Christmas Romance Novels 2010 Novels & Stories

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (A Thorntons Christmas Novella) Published by Blue Violet Press LLC Seattle, Washington Copyright © 2017 by Iris Morland Cover design by Resplendent Media All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for

’ speeches… She drained hot chocolate from her large ‘Rudolf the Reindeer’ mug and stood, padding across the wooden floor in her socks and slippers to restart the Frank Sinatra album. Maybe it was wrong that she was in such a good mood, newly divorced and absolutely alone on Christmas… but she was. She wanted to be happy. And right now, Mr. Sinatra, stimulating romance novels, and copious amounts of hot chocolate were all she needed to be happy. And, maybe later, Mr. ‘Great Scott’.

She hadn’t been this much into the Christmas spirit since she was twelve-years-old. “Hmm,” Lacey sighed happily as she circled her wrist around Blake’s arm. “What are you thinking about?” he asked as they continued to stroll along in the brisk cold. “I’m thinking about how romantic this time of year is,” she swooned. “Romantic?” he repeated with slight bewilderment. “Christmas can be romantic. The mistletoe, nothing but candles and twinkling lights in a room. Snow falling from the sky as two lovebirds kiss for the first time,” she fantasized.

“She’ll probably spend the whole holiday in here if you let her.” I walked the aisles slowly, trailing my fingers over the books. Classics. Thrillers. A whole section of contemporary romance—Mirabel’s doing, mostly. She’d started collecting them in high school, said they were “escapist but smart.” I’d never read them. Too many happy endings. Too much hope wrapped in pretty words. I pulled one down at random. Dark cover, brooding man in a suit, and title written in gold foil: Claimed by the Billionaire. I snorted softly, then slid it back.

The downtown area was similar to a lot of the towns Dak had visited recently, looking for the perfect place to start his new endeavor, but there was something slightly different about Christmas Falls, something special he couldn’t quite put his finger on. The Christmas decorations hanging from the lamp posts and strung around the trees were the same white lights, red bows, garland, and cartoony characters as everywhere else, seasonal flowers blooming from the flower beds while banners announced where he was and that he was welcome there, but an excitement seemed to hang in the air that he could only describe as a certain kind of Christmas magic he couldn’t ever remember encountering before.

Possessively. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered against her lips. Her smile trembled. “Merry Christmas.” Outside, the first bells of Christmas morning echoed through the snowy hills of Tuscany. Inside the library, wrapped in his arms, Arianna realized one thing: She had just received the one gift she never expected. Luca Romano. And he wasn’t letting her go.

She’d agonized over which book to get him for the Christmas Eve tradition, but had finally settled on this one. It was tradition in her family to gift a book on Christmas eve. She was excited to share this tradition with Nathan. She was excited to share everything with him. Life was good. She tucked the book under the small tree in her apartment next to the other gift she’d picked out for him. It was just a t-shirt with the name of the town and a printed mountain background. It wasn’t much, but she thought he would like it since he was moving his company here. It felt like a good gift and she couldn’t wait for Christmas to come so she could give it to him.

“But then, this still feels like the best Christmas ever.” “It really does,” she agreed quietly. Then she slowly rubbed her stomach. “You know what's crazy?” she asked softly. “What?” “This time last year, Aldrich and I had just gotten married on Christmas Eve. And now one year later… my entire life is completely different. I have a husband now and not some random stranger I got into a marriage contract with just to save musteof. A family. Two babies on the way.” Her voice beecame emotional as she added. “Sometimes it still feels unreal.”

I set my phone down and stared at the ceiling, the bookmark on my nightstand, my heart still racing. I'd come to Colorado for Christmas with my best friend. I'd never expected to fall in love. But here I was. Completely, terrifyingly in love with Derek Hayes. And for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid of it. I was just happy.

“Well here are a few tips for you. One, you can’t look hideous on Christmas Day. Meaning that you can’t meet baby Jesus when you’re looking like someone hit you with a sack of potatoes. Two, you need to be very proactive. You’re gonna be saying a lot of Merry Christmases. It would hurt but it’s worth it. Jesus is worth the pain Three, only good thoughts on Christmas day. That means you’ve got to keep the devil and whatever comes with it out of your mind. Four, be nice to everyone even your enemies. If my grandma holds your hands tomorrow, don’t fall for it. It’s just for the show. Five, make sure you eat a lot. Christmas ain’t Christmas without feasting Crinka so be sure to enjoy it.” “I wil