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Winter Wellness: Lessons from Scandinavian
Research has shown that despite long dark winters, residents of Norway, Sweden, and other Scandinavian countries experience lower rates of SAD because they have a positive winter mind-set. They actually look forward to winter!
To shift from an attitude of dread, take a few minutes to make a list of indoor and outdoor winter activities you enjoy.
Playing in the snow
Bonfires
Skiing, sledding, or ice skating
Aromatic candles on a gloomy day
Curling up under a cozy blanket with a good book
Warm, fuzzy socks
Hearty comfort food such as stews and casseroles
This winter stands to be especially challenging so take care of yourself. The good news is that springtime is only 73 days away!
Unwrap a military hero this holiday season
When it comes to the holidays, I can’t get enough. I love the music, the lights, the food, the scent of evergreen and cinnamon. Combine all of that with a military hero, and I have the makings of a cozy reading weekend.
Here are five holiday heroes to unwrap right now.
A Marine’s Christmas Wedding is book 5 in the Grayce Walters contemporary romantic suspense series set in Seattle by USA Today bestselling author Jacki Delecki. Each book is a standalone, steamy, fast-paced romance with a guaranteed happily ever after!
Their pretend marriage—cover for a top-secret military assignment—turned into something real.
Maddy and Hunter have completed their assignment, but neither wants their roles as husband and wife to end. They’re ready to exchange vows, but their plans for a quickie ceremony at the courthouse unravel when Grayce Walters and company decide the two Marines deserve a real wedding.
Overwhelmed by the generous attention of her new circle of family and friends, loner Maddy realizes falling in love with Hunter comes with big changes. Worried that the next assignment might separate him from the woman he can’t live without, Hunter struggles not to ruin his fiancée’s pleasure at getting her dream wedding.
But it’s Christmas—the season of miracles. Tough-as-nails Major Hunter Hines and fiercely independent Second Lieutenant Maddy Jeffers will soon discover Christmas wishes can come true.
Gabe Griffin, the best man to his multimillionaire scientist brother Gavin, would rather return to the field as an elite Delta Force soldier than think about marriage—especially between his brother and some self-absorbed, status-seeking woman like Tiffany. But the task of delivering the dress and the designer has fallen into his hands.
Fashion designer, Lauren Harrison, dreads nothing more than yet another wedding—particularly that she has “agreed” to design the dress for her half-sister during the Christmas season.
Alongside Lauren’s bridezilla sister, the country wedding only gets worse when she is forced to interact with Gabe, her secret crush, as he transports the dress and her to the venue, due to the raging blizzard. Sparks fly, but will the close proximity change their minds about love? Or will Gabe’s mission to prevent his brother’s wedding with her help thwart Lauren’s high school fantasies?
Enjoy this contemporary romance of holiday fun, set against the backdrop of the remote Eastern Washington countryside!
It’s Christmas in Charleston.
Luke and Emily Hutchinson are hosting the entire crew at their home in Charleston’s historic district for an early Christmas celebration. It’s the first time they’ve all been together since Em was captured and Luke almost died taking down his nemesis in Beirut a year ago, and everyone is looking forward to sharing some Christmas magic together. Except one of them has unknowingly brought a deadly threat to their doorstep.
But evil doesn’t take holidays.
When a shocking threat suddenly shatters the calm, Luke and his team must risk everything to save two of their own. And when the rescue attempt goes wrong, the consequences are more costly than they ever could have imagined.
He’s the world’s most alpha Marine and the last man I should be letting jingle my bells this holiday season.
So why does Clint O’Dell keep running through my thoughts wearing nothing but a Santa hat? And why do I stupidly agree that we should be Christmas friends with benefits?
Someone must have spiked my eggnog.
I don’t do Marines.
Or Santas.
I learned my lesson about both the hard way.
But when Clint steps in to rescue me—from a murderous goose, a rogue reindeer, and the ghost of Christmas Right Now causing trouble in my bakery—I can’t help but wonder if we’re meant to be more than friends.
If maybe Clint is the holiday miracle I’ve been praying for…or if all the magic will disappear with the season.
He knows how dark the world can be
Jack Prescott’s past is full of cruelty and darkness—until his wife Caroline wiped away the pain of the past, giving him light and love. Jack loves her passionately and all he asks is that she takes his training in self-defense seriously. He needs to know she will be safe from the darkness of the world.
On Christmas Eve, danger strikes
Caroline is reading a Christmas story to little children in her bookstore when a vicious criminal breaks in. Jack is rushing to her side, but right now she has to save herself, the kids in her bookstore, and the child growing inside her. She and Jack have everything to live for and only Jack’s relentless training can save her now.
Happy holiday reading!
Out of Control ~ Excerpt from 'Mission: Impossible to Forget'
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his body. Her every curve pressed against him, teasing him. “Emily, I’m barely in control. It isn’t the way I want our first time after how I’ve screwed up. I want you to be treated the way you deserve.”
“Having you out of control is perfect—not thinking, not protecting, but you as a man, needing me as your mate, your woman. Not the responsible US Marine captain, but Nick Jenkins, the man who needs my love.”
Emily, her head and shoulders thrown back, her mane of dark curls flowing around him, was like an avenging goddess. She was a force to be reckoned with, and he was the man who’d step up.
“I was so bitter and exhausted when I came to Sausalito. And there you were, all light and joy. I’ve been lost without you.”
She cupped his face into her hand. “I’m here now. And I’m not leaving, no matter what crazy ass ideas you get about protecting me from yourself. Take me how you would have if we hadn’t been interrupted. How you fantasized.”
He slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her with everything he had while he walked her back until she reached the bedroom wall. He gripped both her hands in one of his and forced them over her head, opening her to his stare, his touch.
“I’ve dreamed about punishing you for making me want a life I could never have with you. For ruining me for any other woman or any other future without you.” He kissed her, stroking his tongue against hers before he lifted her against the wall.
She clasped her hands behind his neck and locked her ankles at the small of his back. Nick shifted his hold, lifting her, aligning their bodies for the perfect fit. Heat burned through him. In that moment, he felt as if he had been cold all his life until Emily.
Get your copy of Mission: Impossible to Forget to keep reading.
Fourth of July Book Binge
With communities still battling Covid-19, many traditional Fourth of July events and traditions are not an option this year. If your picnic has been nixed or your parade has been cancelled, how about celebrating with a book binge instead.
Here are a few tips and a FREE ebook to get you started.
- Pick the right books. Are you in the mood for comedy, suspense, romance or adventure? Once you decide, assemble a list of books that fit the theme.
- Get comfy. Set up your hammock or lawn chair in a shady spot. If the temps are sizzling outside, lounge around inside.
- Stock up on drinks and snacks. The idea of a book binge is that you don’t have to step away to do anything else. It’s all about reading and escaping into books. Fuel your binge with sweet and salty snacks and a few drink options.
- Hang up the Do Not Disturb sign. You might have to negotiate a few hours of ME time to thoroughly enjoy your book binge so let your family/housemates know your plans. Log off of social media, silence the phone, and spend some QT with your book friends.
Right now, An Inner Fire is free. Download a copy to start your binge list.
Grayce Walters, animal acupuncturist, harbors a secret. She hides her intuitive gifts from the world until she becomes embroiled in arson on Seattle’s waterfront.
As a key crime witness, Grayce must convince the attractive, logical, by-the-numbers fire investigator, Ewan Davis,that the fire she witnessed is part of a larger criminal conspiracy. Grayce embarks upon a mission to gather proof of the dangerous threat. She enlists the help of her cross-dressing best friend, her street-wise assistant, and Davis’ poodle, to conduct her own investigation.
As her feelings for Davis shift between white hot passion and cold fear, Grayce must risk exposing her secrets to save Davis’ life. Davis must accept things, he can neither see, nor understand to solve the mystery and finally find the love he has stopped believing in.
With nudges from the protective poodle, Grayce and Davis confront shocking betrayal and international crime on the rain soaked streets of Seattle.
If you want more contemporary romantic suspense, check out the entire Grayce Walters series, available on Amazon/Kindle Unlimited.
Have a fabulous Fourth of July!
Make it a double, please ~ An excerpt from 'Mission: Impossible to Love'
His plans to shout and demand were silenced by the sleepy, tousled woman. Her thick, straight hair hung loosely around her shoulders, making her look sexy and vulnerable. His eyes didn’t waver, but he had great peripheral vision to take in the way her pert nipples poked against the t-shirt.
“I’ll get a cup of coffee and be downstairs in a few minutes.”
“Go get changed.” Pissed at himself for allowing his mind to wander to the idea of how easy it would be to run his hand under the t-shirt, Sten’s order came out colder than he intended. “I’ll brew the coffee. Dean has a super fancy espresso machine.”
“Great. Make it a double, please. And I’m sorry that I missed our meeting. But once I have some caffeine, I’ll be good to go.”
He turned and walked to the kitchen, trying to understand his irrational reaction to this one woman. And how he ended up doing exactly the opposite of what he planned when it came to Izzy Benson. In addition to being her bodyguard, now he was her private barista. Shaking his head, he tried to close down the thoughts of what other roles he’d like to play for Izzy.
Get your copy of Mission: Impossible to Love to keep reading.
