Release blitz and #giveaway: To Love and To Cherish (audio) by Addison Albright

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Audible US | Audible UK

Length: 7hrs 45 mins

Narrator: David Gilmore

 

Vow’s Series

‘Til Death Do Us Part – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Audible US | Audible UK
From This Day Forward – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Audible US | Audible UK

 

Blurb
Jilted by his fiancé two weeks before their wedding, Nash Marino’s outlook on life in general, and love in particular, is jaded. After months of couch-surfing, Nash is fed up. He’s sick and tired of his living conditions, worn out by the demands of his nursing job, and despairs of ever finding love again. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s capable of true love. Monogamy, commitment, companionship, and regular sex…that’s all he wants, and the sooner, the better.

When Nash crosses paths with a like-minded man who’s also in need of a live-in nurse for a beloved relative, Nash figures all his problems are solved. But matters are complicated by a freak accident and amnesia. When Nash’s marriage of convenience scheme is muddied by notions of love after his memory reboot, will their plans go awry, or will Nash’s new outlook on life be just what the doctor ordered?

 

Companion to Til Death Do Us Part

Author Bio
Addison Albright lives in the middle of the USA with two peculiar cats. Her stories are gay (sometimes erotic) romance, and tend to be sweet man-love in contemporary settings. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in mathematics and a minor in chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, French fries, “open window weather,” cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.

eMail: addison.albright@gmail.com
Website/Blog: https://authoraddisonalbright.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AddisonAlbright
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/addison.albright.profile
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AddisonAlbright
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/addisonalbright/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/addison-albright
Queeromance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/addison-albright/

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Christmasvaganza: Special Guest Nicky Spencer

Wohoo, today I’m extra excited for Christmasvaganza! Thursdays mean I have guests (who doesn’t like visitors??) here on the blog; namely my four very talented writer friends who I wrote the fabulous FREE anthology Make the Yuletide Gay with (If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? It’s free. It’s holiday-y. What more do you need? 😊)

My guests, Nicky Spencer, Stephen Hoppa, Addison Albright, and Amy Tasukada are here to talk about all things holiday related; the good, the bad, and the jolly.

First up is Nicky Spencer. She is the author of the newly released MMM romance book A Bolt of Blue. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you check it out.

Please help me make Nicky feel welcome!😊

What’s the worst thing about Christmas?
I really want to give awesome Christmas presents, but it’s so hard! I have a big family and I just can’t afford to give nice gifts to everyone. And then it’s like…there’s people I don’t see very often and I have no idea what to get them. It seems dumb to get them a gift card to a restaurant because I know that’s what they’re going to give me. So then what? And the people I do see a lot…I mean, most people just buy the stuff they want throughout the year. I can only give my sisters so many pairs of earrings, you know? Little kids are easy but all my nieces and nephews are older now and they’ve become so hard. The whole thing stresses me out.

Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?
I feel like there’s too much pressure on a New Years resolution. You say you’re going to do this thing all year. Like, “I’m going to floss every day!” Well, the first time you forget to floss, you’ve ruined it. So then you’re like “Well, I didn’t do it” and then you give up. So I prefer to just make goals when I feel like it, and just keep trying. If I mess up, oh well. I’ll try again. There’s no pressure on it. Plus, the biggest one usually has to do with physical fitness, right? And January is the worst time to start going to the gym. So I don’t make New Years resolutions.

Which is the worst Christmas song in the history of Christmas songs and why?
So what drives me crazy is “Christmas” songs that aren’t really Christmas songs and I’m like…who decided this was a Christmas song? The most obvious/cliché example being My Favorite Things from the Sound of Music. Great song, but when did it become a Christmas song? What does it have to do with Christmas? I don’t get it. So I always get confused and like “What is going on?” when I hear that song at Christmas time. And then this year, I’ve started hearing Kenny Loggins Celebrate Me Home all over the place. I don’t remember ever hearing it at Christmas before! I got so annoyed, like “When did we agree that this was a Christmas song?” I just looked up the lyrics and the first line is “Home for the holidays”, so I guess it’s a better fit than “My Favorite Things” but…I just never thought of it as a Christmas song before so it gets on my nerves.

Oh, and Where Are You Christmas by Faith Hill. That really is a Christmas song but I don’t like it. It’s too whiny.

Top 3 favorite Christmas songs
My favorite Christmas song is Happy Holidays by Andy Williams. I just love it, it’s so jaunty and whimsical and fun.

Two others…um…I don’t know. They’re all good! I actually really love Mariah Carey’s Christmas album. I know it’s way overplayed but I like All I Want For Christmas is You. And I love Martina McBride’s version of O Holy Night.

What’s your favorite Christmas
– candy: anything chocolate except for chocolate oranges.

– movie: The Family Stone

– tradition: Uh…I’m not so traditional anymore. I’m kind of lazy and whatever. But when I was a kid, I would have said opening a present on Christmas Eve was my favorite tradition. And we used to go caroling with a bunch of people from our church, I always loved that.

– food: Russian Tea Cakes – when I was a kid my mom had a repertoire of cookies she would make every year, and these were my favorites. Haven’t had them in a long time but my sister has planned a baking day this year and called Mom to get all her recipes, so I’m really looking forward to the Russian Tea Cakes!

Nicky Spencer is a romance writer of all pairings. Nicky is a firm believer that love conquers all–that’s why her favorite theme is forbidden love. If two (or three!) people shouldn’t be together, Nicky will find a way to get them there. When you love someone, nothing else matters.

Nicky live in Salt Lake City, Utah with no husband, no kids and a part-time dog. She loves to read, write, listen to podcasts, watch baseball and waste time on the internet. She is firmly anti-oxford comma.

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Christmasvaganza: Swedish Holiday traditions

Wednesdays during Christmasvaganza is Swedish tradition-day. If you’re anything like me, you like learning about other people’s cultures, so that’s why I thought I’d talk a little about how we celebrate Christmas in Sweden, and the things we just can’t live without.

First, you need to know that Swedes aren’t, in general, a very religious people. Only 29% (according to this website, I’ve seen variations of the number) of Swedes claim to be religious (compared to 59% worldwide), so our Christmas celebrations have very little to do with religion these days. We tend to focus more on eat, drink, and be merry, so that’s what I’m going to focus on.

I’ll start with one of my favorite Christmas traditions: glögg!

Glögg is a kind of mulled wine, i.e. spiced wine served hot. We serve it in tiny cups (think espresso size, maybe a bit larger) with a spoon so you can scoop up and eat the almonds and raisins that are added to the drink.

Traditionally the spices were added to cover up the taste of wine of questionable quality, and it’s been around in Sweden for a long time. According to history, King Gustav Vasa (1496-1560) was very fond of a version of it, and served it for his coronation in 1523.

It’s perfect for dark, cold winter days that are so plentiful in Sweden in December, and we start drinking it on the first day of Advent. (Some of us might even start earlier than that😇) We invite friends and family to glögg parties where we serve it with gingerbread cookies and hors d’oeuvres and listen to Christmas music.

Every year, Swedes drink FIVE MILLION LITERS of glögg (1 liter is app 34 fl oz)! Considering we’re about 10 million people and only drink it in December, that’s a lot of glögg!

I LOVE glögg and when I lived in Sweden I used to arrange glögg tastings (there’s app 80 different kinds sold at Systembolaget—the government-owned liquor store chain that’s the only place Swedes are allowed to buy booze—so lots to choose from) for my friends. Here in Malaysia, there’s no glögg, though. Not even at Ikea where we usually can buy Swedish food items, because the Malaysian Ikea isn’t allowed to sell anything with alcohol due to halal rules.

But I don’t let that stop me: instead, I make my own:

I mix one bottle of wine with sugar, cinnamon, dried ginger, star anise, cloves, orange zest and a splash of brandy. I let it sit for 24 hours before straining away the spices, and after that I heat it up carefully so the alcohol won’t vaporize, and enjoy it (without raisins though because I’m not a fan) with my favorite Christmas playlist, and gingerbread cookies (that ARE available at Ikea).

And that’s what I’ll be doing on Sunday when it’s the first day of Advent!

I hope you’ll be back next Wednesday for more Swedish traditions. Also come back tomorrow: I have a very special guest for you!!

 

Release blitz and #giveaway: Not Just For Christmas by Annabelle Jacobs

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 48,000 words approx

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

 

Blurb

Ben has Christmas, cats, and mistletoe on his side…. Jason doesn’t stand a chance

For Ben Slater, moving back to Bristol means being closer to his family, living with his best mate, and volunteering at the local animal shelter. But there’s also Jason, his best mate’s eldest brother. Ben’s had a crush on Jason for as long as he can remember, but the eleven-year age gap has always seemed insurmountable.

Jason Armitage works as a vet at his uncle’s practice. He owns a cute cottage on the outskirts of the city, and a loving dog. The one thing missing is someone to share it all with. His brother’s best friend seems a bad choice, but Jason can’t help taking a second look. Ben’s changed a lot since Jason last saw him; both in appearance and attitude. Gone is the shy young boy, replaced with a confident, twenty-four-year-old man.

In the run up to Christmas, the festive period gives Ben the ideal opportunity to show Jason what he has to offer. But concerns for his brother’s feelings hold Jason back. If they have any chance of making this work, Ben must convince Jason that he’s old enough to know what he wants, and Jason needs to believe that a relationship with his brother’s best friend won’t ruin their friendship.

Excerpt
Ben tried not to look, but inevitably his gaze was drawn to Jason still sat on the sofa. He stood as Pete stepped back, and Ben got a proper look at him. Ben wasn’t the only one who’d changed a little over the past couple of years. The last time he’d seen Jason, his hair had been short, like an army cut, and he’d had a beard. He’d looked hot then, but now…. Ben had to forcibly shut his mouth so he didn’t gape.

Jason’s thick dark hair, still shaved at the sides, was now a good couple of inches longer on top. And he was clean shaven. Ben kind of missed the beard, but without it Jason looked much younger, and his strong jawline was a thing of beauty. He looked thinner, too. Ben frowned because Jason ate like a horse and had always been bulkier than his brothers. That thought somehow made its way out of Ben’s mouth.

“Have you lost weight?”

Jason laughed softly, one hand immediately going to his stomach. He patted his belly and sighed. “God don’t you start. Mum’s already been on at me about not eating properly.” He pulled Ben in for a quick hug. “It’s good to see you, even if you do put the rest of us to shame.”

Oh God, that voice. As smooth and deep as Ben remembered.

 

Author Bio

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats. An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it – fighting enemies and adversity – but they always find love in the end.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJacobs_fiction
Website: www.annabellejacobs.com
Email: ajacobsfiction@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajacobsfiction

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Christmasvaganza: Music Monday

Hi everyone and welcome to Nell’s Christmasvaganza! Since I have no less than THREE Christmas stories coming out this holiday season, I’ve decided to have some holiday fun here on the blog. I plan on posting lots of fun stuff, for example teach you about Swedish Christmas traditions, post holiday related book reviews, and I will also have four very special guests visiting over the coming month answering holiday related questions. You don’t want to miss them.

So, come for a visit when you need a few minutes away from the busy holiday season. I hope you will enjoy this Christmasvaganza with me.

Let’s start with some Christmas music to get in the holiday spirit, shall we?

For the first Christmasvaganza Music Monday I’ve chosen Jingle Bells by Michael Bublé and the Puppini Sisters. I think Michael Bublé has the perfect voice for singing Christmas music (and old Frank Sinatra-type music) and I especially love his version of I’ll be home for Christmas. And if you’ve never heard of The Puppini Sisters, they are an English close harmony trio who sings in the style of Andrew Sisters. I love their music, especially this a cappella rendition of Bei Mir Bist Du Schön. Check it out if you like that kind of music.

But I digress. Back to Jingle Bells. This version is fun and upbeat and the perfect way to kick off this Christmasvaganza. It always gets me in a holiday mood, and I want to put on my Santa hat, decorate the tree, and sing along. Enjoy.