He’s a billionaire set on escaping the holidays and his demanding family. She’s a single mom with a sunny smile who keeps her heart safely hidden. When she makes him her personal Christmas project, what could possibly go wrong?
Gabe Gatlin would do anything to evade the obligatory family holiday hobnobbing that is nothing more than one horrible business event after another, all wrapped up with a gaudy Christmas ribbon. Then the opportunity arises to explore a property in the small town of Summer Creek, Oregon, and gives him the idea to run away for the holidays. This year, he’s skipping Christmas. All he has to do is hide out until January in the quirky little town where the residents have dubbed him Grinchy Gabe. But when a delightful woman starts making his sleigh bells jingle, he might find it impossible to avoid losing his three-sizes-too-small heart.
Single mom and waitress, Dani Latham, has two priorities: give her son the stable life she never had, and spread joy to her friends and neighbors in Summer Creek. When a stranger with a grinchy attitude sits at her table, she makes it her personal mission to make him smile. As she guides him into a flurry of Christmas festivities, she starts to wonder if this grounch’s heart will ever return to normal size. And even worse. . . if it does, who is going to save hers from breaking when he leaves?
Will a little Christmas magic and wonder bring these two lonesome people together?
Discover the joys of the season mixed with humor, holiday fun, and moments that tug at your heartstrings in this sweet contemporary Christmas romance.
“Mr. Sinclair?” Gabe asked, shocked to see the owner of the chain of stores standing right there in Summer Creek. “Jon, is that you?”
The older man looked at him, blinked a few times, then grinned. “Well, I’ll be. Gabe Gatlin. What in the world are you doing in Summer Creek? According to the gossip, you’ve disappeared and are in a rehab center in Europe.”
“Seriously?” Gabe asked, not at all surprised by the stories society’s wagging tongues spread.
Jon leaned closer to him and grinned. “Actually, my wife spoke to your mother a week or so ago. Jacqui told her you’d run away from home and refused to talk to anyone unless it was an emergency email. Is that true?”
Gabe shrugged. “That about sums it up.”
Jon laughed and slapped him on the back. “Son! You are forty-two. You don’t get to run away from home at your age.”
Gabe grinned and waggled an eyebrow. “Oh, yes, I do. It’s been the single best thing I’ve ever done.”
Jon shook his head. “I’d think you’re in the midst of a midlife crisis, but instead of cheating on a wife you don’t have or buying a sports car you don’t need, you ran away from home. How are your father and Monique handling it?”
“About like you’d expect. Monique calls at least once a day with a snotty message about fulfilling my family obligations and returning home immediately. Dad has threatened to fire me, disown me, or have a hit put out on me if I don’t, to quote him, ‘get your head back on straight and return posthaste.’ What he fails to remember is that Grandpa left the realty division to me, not the company. I elected to have a board, but ultimately Daniels Realty belongs to me, and there is nothing Dad or Monique can do about it.”
“So, what brought you to Summer Creek?” Jon asked with interest.
“One of the things my father has been doing lately that is causing any number of issues is insisting Chadwick cut back expenses. Of course, Chadwick is like an obedient lapdog, doing whatever good ol’ Dad tells him to do. He came to my office one morning with a file on a property we’ve been maintaining for years, but no one knew where it was or what it was. I did some research and discovered it was my grandmother’s childhood home here in Summer Creek. When I couldn’t take another minute of Monique’s holiday plans, I basically disappeared. I’d sure appreciate it, sir, if you didn’t mention to your wife—who will surely tell my mother—that I’m in Summer Creek.”
“My lips are sealed, but you might want to at least get in touch with your mom.” Jon gave him a look of fatherly wisdom. “Jacqui sounded quite worried about you. Even billionaire playboys need to be home for Christmas.”
A gasp behind him made Gabe spin around and look at Dani as she gaped at him. “Billionaire?” she asked on a breathless wheeze. “You’re a billionaire?”
Gabe shrugged. “That’s what my accountant tells me.”
USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.
Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.
For sixteen years, Laurelin Moore has been keeping a secret. She is a whisperer, and she knows that to reveal her gift now is a dangerous risk. Past whisperers have been exploited for their power. But Ausland’s queen is dead and acknowledging her magic is her only chance at becoming a Rook in the Pentax—a competition that will decide the kingdom’s next ruler. Laurelin isn’t in it for the crown, though. She’s after the wish that will be granted to the victor. A wish that would save her dying brother, Pippin.
Once chosen, Laurelin finds that there are dangerous undercurrents to the Pentax, and she is at the center of it. When she begins to search for answers, she discovers a secret with implications far beyond her brother’s life–or her own, for that matter. Now, she has to choose between saving Pippin or saving the kingdom she loves.
For most people, I think writing about oneself is difficult, and that’s no exception for writers. I must have written a dozen different versions of this. But hey, if you’re here, you must be interested in knowing a little about my life. If you’re curious about something that’s not covered here, shoot me a message through email or social media and I’ll be happy to answer!
I live in Northern Utah with my wonderful husband and our rambunctious toddler. We’re a family that likes to be on the go, so you’ll probably find us at the zoo, on a hike, or out for a run together. And yes, the housework suffers while we play. There are usually crumbs on the counter, dishes in the sink, and toys on the floor.
I graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in health education and history teaching. I taught junior high school for two years before switching careers. I now work from home for a local credit union and write down the stories in my head when I have time.
If you’re interested in seeing more about me, find me on Facebook or Instagram. @janiliselloyd
A Magic Coin. A Hidden World. An Incredible Adventure!
When Henry Simmons unearths a coin with mysterious powers, it’s clear that his life is soon to change . . . but not how he expects. After using the charm to woo Tracey Maxwell, Henry finds himself launched to another dimension – a world in which the human race is mercilessly hunted down by creatures called Sadarkians. This hellish realm, Zargothia, could scarcely be less safe.
Transported together, Henry and Tracey meet two mysterious strangers and a garrulous cat. Pressing forward, they learn that they’ve been charged with saving the people of Zargothia, but freeing King Argoth along with his people means facing ruthless overlords and almost certain death.
Vastly outnumbered, can Henry and his fated friends surmount the odds? In such a realm of wicked magic, danger lurks at every turn . . . and nothing is what it seems.
Many thousands of feet above the Bermuda Triangle, the TBF Avenger disturbed the blue sky’s silence. Captain Edward Johnson, aged forty, and his friend, Sergeant Conor MacCall, thirty-seven, crewed the dark-blue Torpedo bomber. They flew without a bombardier because they did not expect any action. This was a routine patrol for the naval air station in Fort Lauderdale, near Miami.
“It’s a good morning for flying. The one thing I haven’t missed these last two years is the miserable weather back home,” said Conor in his strong Glaswegian accent.
“I agree with you on that one,” Edward replied in his Oxford drawl, his brown eyes surveying the area around him. He had dark-blond hair and a blond moustache.
Sitting in the rear of the plane, controlling the turret gun and radio, Conor pushed back his carroty hair and turned his green eyes towards Edward.
“Do you ever think about home?” Conor asked.
“All the time,” Edward said with a slight trace of loneliness.
“What do you miss the most?” Conor pressed further.
Edward thought for a moment before answering. “I miss my parents. Every Sunday, Sandra and I would take the kids and visit my folks, staying for a few hours. Sandra loved my mother’s baking. Mum always fussed over the children.”
“I suppose you miss her baking too, sir, eh?” Conor chuckled as he asked this.
“Well, I suppose I do. But there’re better opportunities over here, so we had no choice but to move.”
“Aye, I’ll second that. I miss meeting the lads on a Saturday for a wee game of footie and then the few pints after. I’ll tell you this much, one thing I don’t miss is shooting down Germans over London.”
“True, true,” Edward agreed.
He scanned the area once more, satisfied that there was no present danger.
“I suppose we’ll head back,” Edward said. “Radio the station to all-clear the area.”
“Aye, sir. I’ll get right on it.”
Twenty minutes from base, a brilliant white light exploded out of nowhere, engulfing the sky as far as they could see. Sound burst around them, ricocheting with memories of bombing raids, flak and fire, the uncertainty of survival, deafness isolating each man in his real and recalled fear, never knowing if they would make it back. The light intensified, burning their retinas.
Shielding their eyes didn’t help much.
As suddenly as it arrived, the light disappeared.
“What in blazes just happened?” Conor said, blinking.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Edward replied.
Both Conor and Edward’s headphones suddenly burst with static as they received a transmission from base.
“Fort Lauderdale to FT-4, do you read me?”
“This is Fox Tare Four to Fort Lauderdale; we read you loud and clear. What’s the problem? Over,” Conor replied.
“You got two unidentified bogies closing in on your position. Three o’clock.”
Conor shook away the last of the retina burn and looked again. With a second glance, he saw them approaching.
“Roger that, Lauderdale. Bogies spotted. FT-4, out.” His headphones crackled as Lauderdale was cut off.
“Sir, I know this may sound strange,” he said, turning to Edward, “but they don’t seem to be planes coming towards us.”
“Of course they are. What else can they be?”
Conor shut his eyes and squinted, focusing harder. As he looked again, he became slack-jawed.
“I think they’re …” He swallowed the unreality of the thought. “They’re … black dragons. And there’s someone riding them.”
“This is no time for jokes,” Edward barked.
“I’m not joking. They’re gaining on us. Break left!”
“Don’t be daft. There’s no such—” Edward stopped as he, too, saw what Conor had seen.
“My God!” he exclaimed in awe. “Bloody hell, how’s this even possible?”
Edward snapped out of his momentary, shock-induced paralysis. “Hold on!”
The TBF Avenger swooped down. The dragon followed. Opening its large mouth, it belched fire and narrowly missed the TBF Avenger’s tail.
Aidan Lucid began writing in 2002 after having a spiritual experience. Since then, his works have appeared in national and international poetry anthologies, magazines and e-zines. Lucid first began working on The Zargothian Saga trilogy while recovering from a horrific accident in 2005.
Aidan released The Scavenger — a horror novella — in January 2021. The first book in the Hopps Town series, it received many positive reviews. He followed that up with Unlucky Charm in January 2022. Book three of the series, Dark Secrets, will be released in February 2023.
Mr Lucid is working on more sequels to The Zargpthian Saga.
In his spare time he likes to meditate/pray, listen to music and go to the movies with his wife, Claire.
