Hot Winter Nights Giveaway Hop

Wow, so it's December already!  That means so many things- winter, Christmas, and cooler weather? I say that because I'm in Phoenix, and we're still in and around the 80's...that doesn't feel winterish to me!

But the nights are cool...and to me, Hot Winter Nights are ones made up  of spending it with the one you love. Often times, what my husband and I do is take a walk, though we take our 3 year old son, and tire him out!  We usually wind up at our QuikTrip for hot chocolate, or in my case lately, blueberry tea. Then, we go home, snuggle up, drinking our hot drinks, and watch something either on the DVR, or a movie we rent.

One of the things I used to love to do was walk with my husband in the rain. Yes, we're that crazy. But winter to us means long walks, because that's what we used to do. We were both going through a rough time, and ended up walking to talk about it. Long, late night walks and talking, and falling in love. So winter has a special meaning for me. It's almost to the five year mark for us dating, come this December, so I know we'll keep up our walking tradition for these hot winter nights. :)

What is a perfect hot winter night for you? What kind of winter nights do you enjoy reading about?  Does Christmas bring out the best in hot winter nights?



Nikki Lynn Barrett lives in Arizona with her husband and son. She's an avid reader, a dreamer, and loves everything about books. She runs a book blog, an online used bookstore, and writes various genres of romance. Nikki can also be found outside with her camera when a storm is near, snapping photo after photo. Her dreams of becoming a writer started when she was young, when she started writing books in one subject notebooks by the fifth grade. The Secret Santa Wishing Well is her debut book. You can visit Nikki's site at: www.nikkilynnbarrett.blogspot.com for more information. She is working on her next book. Nikki would love to hear from readers. Email her at nikkilynnbarrett@yahoo.com

The Secret Santa Wishing Well, a Christmas contemporary romance, out now!

(talk about hot winter nights!)

Blurb: The magic of Christmas has been lost to Jacob Winston. At the suggestion of his ill sister, Jacob takes a job as a Secret Santa at the mall, hoping to restore his Christmas spirit. Even that doesn't seem to work, until a special little boy ambles up to make a very special wish...
Cheyenne Jensen is struggling to raise her two kids without the help of her ex-husband who refuses to acknowledge his daughter's existence and doesn't provide for the son he does. This Christmas is shaping up to be as heartbreaking as the last, until her son Ben's kind actions lead a stranger to them.
Ah, but it's Christmas time and the magic has begun.
When Jacob and Cheyenne meet, neither can deny their immediate attraction to one another. As situations arise that require they spend more time together, their feelings grow stronger and stronger.
With Christmas fast approaching, the pair learn what matters most in life. Now, if only they could ditch the ghost of Christmases past.
Maybe this holiday will bring some wishes come true- for everyone after all.


Excerpt:


It didn't take long for her to come back. Jacob moved to the living room, standing and waiting. When he saw her coming, he closed the gap between them. Before he could could think twice, he touched her shoulder gently, wanting to thank her for the evening.
But instead of talking, he leaned in and kissed her. Just a light kiss. Gentle. Friendly.
Until she responded. She had her arms around him, pulling him for another kiss. Deeper. Sweeter. She tasted so sweet. Her need made him swell. He could do this all night. Jacob pressed her against the wall, their kisses deepening with urgency. He ran his fingers through her fine hair. Hers wrapped around. his neck, rubbing lightly.
Jacob pulled back abruptly. “Cheyenne," he ground out. “We have to stop.” Before I lose it. He didn't want to stop. He never expected her to reciprocate like this. Wow. Maybe it wasn't one sided after all. Jacob sighed.
That halted everything. She pulled away, looking at him with wide, beautiful eyes. “I'm sorry. I pushed. You must think I'm a fool. I thought, when you kissed me...” Cheyenne attempted to move out of Jacob's embrace. Oh, damn. She thought he didn't want her. He did, oh, how he did.
“No, no. Honey, that's not it at all. Kissing you was magical. Amazing. But we just met. I don't want to take things too far. But I would love to see you again.” He pushed back loose strands of her hair that hung over her face when she'd moved. She looked so vulnerable. Was she going to cry? Oh hell, he wouldn't be able to handle it if she did. The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset with him.
“I'd like that, too. It was a wonderful, amazing day, and I have you to thank for it.” She nearly whispered the words, choking up on the last part. “God, I'm a mess. I'm sorry. There's been so much going on, and my signals are going crazy at the moment.”
Yours aren't the only one, Jacob thought. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, typing in her name in the contacts and handing it to her. “Can I have your number?”
She laughed. “Of course.” Her fingers brushed his as she took the phone from him, tapping in her number. She handed it back to him. Electric shocks of awareness zipped through him. His gaze lingered on her, knowing he needed to get the hell out of here before he lost it completely.

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So, here's my prize offering! How about a $5 to Amazon? Just leave a comment! And, since I'm a newbie blog and debut author, I'd love a follow.

Now, that's just the prize I am giving away. There's also a GRAND PRIZE for following along the blog hop!!

$50 Amazon Gift Card - $10 Bookstrand Bucks - eBook prize package including:  11 eBooks.