Spotlight & Giveaway: A Dash of Christmas by Samantha Chase

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Samantha Chase to HJ!

Hi Samantha and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, A Dash of Christmas!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Oh my goodness, this was challenging!! But here’s some hints about what you’ll find in A DASH OF CHRISTMAS!!

A is for adversaries
D is for delicious distraction
A is for antagonizing
S is for sexy
H is for holidays
O is for opinionated
F is for food
 
C is for Christmas (and cheese!)
H is for healing
R is for recipes
I is for irresistible
S is for strength
T is for teasing
M is for maddening
A is for arousing
S is for sassy.
 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

“What the hell are you eating?”
Emery choked and coughed for several moments before she could respond. “It’s a Pop-Tart, Carter.” She waved the chocolate pastry in the air for emphasis.
His hair was a mess and he was wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants and a T-shirt. He looked fairly exhausted. Emery glanced at the clock and saw it was a little after eight o’clock, but she had a feeling Carter could have used another eight hours of sleep.
“Why would you eat something like that?” he grumbled as he walked over and made himself a cup of coffee.
“Because it’s delicious,” she said, feeling happy with her choice of a chocolate-filled, chocolate-covered breakfast. “It’s even better with a tall glass of milk!” Which she then held up for him to see.
He groaned. “Is it because there isn’t a lot of food here? I planned on shopping at some point today. I’ll make sure to get you some real breakfast foods so you don’t have to eat…that.”
Rolling her eyes, Emery popped another piece into her mouth. When she was done chewing, she asked, “What do you mean by real breakfast foods?”
Shrugging, Carter added milk and sugar to his mug before facing her. “Eggs, cheese, fruit…you know, real foods.”
“I’m not a fan of any of those things,” she said casually. “Especially the fruit.” She shuddered for emphasis.
“What do you mean you’re not a fan of fruit? Everyone likes fruit!”
“Not me.” She took another bite of her breakfast and had to fight the urge to laugh. There was a vein bulging at his temple and if he gripped his mug any tighter, no doubt it would shatter. “Although…does jelly count? Like grape jelly? Because I love a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
No doubt his molars were being ground into dust.
“Sometimes I eat strawberry Pop-Tarts? That probably counts as fruit, right?”
Slamming his mug down on the kitchen island, he muttered a colorful array of words as he paced back and forth. It was highly entertaining, and it felt good to feel…happy. Yes, that’s exactly what Emery was feeling right now. Happy. There was a lightness in her chest that hadn’t been there in years.
Damn.
It really had been years since she’d felt silly and carefree and…
“Do you think there’s fruit in jelly beans?” she asked, knowing full well there wasn’t. “Do you think that’s why I don’t like them?”
“Emery…”
She took the last bite of her toaster pastry and smiled sweetly at him. When she stood up, she walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. “I know there’s not much here, but I did buy a box of Lucky Charms and there’s milk.” She paused and scanned the contents. “There’s some white bread for toast.” Peeking her head out from behind the door, she looked at him. “And I do have some jelly, so you could put that on it if you’d like. You know, get some fruit in for breakfast.”
“That isn’t quite what I had in mind, and I think you know it,” he said.
With a shrug, Emery closed the refrigerator, threw away her napkin, and rinsed out her glass. Taking her seat again at the island, she figured now was as good a time as any to start talking about the project.
“I looked at the recipe files you sent over and I think I know how we can improve on them,” she said.
Carter’s bark of laughter stopped her from going any further.
“Excuse me,” she said stiffly. “What’s so funny?”
Leaning on the granite, Carter took a minute to compose himself. “Emery, you just sat here explaining your eating habits, which could rival any five-year-old’s, and you think you’re going to give me advice—me, a trained chef—on how to improve my recipes? I mean, do you not see how ridiculous that sounds?”
Well… She hadn’t until he worded it like that.
Unfortunately, now it felt like a challenge and she never backed down from a challenge where Carter Montgomery was concerned.
Studying him for a moment, she cleared her throat and prepared to make her case. “Actually, I wasn’t implying that I could improve your recipes. After all, I’m not a trained chef—as you so nicely pointed out,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. “However, the recipes you chose are completely uninspired and typically something that can be found in just about any cookbook anywhere. I think my sister-in-law has a similar one that all the moms from her daughter’s preschool put together.”
He straightened as his expression went fierce. “Now, wait a minute.”
Because she had been studying the files for the last several days—including this morning over her Pop-Tart—Emery reached across the island for her folder and opened it before speaking again.
“Stuffed Holiday Turkey?” she asked and then looked at him. “Uninspired.” She flipped to the next recipe. “Glazed Christmas Ham? Aren’t there companies who do that for you so all you need to do is heat it up?”
“Not if you want to—”
She held up a hand to stop him. “You went from boring to ridiculous,” she stated, glancing at most of the remaining recipes. “Everything else contains ingredients most people wouldn’t eat or would be too intimidated to try to make.” Closing the folder, she eyed him. “And what is your obsession with gouda?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me—so many of those recipes involve gouda. There are other cheeses, you know.”
“Are you sure? Because judging by your earlier comments, I’d bet good money you couldn’t name more than three.”
Slowly coming to her feet, Emery took a few steps toward him. “Just because I don’t like to eat your pretentious food doesn’t mean I’m ignorant, Carter. And don’t think for one minute that you’re better than I am because you cook fancy food for a living. I know where you came from and I happen to know you grew up eating the same things I did, so don’t try to act superior to me.”
She waited for some sort of snarky comeback, but none came. Instead, Carter let out a breath and reached for his coffee, taking a long drink. When he was finished, he carefully put the mug back down and said, “I’m going to grab a shower and then walk around and do a little shopping for lunch. Want to join me?”
Seriously? That’s all he had to say?

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Paperback copy of A Dash of Christmas by Samantha Chase

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Book Info:

With a dash of Christmas magic…
Two people who have spent most of their lives being rivals…
Learn a little something about following their hearts…

Carter Montgomery broke the family mold when he went to culinary school. Now a successful restauranteur, he’s at a crossroads: should he continue on his successful path or look for a new challenge? What he needs is time alone to think things through. But his matchmaking family has other ideas…

Emery Monaghan’s no-good fiancé has embroiled her in scandal and she needs a way out. When mentor Eliza Montgomery offers her a refuge, she’s relieved—until she realizes that the deal means rubbing elbows with Eliza’s son Carter—Emery’s childhood nemesis.
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ITfDrT
B&N: http://bit.ly/2ITQBsy
Apple: https://apple.co/2URVPrX
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Nb40im
IndieBound:http://bit.ly/2IRHqZT
BAM: http://bit.ly/2IVzWVy
Walmart: http://bit.ly/2NbyvV4
 
 

Meet the Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Samantha Chase has published more than twenty romance novels, with over half a million copies sold. Visit her at www.chasing-romance.com. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Author Website: www.chasing-romance.com