the line spoke.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” He peered out of the window. “The rain’s still coming down hard.”

Another pause.

“Okay. We’ll be here.”

He hung up. “Sounds like the storm’s passing. It’s lightening up at the house, and the rain’s almost stopped down there. They’re on their way up. By the time they get here, it should have cleared.”

“The track will be murder.” I tried to sit up.

He moved and blocked me, forcing me to stay still. “Easy.”

“Give me the phone.”

“They’ve already left, Sof.”

I struggled some more.

“Stop!”

Calm. But firm. Commanding.

I’ve never heard him speak like that before.

“Stop.”

Softer. Eyes searching mine.

My heart fluttered.

“We’d all gladly risk a bit of fucking mud to get you safe. You must know that?”

My breath caught. My chest constricted painfully. His jaw was locked. The look in his eyes was…feral.

And so fucking hot.

There’s really something wrong with me.

Satisfied I wasn’t about to bolt for the door, he sat back down. Glanced around.

“Is that why all your decorations are so…weirdly depressing?”

“They’re not.” I sniffed.

“They really are, Sof. Like…they’re full of the festive spirit but don’t quite hit the mark.”

He glanced at my forlorn little tree. Which, in fairness, was at least standing vertically now. I’d come in one day to find him scrambling around on the floor, fiddling with the screws on the base to get it standing straight.

He was right. The baubles were desolate.

I loved them.

“I like them.” Matt wrapped the blankets tighter around me. “They’re comfortingly depressing. How Christmas should be. It always just…kind of reminds you of all you’re missing in life.”

Author Bio:

Briar has been a professional copywriter for many years (far more than she cares to admit). She began her career working for large companies and agencies before realising she could do it all for herself. Now, she happily writes for businesses and entrepreneurs she’s passionate about and dreams of the day her fiction becomes popular enough for her to retreat into fictional worlds full-time. Growing up in Cheshire and falling in love with its countryside, small towns, and villages, she’s enjoyed creating a fictional world that reflects her own.

Website / Goodreads / TikTok / Instagram


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Posted in #BookTours

The Morning Glory Christmas Series

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Three cowboys.

Three Christmases.

One small town where love always finds a home.


The Cowboy’s Christmas Blessing

Morning Glory Christmas Book 1

by Shirleen Davies

Genre: Sweet Contemporary Small-Town Western Romance



🎄A heartfelt cowboy Christmas romance about second chances, small-town healing, and the power of love.🎄

 

He left her behind once. This Christmas, will love bring him home for good?

 

After six long years, two military deployments, and a grueling recovery from an IED blast, Zachary Caldwell is finally home in Morning Glory, Wyoming, and the Flying D Ranch. He never thought he’d see the snow-covered streets of his hometown again… or the woman whose heart he broke with nothing more than a phone call.

 

Julia Grant has spent years rebuilding her life. She finds comfort in her job as a nurse at Mercy Clinic, the cozy routines of the Morning Glory Inn, and the stability of her small town. But when Zach walks through her door just weeks before Christmas, old memories and deeper feelings come rushing back.

 

She once dreamed of a future with him. Marriage. Family. A love that stays.

But dreams don’t always survive war, distance, and silence.

 

As Zach confronts the truth about his past, including the reason his parents abandoned him, Julia must decide if she’s willing to risk her heart a second time. Can she believe in him again when he’s still learning how to believe in himself?

 

Set against a backdrop of twinkling lights, blizzards, and heartwarming holiday traditions, The Cowboy’s Christmas Blessing is a clean, wholesome contemporary western romance about healing, forgiveness, and finding your way back to the one who never left your heart.

 

Amazon * Universal Link * Bookbub * Goodreads

 

The Cowboy’s Christmas Gift

Morning Glory Christmas Book 2


🎄A heartfelt later in life cowboy Christmas romance about second chances, small-town healing, and the power of love.🎄

Clean and wholesome contemporary western romance.

The Snowstorm Was Just the Beginning

Victoria Palmer hadn’t expected to spend Christmas in a town so small it barely made her GPS. But after a painful divorce and the betrayal of a husband now living with someone half her age, her twin sons insisted she escape the glitz of Beverly Hills for the snowy calm of Morning Glory, Wyoming. One snowstorm, two missed turns, and a very arrogant cowboy later, Victoria settles herself at the Morning Glory Inn—cold, flustered, and anything but merry.

Gabe Dupree never expected a spoiled city woman to march into his family’s inn, insult his hospitality, and throw his quiet December into disarray. A widower devoted to his daughter and his ranch, Gabe made peace with solitude years ago. But Victoria’s arrival brings disruption—and a spark he never thought he’d feel again.

As snow blankets the Wyoming landscape and the town gears up for its Christmas festivities, Victoria and Gabe are forced into each other’s paths more often than either prefers. Between tense encounters and accidental heart-to-hearts, they begin to uncover the hurt and longing hidden beneath their defenses.

Sometimes love doesn’t come wrapped in ribbons. Sometimes, it rides in on a snowstorm.

Neither are in Morning Glory looking for love, but sometimes the best gifts come when you least expect them—wrapped not in ribbons, but in second chances.

The Cowboy’s Christmas Gift is Book 2 in the Morning Glory Christmas series—a sweet, later in life, contemporary western romance full of holiday charm, second chances, and heartfelt family moments. Perfect for readers who love small-town Christmas romance, slow-burn love stories, and strong, swoon-worthy cowboys. Guaranteed HEA.

 

Amazon * Universal Link * Bookbub * Goodreads



The Cowboy’s Christmas Surprise

Morning Glory Christmas Book 3



Clean and wholesome contemporary western romance.

🎄A heartfelt cowboy Christmas romance about small-town healing and the power of love.🎄

Snowstorms, Secrets… and an Unexpected Family Christmas

Ethan Webster thought he had everything figured out—thriving career in Denver, a sleek loft, and weekends on the ski slopes. But one phone call from Italy changes everything. His sister and brother-in-law are gone, and their three young children need him now more than ever. Leaving the city behind, Ethan returns to Morning Glory, Wyoming—a snowy, small-town haven tucked into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Back in the hometown he never thought he’d live in again, Ethan leans on the one person he’s always trusted. Makayla Dupree. A dedicated veterinarian and lifelong friend, Makayla once taught him to ride horses and stood up for him when no one else would. This Christmas, she’s standing by him once again… this time to support him through his grief.

As the town sparkles with Christmas lights and the scent of pine fills the air, Ethan finds comfort in Makayla’s quiet strength, and sees her in a way he never did before. Their bond has always been strong, but grief, responsibility, and the magic of the season spark something deeper. Something that looks a lot like love.

But navigating newfound feelings and unexpected responsibilities isn’t easy. With the children still mourning, and Ethan unsure about his future, will the season of miracles bring them together—or pull them apart?

The Cowboy’s Christmas Surprise is a clean and wholesome Christmas romance filled with heartfelt family moments, small-town charm, slow-burning love, and the promise of a surprise love. Perfect for fans of cowboy heroes, emotional reunions, and uplifting holiday reads. It is book three in the Morning Glory Christmas series and features a guaranteed happy ending.

 

Amazon * Universal Link * Bookbub * Goodreads

 


Shirleen Davies believes love stories are best served with a dash of grit, a few stumbles, and a whole lot of heart.

She writes contemporary and historical romance about everyday folks who don’t always get it right the first time, but keep trying anyway. Raised near the sunny coast of Southern California, Shirleen spent her childhood bouncing between the beach and her grandparents’ farm, where she learned that nothing beats the smell of fresh hay or the quiet wisdom of a rocking chair on a porch.

Armed with degrees from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland (plus an unofficial PhD in people-watching and life experience), she crafts emotionally rich stories filled with flawed, stubborn, hopeful characters who discover love where they least expect it.

When she’s not writing about cowboys, deputies, or the women strong enough to tame them, Shirleen enjoys life in a picturesque northern Arizona town with her husband. She’s the proud mom of two grown sons, still believes in happy endings, and is convinced that redemption is just one good story away.

Subscribe to Shirleen’s newsletter here: https://geni.us/signupSDnwslttr

 

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 


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Posted in Cozy Mysteries

The Inn at Holiday Bay: Haunting in the Hallway

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.

After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.

In book 5 in the series, the new bank president, who happens to be the son of the man who founded the community bank, is found dead and buried in his own grave. The man was not popular in the small community after making a lot of changes with his fathers passing and the list of possible suspects who might want him dead is extensive.

Meanwhile, it is October and the inn is hosting Halloween themed events. The haunted weekends are just for fun but when guests report hearing noises in the hallway, Abby wonders if the inn might actually be haunted for real.