#Giveaway Day 4: #HJBOOKMAS Extravaganza!

Posted December 18th, 2022 by in Blog, BookMas, Features, Spotlight / 53 comments

Welcome to Harlequin Junkie’s 8th 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 4th Day of #Bookmas…  We bring you a giveaway from Ballantine Books!

 

We are excited to share some of Ballantine Books’s Most Anticipated 2023 Releases:

NOT THE PLAN by Gia De Cadenet (2/7)
An ambitious chief of staff risks her career and her heart when she falls hard for her new colleague in this steamy workplace romance from the author of Getting His Game Back.
After nearly a decade of experience in state politics, Isadora Maris is damn good at her job.

Aggressive lobbyists and stonewalling senators are no match for her diplomacy and her unflappable commitment to her principles. If all goes according to her meticulous plan, she’ll soon be managing her boss’s successful campaign for U.S. representative and finally land her dream role: congressional aide in Washington, D.C., where she can really make a difference.

But Isadora’s cool professionalism is knocked off-kilter when she meets Karim Sarda. Karim is gorgeous and brilliant and seems to share many of her ideals. So why is he working for the California senate’s most detestable scumbag? Given their bosses’ fierce political rivalry, Isadora finds she can’t risk tarnishing her reputation by flirting with the enemy, and she’s been betrayed enough times to want to keep people at a distance. So she deems Karim off-limits—no matter how flustered she feels whenever he enters the room.

Karim knows that struggle all too well: Still processing the wounds from his failed marriage, he’s ready for a fresh start. But Karim can’t hide his attraction to Isadora’s commanding presence. Her strength is captivating, even as he recognizes something fragile beneath its surface.

When Karim and Isadora succumb to their undeniable chemistry, their initial desire blossoms into something more—something real. But if Karim’s boss takes control of the California senate, everything Isadora worked for could be destroyed. Will workplace politics shatter their chance at love?
 
REAL LOVE by Rachel Lindsay (3/7)
Reality-TV love may look tempting, but real love could change everything in the debut novel from the Bachelorette star and author of Miss Me with That.

Maya Johnson lives her life according to The Plan: to become the youngest-ever female director of her company, marry her college sweetheart, and build a fabulous life in Miami. Seeing as she’s almost near checking every last one of those items off her list, she doesn’t feel the need to go on the nationally beloved reality dating show Real Love. So when she’s offered the chance, she turns it down and tells the producers that her best friend, Delilah, should take part instead.

But as she watches Delilah become the lead, fall in love, and change her life, Maya begins to wonder if she’s as happy as she thought—she doesn’t have much in the way of a work-life balance, her relationship isn’t quite where she thinks it should be, and very little in her life is sparking joy.

When Maya’s free-spirited whirlwind of a little sister, Ella, blows into town for a surprise visit, Maya finds herself newly intrigued by Ella’s unrooted existence—and she’s equally intrigued by Ella’s gorgeous friend and fellow world traveler, Kai.

At a crossroads with both her professional and personal happiness, Maya will have to decide which path to choose: The Plan she’s worked so hard for, or something new entirely.
 
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sarah Adams (5/2)
A small-town sweetheart and an emotionally unavailable bad boy try to find some common ground in this chemistry-filled romance from the author of The Cheat Sheet and When in Rome.

Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match—someone who complements her happy, quiet life running the local flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. But finding her dream man may be harder than Annie imagined. Everyone knows everyone in her hometown, and the dating prospects are getting fewer by the day. After she overhears her latest date say she is “so unbelievably boring,” Annie starts to think the problem might be her. Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favorite romance movies? Maybe she only needs a little practice . . . and Annie has the perfect person in mind to be her tutor: Will Griffin.

Will—the sexy , tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard—is temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as excitement builds for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker, Annie’s brother. He has one personal objective while on the job: stay away from Annie Walker and any other possible attachments to this sleepy town. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will finds himself tasked with helping Annie find the love of her life by becoming the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky. Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie. He knows for a fact that some stuffy, straitlaced guy won’t make her happy, but he doesn’t have the heart to say no.

Amid steamy practice dates and strictly “educational” tutoring lessons, Annie discovers there are more layers to Will’s usual stoic attitude. As the lines of their friendship become dangerously blurred, Annie reconsiders her dream guy. Maybe her love life doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be real.
 
ONCE MORE WITH FEELING by Elissa Sussman (5/30)
A former pop star finds herself back in the spotlight—along with an old flame from her past—in this friends-to-lovers meets enemies-to-lovers story from the bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask, the sensational TikTok romance!

Then. Katee Rose is living the dream as America’s number one pop star, caught in a whirlwind of sold-out concerts, screaming fans, and constant tabloid coverage. Everyone wants to know everything about her and her boyfriend, Ryan LaNeve, the hottest member of adored boy band CrushZone. Katee loves to perform but hates the impossible demands of stardom. Maybe that’s why she finds herself in the arms of another CrushZone member, Cal Kirby. Quiet, serious Cal, who’s always been a good friend to Katee, is suddenly Cal with the smoldering eyes and very good hands. One unforgettable night is all it takes to blow up Katee’s relationship with Ryan, her career, her whole life.

Now. Kathleen Rosenberg is okay with her ordinary existence, and leaving her pop star image in the past. That is, until Cal Kirby shows up with the opportunity of her dreams—a starring role in the Broadway show he’s directing and a chance to perform the way she’s always wanted. The two haven’t spoken since the joint destruction of their careers, and each of them blames the other, making their reunion a tense battle of wits and egos. Katee reluctantly agrees to the musical, as long as she keeps her guard up around Cal. But rehearsals are long, those eyes still smolder, and those hands are still very good. Despite everything, Katee can’t deny the chemistry between them. Is it ever a good idea to reignite old flames? Especially if you’ve been burned in the past?
 
WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY by Ava Wilder (6/30)
Onscreen, they’re in love. Offscreen, they can’t stand each other. Two costars with a complex history reunite in this tension-filled romance novel from the author of How to Fake It in Hollywood.

Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are madly in love—at least, their characters are. As the stars of the hit paranormal TV show Intangible, Lilah and Shane spent years pining for each other onscreen . . . until Lilah ditched the show at the end of season five in hopes of becoming a movie star. With no such luck, she’s back to film the much-hyped ninth and final season, in which Lilah and Shane’s characters will get together at last.

But coming back means facing one of the biggest reasons she left: Shane. Ever since their secret behind-the-scenes fling imploded at the end of season one, the two of them have despised each other.

Now reunited on set for the first time in years—with the world’s eyes on them and their post-show careers on the line—they’ll have to grit their teeth and play nice. But under pressure to give Intangible’s fans the happy ending they’ve been waiting for, Lilah and Shane are forced to get closer than ever. And if they’re not careful, they might just get blindsided by one final twist: a real-life happy ending of their own.
 
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: (20) Print copies of ONE LAST GIFT by Emily Stone [HAILED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by PopSugar]

20 Winners will each review a print copy of One Last Gift:

When a young woman finds herself lost and at a crossroads, one last gift from her brother just might give her another chance at life and at love in this epic holiday romance from the author of Always, in December

Sometimes the best gifts in life are the ones you don’t expect.

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and relied on each other—as well as a community of friends—to cope. They were especially close with Tom’s best friend, Sam, who always made sure that Tom and Cassie were surrounded with love. But, twenty years later, Cassie has lost Tom as well. And in a way, she’s also lost Sam; over the years they’d drifted apart, and now the man she always had a crush on is someone she doesn’t even recognize anymore.

She’s never felt more alone.

Then Cassie finds an envelope with her name on it, written in Tom’s terrible handwriting, and she knows immediately what it is. It’s the first clue in the Christmas scavenger hunt that Tom made for her every year; he’d promised her for months that this year’s would be the grandest one yet. At first, she’s too scared to open the envelope—what if she can’t figure out the clues without his help? Or what if she does figure them all out and her last connection to Tom is gone?

Tom’s present sets Cassie on a heart-wrenching and beautiful journey that will change her life—if she lets it. And as she travels from London to the Welsh mountains to the French countryside, she reconnects with old friends, rekindles a lost love, and, most important, rediscovers herself. But once she’s solved the final clue, will she be brave enough to accept the gift her brother has given her—and the love it’s led her to?

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, 2022 for a chance to win some fabulous Giveaways! .

 
 
 

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53 Responses to “#Giveaway Day 4: #HJBOOKMAS Extravaganza!”

  2. Marsha Graniel

    WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY by Ava Wilder caught my attention because of the enemies to lovers. I like the whole story of love on screen but can’t stand each other.

  3. EC

    I have a Sarah Adams book in my TBR and her upcoming book is interesting to me. I also liked Rachel Lindsay’s book ad it caught my interest. The books by Ava Wilder and Elissa Sussman also caught my interest, though not as much as the first two books mentioned earlier.

  6. Laurie Gommermann

    Practice Makes Perfect – I like it when attraction takes you off guard and against the odds turns to lust and love . I like “protective”heroes! Innocence and bad boy=HEA

    Real Love- follow your life plan or follow your heart, sounds cute

    The last two mostly sound like the same premise second time around/ take a chance on love /second chances: Once More With Feeling, Will They Or Won’t They, I like second chance romances.

    Politics and romance? So much strife today on the news not sure I want to read about it too. If I was given a review copy I would read it. Not sure about buying it.

  7. Jaye Smith

    I’m looking forward to NOT THE PLAN by Gia De Cadenet, it sounds very intriguing.

    • Sandy McMahon

      Once More with Feeling. The blurb and tropes mentioned totally caught my attention. I look forward to its release!☘️

  13. Ellen C,

    Practice Makes Perfect and Once More With Feeling would be my top choices. The blurbs just leave me wanting to know more.

  14. Kim

    It’s a toss up. I love the sound of both NOT THE PLAN by Gia De Cadenet and PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sarah Adams.

  17. dodgerfannnat - Pat L.

    Practice Makes Perfect – unlikely match of Small Town Sweetheart and tatooted bad boy always makes an enjoyable read for me. Also One last Gift title of a book always grabs me in.

  23. Charlotte Litton

    Practice makes Perfect by Sara Adams, sounds good, I like small town romance.

  25. Summer

    Practice Makes Perfect, the small town, the flower shop, the bad boy hero, all of those aspects appeal to me.

  29. Bonnie

    Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams and Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder caught my attention because I enjoy reading enemies to lovers romance.

  30. Latesha B.

    Each story sounds great, and I look forward to reading them, but I am really curious to read Once More with Feeling because I want to see how they work through their feelings about the past and how they move forward in the present.

  34. Lori Byrd

    Real love because I love this author. They all sound great though. Thank you

  40. Diana Hardt

    hey all sound like really interesting books. I’m especially interested in PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sarah Adams because of the characters.

  41. Patricia B.

    They all sound good. The two I am most interested in are PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sarah Adams and REAL LOVE by Rachel Lindsay. In Practice Makes Perfect, she feels her life needs a boost and decides to have someone help her learn how to spice things up. In Real Love, the young lady thinks she has her life all planned out for the life she thinks she wants until her sister’s friend makes her question all she thought she wanted.
    I like stories where people question who they are, where they are headed, and what is it they really want. These women are very different from the men who come in to their lives, but that is seemingly just what they needed.

    • Patricia B.

      I meant to comment that ONE LAST GIFT sounds touching and wonderful. It is my favorite of the books presented here.

      • Barbara Bates

        Will They or Won’t They sounds good. Reminds me of Buffy and Angel.

  42. Patty Brennnan

    One Last Gift sounds like I may need a few tissues. Count me in.

  44. Marisela Zuniga

    Once more with feeling sounds really good. I like that it’s a friends to lovers meets enemies to lovers!! That’s my kind of book

  46. Terrill R.

    I enjoyed Ava Wilder’s, How to Fake it in Hollywood and loved Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman. So, I’m looking forward to both of their next releases – Will They or Won’t They and Once More with Feeling.

  48. Tina R

    All the books look good. The books that grabbed me were WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY by Ava Wilder because it sounds like an interesting enemies-to-lovers story, and PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sarah Adams because “steamy practice dates” sounds like it will be a fun read.