Julia Kelly's Blog, page 17

12 Days of Christmas Reads: The Christmas Secret by Karen Swan

Welcome to a huge celebration of Christmas-themed books! Every November I impulse buy a ton of Christmas-themed books (mostly romances) and dump them onto my Kindle. I then spend the next two months wallowing in wonderful, heart-warming, sometimes sexy reads. This year I’m sharing twelve of my favorites, and day eight is all about whisky, Scotland, and a slow burn romance!

If you missed yesterday’s Christmas reading recommendation, click here.

The Christmas Secret, by Karen Swan

Alex Hyde is the leaders’ leader. An executive coach par excellence, she’s the person the Great and the Good turn to when the pressure gets too much; she can change the way they think, how they operate, she can turn around the very fortunes of their companies.

Her waiting list is months’ long, but even she can’t turn down the unorthodox but highly lucrative crisis call that comes her way a few weeks before Christmas, regarding the troublesome – and troubled – head of an esteemed whisky company in Scotland: Lochlan Farquhar, CEO of Kentallen Distilleries, is a maverick, an enigma and a renegade, and Alex needs to get inside his head before he brings the company to its knees.

It should be business as usual. She can do this in her sleep. Only, when she gets to the remote island of Islay, with the winter snows falling, Alex finds herself out of her comfort zone. For once, she’s not in control – Lochlan, though darkly charismatic, is unpredictable and destructive, her usual methods gaining no traction with him – and with Christmas and her deadline fast approaching, she must win his trust and find a way to close on this deal.

But as she pulls ever closer to him, boundaries become blurred, loyalties loosen and Alex finds herself faced with an impossible choice as she realizes nothing and no-one is as they first seemed.

First of all, look at that cover. I’m a sucker for a good women’s fiction cover, and this one jumped out at me when I was wandering around my local Waterstones. This book ticked a lot of boxes for me:

It’s set in Scotland
It had a historical story being told in the background
There’s a grumpy distillery owner hero
The romance burns slow until it finally combusts about two thirds through the book

However, I think it really shines when you meet Lochlan’s friends from university who bring Alex into their little group. It’s a good one to read while cozied up under a blanket.

Check back tomorrow for more Christmas reading recommendations as the 12 Days of Christmas Reads rolls on with another historical mystery. If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page. And be sure to download my London-set Christmas novella, Kiss Me at Midnight.

12 Days of Christmas Reads: Resisting Santa, by Lindsay Emory

Welcome to a huge celebration of Christmas-themed books! Every November I impulse buy a ton of Christmas-themed books (mostly romances) and dump them onto my Kindle. I then spend the next two months wallowing in wonderful, heart-warming, sometimes sexy reads. This year I’m sharing twelve of my favorites, and day seven we’re back on Mistletoe Key and smashing the patriarchy!

If you missed yesterday’s Christmas reading recommendation, click here.

Resisting Santa, by Lindsay Emory

Mistletoe Key takes Christmas traditions very seriously. So when Eliza Hart advocates for a gender-inclusive Santa late one night on public radio, she inadvertently sets off an historic island-wide scandal. After years away, she’s just returned to the island but once again she’s persona non grata, fighting the patriarchy one Santa suit at a time.

Tiki bar owner Shep Butler had a childhood crush on Eliza and while she’s stirring up trouble in town, he can’t help the feelings she’s stirring up in him. He’s always been fascinated with her eyes and her freckles, but now her grown-up feminist opinions are a package deal and maybe even a deal breaker.

On an island where Christmas is celebrated 365 days a year, can Eliza and Shep find room at the inn for different opinions – and love – before politics and tradition tear them apart?

Full disclosure on this one, Lindsay Emory is one of my favorite people. She’s also a member of my writing group, The HBICs, and she hired me to proofread Resisting Santa. However, you know I wouldn’t recommend a book I didn’t love, and I’m going to wholeheartedly recommend this one! Eliza is a sharp, determined heroine who just wants to make her community better, even if not everyone wants to see that happen. Shep’s the bar owner who loves his hometown of Mistletoe Key, and maybe loves Eliza too. The big romantic gesture at the end of this book is excellent and makes me so happy and hopeful whenever I think of it!

Check back tomorrow for more Christmas reading recommendations as the 12 Days of Christmas Reads rolls on we’re heading to a whisky distillery in Scotland. If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page. And be sure to download my London-set Christmas novella, Kiss Me at Midnight.

12 Days of Christmas Reads: At the Christmas Wedding, by Caroline Linden, Katharine Ashe, and Maya Rodale

Welcome to a huge celebration of Christmas-themed books! Every November I impulse buy a ton of Christmas-themed books (mostly romances) and dump them onto my Kindle. I then spend the next two months wallowing in wonderful, heart-warming, sometimes sexy reads. This year I’m sharing twelve of my favorites, and day six gets you three Regency romances for the price of one!

 If you missed yesterday’s Christmas reading recommendation, click here.

At the Christmas Wedding, by Caroline Linden, Katharine Ashe, and Maya Rodale

Snowed in at a castle full of handsome lords, three young ladies are about to have the holiday of their lives…

“Map of a Lady’s Heart” by Caroline Linden

The road to happily-ever-after… With Kingstag Castle full of guests and the snow falling, Viola Cavendish has her hands full making sure the Christmas house party runs smoothly. The unexpected arrival of the Earl of Winterton and his nephew Lord Newton upends everything. Not only is Lord Newton flirting with the young ladies Viola is supposed to chaperone, Lord Winterton himself makes her pulse race.

Always takes some twists and turns Wesley Morane, Earl of Winterton, has come to Kingstag Castle in search of a valuable atlas, and he refuses to be deterred by the snow, the house party, his nephew, or even the most ridiculous play ever staged. But before long the only map he wants is one that shows him the way to Viola’s heart…

“Hot Rogue on a Cold Night” by Maya Rodale

Jilted by a duke: Lady Serena Cavendish was born and bred to be a duchess. Too bad, then, that the Duke of Frye mysteriously and suddenly ended their betrothal. 

Seduced by a Rogue: Greyson Jones, an agent of the crown, is the only one who thinks being jilted has made Serena more alluring. When he lucks into an invitation to a Christmas house party at Kingstag Castle to cheer her up—and perhaps find her a husband—he seizes the opportunity to win her heart before they might be parted forever. 

On the way to the altar: Their journey to happily ever after involves a ridiculous play, a lovesick swan, a mysterious gift and, of course, a kiss.

“Snowy Night with a Duke” by Katharine Ashe

The last time Lady Charlotte Ascot bumped into the Duke of Frye, she climbed a tree to avoid him. Sometimes it’s simply easier to run away than to face her feelings for him — overwhelmingly passionate feelings that no modest lady should have! Now, on her way to Kingstag Castle to celebrate the holidays with friends, Charlotte is trapped by a snowstorm at a tiny country inn with the duke of her steamiest dreams. 

But Frye has a secret of his own, and Christmas is the ideal time to finally tell the woman he’s always wanted the whole unvarnished truth. Better yet, he’ll show her…

For fans of interlocking romance anthologies where the side characters from one story pop up in the others, this book will be a delight. It’s another snowbound romance set (mostly) at a big country house over the holiday. There’s a jilted bride, a mad-cap play, and lots of clandestine kissing. There are also two “we’ve known each other for years and have feelings but couldn’t admit it until now” romances for fans of that particular trope. And just a quick note, it’s definitely worth reading these stories in order.

Check back tomorrow for more Christmas reading recommendations as the 12 Days of Christmas Reads rolls on with a trip back to Mistletoe Key and a bit of patriarchy smashing. If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page. And be sure to download my London-set Christmas novella, Kiss Me at Midnight.

12 Days of Christmas Reads: Silent Night, by Deanna Raybourn

Welcome to a huge celebration of Christmas-themed books! Every November I impulse buy a ton of Christmas-themed books (mostly romances) and dump them onto my Kindle. I then spend the next two months wallowing in wonderful, heart-warming, sometimes sexy reads. This year I’m sharing twelve of my favorites, and day five is all about intrigue and theft at a Victorian Christmas!

 If you missed yesterday’s Christmas reading recommendation, click here.

Silent Night, by Deanna Raybourn 

[I’m tweaking parts of this synopsis because *series spoilers*]

Lady Julia’s Christmas will not have the Christmas she’d planned when she finds herself called to her father’s ancestral estate, Bellmont Abbey, with her eccentric family and a menagerie of animals in tow. Nevertheless, Julia looks forward to a lively family gathering—but amongst the celebrations, a mystery stirs. There are missing jewels, new faces at the Abbey, and a prowling ghost that brings back unwelcome memories from a previous holiday—one that turned deadly. Is a new culprit recreating crimes of the past? And will detective Nicolas Brisbane let Julia investigate—?

So this recommendation comes with a caveat: if you haven’t read the Lady Julia Grey Mysteries, stop what you’re doing and go fix that. I’ll wait.

I love these books. Not only are the books rich with period detail, readers also get the chance to watch Lady Julia grow into a more assertive, confident version of herself while butting heads with Nicholas Brisbane, which is delightful. While the second in the series is set in the run-up to Christmas, this is book 5.5 and the more obviously Christmasy of the two. You can certainly read it out of order but that would be spoiling the long arc romance written into these books, and that is worth waiting for.

Check back tomorrow for more Christmas reading recommendations as the 12 Days of Christmas Reads rolls on with a snowbound Regency romance anthology. If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page. And be sure to download my London-set Christmas novella, Kiss Me at Midnight.

12 Days of Christmas Reads: Blue Christmas, by Alexandra Haughton

Welcome to a huge celebration of Christmas-themed books! Every November I impulse buy a ton of Christmas-themed books (mostly romances) and dump them onto my Kindle. I then spend the next two months wallowing in wonderful, heart-warming, sometimes sexy reads. This year I’m sharing twelve of my favorites, and day four is all about a hot hockey player and Christmas cheer!

Click here for yesterday’s recommended read.

Blue Christmas, by Alexandra Haughton

Kelly Griffin grew up on Mistletoe Key and is so over it—the fake snow, the jangly jingle bells, the forced cheer. Ugh, so over it. All she wants for Christmas is to never have to think about Christmas again. But leaving the only home she’s ever known and starting over where no one knows her name is an impossible wish. 

Enter the one man who knows all about what Kelly has lost—Hunter “Blue” Bowen. A hockey superstar trying to keep a low profile while recovering from his career-threatening injuries, Blue starts to fall in love with the kitschy charm of the island…and its grinchiest resident. 

Kelly’s wish could come true…if Mr. Hockey God would just buy out her half of the property. But leaving the island also means leaving Blue alone under the mistletoe, and that’s something she’s not sure she can do. 

So full disclosure (because I believe in stuff like that), not only is Alexandra Haughton a very good friend, one of my beta readers, and a beloved member of my writing group, The HBICs, she also hired me as the proofreader of this book. HOWEVER, I can tell you that proofreaders don’t always love what they read but I love this book. This book is part of the Mistletoe Key and it features a fabulously dressed, no-nonsense heroine named Kelly and an injury rehabbing hockey player named Blue. Kelly and Blue’s relationship is complicated, and it becomes even more complicated when he moves into the pool house of the home they jointly share. He is such a good dude that he just sort of makes me melt.

Check back tomorrow for more Christmas reading recommendations as the 12 Days of Christmas Reads rolls on with a historical mystery set at Christmas.If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page. And be sure to download my London-set Christmas novella, Kiss Me at Midnight.

12 Days of Christmas Reads: A Perfect Holiday Fling, by Farrah Rochon

Welcome to a huge celebration of Christmas-themed books! Every November I impulse buy a ton of Christmas-themed books (mostly romances) and dump them onto my Kindle. I then spend the next two months wallowing in wonderful, heart-warming, sometimes sexy reads. This year I’m sharing twelve of my favorites, and day three is a freebie from romance author Farrah Rochon!

If you missed yesterday’s Christmas reading recommendation, click here.

A Perfect Holiday Fling, by Farrah Rochon

It’s no mystery why veterinarian Callie Webber is having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. When the residents of her small hometown aren’t pitying her because of her ex-husband’s very public departure, they’re attempting to hook her up with a man…any man. Fed up with being everyone’s favorite charity case, Callie considers closing her animal clinic and moving to the big city. But, before she goes, she decides to give herself a Christmas treat to remember: a romantic holiday fling. And who better to have a fling with than the gorgeous newcomer who is turning heads around Maplesville? 

When injured Navy pilot Stefan Sutherland reluctantly rescues a gutter cat for the sake of his five-year-old nephew, he never imagined it would lead to him discovering Maplesville’s most fascinating attraction…its smoking hot vet. Getting involved with a woman was the last thing Stefan anticipated when he agreed to care for his nephew during his Army nurse sister’s deployment, but if he’s going to spend the holidays in this sleepy Southern town, why not make the most of it with the perfect holiday fling.

So here’s the deal. This book has a naval pilot hero who is taking care of his nephew while his sister is deployed. The relationship he has with his nephew is freakin’ adorable, starting with the moment he helps save, and that’s pretty much me sold. I also really liked Callie, the heroine, and the entire Maplesville community. And even better, it’s a great *free* intro to the series. I also highly recommend Rochon’s Bayou Dreams series. (Seriously, if you decide you like her books, she’s written a lot so you’re in luck.)

Check back tomorrow for more Christmas reading recommendations as the 12 Days of Christmas Reads rolls on with a hot hockey player who bakes the heroine of his book sugar cookies. Need I say more? If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page. And be sure to download my London-set Christmas novella, Kiss Me at Midnight.

12 Days of Christmas Reads: Sweetest Regret, by Meredith Duran

Welcome to a huge celebration of Christmas-themed books! Every November I impulse buy a ton of Christmas-themed books (mostly romances) and dump them onto my Kindle. I then spend the next two months wallowing in wonderful, heart-warming, sometimes sexy reads. This year I’m sharing twelve of my favorites, and day two is all about second chance historical romance!

Click here for yesterday’s recommended read.

Sweetest Regret, by Meredith Duran

At a house party in the countryside, the joyful spirit of the Christmas season threatens to sweep Georgiana Trent under the mistletoe—and back into the arms of the dashing rogue who broke her heart two years ago. Little does she know that Lucas Godwin has no intention of leaving until he has reclaimed her as his own.

Whether it’s writing them or reading them, I love a second chance romance. There’s something about knowing that each half of a couple is trying their best to resist the pesky pull of the past that makes the moment when they finally give in all the better. I read this wonderful historical romance about a year ago as part of the What Happens Under the Mistletoe anthology and just loved it. I think historical readers will absolutely love watching Georgiana and Lucas fall back in love all over again.

Check back tomorrow for more Christmas reading recommendations as the 12 Days of Christmas Reads rolls on with a romance between naval pilot at a crossroads and a vet trying to forget. There’s also a super cute kid at the center of it all.If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page. And be sure to download my London-set Christmas novella, Kiss Me at Midnight.

12 Days of Christmas Reads: Hot Winter’s Night, by Lia Riley

Welcome to a huge celebration of Christmas-themed books! Every November I impulse buy a ton of Christmas-themed books (mostly romances) and dump them onto my Kindle. I then spend the next two months wallowing in wonderful, heart-warming, sometimes sexy reads. This year I’m sharing twelve of my favorites, and day one kicks off with a snowbound contemporary romance!

“Hot Winter’s Night” in Snowbound at Christmas, by Lia Riley

While Brightwater is being covered in snow, Goldie Flint is stuck in her flower shop. She never expected her hero to be Kit Kane, the former love of her life. Kit knows that what he had with Goldie isn’t just in the past and with the help of a little bet, an ornery grandmother, and a lot of snow, he’s ready to show her that what he really wants for Christmas is a second chance.

This novella fits into Lia Riley’s Brightwater series, which I loved. This is a sexy, second chance small town romance that’s funny and heart-swooning at the same time. Along with being a second chance and Christmas romance, this book also ticks a couple other boxes for me. It’s set in California, my home state that holds a very special place in my heart, and it’s a snowbound romance. I love romances where the hero and heroine are stuck with each other and forced to get over themselves and admit they love each other. It. is. my. catnip. I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

Check back tomorrow for more Christmas reading recommendations as the 12 Days of Christmas Reads rolls on with a historical romance rec. If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page. And be sure to download my London-set Christmas novella, Kiss Me at Midnight.

Fall TBR Roundup

As some readers know, I moved to London last May after nearly nine years of living in New York City. While I was excited for new adventures, one thing I was decidedly not excited about was saying goodbye to most of my books.

Romance readers—and really any hardcore readers—know that it’s really only a matter of time before our books take over our lives. I was definitely at max capacity for books in my old apartment on the Upper East Side. (One of my best friends once told me, “I worry that I won’t hear from you for a few days and I’ll come over to find you’ve been crushed to death because one of your book piles has fallen on top of you.”) I wound up giving a ton of books to a used bookstore run out of my local library’s basement so at least they were going to a good cause.

Unfortunately all of that moving and writing—I handed in The Taste of Temptation to my editor seven days after arriving in the U.K.—I lost track of what I was reading. I’ve been tracking my reading in some form or another since I was in college, but for whatever reason I just wasn’t writing books down as I whipped through them this summer.

I restarted this fall using a pretty notebook, and oh boy can I see a comfort reading trend, especially when I was on deadline and working extra hard to get manuscripts to my editor this summer. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Shell Seekers, by Rosamund Pilcher

This was my first Rosamund Pilcher novel, recommended to me by my mother. It’s a sweeping story about several generations of a family. At the center of it is a painting that’s a mother’s legacy but which most of her children don’t appreciate until they realize its value. Throughout the 600+ pages, readers realize that there’s far more to the mother’s life than she’s ever told her children, starting with her childhood in Cornwall and winding through World War II.

 

 

 

The Cazalet Chronicles, by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Another British World War II saga, this book focuses around an upper middle class family as the threat of war and then the reality of it change relationships and fortunes. I actually read the first four books and thought I was done with the series, but then I found out there’s a fifth called All Change, written some years after the first four books. That’s right up there on my TBR.

 

 

 

Silent in the Grave, by Deanna Raybourn

I’m talked a lot about my love of mystery on this site. The Lady Julia Grey mysteries tick a lot of boxes for me: amateur woman detective, Victorian setting, hero who is just outside the bounds of propriety and has secrets in his past. I’ve actually read the first three, but Silent in the Grave is the place to start.

 

 

 

The Silent Companions, by Laura Purcell

This was my Halloween read this year. I always get the urge to read something slightly spooky (although not too scary because authors need beauty sleep too). A Gothic novel seemed like just the thing, and this one was about as Gothic as they come. I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving away the twisting, turning, always-leaving-you-doubting plot, but it’s worth giving this one a shot if you love historical reads. (US readers: this book is available for preorder now and comes out on March 6.)

The Holiday Adverts Are Here!

The holiday adverts are here, you guys, and I couldn’t be more excited!

“What are holiday adverts?” you might ask. Let me fill you in.

Every year in the U.K., the major retailers put out holiday ads (usually Christmas-themed). They’re huge productions with millions of pounds spent on them. Think Super Bowl ads that run for two minutes and feature a lot more Christmas cheer.

Living in the U.S., they snuck up on my every year. You see, we have Thanksgiving sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas. But here in Britain where Halloween is barely a holiday and Thanksgiving is an American curiosity there’s really nothing standing in the way of Christmas. That means the festivities start early. Like really early. (I do realize the irony of this coming from a woman who put out a Christmas Eve/New Year’s Eve holiday romance on November 1.)

Here are some of the best of this year:

John Lewis — Moz the Monster

John Lewis is, arguably, the king of the holiday advert. In this one, a little boy meets the monster under his bed who turns out to be an excellent playmate. But there’s just one little problem…

M&S —Paddington & The Christmas Visitor



Paddington Bear is a national treasure, and with the new movie releasing soon M&S grabbed the chance to feature the little bear from Darkest Peru. The story is adorable, but not without it’s (ridiculous) problems. I kid you not, there has been an entire controversy over here about whether Paddington is sworn at by “Santa”. It received such attention that an advertisement watchdog agency ruled on whether M&S had overstepped the line. (Spoiler: They hadn’t.)

Aldi — Kevin the Carrot

I’m not going to lie. I feel obligated to include this one because I’m a romance author. Watch Kevin meet the carrot of his dreams amid a bunch of movie references. The advert is gorgeous.

And now for some oldies but goodies…

Sainsbury’s (2014) 



I’m not crying. You’re crying.

Sainsbury’s (2016) — Mog’s Christmas Calamity

Poor Mog, always getting into a pickle.

M&S (2013)



A beautiful, weird Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz mashup advert that manages to make everything from M&S look more gorgeous than it actually every is.

John Lewis (2014) — Money the Penguin

Oh no! Crying again! This is my absolute favorite ad. You have an adorable child, a romance, and it doesn’t hurt that I love penguins. #MontythePenguin forever.

If you’d like to celebrate the Christmas cheer a little early with some romance, my holiday novella Kiss Me at Midnight is available for free at all major retailers!