The world can wait

  Billie the elf lives on the bottom of Laurel’s bed. Laurel loves everything about elves and wanted one of her very own. Unfortunately, real elves are very shy. So, over the summer, Gramma crocheted one that Laurel could keep. At the beginning of December, Laurel got an Advent calendar, which started the countdown to Christmas. This got Billie thinking. What was Christmas? And why does so much go on in the four weeks of the period known as Advent? Billie can’t wait to find out as she and Laurel open the Advent calendar each morning. These are their adventures. extract : Billie took a deep breath and admired her handiwork. It needed one more thing. She eyed up the ribbon and the bells, before deciding on the silver bell. She tied it onto the wreath and sighed happily. It was perfect. She lowered the wreath to the chair before jumping down beside it. Then she lowered it to the floor and jumped beside it. Now all she had to do was carry it across the room and up onto the windowsi...

  St. Morien, Cornwall. Beautiful. Peaceful. Deadly. Detective Inspector Aidan Urquhart has a mystery on his hands. Three young women   reported missing back in the summer have been found dead; all still wearing the clothes in which they vanished; all frozen solid on the cold shore. When Jenica Zimmerman realises her sister is missing, she heads to the Cornish coast where the police have few clues. The DI leading the case warns her not to take chances, to go home and leave the case to his team. Determined to stay, Jenica takes a room at a local inn and attempts to find her sister herself. With Christmas fast approaching, all she wants is a happy ending. But when a fourth body is discovered, all tidings of comfort and joy seem far away. Extract: Two girls had been found dead on the beach at St. Morien in the last two weeks. Neither were Thea, but Jenica couldn’t help but worry. On a hunch she checked the photo app on her phone that Thea was addicted to. Her breath...

  In The Bleak Midwinter Blurb: The Adelphi Theatre has been the centre of drama in Headley Cross for one hundred years. Interim manager, Flick Anderson, does her best to juggle running the theatre and directing her first play, Home Is Where The Heart Is . Flick is overjoyed when her best friend and ex-boyfriend, Will Reid, takes on the main male lead—especially as she wrote the role for him. BAFTA winning actor Will Reid prefers stage work to anything else. When the job he should have been doing over Christmas is unexpectedly cancelled, he leaps at the chance of working with Flick. Could this be a new beginning for the two of them? But life is never that simple. Just as Flick begins to thaw, a spanner is thrown into the works that could wreck things forever.   Extract: Flick sighed. Maybe somewhere in the desk was a list of who to call to fix this kind of mess. She headed back to the office with no idea where to look. Twenty minutes later, she’d turned the offic...

 Includes all three Mistletoe Meadows novellas: Mistletoe Melody, Mistletoe Mission, and Mistletoe Movie Star. Mistletoe Melody: Former musician, Melody Staff, spends Christmas at a bed and breakfast in the village of Mistletoe Meadows. While everyone sings familiar carols of Christ drawing near, Melody stumbles over misplaced notes. Her recent diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis has scared off her fiancé and thrust her life into a grand pause. She's not sure her heart will ever sing again. Quentin Oxford has endured a devastating year. His preteen daughter suffered a stroke, and they've grieved his wife's sudden death, but the Lord coaxes a surprising refrain from Quentin's heart as God rewrites his and Melody's score into a holiday love song that will last for Christmases to come. Mistletoe Mission: While her own relationships always end up doomed, Emily Colt is still determined to create happily-ever-afters through her wedding and event planning business. In hopes of...

  Material witness Mandi Foster is running. And for good reason—if she testifies her family will pay the ultimate price. With no choice but to hide until the trial is over, she finds an isolated cabin to ride out Christmas alone—except she isn’t alone.  A mysterious stranger follows her through a treacherous winter storm into the Blue Ridge Mountains, and then saves her from a potentially fatal accident. But as coincidences pile up, Mandi suspects her handsome rescuer is harboring dangerous secrets. Security Specialist Rylan Copeland is hunting. And for good reason—he has witnessed murderers walk away unpunished. He isn’t about to let that happen again—not when he can do something to stop it. But as he catches up to Mandi, danger comes in ways he hadn’t anticipated. Will he convince her to testify in time? Or will another killer get away with murder? https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_41&products_id=1556

  Ho Ho Humbug. So much for holiday joy…  The important talk Marley Paige’s long-distance boyfriend wanted to have wasn’t to propose. Nope. He did want to share that he’d found his perfect match; it just wasn’t her. Granted, she didn’t want to marry the guy, but she had kind of oversold the fact she had a serious boyfriend to her grandmother. The word “love” may even have escaped her lips. Now, she has to own up to her oversell and ruin her family’s Christmas…or does she? When Wyatt Porter took his grandmother’s engagement ring to propose, he thought his girlfriend would say yes, which she did—before she moved on to someone else and lost the ring. So when his old classmate and nemesis steps onto his tour trolley wearing that heirloom ring, and his family assumes he and Marley are engaged, he does what any guy in his situation would do, he doesn’t correct them. And for some unknown reason Marley plays along. Sure, he can’t stand her, and she despises him, and no one would ever ...

  Lucas Spanning’s long term widowhood leaves a hollowness inside him. As Christmas draws near, helping out at the local church’s toy drive gives him something to do that has meaning. Shelby has experienced her own losses yet chooses to help with the toy drive even though her own daughter will likely get little this holiday season. But that’s not important. They are together, and alive. For now. Running into Lucas stirs up embers long dead, but Shelby wonders if love could put her and her daughter at serious risk. Is it worth it? Will their lives unravel, or will there be a Christmas miracle for them all? https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_41&products_id=1546

  Garrett Tyler thought he was leaving Ballard House for home, secure in the knowledge that love had finally won-out for his long-time friend Olivia. He steps out the door and into the past, 1769 to be exact. While finding his bearings Garrett stumbles upon a beautiful woman being attacked. He makes sure she gets home and because of his kindness, she allows him to stay in an outbuilding—even believing his time travel story—while he figures out how he will get back to his life in the future. The more time they spend together, the deeper friendship they build, but one thing is going to rip her world apart. Mercy Hansford is a confidant, independent woman running her own tailor shoppe. Her world is shaken when she is brutally attacked after delivering one of her sought-after shirts. The consequences of this night could be more far-reaching than either of them can guess. Should Mercy trust a man she barely knows? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Garrett-Yorktown-Christmas-Time-Travel-Novellas-...

  Concert pianist Evan finally receives his big break. He’s on tour playing his passion and getting paid well to do it, he’s in love with a beautiful woman who just finished her own degree in nursing, and he’s about to propose in extravagant style. Even though their relationship has been long distance, he plans to go home and start his new life with her. The virus lockdown skews all his plans. Risé is working and living at a hospital with acutely ill patients. The precautions in place preclude any interaction with her family, with her friends, and with the man she is hoping will be her husband. How can he be, when no one knows how long this pandemic will last? Health protocols, full personal protection regalia, social distancing, and video-chatting aren’t enough. How can their relationship hold when the world is falling apart? With wise words from those who love them, Evan and Risé find that being apart is hard, but with God, all things are possible.  https://pelicanbookgroup....

  Sam “Slam-Dunk” Cherio is wounded on his last mission for the Army, so he heads to his friend’s Montana ranch to recuperate through the Christmas season. The bliss of family life is hard to swallow, but when he meets Mika Slovinika, she intrigues him, and he wants to know more about her. Mika is struggling in this strange new place in America. Her boss is mean. She has nothing to call her own, and she might be sent home. Running into Slam-Dunk at the grocery store gives her hope.   Slam-Dunk might be in love, but is Mika free to reciprocate? Something is holding her back. His military training might be needed again to fight a different battle. Maybe Christmas will involve the best gift of all—freedom. https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_41&products_id=1547

  Cautious observer Nicasia is at the Wilber Hotel for a wedding. She is careful when it comes to small spaces due to an attack as a teen, but intrigued by the antique phone booth, she steps inside to investigate.  A just man with a star, Logan grew up at the end of the nineteenth century in a very religious home. But his reverend father led two lives and left Logan believing there was something wrong with him. Boom!  Nicasia is bowled over and knocked to the floor by a force that comes out of nowhere. Where had the man been hiding? Logan is drawn to the 21st century maiden, but will he stay in the future?  Each wants to forgive those who hurt them and put the past where it belongs, but neither knows how. Will they help one another? https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_41&products_id=1551

 After losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend, Lauren escapes to her family’s mountain cabin to spend a simple Christmas alone with God. When a stranger crashes into a tree on her property, her quiet time is shattered.     All Justin wants is a weekend in the mountains with his friend, but an unexpected accident leaves him in Lauren’s care. He’s not interested in Christmas or God, but will he change his tune after meeting Lauren?  US Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3CM6eeh UK Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3GGQefC

  Mia Donovan isn't interested in a relationship, she's too busy opening her cat shelter and rescuing  floofy balls of fur.  Being a bridesmaid is just a blip on her horizon. Bryce Murphy has no plans to change his bachelor lifestyle, but is willing to stand up as the best man for a good friend.  In the chaos of plans gone awry, it's up to the bridesmaid and the best man to come up with a strategy to get it all back on track. In the midst of disaster, love strikes two hearts. Can eight cats, a feline allergy, and a photo shoot gone wrong bring Mia and Bryce together forever? https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_41&products_id=1555

  A December ice storm destroys Rebekah Kingston’s Christmas plans. With the power out and the West Texas roads closed indefinitely, she’s forced to spend Christmas at her brother Braden’s ranch instead of at home with her parents.  But Rebekah and Braden are not alone. Also stranded is an annoyingly chatty ranch hand, Dirk Sims. While Rebekah is certain she’s met him before, Dirk insists she’s mistaken.   However, when Rebekah inadvertently eavesdrops on one of Dirk’s phone conversations, she discovers his lie. Dirk is not who he seems. This Christmas just got interesting. Short Excerpt: Rebekah stepped into her fuzzy slippers and then hung the black-sequined bridesmaid’s gown on a padded hanger.  Never wear all white or all black to a wedding.  Granny’s twenty-five-year-old admonition still resounded in her memory.  In white, you might look like you’re trying to upstage the bride, and in black, people will think you’re mourning her decision....

  After twenty years of living along the trail as a deputy U.S. Marshal, Joshua Walker takes a job as sheriff in Burrton Springs, Kansas so he can be closer to his sister. Only problem, she no longer requires his protecting so he's unsure of his next step.   Annie McPherson needs a change after the death of her father. She accepts a position as schoolmarm, hoping her past won't catch up with her. Life is good, except for the pesky sheriff who continues to question her ability to adjust to life in the west and creates confrontations at every turn.   When the irritating schoolteacher's past and present collide, dragging him into the turmoil, Josh has to decide who he's willing to defend.     Tagline   A foolhardy, straitlaced schoolmarm wasn't who the sheriff planned to rescue.     Purchase Links   https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_46&products_id=1544   https://www.amazon.com/Protecting-Annie...

  Arms of Freedom With each page of the age-old journals, Annie discovers all that unites her with a woman who once lived in her farmhouse. One lived with wealth and one with poverty, but both knew captivity. Both longed to be free.  Miriam yearns to escape her life as a super model. She drops the pseudonym and uses the name she gave up years ago—Annie Gentry. Then she alters her appearance and moves to rural South Carolina to care for her grandmother. Can she live a simple life without recognition? Can she hide a net worth valued in the millions? Love is nowhere in her plans until she meets a man who wants nothing more than Annie Gentry and the simple life he lives. Charlotte lived in the same farmhouse in the tumultuous 1860’s. The Civil War was over, but for a bi-racial girl, freedom remained elusive. She coveted a life where she wouldn’t bring shame to her family. A life where she could make a difference. As she experiences hope, will it be wrested from her? The jo...

  A Note from Zoe:   Zoe James here. I want to introduce you to my author, Carol James. She writes Redemptive Romance, and she has a new book out entitled No Longer a Captive . You can read all about it below. You can also connect with her on social media. But, if you REALLY want to know what goes on behind the scenes in my author’s life, follow me and two of my friends on Instagram at 3DogsandTheirAuthors. Book Blurb: When Ethne O’Connor's brother, Sean, tells her of father’s unexpected death, he asks her to do something she promised herself she’d never do. Come back home.   A victim of childhood abuse, Ethne left her father and the small Texas town of Crescent Bluff ten years ago on the night of her high school graduation. She's determined to end the cycle of abuse and believes the only way to do that is remain single. If she has no husband, she'll never have children that can be abused.   Then she meets Daniel Spenser, a handsome doctor with chocolate-ki...