It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Reads) GIVEAWAY: Love in Any Season (+ guest post)

Love In Any Season

Welcome back to our annual blog series spotlighting (over 60 again this year) new and recently-released Christmas reads!

Christmas is only 20 days away, according to Google, but of course it’s never too early for Christmas stories, and ’tis the season when I really start craving them (even more than I do the rest of the year lol), so now is the perfect time to jump right into these posts!

Continuing through just after Christmas, I’m going to spotlight several Christmasy releases from 2022. Most days will have more than one post, just FYI. So… snuggle in, grab your fave hot beverage and comfiest blanket, turn on some Christmas tunes and start your bookish Christmas list! Oh… and did I mention there are GIVEAWAYS with EACH POST in this series??!! (Because authors are awesome!)

LOVE IN ANY SEASON by Regina Rudd Merrick, Amy R. Anguish, Sarah Anne Crouch & Heather Greer
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance collection
PUBLISHER: Scrivenings Press, LLC
RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2022
PAGES: 423

Spring Has Sprung – by Regina Rudd Merrick

Spring has sprung, the grass is riz …

Laurel Pascal, Assistant City Manager of Spring, Kentucky, is tasked with organizing the town’s beloved Daffodil Festival, and she’s not happy. An allergy sufferer all her life, she dreads the season from the first Daffodil bloom in the yard to the last coat of pollen on her car. Newcomer Dr. Owen Roswell volunteers to help, and soon finds that not only does Laurel need his expertise as an allergist, but help in appreciating the season she’s obligated to celebrate.

What does he want more—for Laurel to fall in love with his favorite season? Or him?

The Missing Piece – by Amy R. Anguish

Beth Norton and Tommy England grew up together with best-friend moms who had a love of quilting and a business celebrating the craft. When high school ended, though, so did Beth and Tommy’s friendship.

When Tommy moves back after seven years and his mother’s death, he can’t understand why Beth is so angry with him. Helping Beth and her mother stabilize the finances of the business, they’re forced to work together. As Tommy sorts through his mother’s things, he finds an unfinished quilt, and it turns into a joint project.

With each stitch taken, they work toward more than just a completed blanket.

A Sweet Dream Come True – by Sarah Anne Crouch

Isaac Campbell is living his dream of running an ice cream shop but fears he won’t last past the first difficult year. Mel Wilson is a busy single mother who longs to be a chocolatier but is too afraid to turn her dreams into reality.

When Mel and Isaac meet at Bestwood, Tennessee’s fall festival, it seems like divine providence. But once Mel agrees to help Isaac bring in customers by selling her chocolates at his shop, she realizes how challenging running a business can be.

Can Mel and Isaac trust in God’s provision and make a leap of faith? Will their partnership end in disaster, or will it be a sweet dream come true?

Sugar and Spice – by Heather Greer

Emeline Becker, owner of Sugar and Spice Bakery, loves New Kuchenbrünn, except for the gingerbread. As the only bakery, she supplies the annual Gingerbread Festival with the one treat she can’t stand. It’s gingerbread everywhere.

Things get worse when Ryker Lehmann is hired as the festival photographer. He was her secret teen crush, her sister’s boyfriend, and witness to her worst humiliation. Plus, he broke her sister’s heart and bruised hers when he left town after graduation. Now, he’s back in town, determined to fix their friendship before the festival ends.

With gingerbread and Ryker together, can Emmie make it through the festival with her mind and heart intact?

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More Than Cookies

by Heather Greer, author of “Sugar and Spice”

In my novella, Sugar and Spice, the town of New Kuchenbrünn, Missouri celebrates their German heritage each Christmas with the Annual Gingerbread Festival. Throughout the event, everything in town revolves around gingerbread. Contests, games, and even a ball take place in its honor.

One of my favorite traditions to write for New Kuchenbrünn was the decoration of the town tree. Businesses placed a gingerbread themed ornament, with the company name on it, in the upper branches of the festival centerpiece. On the lower branches, where every passerby could see them, the town’s families did the same. The families not only made up the town, they also made up the tree each year. Traditions like this connected the townspeople to each other and their history.

Traditions are good at that. And while I’m not saying we all need to over-fill our calendars with activities in the name of tradition, a few well-placed activities can make our Christmas seasons sweeter, richer.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is baking cookies to give to others. Growing up, I watched my grandmother make peanut brittle, lace cookies, and other treats every Christmas. I fell in love with baking (probably why it plays a part in nearly every book I write) during my freshmen year of high school. That year, I adopted my grandmother’s baking tradition as my own.

Before I was married with kids, I’d make dozens and dozens of treats each year. Now, I’ve tapered off quite a bit. The numbers might decrease, but the enjoyment doesn’t. Neither does giving. I don’t eat what I bake. Well, not much. Instead, I gift trays to family, friends, and my husband’s coworkers.

There’s one cookie I include on every tray. My grandmother’s lace cookie recipe was passed down to me. I use it every year. It’s my favorite and enjoyed by those I give the trays to.

They’re a tradition that I won’t take from my Christmas to-do list any time soon. For me, lace cookies are the scent of Christmas and a connection to my family.

Before you try out the Lace Cookie recipe below, I’d love to know your favorite Christmas traditions. Do you bake? Carol at the nursing home? Give an ornament to your kids? Let me know your favorite tradition in the comments.

Lace Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup quick oats
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
½ tsp baking powder
3 Tbs flour
1 stick butter (melted)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour melted butter over them. Mix with a spoon or spatula. Add vanilla and egg. Mix well with spoon or spatula. Dough will be runny. Refrigerate until set.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (Do not skip this step). Roll dough into marble sized balls. Place at least 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes. Edges will be golden brown. Cool completely before removing from the pan.

Heather Greer is offering an ebook copy of Love in Any Season to one of my readers! (Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read the Love in Any Season collection, including the novella “Sugar and Spice” by Heather Greer?