ItaPixie's Book Corner

  Synopsis: On a windswept British coastline, the tide deposits an unexpected gift... It was the cry that she first noticed, the plaintive wail that called to her over the crash of winter waves. Wrapped only in a sealskin, the baby girl looks up at Effie and instantly captures her heart. She meant only to temporarily foster the young orphan, but when news reaches Effie that her husband has been lost at sea, and months pass without anyone claiming the infant, she embraces her new family—her son, Jack, and her adopted daughter, Morna. Effie has always been an outcast in her village, the only granddaughter of a woman people whisper is a witch, so she's used to a solitary existence. But when Midsummer arrives, so, too, does a man claiming to be Morna's father. There's no denying Lachlan is the girl's kin, and so, Effie is surprised when he asks her to continue looking after his daughter, mysteriously refusing to explain why. She agrees, but when he returns six months hence,...

  Synopsis: Christmas has never been the most wonderful time of the year for Verity Robinson. When her younger sister sends her an invite to her Christmas wedding on the other side of the country in Vancouver, she decides to kill two birds with one stone and plans a ski trip to Whistler with some old friends. However, her dreams of a snowy Christmas on skis are thwarted by her sister’s dog sitting crisis. Instead of spending Christmas enjoying the après ski alcohol, she is instead stuck minding Hamish McDuff for the next week. They say that every cloud has a silver lining and for Verity, the silver lining comes in the guise of her sexy new neighbour, Nikau Taylor. Nikau seems determined to help Verity eradicate her ghosts of Christmas past, but what will happen when her time is up and it’s time to go home to Toronto? Review: Christmas with Hamish is a roller coaster of emotion I didn't expect. It was funny, sweet and emotional in the span of few pages but really really enjoyable. V...

  Synopsis: He's all she wants for Christmas… Gabriella Santini, Burton Springs' temporary town doctor, loves Christmas! But this year she'll be celebrating all alone…unless she can get up the nerve to do something she's been dying to do for months—ask sexy blacksmith/cowboy Van Ferguson for a holiday fling. She's going back to Chicago after the holidays, so a fling is all it can be. But while she's here, she'll be able to get the most out of the season…and Van! Van wants Gabriella in a bad way, but he's kept his distance. He doesn't want to risk everything he's gained since he arrived in town for any woman, no matter how gorgeous, and sensual, and smart. But when Gabriella suggests a no-strings affair, Van can't resist. After all, she's everything he's ever wanted. And even if he can't keep her, he intends to make the most of every moment he gets with her. It's the perfect solution. Too bad falling in love isn't part of t...

  Synopsis: “Every woman is a rejected goddess at some point in her life … but it’s okay to be rejected as long as you feel like a Goddess.” — Robyn Ryan and Cat Romano. I’m Robyn Ryan . I’m thirtyish and I’m a third-generation caffeinated Irish. I’m a journalist turned baker on the verge of bankruptcy. I'm a mommy to a dog with a huge attitude. My personal life sucks. I’m Catarina Romano , shortly Cat. I’m thirtyish and I’m a third-generation fiery-tempered Italian with a nuclear explosive and overprotective family. I’m a notorious male-basher. No wonder I’m single. I’m also an author of the worstseller “Italian Connections.” We are two best friends in a temporary rut of our lives in Mystic Oak, MA. Can our ginormous dreams come true in the smallest town on earth? Review: #Rejected Goddesses was a nice, entertaining read. I was invested in these characters adventures from start to end. Even if this was a short story everything was egregiously tied up in the end. I've really en...

  Synopsis: I met my dream girl. That’s right. She’s stunning and the worst bartender I’ve ever seen. I should have gone home and gone to sleep—dream girl or not. I had an early morning and the season was starting soon. But when she threatened me with boy band karaoke I couldn't help myself. I went. The stars aligned. I have never felt more alive or wanted anyone more than I want her. When it’s time for me to head on my annual pre-season boys trip, I barely let her go. It’s been a week and I can’t stop thinking about her. Except there she is. Right here at the Wildcat’s kickoff party. And as luck would have it, my dream girl is the coach’s youngest daughter. But everyone knows the coach’s daughter is off limits. Right? Review: I love Rebecca Jenshak's books and Wildcat wasn't an exception. This story was entertaining and sweet, with some emotional scenes. I've read it in one sitting because I was hooked from the beginning and it was over before I knew it. Scarlett Mille...

  Synopsis: The first time I met sexy Stanton Baines, I nearly swallowed my tongue. But that was before he opened his mouth and directed his insolent comments at me. Not one to back down from a clash, I fired right back. From then on, Stanton pursued me with a vengeance. The first thing I learned was he discarded women like gum wrappers. Second, the control freak thought he could dominate me. That billionaire might be the boss of everybody else, but he was never going to be my bosshole. Nor was I going to be one of his crumpled-up gum wrappers. My heart had been trampled on enough. Mr. Baines would not be adding his shoeprints to it. Except he didn’t give up. The more I sassed, the more he chased. After he had me wrapped around his pinkie, he left…as in poofed right out of the country without so much as a farewell. I figured we were over. Boy was I ever wrong. I had completely underestimated the man and that alphahole was about to bring me to my knees...unless I did it to him first...

  Synopsis: Ella Welford’s done with love. After having her fingers burnt, she’s been resolutely single for the last year and has sworn to stay that way. Joss Campion’s still reeling from a messy divorce and has vowed never to open his heart to love again. Growing up in the picturesque village of Lytell Stangdale, with the North Yorkshire Moors as their playground, Joss and Ella were best friends. The pair were inseparable. Until the day something happened to ruin their friendship and Joss moved away. An urgent telephone call summons Joss back to the village. His father’s been rushed to hospital and he’s needed to run the farm. When he returns, with his loyal canine companion, Sid, in tow, it isn’t long before he realises things aren’t as they seem. Why is his brother, Rich, being so evasive? And why does he get the impression the farm’s in trouble? Teaching Assistant, Ella, has just broken up for the Christmas holidays and is looking forward to spending more time on her parents’ f...

Synopsis: The chance to spend a night ghost-hunting alone with Hudson Holmes at Brambleberry Manor seems like a dream come true for Ruby Watkiss. Maybe, she thinks, this is their chance to get closer? But when mysterious goings-on start happening which have nothing to do with the spirit world, the pair are catapulted off on another sleuthing adventure.  And as the snow starts to fall and emotions are rising at the Little Duck Pond Cafe, Ruby is faced with a double challenge. Can she be braver than she's ever been, in order to rescue something very close to her heart? And can she convince Hudson that Christmas really can be the most wonderful time of the year? Review: Snow Falls Over Sunnybrook held me captivated throughout the book, I've read it in one sitting. It's an enjoyable story, even if in this installment there is less intrigue and mystery and more "pain of love" for our heroine. Here we are following once again Ruby and Hudson's adventures, they are t...

  Synopsis: GAMING HELL CHRISTMAS - VOLUME 1: Mysteries abound at the newest Hell in town. A Gift for the Duke's Illegitimate Daughter - Kathy L Wheeler Miss Alexandra Blessing, the Duke of Winsome’s illegitimate daughter longs for anonymity and a home of her own where her younger half-siblings don’t commandeer every moment of her day. Escape is imminent—right after her family’s annual Christmas fete. But Alexandra is missing from the ball, and Theodore Millburn must find her before he loses something important: his chance for love. The Merry Widow's Christmas Adventure - Amanda McCabe Annabelle, Lady Ranstruther, after a year of lonely widowhood is ready for new love—and she knows exactly who she wants—her wild friend, the gorgeous William, Lord Deansley. She fears he doesn't want her, until they meet again at the exclusive, discreet gaming hell la Sous Rose, at Christmas. Will it mean a future of love—or the end of all her dreams? Review: Gaming Hell Christmas consists o...

  Synopsis: A PINCH OF PARANOIA It’s three days before Christmas, and detective-turned-chef Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is drafted in to cater a charity event run by a notorious millionaire at a 13th-century abbey on Bodmin Moor. A DASH OF DECEPTION Things get more complicated when a snowstorm descends, stranding them all, and the next morning they find one of the guests has been gruesomely murdered in their bed… A MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE Secrets mull like wine on the stove in every corner – can Jodie solve the crime before the killer strikes again?   Review: A Cornish Christmas Murder tells the latest adventure of Jodie Nosey Parker. Few days before Christmas Jodie is catering for a children charity event that takes place in an historical house, but after the event she, her colourful crew, and some other guests stay stuck at the villa because of a snowstorm. The morning after the snowstorm has passed but when the house awakes the dead body of the poor Santa impersonator is found ...

  Synopsis: A snowy Victorian Christmas   Two festive short stories! In  The Christmas Runaway  by Jenni Fletcher, willful, independent heiress Fiona MacKay impulsively runs away to a remote Scottish tower, where she’s trapped in the snow with equally headstrong, deliciously disheveled Angus Drummond. In  Their Snowbound Reunion  by Elisabeth Hobbes, Amy Munroe and Anthony Matthews were cruelly parted fifteen years ago, and each blames the other. When Amy becomes Anthony’s new housekeeper, their passion is reawakened! Review: Snow-Kissed Proposals consists of two independent novellas written by two different and excellent historical authors. The Christmas Runaway by Jenni Fletcher and Their Snowbound Reunion by Elisabeth Hobbes are two engaging stories, I wished they were longer to keep enjoying reading them. The Christmas Runaway by Jenni Fletcher: Fiona ran away from her house in Edimburgh to go and spend some days at her friend Mhairi...

  Synopsis: After injuring herself on the job as a Los Angeles cop, Mel O’Rourke leaves the force battered both physically and mentally. Looking for a fresh start, she moves to a quiet mountain town and opens the Babbling Brook Inn. Excited for her new life, Mel decides to participate in the town’s holiday cookie contest, but her newfound joy goes up in smoke when one of her guests turns up dead in her lobby. Mel is tempted to attribute the death to natural causes but when another guest dies, her cop instincts kick in. The local Sheriff tells her to stand down, but Mel can’t let it go. With everything on the line, she has to push through her fears to catch the killer before more bodies drop, perhaps even her own. Review: The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder was a quick, easy read, I’ve found it a good escapism from a tiring day. Mel left her work as a LA cop after an accidents and decided to open a B&B in Pine Cove. During her first week she finds one of her few guests dead, ever...