Tag: #holiday

Posted in Cozy Mysteries

The Inn at Holiday Bay: Secret in the Santa

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 21 in the series, it’s Christmas in Holiday Bay and the whole town has pitched in to ensure that this Christmas is the best one yet. Meanwhile Colt has a series of thefts to deal with, Georgia has some tough decisions to make, Mylie is busy with her annual list, Annabelle is participating in a holiday pageant, and a whole new group of guests have checked in. Amongst the new guests are, a tree lot Santa with a secret, a social worker with an orphan on her way to foster care, an elderly woman dealing with her first Christmas after the death of her husband, and a scrooge of a travel writer assigned a heartfelt Christmas story in spite of the fact that she’d just as soon skip the whole thing.

Posted in Cozy Mysteries

The Inn at Holiday Bay: Pawn in the Pumpkin Patch

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 20 in the series, It’s Halloween in Holiday Bay and the whole town has pitched in to ensure that the Harvest Festival is the best one ever. As they do every year, Abby, Georgia, and Jeremy have planned several Halloween themed events for the Inn, which will take place alongside the events hosted by other merchants in town. Things are right on track and expectations are high until the body of a close friend and coworker is found tucked in amongst the vines in the pumpkin patch.

Posted in From My Kitchen

Easy Christmas Appetizers for a Festive Holiday Party

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

These easy Christmas appetizers are the perfect way to kick off your holiday party. This collection includes our best recipes for festive dips, skewers, bites and more.

Need Christmas party food ideas in a pinch? Kick off your festivities with these easy and impressive Christmas appetizers that will wow any crowd. Whether it’s Christmas Eve snacks or one-bite holiday snacks for an impromptu get-together, we’ve got you covered.

We’ll offer all the classic options for Christmas appetizers and party foods, from elegant bite-sized nibbles to crowd-pleasing dips and savory pastries. If you’re looking for more holiday inspiration, check out these ideas for Christmas dinner and easy Christmas desserts, plus the Taste of Home team’s complete Christmas dinner planning guide.

Taste of Home

Posted in From My Kitchen

Best Fudge Recipes for Every Occasion

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Fudge comes in all shapes, colors and textures, but our 30 best fudge recipes have earned high marks (and rave reviews) for their best-in-class flavors. When the holidays roll around, be sure you’re stocked with these festive favorites.

Fudge is one of those indulgent recipes that’s surprisingly easy to make. There’s a reason you’ll find it at bake sales, tucked into gift tins or on holiday dessert tables alongside barks and brittles. A traditional fudge is made with sugar, milk (or cream), butter and chocolate, but easy recipes rely on shortcuts like canned condensed milk. No matter how it’s made, fudge becomes more than just a quick treat when the texture is right—creamy, firm and smooth enough to slice. It’s so good, you can’t just have one bite!

This collection of easy homemade fudge recipes includes technique-driven fudges alongside no-bake fudge recipes made with just two ingredients and a microwave. We included options that layer in flavor and texture with warm spices, toasted nuts and marshmallows. You’ll also find a Mackinac-style version inspired by classic candy counters. There are plenty of flavors to satisfy every sweet tooth, from raspberry to peanut butter, marshmallow, peppermint and butterscotch.

Whether it’s prepared as an easy Christmas dessert or packaged with creative wrapping ideas for homemade gifts, these recipes are timeless favorites for whenever your fudge cravings strike.

Taste of Home

Posted in #BookTours

Elf on the Edge

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Elf on the Edge
Alina Jacobs
(The Wynter Brothers, #3)
Publication date: November 4th 2025
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

Hire a hitman to take out my cheating ex? It was an eggnog-fueled mistake, I swear!
On Christmas Eve, my perfect fiancé stands up at the altar to declare his pure undying love… for my evil stepsister.
Cue public humiliation, a ruined wedding, and me crawling back to my small hometown to work minimum wage at my granny’s Christmas café.
Just living the holiday dream.

But I refuse to show up sad and alone to my cheating ex and man-stealing stepsister’s engagement party.
I’ll be devoured by gossipy small-town vultures.
So I do what any rational woman would: empty her bank account, max out her credit cards, and hire a high-end escort with the Merry Christmas package.
Too bad I mess up the number and accidentally hire… a hitman.
Oops.
This is why I hate making phone calls.

I realize I’m screwed when Talbot Wynter crashes the party all combat boots, dirty jeans, and washboard abs.
He feels me up, drinks all the booze, flirts with my grandmother, then tries to off my cheating ex in his hotel room.
I scream and make him stop him because I may or may not still pathetically have feelings for my ex.

Talbot thinks I’m insane.
He might be right.
But his company has a strict no-refunds policy.
Now I’m stuck dragging this six-foot-five, potty-mouthed menace of an ex-Marine to Christmas tree cuttings, gingerbread baking, and holiday parties—
All while he tries to convince me to let him take out my ex so he can go snowboarding.

But what if my ex is moved by the holiday spirit and realizes he still loves me and comes home for Christmas?
Or, he would if I could just get this hitman out of my bedroom… and my panties.

Holiday hamster-wheel victims assemble! We’re dodging holiday drama, downing peppermint schnapps, and fending off meddling grandmothers with boundary issues and a death grip on our dating lives. This standalone holiday romantic comedy is packed with chaos, Christmas cookies, and a filthy-mouthed bad boy (and that’s not steel in his pants) guaranteed to leave you swooning under the mistletoe. Happily ever after and holiday cheer guaranteed!

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Wait, where are you going? I thought we were having sex,” I wail as he opens up the window and swings one leg out.

“Excuse me?” He swivels back inside and pulls off the black mask. “Why in the hell would I have sex with you?”

“Are you kidding me right now? Are you fucking—because you’re a fucking prostitute.” I’m sobbing now. “And I paid you a fuck-ton of money to pretend to be my boyfriend and to have sex with me.”

His mouth drops open.

It would be funny if all my money weren’t gone.

“Gumdrop.” He jumps back into the room, the soft shoes silent on the carpet. “You did what?”

“You’re a high-end escort, but you really don’t live up to the promise.” I sniffle.

I’m fishing for more mini bottles. Talbot slams the fridge door.

“You really have drunk too much.” He cups my face. “Gumdrop. You paid me to assassinate your ex, Austen Langley. Remember?”

“Assassinate? Like kill, kill? Or just like, you’re going to glitter-bomb him?” I squeak.

“Yeah, ‘Grandma gets run over by a reindeer’ level of dead.”

My knees collapse, and I plop down on the floor like Christmas cookie dough.

“I did a… you’re a… I hired an…”

“Assassin?” He unzips the black bag and pulls out the biggest gun. Like, comically large. Movie-villain large. Plus three knives and what might be a torture device along with zip ties and duct tape.

My stomach twists.

“I prefer hitman,” he says, cheerful, like we’re chatting over wine and charcuterie. “Assassin sounds a little bougie. I just kill people and make it look like an accident.”

“I’ve made a huge mistake,” I groan.

“For Austen,” he rambles, obviously pleased with himself, “it’s going to look like he partied too hard and paid the price.”

“Then, but the—” I point to the gun, trying not to hyperventilate.

“This?” he gives it a kiss. “Just a little insurance policy in case things go south. But I have a pretty good plan in place. No one will think he’s been murdered. Everyone saw him downing drink after drink. All the women are off in the hot tub. All his NHL friends are super drunk.”

Talbot shows me his phone. There’s Brielle on the livestream doing a stripper dance, all for the eyes of my fake boyfriend. Shoot, my fake fake boyfriend, because…

Because a cold-blooded killer is standing in my suite, grinning like this is the most fun he’s had in weeks. I start scooching back on the carpet.

Now that I see it, I can’t unsee it. The dead eyes, the total lack of empathy in his face, the glee as he describes how he’s going to kill Austen, my Austen, my one true love.

Author Bio:

I write the kind of books I love—romantic comedies featuring snarly guys with hearts of gold, kick-ass heroines, and a swoon-worthy happily ever after! Also wine. And cupcakes.

When I’m not writing I can be found drinking tea, surrounded by my massive to-be-read pile! So many books…

You can connect with me on social media or find information on my books at my website.

Sign up for my newsletter so that you can get information about new releases, giveaways, and more!

http://alinajacobs.com/mailinglist.html

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Elf on the Edge Blitz

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