It’s time for another MFRW Book Hooks blog hop! One of my favourite Christmas traditions is setting the table with Christmas crackers. Before we start to eat, we pull open the crackers with a bang, put on the paper crowns, and go around the table reading the fun fact or joke. Some of them are pretty corny, but they’re definitely fun! Here are a few to brighten your day:
How much did Santa’s sleigh cost? A: Nothing – it was on the house!
Why does Santa always enter through the chimney? A: Because it “soots” him.
What do you call an elf who sings? A: A “wrapper”.
I have two Christmas romances filled with love and laughter – Don’t Mess with Christmas is a sweet romance and Perfectly Christmas is sexy. Each is part of a series, but they’re fun stand-alone stories and both are part of Kindle Unlimited. Despite all the restrictions and uncertainty right now, I hope that you find peace this holiday season and have moments filled with love and laughter.
On the first day of Christmas, his true love said to him, “Sorry, I have to work.”
That’s the life of a surgeon, and Dr. Madison Hayes wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dr. Quinn Malone has another priority. In the countdown to Christmas, he needs to convince his old flame that there’s more to life – and love – than the job itself.
This time, his heart is in it for the long haul. Really.
Romantic and . . . complicated – it’s Perfectly Christmas!
Enjoy an excerpt from Perfectly Christmas ~
Edna Alexander and Bea Mitchell stood at the window of the seniors’ center and watched the new surgeon drive out of the parking lot.
“She’s very young, Bea.”
“And very pretty,” Bea agreed with a frown. She adjusted the tortoise shell glasses perched on her nose. “Didn’t we specify we wanted someone old, someone frumpy?”
“There wasn’t a tick-off box for that.”
“Hmph. There should’ve been.”
They watched the car pull out onto the street and hit the curb as it turned.
“She drives like us.”
“True. And look at the bright side, Edna. If we need surgery, it’d probably be better to have a young whipper-snapper doin’ it rather than some old fart like us.”
“I’m more worried about losing Dr. Quinn.”
Bea pursed her lips. “I know. But what are the chances of that happening?”
Edna gave her a grim sideways glance. “I’d have said slim to none three weeks ago. But when Dr. Hoity-Toity Hecktare decided she’d had enough of us, and Dr. Quinn looked like he was going to go with her, I almost had a stroke. I would never have believed he’d abandon our beloved Strathaven for a girl.”
“Woman,” Bea corrected absently. “Do you think he truly loved her?”
Edna shook her head and her gray curls bounced. “No.” She bit her lip. “Yes. That’s what I’m worried about. What if he up and falls in love with this new surgeon and leaves us?”
“We’d have a town of five thousand with no doctor.”
“Exactly. We’d be right back where we were five years ago before Quinn returned home.”
“And we’d have to go through another round of recruitments for a new doctor. I rue the day when someone from the Underserviced Area program figures out that we’re the Mitchell Alexander who’s been filling out all those forms.”
“A problem for another day.” Edna sighed. “Maybe she’ll stay. Dr. Madison Hayes. She seemed very friendly. Very small-townish.”
Bea grunted. “Not likely. You read her application. I’ll bet my boots she’ll do her two years and move on.”
“And take Quinn with her.” Edna twisted the strap of her oversized purse. “We can’t control his heart.”
“No. But we can’t risk him falling in love, either.”
“So we’ll keep them apart.”
Bea’s eyebrows shot up and she paused, considering. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Of course, it’d be easier if he wasn’t also the only anesthetist for miles around. They’re going to have to work together.”
“Sure, but they’re professionals. I can’t see them getting into any hanky-panky at work. We’ll just make sure they’re never alone together outside of the clinic.”
Edna grinned widely. “Excellent plan. I’ll get on the blower, and before she unpacks, we’ll have a network of chaperones in place.”
“Email me the list.”
“Send me an email, and I’ll reply.”
Bea looked at her pointedly. “Edna, you gotta learn how to send an email.”
“I know how,” Edna said. “You hit reply, then type, then send.”
Bea laughed and threw her arm around Edna’s shoulders. “I think I’ll get you a computer lesson for Christmas.”
Edna’s eyes lit up. “A private one? With that hotty Albert Sparkle?”
Bea stepped back and started buttoning her coat. “Albert’s one hundred and two. And I think the name is Spartan. Does he even own a computer?”
“Yes, and he’s rigged himself up the perfect cup holder with this little drawer thingy that slides out at the top of the computer engine.” Edna pulled a crocheted cap over her curls.
Bea frowned. “You mean the CD tray on the tower?”
Edna smiled. “Maybe. Isn’t that brilliant?”
Bea laughed. “You two were made for each other. C’mon, let’s go and start Operation Put Out the Fire.”
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYW5T7X
Enjoy the next great story on the blog hop!
Salt is a tricky mineral because not only do we add it to cooking water and keep the shaker handy at the table, it’s hidden in all kinds of food – from eggs to breakfast cereals to bread. In the past, the recommended salt intake was 5-6 grams per day (roughly less than a teaspoon a day) or 2 – 2.4 grams of sodium a day. We know that the effect of sodium on blood pressure is greater in patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) and hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. A low sodium diet recommended for people with hypertension sometimes went as low as 1.8 grams of sodium a day. Not only was this very difficult to adhere to, people complained that it changed the taste of their food (and not in a good way).
Only whole cow milk or infant formula are recommended for children between 1 and 2 years of age. (Soy milk has similar fat content to 2% milk and whole cow milk with a fat content of 3.25% is recommended, so that’s why soy-based formulas are preferred over soy milk for 1-2 year olds.
It’s day 1 of the 10-day Countdown!! Enjoy a sneak peek of chapter 1 of Don’t Mess with Christmas.
It’s day 2 of the 10-day Countdown!! I’m sharing some of the inspiration behind Don’t Mess with Christmas. It’s Book 4 of the Dr. Brogan Corkie Matchmaking Doctor series ~ a delightfully funny medical romance! Come escape with me! November 2 is the big release day. Woohoo!!
Parker Roy grew up in the middle of four brothers and has lived with enough testosterone to last her a lifetime. She’s finally moved out and made a life of her own. Between putting the finishing touches on the set for Mapleton’s Christmas play, plowing snow, and transforming her hydroponic greenhouse into a Christmas wonderland, it’s ramping up to be a hectic season.
It’s day 3 of the 10-day Countdown!! In Don’t Mess with Christmas, Julian Murphy and Parker Roy go out to find the perfect real Christmas tree. With all the choice, how to decide which type of tree to buy?
It’s day 4 of the 10-day Countdown!! Dr. Brogan Corkie is sharing her recipe for chilled Roasted Peach Soup – it’s deeeeelicious! 