Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt from Mistletoe Season by Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller and Pepper Basham

 

Authors: Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller and Pepper Basham
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: October 8, 2024
Pages: 320
Genre: Romance/Women’s Fiction/Holiday Romance
 
BOOK BLURB:
 
This Christmas, three couples find themselves under the mistletoe . . . whether they want to be there or not.
Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts—Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild's kryptonite. Every time she's kissed someone under the mistletoe it's led to love disaster. Not a good thing for a romance writer! When she was a gawky high school girl, her hunky neighbor, Carwyn Davies, star of the basketball team (and her dreams) kissed her under the mistletoe on a dare. But the kiss wasn't a dream come true. It was a mortifying moment she's never forgotten, and now she's about to go home for the holidays, unengaged and . . . determined to say no to mistletoe. Especially if Carwyn is anywhere around.

Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller—Emmy Banks has always loved Christmas. How could she not when she lives in Mistletoe, Missouri? Kieran O'Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother's seventieth birthday. He reconnects with Emmy, his sister's close friend, and spends time with her in her charming antique shop. When the weather turns colder, things start to warm up between Emmy and Kieran. But can Emmy risk her heart when she knows he'll never stay in Mistletoe, and she will never leave?

The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham—Prince Arran St. Clare has lost his freedom and fairytale life in exchange for a three-month "punishment" in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. To prove he is ready for the royal life for which he was born, Arran must engage in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. But when kindness, authenticity, and hard work prove more appreciated in Appalachia than a royal pedigree, Arran must face the mirror and find out who he is beyond the crown. Add a beautiful and intelligent woman who doesn't recognize her own worth, some mistletoe, and a little Christmas magic and it all might be enough to help the rebel-prince understand what truly matters most.

Mistletoe Season is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
 

My Thoughts:

Mistletoe Season is an anthology of stories that have a mistletoe theme.  If you are looking for a cozy set of novellas to get you into the holiday sprit, then this is a good place to start.  I did enjoy all of the stories, but the second one, Mistletoe Prince was my favorite.  I really liked Arran and and Charlie together.  There is something for everyone in here, so give it a try.

Book Excerpt:

Mistletoe is my kryptonite.One kiss under it, and I go weak in the head. My last three mistletoe kisses resulted in relation- ship disaster. Which is why I, Hailey Fairchild, am swearing off it. 
You’d think after three love fails I’d hate cupid. I don’t. I’m one of his loyal acolytes. I write romance novels. I’m a believer. 
If you ask me, everyone should be. We need more love in the world. I need more love, but so far I’m only finding it on the pages of my computer screen. 
On the screen is better than nothing. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. 
Consider this a public service announcement, a warning. Don’t go under the mistletoe. It’s hazardous to your heart. Here’s what it did to me. 
 
About the Authors
 

Sheila Roberts has written over fifty books under different names and in different genres. She’s seen three of her novels made into movies for the Lifetime, Hallmark and Great American Family channels and has over 3 million copies of her books in print. The story in this anthology makes her eighteenth Christmas story.
 
Website ➜ https://sheilasplace.com 
Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/funwithsheila/
Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/sheilarobertswriter/

With over two million books sold, USA Today best-selling author Kathleen Fuller writes amusing stories with quirky characters and happy endings. Her novel, Written in Love, won the 2018 Romantic Times Inspirational Romance of the Year. Many of her books have also hit the CBA and ECPA best-seller lists. A retired Special Education teacher, she and her husband James live in Arkansas and are the parents of four adult children. When she’s not writing you can find her reading and crocheting—usually at the same time. She also enjoys traveling, football, and collecting recipes she’ll never use. 
 
Website ➜ https://kathleenfuller.com 
Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/WriterKathleenFuller/ 
Instagram ➜  https://www.instagram.com/kf_booksandhooks/ 
 

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is a wife, mom to five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus. Her dual timeline novel, Hope Between the Pages, was a 2022 finalist for the prestigious Christy awards. Pepper’s newest book, Loyally, Luke, made it on the ECPA bestseller list for May. She loves connecting with readers and other authors through social media outlets like Facebook & Instagram.
 
Website ➜ https://pepperdbasham.com 
Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/pepperdbasham/
Instagram ➜  https://www.instagram.com/pepperbasham/

Blog Tour: Review of Much Ado About a Latte by Kathleen Fuller

Author:  Kathleen Fuller
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date:  January 2022
Paperback: 336 pages

Anita Bedford needs to face reality. It’s time to decaffeinate the dream that she and Tanner will ever be more than friends. Growing up in small-town Maple Falls, she’s had a crush on Tanner for years. But he’ll only ever see her as good, old, dependable Anita. Now she’s finally ready to make her own goals a reality. In fact, that deserted building next door to Sunshine Diner looks like a promising location to open her own café.

Tanner Castillo may know how to operate a diner, but he doesn’t know beans about love. After pouring his life savings into buying the Sunshine Diner, he needs to keep his mind on making a success of it and supporting his widowed mother, not on kissing Anita Bedford. First order of business: improve his customers’ coffee experience. Next, he should probably find out who bought the building next door.
It’s a bitter cup to swallow when ambition turns longtime friends and coworkers Anita and Tanner into rivals. Now that they own competing businesses, how could they ever compete for each other’s hearts? Or will the two of them come to see what’s obvious to the whole, quirky town of Maple Falls: potential for a full-roast romance, with an extra splash of dream?

Welcome to Maple Falls, where everyone knows your name and has thoughts on your love life.

My thoughts:

Much Ado About a Latte  is the second book in the Maple Falls series.  I definitely can be read as a stand alone book.  Characters from the first book show up here, but I never felt like I was missing anything.  This one is Anita and Tanner's story.  

I did ultimately enjoy this one.  It's an adorable friends to lovers romance.  Frustrating at times, but really sweet and adorable.  I say frustrating because Tanner and Anita clearly are into each other and it seemed to take forever for them to get together.  When they finally did, it was really sweet.  The opening scene in the closet was very cute.

 My only issue with the story was the portrayal of Anita's learning disability.  She was in remedial math and English in High school.  She kept harping on that as if it was a valid excuse for certain mistakes.  Like not really being remotely prepared to open a business.  That was really lack of planning and research.  Despite that, I loved watching Anita and Tanner work through their feelings for each other.  This is a clean and sweet romance and one I do recommend.

About the Author

With over a million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the USA TODAY bestselling author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com; Instagram: @kf_booksandhooks; Facebook: @WriterKathleenFuller; Twitter: @TheKatJam.

Review tour:

Monday, January 3rd: @bookscoffeephotography
Tuesday, January 4th: @shobizreads
Wednesday, January 5th: @workreadsleeprepeat
Thursday, January 6th: Alyson’s Bookish Thoughts and @alysonbookishthoughts
Friday, January 7th: @travelerswife4life
Monday, January 10th: @msanniecathryn
Tuesday, January 11th: Read Eat Repeat
Wednesday, January 12th: @jenniaahava
Thursday, January 13th: @nurse_bookie
Friday, January 14th: @mrsboomreads
Friday, January 14th: View from the Birdhouse
Saturday, January 15th: Beth Fish Reads – weekend cooking
Monday, January 17th: @andrea.c.lowry.reads
Wednesday, January 19th: @webreakforbooks
Wednesday, January 19th: @iheartbooksalatte
Thursday, January 20th: From the TBR Pile
Friday, January 21st: @what.ems.reading
Monday, January 24th: @the.caffeinated.reader
Wednesday, January 26th: @chill_jilland_read
Saturday, January 29th: @booksandcoffeemx