Book Spotlight - Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

I enjoy reading Christmas books anytime of the year, but especially during the Holidays!  😊
And, I always enjoy reading Christmas stories by Debbie Macomber!

I started reading this book yesterday, I love the story! 

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Published: October 3rd, 2017
Publisher: Random House 

From Goodreads:

Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She's taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry's well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her--minus her photo--and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.

Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects--or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.

Visit Debbie Macombers website for more information on this book 

Are you reading a Christmas book?

Happy Holidays! 

Cookie Creations and Cookbook Review and Giveaway

Do you love making Cookies?   I have put together a list of my Favorite Cookies from some of my friends blogs!  All of the Cookies sound so good, it would be hard to choose a favorite! 

I'm also sharing a Cookbook Review and a Giveaway from The Better Baker!  To enter the Giveaway, please scroll down. 

My friend Kim from The Cookie Puzzle  makes such pretty cookies!  Today, she is sharing her favorite Sugar Cookie recipe with us!    Kim says this recipe is designed to give a thick and soft cookie.

 Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe from The Cookie Puzzle

D at The Shady Porch is sharing her Caramel Apple Pie Cookies.  The golden apple pie filling and lattice tops are like personal apple pies, and they are so easy to make!

Caramel Apple Pie Cookies from The Shady Porch

Marsha from The Better Baker is sharing her Caramel Shortbread Squares.  She describes them as rich little squares with a shortbread crust, caramel center and 

topped with chocolate!  

Caramel Shortbread Squares from The Better Baker

Melissa from "Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen" is sharing her recipe for Chocolate Kissed Coconut Macaroons.  Her recipe includes flour, which makes them a bit more cookie-like with a soft and chewy center and a crispy exterior.  They look delicious!

Chocolate Kissed Coconut Macaroons from

 Melissas Southern Style Kitchen

Andi from The Wednesday Baker is sharing her recipe for Pecan Gingerbread Cookies.  Just seeing and smelling these 

Gingerbread Men cookies reminds us all of Christmas! 

Pecan Gingerbread Cookies from The Wednesday Baker

Brandie from The Country Cook is sharing these cute Reindeer Cookies! They make the perfect cookie to share this time of year, and kids love to help make these! 

Reindeer Cookies a.k.a "Rein-Dear Cookies" from The Country Cook

My friend, Marsha from "The Better Baker" sent me a copy of her cookbook called "Love at First Bite" earlier this year, and I love it!  There are so many easy, quick recipes in her cookbook, that it was hard for me to pick which one to try first!  Her cookbook has recipes for appetizers, beverages, salads, soups, side dishes, breads and rolls, main dishes, cookies and candy and more! 

 Over 100 of her recipes have 6 ingredients or fewer! 

I have tried the Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese bars and they were delicious!  I have several more recipes "bookmarked" including her recipe for Sweet Cornbread Muffins.  And, thats just to get me started!  The more I look in her cookbook, the more recipes I find that I want to try!

I like the fact that her cookbook has a spiral bound edge, it opens "flat" and that makes it easier to read while following one of her recipes!

For more information about her cookbook, visit her cookbook page on her blog

http://thebetterbaker.blogspot.com/p/love-at-first-bite-cookbook.html

Marsha's Cookbook "Love at First Bite" is priced at $15.00 ( plus shipping and handling ), but you can save $3.00  by using the Code word Cookie  

***Special Code Word valid thru Midnight CST 12/31/2014

  To order your copy of "Love at First Bite" - send a email to

thebetterbaker@gmail.com

USA Orders only 

I'm so grateful that Marsha has offered to give away a copy to my readers!

To enter for your chance to win a copy of "Love at First Bite" see below
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email notice that they have won or a different winner will be chosen

Sharing at these parties!

Sunday Link up @ Kansas Women Bloggers

Treasure Box Tuesday @ Yesterfood and Memories by the Mile
Book Musing Mondays @ Mary-andering Creatively
Inspire me Monday @ Create with Joy
Party in your PJ's @ The Cookie Puzzle and bumblebreeblog

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Holiday Book Releases

There are so many great books being released

 this Holiday Season! 

 I have listed a few below, - they would make wonderful Christmas presents for the book lover on your Gift list!

Silver Bells by Deborah Raney

http://www.deborahraney.com

As Elvis croons from the radio and Christmas descends upon a small Kansas town, two people find the miracle of love.
Michelle Penn has dropped out of college to work as a reporter for a tiny weekly newspaper. The boss’s son, Robert Merrick III, is quickly making her forget all about her former sweetheart, Kevin, who has shipped out to Vietnam. Rob loves the newspaper business but feels trapped working for his father. He dreams of having his own newspaper, but now that he’s met Michelle, she is what he wants most of all. Rob is forbidden by office policy to date Michelle, but if he  were to quit his job, he’d have nothing to offer her.   As snow blankets the town, it seems that the gifts Rob and Michelle most desire—each other—are out of reach. But then, they didn’t count on a small Christmas miracle.

Merry Humbug Christmas:  Two Tales of Holiday Romance
 by Sandra D. Bricker
http://www.sandradbricker.com

A Merry Humbug Christmas features two holiday romance novellas from hilarious and heartwarming author Sandra D. Bricker. -- the perfect gift to yourself or someone else at this most wonderfully stressful time of year.

In "Once Upon a Jingle Bell," A Bah! Humbug cruise to the Mexican Riviera is Joss Snow’s answer to this year’s quest to avoid the holidays completely; at least until she’s rebooked on a different kind of cruise altogether. Candy canes, holly wreaths, reindeer and ornaments seem to be stalking her on the 12 Days of Christmas holiday cruise extravaganza. An escape back to land is her only goal . . . until she meets a kindred spirit in rugged Irishman Patrick Brenneman,  and then the game is on!

In "It Came Upon a Midnight Deer," Reese’s guilt over abandoning best friend Joss on their holiday tradition of avoiding all things Christmas is trumped by the joy of her recent engagement. Meeting Damian’s family for the first time on idyllic Sugarloaf Mountain is about as far from thatBah! Humbug cruise as she can get, and Reese can hardly wait to get there. But from the moment they hit that deer in the road just two miles from the cabin, everything seems to go wrong. 

If you like Cozy mysteries,  be sure and check out lots of great Christmas Cozy Mysteries on The Cozy Mystery List website.

And if you have a favorite holiday recipe, decoration, craft or tradition, be sure and link up at

 The Shady Porch Holiday Party,

 now thru..December 24th!

The Shady Porch Holiday Party

Sharing at these Fun Parties!

The winners of my book giveaway are Wanda and Christy!  Congratulations!

Stay tuned for more Book Reviews later this month!

Happy Holidays!

Book Tour and Review: "A Seaside Christmas" by Sherryl Woods

I love books about Christmas, and I really enjoyed reading Sherryl Wood's new Christmas book called " A Seaside Christmas"!  

As Jenny Collins returns to Chesapeake Shores after living in Nashville for years..she is looking forward to helping out with a Christmas program and to see all of her family.
She is trying to put her past relationship with a county music singer behind her, but she still thinks of him and wonders how he is doing...
With all the charm of a small town Christmas, and wonderful family characters, this book will put you in the Christmas spirit!

** I was provided a ARC copy of this book for my honest review.


About the book:
A Chesapeake Shores Novel #10
Hardcover  Release date: October 2013 (09-24-13)

As the only child of a single mom, Jenny Collins wanted nothing more than to be part of a large, rambunctious family like the O’Briens. Ironically, though, when her mother married into that family, Jenny found herself feeling more like an outsider than ever.

Now, after years in Nashville as an established songwriter, Jenny’s drawn back to Chesapeake Shores to collaborate on a Christmas production...and to make peace with the past. As if that’s not challenging enough, Caleb Green, the singer who broke her heart, has followed her to town, determined to win hr back.

With the help of a little O’Brien holiday magic, will Jenny and Caleb find a way to make sweet music forever?

From: http://www.sherrylwoods.com

To read an excerpt from this book, click here

About the Author:

With two other careers to her credit before becoming a novelist and four states in which she's lived for extended periods of time, Sherryl Woods has collected friends and memories, along with way too much unnecessary junk.

"The friends are the only things I've brought with me through the years that really matter," she says.

 "I could probably live without one more chintz teacup, another tin-litho sandpail or another snowglobe, but I need those friends."

Author of more than 100 romance and mystery novels, Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia. Over the years she had lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers.

What is your favorite Christmas Movie or Song?

Visit Sherryl Woods online:

Website -  http://www.sherrylwoods.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sherryl-Woods

Visit the other stops on this book tour:

September 20th - PJ's Book Nook

September 21st - A Book Addict's Musings

September 23rd - Creative Madness Mama