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Tuesday, December 2, 2025

A THANKSGIVING SLEIGH RIDE? by Marisa Masterson

 



Imagine the mounds of snow. Crisp air hits your lungs as you breathe. The horse waits, shifting so that the sleigh bells sound.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Designer-Greetings-
Winter-Sleigh-Ride-Vintage-Christmas-Card/706102857
One man described this exact scene to celebrate Thanksgiving. Yes, that holiday--not Christmas. Jingle Bells by James Lloyd Pierpont is really a Thanksgiving song.

Why a sleigh ride on that day? According to legend, Pierpont wanted to write a song to commemorate his town's annual sleigh race. 


And consider that setting. This is not a fun, leisurely ride. It is an intense race:

https://www.metmuseum.org/es/art/collection/search/380479

 

Go it while you're young

Take the girls tonight

Sing this sleighing song

Get a bobtailed bay Two forty for his speed

And hitch him to an open sleigh

And you will take the lead


If you think of a sleigh race, the last line of the above quote makes sense. "Take the lead", as in pull ahead of the other races.

Because the song never once mentions Thanksgiving, it lends itself well to Christmas. It beccomes a nostalgic glimpse into holidays past, to a time long gone.

A great source to learn more--https://unrememberedhistory.com/tag/medford-massachusetts/


A New Release! 


Can they go beyond being compromised to becoming committed sweethearts and a family?

  • Marriage of Convenience at Christmas
  • Secrets Exposed
  • Old West Adventure and Suspense
  • Happily-Ever After
  • Clean, Wholesome Romance

Click here to discover your next great read!






















Monday, December 1, 2025

Look what our authors published in November!



  
Our authors have been busy writing your next favorite story.

Look what we published in November!



A Joyful Ring: Wholesome Holiday Western Romance (Silver Bell Sweethearts Book 1)

By Shanna Hatfield

A rugged freighter, a hopeful dreamer, and a Christmas they’ll never forget.

In 1876, Gunder Birke leaves the daily struggle of Pittsburgh behind, determined to build a better life in the rough-and-tumble mining town of Lovely, Oregon. Hired as a freighter to haul dangerous explosives for the local mine, Gunder faces ongoing danger—but nothing as treacherous as the risk to his heart when he meets the beautiful and spirited Risa Hoffman.

After losing her mother and siblings, Risa has spent most of her life on the move with her father, never knowing what it means to have a real home. When she convinces him to settle in Lovely, the remote, uninviting town is far from the idyllic refuge she imagined. Still, Risa pours her hopes into building a future, working at the boardinghouse while dreaming of a finding a husband who can offer stability and comfort.

But when Gunder’s steady kindness and quiet strength awaken feelings she never expected, Risa must choose between the security she’s always longed for and the love that rings true in her heart.

As snow begins to fall across the rugged Oregon landscape, two souls discover that sometimes the most beautiful gifts come wrapped in hope, faith, and the promise of love.

A Joyful Ring is the first book in the wholesome holiday Silver Bell Sweethearts series.

Release date: November 13, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FW8NZJ25


A Joyful Love: Wholesome Holiday Western Romance (Silver Bell Sweethearts Book 2)

By Shanna Hatfield

One spark of hope. One act of courage. One joyful love.

     Caleb Birke once believed adventure waited somewhere beyond the horizon. But after wandering the world, he discovers the one place his heart longs to be is right where he began—home in Lovely, Oregon. Now devoted to preserving his family’s legacy of fine silverwork, Caleb lovingly crafts everything from heirloom sleigh bells to western saddle silver, each piece carrying stories of the past and hope for the future.

     A routine delivery trip to Baker City becomes anything but ordinary when he meets Laramee Scott—a lively, sharp-witted horse trainer who steals his breath and quickly claims his heart.

After fleeing a scandal in Texas, Laramee is grateful to find refuge with her aunt and uncle in Eastern Oregon. The land, the horses she loves, and the freedom to rebuild her life are exactly what she needs—until one unexpected encounter with Caleb makes her wonder if she wasn’t running from her past, but being led toward her future.

     As Christmas draws near and snow begins to fall on the high desert, Caleb and Laramee discover that love—like silver—can be shaped, refined, and polished into something lasting. But only if they are willing to trust their hearts... and believe that sometimes the greatest gift of all is the courage to love.

     A tender, heartfelt holiday romance, A Joyful Love is filled with family legacies, jingling sleigh bells, and the timeless hope Christmas brings.

Release Date: November 20, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZLY7S2H


Kringla by Kelci: Old Timey Holiday Kitchen book 40

By Linda Carroll-Bradd

     Kelci Odell yearns to be a newspaper reporter and is caught upstairs at a saloon, dressed as a man. Her wish was to interview the ladies and expose their plight in an article that would land her a job…instead of making cheese on the family dairy farm. But her conservative Norwegian family is scandalized. The solution: send Kelci to her cousin Ritter’s Astoria, Oregon hotel until the gossip dies down. Being in a new location doesn’t quash her curiosity.
     Even though Hauk Stefanssen spends his days on a fishing trawler, he hears about the schemes of a new arrival in town from his chatty younger sisters. The woman’s spoken with Peder at the fire safety council and Eryk at the family’s cannery. Feeling ignored, he seeks her out and is bowled over by her assertive personality. After reading her articles, he sees through the brashness to the compassionate woman inside and vows to become better acquainted. But what does an easy-going fisherman have to offer this dynamo?

     This is a clean romance containing wildly opposite personalities, community events, and the swoon-worthy trope of he falls first.

Release date: November 24, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/Kringla-Kelci-Timey-Holiday-Kitchen-ebook/dp/B0FV73HBT3


To Marry a Rancher (Debutante Brides of Miserly Creek Book 1)

By Kit Morgan

A Stranded Debutante
A Rough Rancher
And a town that's more than, well, Miserly.
     Hyacinth Fairchild never imagined her parents would ship her clear across the country to find a husband. But what’s a New York society couple to do when they can’t seem to marry off their debutante daughter? Hyacinth suddenly finds herself bound for San Francisco with five other hopeful young ladies.     Each dreaming of San Francisco’s charm, culture, and eligible suitors among the city’s elite.
Those dreams don’t last long. When their train derails in the Sierra Nevada, all plans for marital bliss go up in smoke, leaving six stranded debutantes at the mercy of the mountains and the little town willing to help them.
     Calvin “Cal” McAllister has more than enough on his plate running a remote ranch with his mother. The last thing he needs is a high-class debutante underfoot. Especially one who can’t tell a milk cow from a mule and eyes his ranch like it might bite her. Maybe volunteering to take one of the stranded women in was a terrible idea.
     But practical arrangements have a way of shifting. And soon, stolen glances turn into late-night conversations, unexpected loyalty, and a connection neither of them can deny.
As dangers creep through the mountains and long-buried wounds come to light, Hyacinth and Cal must choose. Cling to the lives they knew, or reach for a love bold enough to bridge the distance between their two worlds.

Release Date: November 24, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G3T6C7HD


Christmas Brides of Harmony

By Jo-Ann Roberts

     This anthology contains three standalone, yet inter-connected, books based in Harmony, Kansas. It’s nearing Christmas and the Circle of Friends Quilting group is planning the Annual Christmas Quilt Giveaway. Here, the quilts are stitched with love and where the quilter weaves dreams into reality, one thread at a time.
     Noelle
  A widow reluctant to love again…
  A deputy determined to win her heart…
With Christmas looming, will the growing attraction between Noelle and the deputy reveal the gift of a second chance? Or could a stranger from the deputy's past threaten the man who captured her heart?
     Hope
   He was the most stubborn and prideful man she’d ever met.
   She was a busybody who stuck her nose in his business at every turn!
As Christmas approaches, will they look beyond each other’s faults and see a future blossom from a special, once-in-a-lifetime friendship?
     Ivy
   He was the town bully.
   She was his target.
   Had anything changed?
    Was Ivy Sutton willing and able to forgive the boy who made her childhood unbearable?
   Can Grady Walsh make up for the reckless actions of his youth?
   Or will another steal her away before they have a chance to discover a kind of love that might heal the pain from the past?

Release date: November 26, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZD1M9QR


A Joyful Promise: Wholesome Holiday Western Romance 

By Shanna Hatfield 

He crafts silver. She stitches dreams. Together, they discover a joyful promise that could last a lifetime.

     Baylor Birke has always known where he belongs—at the silver bench in his family’s shop in Eastern Oregon, crafting Western heirlooms that honor a legacy that is generations strong. Spurs that jangle, bridles that shine, and saddle silver that elevates cowboys into kings makes his work feel both satisfying and meaningful as he labors in the place he loves. But when a shy, talented young woman arrives in Lovely, Baylor begins to wonder if life has more to offer than tradition… perhaps even a joyful promise he never expected.

     Bonnie McClure has spent her life preparing to take over her family’s department store in Heppner, but the world of inventories and invoices has never stirred her passion. Her true calling is in the artistry of embroidery, turning simple cloth into something beautiful with every graceful stitch. Sent to Lovely to care for her injured aunt, Bonnie anticipates a quiet holiday season … until she crosses paths with the handsome cowboy who caught her eye in Pendleton at the rodeo.

     As Christmas approaches and they are thrust into helping with the church program, Baylor and Bonnie find themselves caught between obligation and longing, expectations and dreams. The magic of the season whispers of possibility— but only if they dare to follow their hearts.

     Will the holidays bring them a joyful promise of love and a future stitched together with hope?

      Discover a wholesome holiday romance filled with small-town charm, heartfelt tradition, and the timeless magic of Christmas.

Release date: November 27, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G168G4TT



    Not all of our authors make their books available on pre-order. For those who do, those advance sales go a long way to help their book ratings.

Below are some future books.

December Releases


A Compromised Christmas

By Marisa Masterson

How had she lost her way?
      Gracie Williams only wants a private moment away from the other stagecoach passengers. Somehow, she wanders into the wilderness, and the forest refuses to allow her to leave—or so it seems to her as branches close in as she tries to push through them. She is completely lost until she hears a noise.
      Ezra Rafferty—Rafe to the few friends he allowed into his life—hums as he returns to his cabin. The hunt was successful, and he anticipates the warm fireplace in his cabin as heavy snow begins to fall. Yes, he savors the quiet life. Being alone suited him fine, especially after the incident.
     But he does not remain alone. A wild-eyed woman bursts onto his trail. She clutches his coat and begs for help. What’s a man to do? He takes her to his home for shelter during the storm.
      He does not plan to keep her. Plans have a way of changing…
      Rafe has set in motion the events that will unwind a scheme and bring to light secrets that reverberate all the way to the East. All because a woman wanders off the trail.

Release date: December 2, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FL12C122


Ruby's Christmas Escape: Mountain Man's Substitute Bride

By Kimberly Grist

When disappointed hopes collide – Will a resilient mail-order bride muster enough resolve to pursue her dreams of love and soften a reclusive mountain man's heart?

     Abandoned as a child and raised in a children’s home, Ruby knows that romantic dreams are mere illusions. After aging out of the orphanage , she follows her pastor's advice and applies to a matchmaking agency. While practical in her approach, deep in her heart lies a flicker of hope, a dream of her own happily ever after, where she longs for a place to belong and a husband to cherish. As circumstances would have it, her future groom is also short on time. Praying that is a good sign, she accepts a proposal of marriage and heads west to a land where the streams are said to flow with milk and the heavens rain down a supply of honey.
     Disheartened by love and rejected by his mail-order bride, Jonas Vann, a former army scout, is determined to protect his heart and keep the world at bay. Fortunately for him, knowing he needs help caring for his family, his friends and neighbors intercede on his behalf. As winter approaches, they take matters into their own hands, accepting a substitute mail-order bride on his behalf.
     The unyielding force of destiny is as strong as the power of attraction. Will an arranged marriage, a ready-made family, and the spirit of Christmas be the catalyst to fulfill all their dreams, or will their newfound love collapse under the weight of the challenges ahead?

Release date: December 3, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F4DY169F