#PublicationDayPush ~ Snow-Kissed Proposals by @JenniAuthor and @ElisabethHobbes #FestiveShorts #HistoricalRomance @rararesources

Welcome to the publication day push for Snow-Kissed Proposals, courtesy of Rachel’s Random Resources.

My Thoughts

The Christmas Runaway

The Christmas Runaway finds Fiona MacKay lost in the Scottish Highlands, soaked through by the relentless drizzle and wearing uncomfortable new ankle boots. She had acted impulsively, running away from what she considered an unbearable suituation at home, deciding to visit her friend Mhairi in the hopes of making her father see sense. Her maid, Emily, and luggage were waiting at the train station, and now here was this unkempt stranger offering to take her to her destination. She should have listened to Emily and stayed the night in Aberdeen but she’d been too stubborn.

The clatter of approaching hooves brought her back to her feet with an unladylike leap. Someone was coming! She crossed her fingers, hoping that it would be an older, respectable gentleman—a doctor or a minister, perhaps, preferably one who lived close by with an equally respectable wife, in a house with a warm hearth and conveniently empty bedroom.

Fiona and Angus, Mhairi’s brother, don’t quite know what to make of each other—Fiona being so forthright and Angus, to Fiona’s mind, tending to be objectionable. Things escalate when the snow falls in earnest and Fiona is forced to stay longer than she anticipated. Windy Heads Tower is well named, being remote and at the mercy of the weather—a far cry from her home in Edinburgh.

The Christmas Runaway is a delightful Victorian romance in a beautiful setting among the rolling Scottish hills, and with a distant sea view.

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Their Snowbound Reunion

Young sweethearts Amy Pritchard and Anthony Matthews had made plans to meet at their usual spot. After Anthony’s hint about the reason he wanted to see her, Amy expected a proposal of marriage. Due to Amy’s selfish and overbearing father wanting her to be at his beck and call she was late for the assignation, only to find Anthony had left his aunt’s house, leaving no message. Her hopes that he might return were shattered when she read of his engagement some time later.

Fifteen years had passed and Amy, now a widow, applied for the position of housekeeper for Windross. As well as housekeeping she would need to cataloguing the belongings of the late Miss Chase. Thankfully she should not need to see her would be employer, who happened to be Anthony Matthews, Miss Chase’s nephew.

Any concern she had that Anthony Matthews would link the then twenty-four-year-old Amy Pritchard with Mrs Napier Munroe, widow of a Scottish botanist, was slight in the extreme but she had no desire to see him.

Anthony had spent a lot of time at Windross when he was younger but now he lived in the city. Amy had fond memories of visits to the house, avoiding the times when Anthony would be there after he failed to meet her at their arranged time and place. It was strange to be at the house again, and as an employee. But Amy needed the work.

I enjoyed both these quick, easy reads very much. The characters are well defined and likeable and the settings are ideal for the time of the year. Perfect for snuggling up in a favourite reading spot with a mug of hot chocolate.  

A snowy Victorian Christmas – Two festive short stories!

In The Christmas Runaway by Jenni Fletcher: wilful, independent heiress, Fiona MacKay, impulsively runs away to a remote Scottish tower where she’s trapped in the snow with equally headstrong, deliciously dishevelled Angus Drummond.

In Their Snowbound Reunion by Elisabeth Hobbes: fifteen years ago, Amy Munroe and Anthony Matthews were cruelly parted, and each blames the other. When Amy becomes Anthony’s new housekeeper, their passion is reawakened!

Purchase Link – getbook.at/SnowKissedProposals

Jenni Fletcher is the award-winning author of 15 historical romances. She has been nominated for 4 RoNA Awards and won the Libertà Books Shorter Romantic Novel Award in 2020. She lives in Yorkshire with her family and can be contacted via Twitter @JenniAuthor and Facebook.

Elisabeth’s writing career began when she finished in third place in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest in 2013.  She was offered a two-book contract and consequently had to admit secret writing was why the house was such a tip. She is the author of numerous historical romances with Harlequin Mills & Boon covering the Medieval period to Victorian England, and a Second World War romantic historical with One More Chapter. She lives in Cheshire because the car broke down there in 1999 and she never left. Elisabeth can be contacted via Twitter and Facebook.

Image by Couleur from Pixabay