Welcome, friends! I’m excited to be part of this holiday series with seven other gifted and talented authors. And I’m doubly excited to share my story with you. I hope Holly and Jesse’s Christmas romance will add joy and laughter to your holiday reading plans. So, grab your favorite winter brew, a handful of Christmas cookies, a cozy blanket, and settle in for a great series!
What is a boy to do when he is trying to play matchmaker for his father? Seven-year-old Danny
Stone is working hard to help his lonely widower father find love again. When a pretty, new teacher moves to Angel Falls, Danny believes she is the perfect choice. But so far, his matchmaking attempts have not been successful until a snowstorm hits and strands Miss Holly at their farm.
Fleeing an ill-fated relationship, Holly Ross accepts an interim teaching position in Angel Falls, Kansas. During the first week, she is knocked down by a stranger, and his rude behavior raises her annoyance when he insists he saved her life…not that she believed she needed saving. When she discovers Jesse Stone is the father of one of her students, she vows to give the man a wide berth. But when Danny leaves behind a scarf belonging to his late mother, she makes a decision that will alter her Christmas plans…and her life.
Since his wife’s passing, Jesse Stone has no interest nor the time for romance. With a herd, a ranch, and a seven-year-old son to raise, the last thing he needs is ungrateful criticism from a woman he saved from being hit by a wagon. His irritation grows when he discovers Holly Ross is the new teacher his son keeps praising…and the feeling is mutual. So, she is the last person he expects to see at his door at the start of a blizzard.
Will a dose of Mother Nature’s magic, along with a bit of divine intervention, make a little boy’s Christmas wish come true?
Yes, we know. It’s that time of year when we sometimes feel less kind than we should.
Re-write the sentence in red to something less naughty and more nice. For example:
NAUGHTY: “Grandma’s eggnog is too thick and chunky.”
NICE: “Isn’t it wonderful Grandma is still with us to make her eggnog?”
THE STORES ARE ABSOLUTE MAYHEM.
You might win this piano ornament!
All entries will be eligible for our oh-so-beautiful Grand Prize, too!
Winners announced Sunday, December 15!
(USA Winners only, please.)
In the event the piano ornament becomes unavailable, we will happily make a substitute.
Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Jo-Ann Roberts was fascinated by America’s Old West and always felt she was destined to travel on a wagon train following the Oregon Trail. With her love of history and reading, she began reading historical romance during high school and college. Victoria Holt, Jude Deveraux, and Roseanne Bittner were among her favorites. Influenced by her father, she fell in love with John Wayne, James Garner, and her all-time favorite, James Stewart and grew up watching Wagon Train, Bonanza and Rawhide.
A firm believer in HEA with a healthy dose of realism, Jo-Ann strives to give her readers a sweet historical romance while imparting carefully researched historical facts, personalities, and experiences relative to the time period. Her romances take her readers back to a simpler time to escape the stress of modern life by living in a small town where families and friends help one another find love and happiness.
When she isn’t creating believable plots and relatable heroes and heroines, Jo-Ann enjoys spending time with her husband, children and grandson. She also enjoys baking, quilting and eating way too much chocolate.
After 38 years in public education in Connecticut and Maryland, she’s now calls North Carolina home.
The stores are absolute mayhem the day after Thanksgiving!
Crowded stores bring memories of past Christmases and hunts for “must have” gifts.
Mary, I agree! Even now I can remember the snow, the decorations strung from one side of the street to the other, and the hustle and bustle of the shoppers.
I love the Christmas time of year when I can join in the absolute store mayhem and even cause a bit myself.
Ha, ha, ha! That’s the spirit.
While some find Christmas shopping full of mayhem, I find the hustle and bustle of the season a wonderful sign of joy.
I agree, Denise. I also think the joy they feel makes them kinder to others.
I love the crowds at Christmas because I always find friends I haven’t seen in a while, and we get to catch up.
I know the stores are a madhouse now, but it will be worth it when you see the faces of your family and friends as they open the presents you picked out for them.
Providing for our loved ones always bring us joy.
The stores are total mayhem now which means a Merry Christmas is on its way!
What a wonderful sentiment.
It’s a wonderful season for all the stores right now. You can see all your friends in one place!
It’s a good time to spread some holiday cheer while shopping in the crowds this year.
Spreading holiday cheer is always appreciated…along with a healthy dose of patience!
The stores are so busy that I do all my shopping online.
Me, too, Carrie!
I can’t wait to go shopping in stores for some nice presents.
The stores are absolutely mayhem, but at least they still have enough supplies!
The stores are wonderfully filled with merchandise and people with money to spend on those they love!
The stores are absolute mayhem as we all try to find the best gifts for all of the ones on our lists!! The excitement is in the air!
The hustle and bustle in the stores are a mayhem of holiday cheer this time of year!
The stores area filled with Christmas other and some other things as well. I am confused.
Mayhem in stores reminds me that people absolutely have giving hearts during the holiday season.
What a wonderful sentiment, Kathy.
But mayhem makes great stories
Yes, it does!
I love to go into stores that are so full of busy and bustling customers so I can bring a cheer and a smile to everyone.
What a wonderful outlook, Lori!
Its nice to see people out and about again!
It certainly is, Karin. I hope it continues.
The stores are so very crowded, but at least they have more cashiers than usual so the lines go faster!
It’s great to see everyone out and about shopping for gifts for their loved ones.
THE STORES ARE ABSOLUTE MAYHEM…it’s nice to see many people are doing well enough to shop for their loved ones this year
People always find the means to provide the best for their families.
The stores are decorated beautifully and make shopping enjoyable and fun.
I’m always in awe of how festive the stores look at Christmas.
I love going to the stores at Christmas time with all the crowds of shoppers, you meet so many nice people.
That’s a wonderful way of looking at it.
I enjoy shopping in the stores even though there may be lots of people because I can hang out with my family and we can cause fun mayhem.
Lol, Naomi!!!
Isn’t it wonderful to read about mayhem and not to necessarily live it?
Absolutely, Karijean!
I avoided Black Friday mayhem by simply clicking my mouse!
Admittedly, I’ve also clicked my mouse more than a few times. However, I do plan a few hours to spend at the mall looking at the festive decorations and displays.
I don’t mind the mayhem of Christmas shopping. It is nice seeing people looking for that special gift for their family and friends.
Mayhem can be a great beginning to a season of great storytelling
Aren’t homemade gifts so special!
The stores are absolute mayhem, but I’m so thankful that I can buy the essentials and a few extras, when so many people are going without even the basic necessities after the hurricanes.
Oh look, I am so glad Grandma is still with us to make her eggnog.
So thankful we have stores to shop in and the freedom to do so.
Even though the stores are absolute mayhem this time of year, it will not keep me from shopping for those special gifts on my list.
Isn’t it wonderful to see the stores doing so well so they can stay in business.
Everyone is in the stores searching for gifts to show their love and friendship to others.
The stores are absolute mayhem the day after Thanksgiving! But I love finding that special gift for my Love one!
The stores are full of mayhem but mostly it adds to the joy of the season. People who smile and say hello or Merry Christmas, excited children and Christmas music give a sense of hope to our community.
What a wonderful sentiment, Alice!
The stores are absolute mayhem but I ran into friends I had not seen in awhile.
There’s a silver lining to every cloud, Connie.
The stores are absolute mayhem on Black Friday
People may call it mayhem when it’s so crowded in the stores, but I look at as a way to bless others
What a wonderful way of looking at the season, Corinne!
The stores are full of people in the Christmas spirit!
I really love to read stories that have mayham in them. It makes for great reading. Thank you so much. God bless you.
Don’t you just love the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping? It gets my blood activated and rearing up for Christmas.
It certainly does get one in the spirit of the season!
The big stores are absolute mayhem this time of year so I’m doing my part by shopping at small businesses.
This book would meet the December challenge for my online book club. Adding it to the list. Thanks for the chance to win a prize.
Shopping at small business…bravo, Vickie!!! That’s wonderful. Thanks for adding it to your online book club.
The stores are all mayhem, but isn’t it wonderful to see everyone looking forward to Christmas?
These stores are mayhem, but I don’t care since I’ll shop online.
I enjoy the busyness of the stores at Christmas.
I shop online since it is so convenient and easier since I have gotten older. I do miss the Christmas music playing in the stores and the mall. I miss watching people as they are shopping.
The big stores are absolute mayhem….that’s what Amazon is for (LOL)! Or even an online bookstore like Baker Bookhouse ?
I remember as a child dreaming of a white Christmas … in Erie county PA the weather is delivering beautiful snow!
Christmas shopping may be courting chaos, but watching a child’s eyes light up when he sees his favorite longed-for toy is priceless.
The stores are absolute mayhem, which makes the hunt for the perfect gift all the more exciting.
The stories are so hilarious with all the confusion and shenanigans in them.
The mayhem in the stores are humorous to people watchers.
The stores are mayhem this year. That’s so great for the small businesses!
The stores are full of people with holiday spirit
Don’t you just love the fun and mayhem that the Christmas season brings?