Title: Deck the Halls
Author: Meredith Bond
Genre: Regency romance
Book Blurb:
Can the Ladies Wagering Whist Society help bring Christmas joy to a desperate man and a nurturing woman?
Quinn Ainsby wants only one thing for Christmas – for his mother and his aunt to end their thirty-year feud. When the ladies of the Wagering Whist Society suggest he host a Christmas house party, he knows it will be just thing to bring the two warring sisters together. What he doesn’t anticipate is his grandfather’s new caregiver, the beautiful Charlotte Moore. Not only can she deal with his grandfather, but does so with grace and an incredible sense of humor.
Charlie is just happy to have a roof over her head and someone to care for. After her father’s death left her with nowhere to go and no way to live, she is grateful her distant cousin was good enough to take her in and is more than happy to tend to the crotchety old man. But when her cousin’s grandson comes home, Charlie’s heart discovers that there’s more to life than just caring for the elderly and infirm--there are young, handsome men who need care as well.
When Christmas comes and the halls are decked with greenery there is no better time to find your true hearts’ desire.
Excerpt:
Quinn hadn’t even opened the door, and he could hear his grandfather shouting at some poor caretaker. He could never keep them for very long, thanks to his cantankerous nature. Quinn wondered if there was going to be an advertisement for a new one this afternoon.
“I won’t take it!” Mr. Crofte was shouting as Quinn walked in.
The old man lobbed a small bottle at a young woman. Quinn was brought up short as he took her in. Slender, but curved in all the right places. Rich sable-colored hair pulled up into a messy knot on the top of her head with lovely little curls that had slipped their pins. But most astonishingly of all was the smile—dimples and all—lighting up her face even as the bottle Quinn’s grandfather had thrown nearly hit her in the head.
She grabbed the offensive object out of the air and tossed it right back with a laugh. “Oh, ho! Are we playing catch, now? I do love a good game.”
The bottle landed harmlessly in Grandfather’s lap. He picked it up and threw it back at her, harder this time. “No, we are not playing catch! I will not drink this foul stuff.”
“No, I think we are, and yes, Cousin, you will drink it because if you do not…” She tossed the medicine back to him. “You know what that means,” she said in an ever-so threatening way.
“I will not take it, and I will get my dessert.”
“I hear cook is making a honey cake,” she said, throwing the bottle back. “And I am going to enjoy it all the more because you won’t get any.” She gave a laugh as the old man gasped in outrage.
“I will have it! Honey cake is my favorite.”
“Then you will take your nasty medicine. Shall I add honey to it as well? Perhaps it would make it taste better,” she offered.
Grandfather paused and considered her offer. His glance strayed toward the door as he did, and he caught sight of Quinn standing there with his mouth hanging open. “What are you doing standing there like a gaping fish? Enjoying the show?”
Quinn snapped his mouth shut and came forward. “Good morning, Grandfather. You seem to be in high spirits. Would you care to introduce your new nurse?”
“She is not a nurse. Quinton, Lord Ainsby, may I present my—well, and your—cousin, Miss Charlotte Moore?”
Quinn bowed. Well, well, this was a different turn of events. He’d never known he’d had a cousin named Moore, nor one as beautiful as Miss Charlotte Moore.
She bobbed him a curtsy. “It is a pleasure, my lord. Your grandfather has told me all about you.”
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Share a holiday family tradition:
My family celebrates Hanukkah. We do so every year by making potato pancakes for dinner the first night before we light the candles. I also enjoyed baking cookies with my kids for the holidays when they were little and always include a couple batches of rugulah among the usual sugar and chocolate-mint cookies.
Why is your featured book perfect to get readers in the holiday mood?
There is nothing more important than being with family during the holidays. Sometimes being with family isn’t always easy, but no matter how difficult the relationship, the holidays are a terrific time to mend fences and it’s never too late to do so.
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