Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Marlene @ReadingReality and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, be they physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
This seemed like a great feature to jump onboard with to help me avoid my interminably long monthly posts of all that I’ve bought (and NOT read). So here goes!
I was going to pass on this post this weekend until I realised that the majority of my freebie downloads are still free. In the spirit of Christmas lots of authors have made their books available and I wouldn’t want you to miss the opportunity to pick up some great reading either. So even though I got myself a couple of paperbacks for Christmas my lovely little book haul was still only £10.98 – Merry Christmas to me!
Hope you all had a good one!
(NB This post features Affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)
eBooks
Falling for Finn by Brooke Fox (was free now £3.99)
Falling for Finn isn’t part of my plan.
He’s older, moody, and complains about everything I do.
His family flies me three thousand miles out to their orchard farm in Vermont to do a painting for their centennial celebration. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to do a piece for the Bennetts, but I don’t expect my clients’ grandson to rope me into a fake dating scheme.
When his ex-girlfriend shows up expecting to sleep in the cottage I’m currently in, I volunteer to stay with Finn to keep up appearances that we’re together.
Except there’s only one bed, and I refuse to sleep on his small couch.
As my reluctant tour guide, he’s forced to show me around while pretending we’re in love. Painting is my life and this job will bring me even more in the future, so I suck it up and deal with Mr. Grumpy.
And since he’s hell-bent on being insufferable, I won’t make this easy on him either.
But then he goes and falls for me, too.
Looks Real Good Now by Sophie Thomas (free)
Some yeses are easier to give than others…
Alana Fitzpatrick should be spending Christmas in Aspen, but she ruined her own plans when her (ex) boyfriend got down on one knee to propose…and she didn’t say yes.
She is dreading going home to Westchester, New York for the holidays. Facing her parents and the small-town gossip amid her not-so-impending nuptials does not sound like a merry time. That is, until an old childhood friend, and the first boy she ever loved, runs into her at the airport.
Liam Mulligan is also dreading the holidays. When an old shoulder injury reared its ugly head, he called time on his professional ice hockey career. Then his girlfriend of five years broke up with him. He is tired of telling everyone he is okay and having no one believe him, even though it’s the truth. Mostly.
When he bumps into Alana at the airport, he sees an opportunity.
The proposition is simple. Alana and Liam tell their parents that they recently reconnected and started dating. Everyone will be so distracted, that there will be no mention of failed proposals and early retirements.
What isn’t simple is keeping the old feelings they both ran away from as teenagers at bay. Will Liam be able to hold onto the most important person in his life? Will Alana finally stop running and let herself fall for the one that got away?
Or will they both learn that some things are only for a season?
The Grump Who Saved Christmas by Tracy Leigh (free)
When I first met Callum Reed, I thought he was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen.
Until he opened his mouth and ruined it all.
Because the sexy-as-sin man dressed in a tailor-made suit is trying to steal my ranch from me.
Okay, technically, he’s trying to buy it from me, but I’d rather swallow a fruitcake whole than watch someone turn this beloved place into a bunch of timeshares for the rich, destroying Christmas at Holley Ridge.
The problem is that Callum Reed doesn’t give up easily, not when he stands to make millions off this property. So instead of walking away with his proverbial tail between his legs, he books a room at my inn for the Christmas season.
The last thing I need during this time of year is a modern-day Grinch staying here.
So I concoct a plan. Flood Callum with a tidal wave of holiday cheer, hoping he’ll flee in the face of too much festivity.
The last thing I expect is for him to actually enjoy himself.
Or volunteer to dress up as Santa for a group of foster kids.
Or help me in my last-ditch effort to save Holley Ridge.
As I start to get a glimpse beneath his gruff exterior, I can’t help but wonder if maybe there’s more to Callum Reed than meets the eye.
Mine Forever by Eliza Peake (free)
Two broken hearts that never mended. An impossible favor. And a hurricane that forces us to share a bed.
I had it all – a legendary baseball career, sponsorships, all the women I could want.
But the only one I wanted was Eden Mitchell, the woman who gave me her heart years ago until I broke it.
It was only a matter of time before my house of cards came tumbling down in a public scandal that ruined my career for good.
I had no choice but to return to my hometown of Cape Sands.
Then Eden finds me, asking for my help to save her business.
I’ve never been able to deny her, especially when she begs, but it means traveling to the scene of my demise.
Hard pass.
She doesn’t know the whole truth about my downfall, and I don’t want her to know.
But when a hurricane traps us in my house, with only one bed, we can’t keep our hands off each other.
I want to win her heart again. And going back to my past is the best way to do it.
My head says hell no, but my body and heart say to make her mine forever.
Fearless Heart by Brighton Walsh (free)
Quinn Cartwright sees me as nothing more than her rival…her enemy. But I’ve been obsessed with her since we were teenagers. She’s gorgeous and brilliant with a tongue sharp enough to cut glass…and she has no idea I love it as much as I do.
So when she needs someone to put a ring on it because of her a-hole boss, I marry her without hesitation.
We draw up a contract on a napkin. This marriage might be fake, but no one in our small town has to know.
She may never see me as anything more than a playboy, but sleeping in the same bed together night after night makes me want to put my skills to use and prove just how good this fake marriage can be…
Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher (99p)
Rafael
Ellie Sinclair is a hopeless romantic who writes love songs.
I’m a struggling workaholic who could inspire a hundred breakup albums.
On paper, we have nothing in common except for my son.
For eight months, I avoid her until our summer trip.
Fourteen days. Two islands. And one nanny I shouldn’t be attracted to.
Spending time with Ellie is expected, but enjoying her company?
That isn’t part of our travel plans.
After my divorce, I swore to protect my heart at all costs.
Even if it means breaking hers in the process.
Ellie
What’s worse than working for a grumpy single dad?
Admitting that I once had a secret crush on him in high school.
Thankfully, Rafael Lopez and I have changed since we graduated from Wisteria High.
He is a billionaire with a company to run and a child to take care of.
I’m an unemployed songwriter he hired to watch his son and teach music.
We coexist without any issues until a vacation changes everything.
Lines blur and old feelings for Rafael return with vengeance as I face a new dilemma.
Being his son’s nanny is one thing, but wishing for more?
Sounds like a heartbreak song waiting to be written.
Tough Love by Alexandra Banks (free)
Hudson Rawlins is the eldest of four sons, and a chip off the old block. He doesn’t do relationships. He is happy working the ranch and being left alone.
Addy Howard has a six month contract as the new equine vet for Lewistown, Montana. And she has just been assigned as the ride along vet for the Rosewood ranch annual muster. But she hasn’t been on a horse since her horrific fall at the Show Jumping Olympic Qualifiers.
When her past sees them thrust together, will Hudson finally crack and let her in?
Or will the expectations his father for both of them mean things between them heat up just for shatter apart?
My Lucky Night by Olivia Spring (free)
She hates Christmas. He’s about to change her mind…
Cassie isn’t a fan of Christmas. After a string of unlucky incidents during the festive season—including getting dumped—this year she decides to spend the day at home. Alone. No men. No complications.
But then her nightmare boss demands she track down this year’s most coveted gift—and the only person who can help is an annoyingly sexy Frenchman she’s just met.
Nicolas might look hot, but Cassie can tell he’s also arrogant, irritating and in love with himself. Exactly the kind of guy she hates. Plus, he’ll only help her find the gift if she helps him with something in return…
Could Cassie’s romantic fortunes finally be about to change? And will she get lucky in more ways than one?
Set against a gorgeous London backdrop with sparkling lights, Christmas markets and mistletoe, My Lucky Night is a fun, sexy enemies-to-lovers romcom novella that will give you all the festive feels! Ideal for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Tessa Bailey.
The Playing Game by Ainsley Booth (free)
Two years ago, I had the hottest night of my life with a woman who didn’t want to tell me her name—and in a tequila-fueled fever dream, I agreed. She was funny, sexy, and after I got past her brittle shell, secretly very sweet.
In the morning, she was gone. I’ve looked for her in every city I’ve played in since. That night ruined me for anyone else, but the woman I only know as “Jersey Girl” never showed up at another game.
Not until I skate onto brand new ice as part of the NHL’s latest team. And there she is, in the stands at our season opening game. Very carefully not looking at me.
Turns out, she has good reasons why she can’t date a pro hockey player. But I have even better reasons why she can—like, we’re meant for each other, and I’ll do whatever it takes to be the man she needs.
Never too Late by Hannah Lynn (was free now £2.99)
Two jaded hearts, one unexpected romance…
Fleur Fisher is determined to start anew and build the family she’s always wanted. But, she has already kissed her fair share of frogs and, as her fortieth birthday approaches, it becomes increasingly clear that time is against her.
Henry Pierce, has put his work and caring for his great aunt ahead of everything else for as long as he can remember. Content in his bachelor lifestyle, he’s not sure he even believes in romantic love anymore.
However, despite his contentment, Henry’s meddling great aunt, a member of the Lonely Hearts Book Club, sees potential in the vivacious Fleur and believes she could be the perfect match to counterbalance her nephew’s negative outlook on love.
But as Fleur’s sunny disposition manages to melt Henry’s heart, are his devilish good looks and an unexpected act of chivalry enough to make her overlook some previous unbecoming behaviour?
Or is it a case of too little, too late for them?
Bourbon Lullaby by Walker Rose (free)
Myles Foster: CEO, thief, broody grump. And, once upon a time, the boy who read me stories when it stormed. My brothers hate him for the knowledge he took from our family’s bourbon company to start his own empire. My sisters have forgotten him. But me? I’m going to be his new assistant.
To him, I’m just a temp with a deep knowledge about the world of spirits. But if I come clean about just where I got that know-how, he’ll toss me out before I can find out what happened to the boy who calmed my fears.
How did the angry foster kid with a chip on his shoulder the size of Montana become the owner of a respected distillery? How did he get my adoptive father to show him so much of the family business, only to run away and become a huge competitor?
How could he disappear from our lives and forget me when I could never forget him?
He doesn’t trust easily, and I’m only in his office because of a lie. But if that lie will get me all the answers I’ve been craving for twenty-two years, then that’s what I’ll do, right up until the moment he finally remembers who I am. And then it’ll be my turn to disappear.
Snowed Inn by Erin Branscom (free)
What if you had to work with your arch-enemy?
Everything was going according to plan until Beau Sutton and his brother Hank bought my family’s pizzeria and took away my dream. That’s okay because I have a plan.
Be a surrogate.
Buy back my family’s pizzeria or start a new one.
Don’t fall for grumpy Beau.
This plan sounded simple. None of these plans are working out like I thought they would.
Holly Springs is the worst and best thing that could have happened to me.
For the first time in my life, I’m trying to put myself first, starting over. I moved with my brother Hank to Freedom Valley to have a fresh start with our new pizzeria, Freedom Pie.
There’s a problem. I make the WORST pizza ever and I can’t get it right. I need to find a co-chef to save the restaurant and one fast.
The other problem is Holly Springs. From the moment I first saw her, I wanted her. She’s adorable, fiery, and friends with everyone in this small town, except me.
Can I get her to stop hating me and see that we both want the same dream?
A Vicarage Christmas by Kate Hewitt (free)
Welcome to Thornwaite, a quaint village tucked up in England’s beautiful but rainy Lake District… where homecomings happen and surprises are in store for the four Holley sisters…
Anna Holley, the third of four sisters, has always felt a little bit forgotten. A family tragedy when she was a child had her retreating deep into shyness, and social anxiety kept her on the fringes of the cozy chaos of the busy vicarage.
After several years away from home, Anna returns for Christmas… and an important announcement from her father. As much as she once loved the village, coming back is hard and puts Anna’s social capabilities to the test.
Avoiding her sisters’ bossy questions, she heads out to the local pub one night, and meets a handsome stranger nursing a pint. Somehow, unburdened by expectations, Simon seems like the perfect person to spill all her secrets to—including a hopeless, long-held crush on her sister’s boyfriend. Confident she’ll never see him again, Anna returns home… only to discover the next day that Simon is actually her father’s new curate!
Anna is beyond mortified, but Simon won’t let her retreat into her usual shyness—and for once Anna is forced to confront the past, and all the fears and feelings she’d tried so long to hide. But with his own heartache that needs to heal, can Simon help Anna to make this the most magical Christmas either of them have known?
Ice Skates and Cupcakes by Isabella May (free)
Can a grumpy Parisian handball player turn into a golden retriever boyfriend?
Ex-ballerina and cupcake connoisseur, SUMMER SIMPSON is four years into running her controversial but successful cupcake emporium in Montmartre, Paris. All of which has created enough drama, but then there are the neighbours: prickly but hot sports star, FABIEN ROBERT and his snooty, overbearing aunt.
When Fabien isn’t turning the heating off in their apartment block to annoy Summer, his beloved family member is circulating new streams of gossip in a bid to make her scurry back to the UK.
But Summer is as tough as her sugarspun Eiffel Tower cupcakes… even in the snow flurries of a French winter. Until disaster strikes and a corporate Christmas delivery for the biggest business in the neighbourhood has the power to make or break the emporium, forcing even Fabien to defrost – and the sparks to fly.
Festive dates on the outdoor ice skating rink are well and good (and a fabulous excuse to dust down Summer’s pirouettes) but her business comes first and there’s no way she will share her heart with a man whose meddling family cannot be trusted.
The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score (99p)
She’ll save Christmas just to spite him…
There’s only one thing standing in the way of Cat King saving a small town’s Christmas festival: Grumpy town manager Noah Yates.
Single dad Noah takes his responsibilities seriously. When a late season hurricane turns Merry, Connecticut, into a disaster, he’s left scrambling to pick up the pieces of the town he loves.
At least, until home renovation expert and smoking hot reality TV star Catalina King arrives with a camera crew and a budget big enough to put the town back together again. But Noah doesn’t want a celebrity diva capitalizing on their tragedy or filling his daughter’s head with visions of glitz and glam.
Blonde bombshell Cat is used to being underestimated, but Noah has an uncanny knack for getting under her skin. They can’t be in a room together without rubbing each other the wrong way…except that time in the dark alley where the rubbing was just right. Can these enemies work together to pull off a Christmas miracle or will their fighting leave them both on the naughty list?
Love by a Landslide by KL Parsons (free)
SHE WANTS TO FORGE HER OWN PATH. HE PREFERS TO STAY ON THE TRAIL. NEITHER IS READY FOR ROMANCE.
Lucy O’Malley is done being a doormat. After getting dumped and booted from her apartment on her thirtieth birthday, she finds herself on the road to reinvention—or rather, on Interstate 90 headed east toward Leavenworth, Washington, for a little beer, bratwurst, and backpacking. Who cares if the Bavarian-themed “romantic getaway” was originally planned for a couple? Unfortunately, her guide does.
Jonathan Miller owns Off the Beaten Adventures, a successful outdoor guiding company in Leavenworth. Ever since the unthinkable happened on a rafting trip four years ago, Jonathan has erred on the side of caution. He plans meticulously and avoids risk whenever possible. So, when a sexy little brunette shows up and throws a wrench in his carefully laid plans he is convinced the three-day excursion will end in disaster.
The initial attraction is mutual, but Lucy and Jonathan find themselves on rocky terrain, and the last thing either wants is to complicate matters with a fling. But after a freak landslide decimates their only serviceable trail home, sizzling chemistry is the least of their problems. Together, they must cut through the raw wilderness and return safely to civilization with their bodies—and hearts—intact.
A Christmas Caroline by Camilla Isley (free)
Caroline is a cynic career woman living the high life in Manhattan where love and relationships are but a distant memory of the past.
But after a freak accident on Christmas Eve, Caroline receives a visit from a cheeky spirit of Christmas Past, Present, Yet to Come, and—most importantly—Christmas That Could Have Been.
When she wakes up on Christmas Day suddenly married with three kids and living two doors down from her parents in New Jersey, Caroline has a chance to experience the life she would’ve had if she’d made a different choice.
Will small-town life as a mother and a wife make her fall in love again and rediscover what’s really important in life and love?
Follow Your Dreams by Kat Ryan (free)
Nate’s a Chicago librarian who moved home to Highland Falls. Elle traded the big city to be closer to her small-town family. When these strangers become friends, can Nate convince Elle to follow her dreams—and take a chance on him?
Elle Robinson
As a kid, stories were what I disappeared into when I wanted to escape reality, but fiction writing doesn’t pay the bills. I’ve moved to Highland Falls to be near my sister and day one has me in the path of a dreamy librarian. He’s by my side when I confided my dreams of writing, and he’s there when everything goes south at work. He seems to be interested in me, but there’s no way my life would ever resemble the fiction I love to write.
Nate Roberts
After working in one of the largest library systems in the world, I moved to one of the smallest. Highland Falls is where my grandparents lived and where my heart feels at home. Moving back seemed like a good idea, but didn’t nothing felt right until I met Elle Robinson, even if my neat and orderly life gets knocked a bit off kilter as a result. I thought I knew what the future held, but now I know for sure. It’s Elle. I just need to help her listen to her heart as well.
The Art of Awkward Affection by Alina Jacobs (free)
I admit it was me who shouted, “Looking good, hot stuff!” at Mr. Richmond this morning, but I didn’t mean it like that.
Honest, I was paying him a compliment! That’s kind of what I do: I’m a proud, small-town Floridian, and Manhattan is craving some Florida sunshine—nothing like a sincere compliment to turn those New York frowns upside down!
Grayson Richmond needs some positivity.
Have you seen how grumpy he is?
Disgustingly wealthy and unfairly hot, the man wears an arrogant snarl almost as well as he wears a suit.
Drool!
The word tyrant doesn’t do him justice, though, when he has me dragged into his office to be reprimanded.
Just FYI, the exact wrong thing to do in that situation is to tell him you’re the one who’s been leaving notes of positive affirmation in his underwear drawer.
As the lowly assistant of the assistant to the secretary of Mr. Grumpy Pants himself, what else do you expect me to do while I’m in his swanky penthouse dropping off the dry cleaning and rehoming Grayson’s food?
No, I am not making a mockery of this company or of him. Believe me, my credit card debt and I are very happy to have this job.
And to have a chance to sprinkle a little joy in Grayson’s life.
I am a kindness fairy on a mission!
Cupcakes, corgi stickers, and surprise visit from my emotional support iguana? Only scowls.
But when he catches me in his penthouse with my blouse undone?
That earns me a genuine, panty-dropping smile.
However, as the cracks form in his carefully controlled life I realize…
Grayson has a dark secret.
And I don’t know if there’s enough sunshine in the world to save him.
Paperbacks
The Front Runner by Elsie Silver (2 for £9 Asda)
A small-town faking dating romance from the bestselling author of Flawless and Wild Love.
Stefan Dalca is infuriatingly handsome and annoyingly persistent. We’re supposed to hate each other, but apparently he didn’t get the memo, because he’s been asking me out for years. And I always say no. Until today.
Today he has something that I desperately need – today, he’s my saviour. Our time together starts out as a simple transaction: three dates, no touching, no telling anyone – and definitely no falling in love.
But with every intimate conversation, and each stolen glance, the tension between us builds. The way he looks at me gives me butterflies. And when he finally touches me? We sizzle. Stefan makes me feel seen in a way no other person has before. He cherishes my words as passionately as my body. He makes me laugh, he makes me blush. He’s not the villain he’s been made out to be.
And suddenly I find myself longing for him in a way the people closest to me wouldn’t approve of or understand. Giving in to Stefan Dalca is playing with fire. But with him I don’t even mind the heat.
A False Start by Elsie Silver (2 for £9 Asda)
I kissed my best friend’s little sister, and the world stood still. That night we were two perfect strangers, the town’s grumpy recluse and a gorgeous girl in the back of a bar. Until we weren’t. Because Nadia Dalca isn’t just some girl, she’s the girl I can’t have. Fourteen years younger than me and completely off-limits.
My plan is to stay away, but the universe keeps pushing us together. It’s like some sort of cosmic joke, to give me a taste of something so electric – so real – that breathed life back into me. Because I can look, but I can’t touch. Her sinful curves, her light-hearted laughter, her wild side… I’m addicted to every last bit of her.
And when she turns those sultry eyes on me, so full of longing and free of judgement? I’ve always considered myself a strong man but, when she looks at me, I’m weak. To give in to our connection would be a betrayal. Her brother is the only family she has left and, sad as it sounds, he’s also my only friend.
But I kissed her again anyway. And now I can’t stop.
Happy Reading!!
