#Giveaway Day 15: #HJBOOKMAS Extravaganza!

Posted December 29th, 2023 by in Blog, BookMas, Features, Spotlight / 51 comments

Welcome to Harlequin Junkie’s 9th Annual #BOOKMAS EXTRAVAGANZA!

 

From Naughty to Nice and Everything in between….

 

HJ’s Bookmas Extravaganza is our annual celebration of YOU, our loyal and engaged READERS of Harlequin Junkie blog and the Book community at large.

 

Thank You for your continued Support, we <3 You!

On the 15th Day of #Bookmas…  We bring you a giveaway from Ballantine Books

Here’s a sneak peak at some of Ballantine Books 2024 Releases:


 
The Rule Book by Sarah Adams, Pub Date 02 Apr 2024
Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender, who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it has come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he’s holding a grudge.

Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh, he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is simple: make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.

Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship save their careers or spark the romance of a lifetime?

Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon,  Pub Date 30 Apr 2024
Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater—until her father’s death five years ago called her home to run the family’s decades-old deli. Yes, she loves the place, but she’d always thought she was meant for more exciting things than stocking the right tinned fish. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, the very existence of Greco’s Deli is suddenly in jeopardy.

She tries to plead her case to Theo Taylor, scion of the property management firm that is about to put her out of business, but their meeting goes from bad (it’s not her fault he’s infuriating) to worse (no one expects the ceiling to literally fall in).

With Theo out cold, Ellie panics and claims to be his fiancée . . . and almost passes out herself when amnesia means Theo seems to actually believe her. Soon, the effects of the head injury wear off, but Theo proposes that their “engagement” stick around. If they manage to convince enough people, they might both get what they want: an end to the Mangia deal. Ellie doesn’t trust him (after all, if Theo Taylor wants it, how can it be good for her?) but seeing no other option, she reluctantly agrees.

And miraculously, the fake engagement seems to be working—even Ted, Theo’s shrewd, cold father seems convinced—that is, until Sam, Theo’s ex-fiancée, reappears on the scene. Not only does she see through their ruse, but she proposes an arrangement of her own, forcing Ellie to decide between a blossoming friendship, her family legacy, and the burgeoning romance she frankly never asked for.

The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel, Pub Date 12 Mar 2024
It is 1666, one year after plague has devastated England. Young widow Cecilia Thorowgood is a prisoner, trapped and isolated within her older sister’s cavernous London townhouse. At the mercy of a legion of doctors trying to cure her grief with their impatient scalpels, Cecilia shows no sign of improvement. Soon, her sister makes a decision born of desperation: She hires a new physician, someone known for more unusual methods. But he is a foreigner. A Jew. And despite his attempts to save Cecilia, he knows he cannot quell the storm of sorrow that rages inside her. There is no easy cure for melancholy.

David Mendes fled Portugal to seek a new life in London, where he could practice his faith openly and leave the past behind. Still reeling from the loss of his beloved friend and struggling with his religion and his past, David is free and safe in this foreign land but incapable of happiness. The security he has found in London threatens to disappear when he meets Cecilia, and he finds himself torn between his duty to medicine and the beating of his own heart. He is the only one who can see her pain; the glimmers of light she emits, even in her gloom, are enough to make him believe once more in love.

Facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, David and Cecilia must endure prejudice, heartbreak, and calamity before they can be together. The Great Fire is coming—and with the city in flames around them, love has never felt so impossible.

Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar, Pub Date 16 Jan 2024
Meghna Raman defied her parents’ wishes and followed her life’s passion, becoming a theater teacher and aspiring playwright. When she discovers that her beloved writing partner, best friend, and secret crush, Seth, is engaged—and not to her—she realizes he’s about to become the one-that-got-away. Even worse, he’s asked her to be his best man. And worse than that, she’s agreed. Determined to try and move on, Meghna agrees to let her parents introduce her to a potential match. Maybe she could marry the engineer that her parents still wish she’d become.

Grumpy engineer Karthik Murthy has seen enough of his parents’ marriage to know it’s not for him. He agreed to his mother’s matchmaking attempts to make her happy, never dreaming he would meet someone as vibrant as Meghna. Though he can’t offer her something real, a fake engagement could help Meghna soothe the sting of planning Seth’s wedding festivities and Karthik avoid the absurd number of set-ups his mother has planned for him.

As the two find common ground, grow protective of each other’s hearts, and start to fall for the traits they originally thought they hated, an undeniable chemistry emerges. But soon, their expectations and insecurities threaten something that’s become a lot more real than they’d planned.

Say You’ll Be Mine is a delightful trip back to the heyday of swoony romantic comedies from the nineties, but with a deep and poignant look at the effects of culture and family in our most intimate relationships.

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams, Pub Date 25 Jun 202
New England, 2022. Three years ago, single mother Mallory Dunne received the telephone call every parent dreads—her ten-year-old son Sam had been airlifted from summer camp with acute poisoning from a toxic death cap mushroom, leaving him fighting for his life. Now, in a search for the donor kidney that will give her son a chance for a normal life, Mallory’s forced to confront two harrowing secrets from her past: her mother’s adoption from an infamous Irish orphanage in 1952, and her own all-consuming summer romance fourteen years earlier with her childhood best friend Monk Adams—now one of the world’s most beloved singer-songwriters—a fairytale cut short by an agonizing betrayal.

Cairo, 1951. After suffering tragedy beyond comprehension in the war, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth has forged a respectable new life for herself—marriage to a wealthy British diplomat, a coveted posting in glamorous Cairo. But a fateful encounter with the enigmatic manager of a hotel bristling with spies leads to a passionate affair that will reawaken Hannah’s longing for everything she once lost. As revolution simmers in the Egyptian streets, a pregnant Hannah finds herself snared into a game of intrigue between two men…and an act of sacrifice that will echo down the generations.

Timeless and bittersweet, Husbands And Lovers draws readers on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and redemption, from the revolutionary fires of midcentury Egypt to the moneyed beaches of contemporary New England. Acclaimed author Beatriz Williams has written a poignant and beautifully voiced novel of deeply human characters entangled by morally complex issues—of privilege, class, and the female experience—inside worlds brought shimmeringly to life.


 
Ballantine Books was established in 1952 by the legendary paperback pioneers Ian and Betty Ballantine. Today, Ballantine is one of America’s largest publishers of hardcover, trade paperback and mass market paperback books—spanning a remarkably wide variety of subjects. For more information, visit http://randomhousebooks.com
 
 

Giveaway: Ballantine Books Prize Pack!

Winner will receive a print copy of each of the titles noted below:

  • Love, Holly
  • A Winter in New York
  • Practice Makes Perfect
  • Once More with Feeling
  • Will They or Won’t They

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Leave a comment with your thoughts on the Most Anticipated Releases featured here, tell us which one(s) caught your attention & why?

 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Stop by everyday from Dec 15-31,2023 for a chance to win some fabulous Giveaways!

 
 
 

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51 Responses to “#Giveaway Day 15: #HJBOOKMAS Extravaganza!”

  1. Latesha B.

    All look good, but The Rule Book because it has an enemies to lovers vibe and Husbands and Lovers because it deals with second chances.

  2. Leeza Stetson

    These all sound wonderful. I can’t wait for The Phoenix Bride; it sounds enthralling. Also, Husbands & Lovers. Beatriz Williams never disappoints.

  3. erahime

    All have their interesting points, but the ones that grabbed my attention were the Naina Kumar (the fake relationship) and Sarah Adams (her writing style) books.

  6. Diana Hardt

    They all sound good, but Husbands & Lovers caught my attention. It sounds really interesting.

  8. Janine

    Say you’ll Be Mine really sounds fun. Husbands and Lovers is one I definitely need to read. I am adding these books to my wish list.

  11. Debra Guyette

    They all look good but The Rule Book caught me. It looks amazing.

  13. Kim

    All the authors are new to me. But The Rule Book sounds like it could really be a fun read.

  15. Tonya ferrando

    I think The Rule Book sounds really fun. Husbands and lovers would be on my list!

  21. SusieQ

    The Rule Book, because I love a good enemies to lovers and second chance romance.

  23. holdenj

    I am looking forward to the new Beatriz Williams book! Looks good with the two settings.

  24. Texas Book Lover

    They all actually sound really, really good! If I had to pick just one I’d probably go with Say You’ll be Mine.

  27. eawells

    I want to read all of them but The Rule Book is the one that first caught my ey.

  29. Crystal

    They all sound good but the books Love You Mean It and Say You’ll Be Mine aree the two books that caught my eye. Why? Sounds like a good fun read with romance.

  30. Linda Romer

    The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel sounds great! I love Historical Fiction. Thank you

  34. Summer

    I’ve heard such good things about Sarah Adams but haven’t tried any of her work yet so that’s one I’d most like to sample.

  35. Mary Preston

    The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel – the time period and the plague caught my attention.

    • rkcjmomma

      Husbands & Lovers i love her books so i know this one will be amazing!!

  37. Patricia Barraclough

    The Phoenix Bride is my first choice. I love historical novels and this one deals with a critical historical period and issues. Second is Husbands and Lovers. This book deals with several important issues – adoption, war, sacrifice, transplants, and the ramifications of actions that follow down generations.

  38. Dianne Casey

    ,”The Phoenix Bride” and “Husband’s and Lovers” are two of the books that caught my attention. They sounds like books I would really enjoy reading.

  40. flchen1

    A couple of these sound like a lot of fun–second chances and enemies to lovers are tropes I tend to love!

  43. Laurie Gommermann

    The Rule Book- love athlete heroes
    Revenge maybe sweet but usually it turns sour by the end. Cute premise I want to know what transpired for them to let their chemistry get the better of them! Vegas ! Married! Wow!

    Love You Mean It – amnesia, fake engagement, 3 way love triangle, saving her heritage
    I want to see how Theo and Ellie gain a HEA.

    Husbands and Lovers- My in-laws were also Hungarian refugees. I want to learn about the betrayals both mother’s and daughter’s. I do like musician heroes. Lots of drama, ego and groupies. I want to know more about the rocky relationships.
    I’ve heard about her stories but I have not read any of Ms William’s stories.

  45. Sandy McMahon

    Love You, Mean It – the title caught my attention and the blurb was awesome. I love the story set up !☘️

  46. Terrill R

    Husbands and Lovers caught my attention. I’ve been meaning to read Beatriz Williams’ books and this one sounds like a great place to start.

  48. Pennie Morgan

    All look good and all are new to me authors but The Rule Book looks interesting. Give me anything with football players and I’m in.

  49. Danielle Hammelef

    Love You, Mean It and The Rule Book caught my eye just by covers alone. I can’t wait to read these after reading the premises.