A Cliche Christmas by Nicole Deese | Re:View

I'm a sucker for a great Hallmark movie. Yes, they are cheesy. Yes, they are slightly (or a lotly) unrealistic. Yes, they always end happy. I see all of these things as the reason they are so good and the reason I love them—especially during the holiday season.

With that said, I found A Cliché Christmas to be an awesome combination of a Hallmark movie in book form with quite a bit more snark making it even that much more enjoyable.

Enter Georgia Cole who makes a living off of Christmas and Weston James, the one who let her get away. Just like in any good Hallmark movie we’ve got a cute small town in snowy Oregon, a beyond handsome male lead (whom I may have a crush on), and a stubborn woman who is strong and yet admits to her weaknesses too.

I really loved Weston as the hero and, though at times Georgia got to be a bit frustrating, I loved how Nicole brought them together in the end. This really isn’t a spoiler alert in the sense that, like any good Hallmark movie, you expect a happy ending, right?

I laughed until it hurt, giggled at the sweet romantic parts, and felt extremely satisfied at the end. A perfect Christmas read—or one to keep the magic of Christmas going!

My rating: 5*
Purchase: A Cliche Christmas

Book Description
(from Amazon)

Writing happy endings is easy. Living one is the hard part.

Georgia Cole—known in Hollywood as the “Holiday Goddess”—has made a name for herself writing heartwarming screenplays chock-full of Christmas clichés, but she has yet to experience the true magic of the season. So, when her eccentric grandmother volunteers her to direct a pageant at Georgia’s hometown community theater, she is less than thrilled. To make matters worse, she’ll be working alongside Weston James, her childhood crush and the one man she has tried desperately to forget.

Now, facing memories of a lonely childhood and the humiliation of her last onstage performance, seven years earlier, Georgia is on the verge of a complete mistletoe meltdown. As Weston attempts to thaw the frozen walls around her heart, Georgia endeavors to let go of her fears and give love a second chance. If she does, will she finally believe that Christmas can be more than a cliché?

__________________

I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.

Nicole Deese, Crystal L. Barnes, and Angela Strong | New Novel News

A Season to Love 
by Nicole Deese

February 2, 2016
Waterfall Press, Amazon Publishing
Purchase: A Season to Love

At this point in her life, bravery is not a trait Willa Hart would readily claim. She believes her seven-year-old daughter, Savannah, who never knew her father and successfully tackled chemotherapy, is truly the courageous one. Yet after Willa has a fateful encounter with handsome young doctor Patrick McCade, her outlook—and her view of herself—begins to change.

Patrick, a thrill-seeking world traveler and temporary resident of Lenox, Oregon, sets out to show Willa the value of adventure, even within her tiny town. But just when their friendship shows signs of turning into something more, Patrick’s life as a traveling doctor calls him back. Will his last days in town signal the end of their journey, or will Patrick and Willa find the courage to transform a single season into a lifetime?

Get to know Nicole...

What are the names of your pets?
We have a new little golden doodle puppy who is stinkin' adorable. His name is Warner, named after one of my favorite fictional heroes. (From the YA series Shatter Me.)

If you were stranded on an island which three things couldn't you live without?
I'll list them in order of importance:
1. My husband (kinda like that guy)
2. A charged kindle (to remain charged because this is a magical island, right?)
3. Music (preferably from my Spotify channel)

Favorite place you've ever traveled?
When I was twenty-one I joined a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base in Queensland, Australia. I lived there for six months and had the opportunity to travel to Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Zealand. And though I consider Australia my heart country, New Zealand is definitely the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I can't wait to go back!

*Check out Nicole's giveaway on her website (it ends February 9th).

Love, Stock, & Barrel
by Crystal L. Barnes

February 4, 2016
Amazon Publishing
Purchase: Love, Stock, & Barrel

Hiding from a rat of a fiancé, Dinah Lexington makes tracks for Texas and who she hopes is her late mother’s relative. She’s seeking answers but finds more than she bargains for when she gets caught in a shotgun wedding—with the rifle pointed at her.

Russell Cahill can’t believe his father is demanding he marry the feisty redhead. The sharpshooting female would only add to his troubles, but how does one argue with a gun and an attraction he's fought to ignore?
Sparks fly. Secrets surface. Loss threatens.
Will a dream for love shatter forever, or will the pair find a marriage worth lock, stock, and barrel?


Get to know Crystal...

What actor/actress would play you if your life was a movie?
Either Poppy Montgomery or Scarlett Johansson. (I’d pick Maureen O’Hara, but there’s a bit of an age discrepancy, not to mention she died last year. :D )

What’s your favorite book?
If we’re talking fiction, The Princess by Lori Wick

If your main characters were animals, what would they be?
Dinah would be a wild cat. Russell…hmm…a black lab.

Finding Love in Sun Valley Idaho

by Angela Ruth Strong

February 1, 2016

Amazon Publishing

* Previously released as Love Finds You in Sun Valley in 2010 by Summerside Press

Purchase: Finding Love in Sun Valley Idaho

 
Actress Emily Van Arsdale has returned to her Idaho hometown - with an entire film crew in tow! With its stunning scenery and reputation for hosting celebrities, Sun Valley is the perfect setting for Emily’s newest romantic comedy. Tracen Lake is happy to work as a stunt consultant for the movie but not as thrilled to deal with a bunch of high-maintenance Hollywood types. But Tracen is surprised to discover in Emily a down-to-earth Idaho girl who does all her own stunts and loves the outdoors. As filming wraps up and Emily heads off to her next gig, will she be able to leave Sun Valley - and Tracen - behind?



Get to know Angela...

If your book became a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?I love this question because my book IS being considered for production as a movie. (http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/faithmediaandculture/2012/07/mpi-to-bring-popular-love-finds-you-book-series-to-television.html)

My main character, Emily Van Arsdale, is a stunt woman who ends up acting and becomes famous for playing the role of Wonder Woman. As Wonder Woman is coming out soon, I would be tickled pink to have the same actress, Gal Gadot, play the part of Emily. As for Tracen Lake, the rafting guide, I wrote him with Josh Duhamel in mind.

Who is your favorite secondary character?
Tracen grew up with four brothers, and I've decided to write his little brothers' romances as part of a new series titled Resort to Love. Currently I'm working on Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana, which is about Josh, but the youngest brother Sam keeps trying to steal the show. His romance is next--Finding Love in Park City, Utah--and with as much personality as Sam has, it's going to be a doozy. Sam returned from serving in the Army overseas just in time to give his brothers unwanted relationship advice, which is funny because he's a free spirit who refuses to settle down. But don't worry. After fighting forest fires over the summer and helping out Josh as a ranch hand, I'm pretty sure he'll meet his match in the reporter who keeps trying to get past him to interview his sister-in-law Emily at the Sundance Film Festival.

Favorite place you've traveled?
Traveling is one of my favorite parts of writing. Either I'm inspired by a place I visit and I want to set a story there, or I research a setting for my story and I want to travel there. Last year the most fascinating place I visited was a mission in inner city San Francisco started by Roger Huang. You can read about it in the book Chasing God. Life changing. I had a whole story plotted when I left, but I've had to put it on hold for a couple other projects. In a week I'm heading to the Sundance Film Festival to research for Sam's story. Friend me on facebook to find out if I run into anyone famous!

::WINNER::

I had Dani Pettrey on the blog last week and she offered up a copy of her new release, Cold Shot, as a giveaway! We've got one lucky winner....

Just Commonly

Congrats :)

I too am looking forward to reading this - I just go my review copy so be on the look out for my review in a few weeks!

Nicole Deese | Spread the Christams Joy

Nine years ago this November, my husband Tim and I brought our first baby home from the hospital. Not only were we in the clutches of chaos trying to survive sleepless nights and frozen meals, but we had just moved across state lines and were in the process of waiting to hear news on a new job.

Needless to say, we had approximately seventeen dollars in our checking account, and what we lacked in money was made up in stress. The idea of buying Christmas presents, much less, purchasing a Christmas tree was far from a reality.

One night right before Christmas that year, my husband came home from a Men’s Game Night held at our church. When he walked through our front door, his eyes were downcast, his shoulders slumped in defeat. I worried something awful had happened to him in those few hours away from home. Had he been hurt? Had he heard bad news about the job?

Tim sat down beside me on the sofa and studied our sleeping baby cradled in my arms. “There was a big Christmas jackpot for the last man standing tonight. I made it to the very last round—to the very last hand—and I lost.”

My husband’s not an emotional man by nature—sincere, yes—but emotional? No. I never would have imagined him so upset over losing a card game.

He looked at me, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Every round I won, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to surprise you on Christmas morning—give you something so amazing because of all you’ve given me.”

And in my hormonally-sensitive, sleep-deprived state, sobs rolled through me like tidal waves.

But I wasn’t crying because Tim couldn’t buy me Christmas presents, or because we only had seventeen dollars to our name.

I cried because I realized in that beautifully raw moment that God had given me something I could never earn or deserve.

In my arms laid the blessing of new life, and at my side, sat a man who sought my happiness over his own.

No gift could outshine what God had already given me.

That December night long ago is a reminder that no matter what season of life we find ourselves in—whether it be lean or plentiful, sad or joyful, lonely or filled to the brim with family, our Savior's gifts are all around us.
And most of them are wrapped in the shape of the people we love.

Merry Christmas,
Nicole Deese

_____________________________

2014 American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis Award Finalist

Writing happy endings is easy. Living one is the hard part.

Georgia Cole—known in Hollywood as the “Holiday Goddess”—has made a name for herself writing heartwarming screenplays chock-full of Christmas clichés, but she has yet to experience the true magic of the season. So, when her eccentric grandmother volunteers her to direct a pageant at Georgia’s hometown community theater, she is less than thrilled. To make matters worse, she’ll be working alongside Weston James, her childhood crush and the one man she has tried desperately to forget.

Now, facing memories of a lonely childhood and the humiliation of her last onstage performance, seven years earlier, Georgia is on the verge of a complete mistletoe meltdown. As Weston attempts to thaw the frozen walls around her heart, Georgia endeavors to let go of her fears and give love a second chance. If she does, will she finally believe that Christmas can be more than a cliché?

(Book description taken from Amazon)

Nicole has graciously offered up a copy of her novel A Cliché Christmas as a giveaway. Leave a comment below to enter!

 

Nicole Deese is a lover of fiction. When she isn’t writing, she can be found fantasizing about “reading escapes,” which look a lot like kid-free, laundry-free, and cooking-free vacations.
Her debut novel, an Inspirational Contemporary Romance, All for Anna, has hit multiple milestones since its release in January 2013, including a 4.7 star rating on Amazon and more than 120,000 downloads on Kindle. She has since completed the Letting Go series and is over-the-moon excited about her new release, A Cliché Christmas, published by Waterfall Press, an Amazon Publishing imprint. A Cliché Christmas is available at Walmart stores nationwide and on Amazon.com.
Nicole Deese is represented by Jessica Kirkland of The Blythe Daniel Agency, and lives in Frisco, Texas, with her husband, Tim, and her two rowdy boys, Preston and Lincoln.

Website: www.nicoledeese.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicoledeeseauthor
Twitter: @nicoledeese