Spotlight & Giveaway: All I Want for Christmas Is You by Miranda Liasson

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Miranda Liasson to HJ!

Hi Miranda and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU!

 
Hi Sara and Everyone! Thanks for having me!
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU is a friends-to-lovers romance that includes unrequited love, an “oops” baby, a fake relationship, a strapping hot firefighter hero, a matchmaking puppy, and a fantastic chocolate Christmas cookie recipe! Oh, and lots of holiday cheer!
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

“There’s first love and then there’s best love.” ~ Nonna (Rafe’s grandmother)

What inspired this book?

I just adored the characters of Rafe and Kaitlyn, who have been circling around each other for two books now! I knew that there was one big, shocking thing that would force Rafe to finally leave the devastation from his past behind him…and that’s how the idea for this book was born.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

Rafe is one of my favorite heroes. He’s a big joker and easygoing—but do you know when he surprised me? After Kaitlyn tells him she’s pregnant, he goes running with his best friend. He is really thrown by Kaitlyn’s news…and what he says and does truly showed me his depth.

What was your favorite scene to write?

This is the scene where Kaitlyn has been hiding something in the laundry room…

Rafe, I have to tell you something,” she said, causing him to turn around on his way to the microwave. “I hope you won’t be upset but—”
Just then a loud yip emanated from the direction of the laundry room. Rafe stopped in his tracks. The faint ticking of the oven suddenly seemed very loud as they stared at each other across the kitchen. He shot her an incredulous look. “You didn’t.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “I did.” She rushed onward. “But I can explain.”
The dog yipped again, this time followed by a little whimper.
“Jazz needed the space at her clinic for a sick dog,” she said, talking as fast as she could, “and she had all these families who wanted a Christmas puppy, but no one she could trust. Then this family came in who wanted one of those fancy poo dogs and the woman wanted to dress it up and carry it around in her purse and I…I just…”
Rafe was already in the laundry room flicking on the light. And there was the puppy, tangled up in a towel, blinking its eyes. It looked tiny and a little disoriented. On seeing Rafe, it jumped up and batted the bars of the crate, the white dot on the end of its tail a blur as it wagged back and forth.
Rafe squatted before the puppy. It licked his finger and gave him a baleful look.
Aw, geez.
Rafe turned to Kaitlyn. “First there was the baby announcement. Then there was Nonna getting sick and the fake engagement, which we still haven’t set people straight on. Then there was the asbestos.”
“Look, you don’t have to say any more,” she said. “I’ll leave just as soon as—”
“Will you let me finish?” Rafe said. His life was changing faster than he could keep track of. But somehow Kaitlyn seemed once again to know what he wanted before he himself did. “The point is, life has sort of turned itself on its ear lately. But…I kind of like it.” He stood up and faced her. She was clinging to the washing machine. “Babies and puppies should grow up together.”
“Yes. You’re right.” She nodded and let out a huge sigh. “That’s exactly what I was thinking too.”
He tipped his head toward the crate. “So does the little guy have to go outside?”
“Jazz told me to be sure to take him out every time he wakes up from a nap.”
Rafe clipped the leash onto the dog’s collar. “I’ll do it. You get back to baking.” He didn’t mention that it was going to be a long winter, potty training a puppy in December and January. “Did you give him a name?”
“Of course not,” she said, smiling. “I was waiting for you.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

…the scene where Kaitlyn must tell Rafe she’s pregnant. Bring the Kleenex!

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

This book definitely has plenty more of my “trademark” style…heartwarming, humorous, a little sexy, friends and family abound…and lots of emotion! To hopefully leave you with a smile on your face and feeling uplifted!

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

I want readers to have a happy break from the stresses of their life. Especially in the holiday season, we have so much on our plates…I want this book to be an affirmation of love, of positivity, of the feeling that even though life often seems like a disaster on wheels, everything’s going to be okay.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’ve just created a new small town…it’s a unique East Coast beach town…and there are three best girlfriends whose lives intersect there…stay tuned!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: GIVEAWAY – A set of Angel Falls books including Then There Was You, The Way You Love Me, and All I Want for Christmas Is You. Print copies, U.S. and Canada only

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Readers seem to really adore the puppy on the cover! Are you more likely to buy a book if it has a cute pet on the front?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Excerpt from All I Want for Christmas Is You:

Sleep caught her unawares, as it often did during this pregnancy. When she awakened much later, the room was dark except for the softly glowing tree. The fire had died down to embers. She had a blanket over her, tucked up under her chin. She tossed off the upper half of it and stretched out her legs only to bump into Rafe’s long ones next to hers on the couch.
She felt under the blanket to find the rest of Rafe right next to her—her hand finding his hard chest, encased in warm flannel, his long, muscular legs in jeans…Yes, it was definitely Rafe, all six two of his delicious body running the length of hers.
She turned to find his face very close to hers. Even worse, he was lying there, propped up on an elbow, looking at her.
A disconcerted feeling flashed through her at the thought of him watching her sleep. Frowning, she asked, “How long have you been staring at me?”
“Not for long,” he said, his voice a little low and gravelly, which made him sound even sexier than usual. He rubbed at his eyes. “I fell asleep too.”
She should move, because it was impossible not to touch him, and the only alternative was to fall off the couch.
She willed herself to move, say good night, and flee quickly to his tidy spare room down the hall. But one glance into his eyes prevented all movement and wiped out all thought. Their gazes locked and she got lost in their dark beauty.
Her heartbeat accelerated dangerously, causing a loud, steady drumbeat in her ears. Heat was consuming her, even though the fire was out and the room had taken on a chill. And it also seemed to be radiating from Rafe’s big body, which was so close and so, so tempting.
What was the reason she’d agreed to stay here with him again? She couldn’t remember. Hadn’t she known she’d be unable to guard her heart from him? The real Rafe was a dozen times more appealing than the handsome joker always ready with a quip.
She forced herself to make a move, but his arm came around her, freezing her in place. He took up her hand in his big one, his long, graceful fingers twining with hers.
“The movie was good,” he said, but his eyes told a different story—one not connected with Star Wars at all. Or any movie, for that matter.
“I—missed the end,” she said, wanting to look away but unable to.
“I could explain it to you,” he said quietly, his voice lulling her with its deep, soothing tones. “Leia loves Han, but he’s frozen in the carbon-freezing chamber. Luke is down a hand and shocked that Darth is his daddy, but he’d rather die than join the Dark Side. He’s got some brother-sister force thing going with Leia and she sends Lando to fly by to save him.”
“I—I’ve seen it before, like, five times. With—you.” For some reason it was hard to talk, her words pushing out of her, sluggish and breathless.
“Kaitlyn,” he said, his tone solemn. Somehow hearing the syllables of her name roll off his tongue sent a tiny thrill to her core.
She swallowed. “Yes, Rafe?”
“You—look very peaceful when you sleep.”
“That’s because this baby makes me sleep like the dead.” Keep this light, a voice inside her head warned. If only he wasn’t holding her hand, aimlessly twining and untwining their fingers. That was causing sparks of sensation to zip and zag up her arm and spread through her entire body. “I’ve never slept so deeply in my life.”
“It’s—it’s not a good idea, for you to look like that.”
“Why not? Was I drooling?” She lifted a hand to swipe over her mouth. “Snoring? Sleeping with my mouth open?”
He cracked a faint smile. “No. Nothing like that. It’s just that you’re—beautiful.”
Before she could back away, he cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips to hers.
Their lips touched, sending a shock wave through her limbs. Rafe readjusted his body on the narrow couch, his knee settling between hers. Their tongues met and slid together, their bodies shifting to deepen the kiss so that they were suddenly flush all down their lengths.
This was the kiss by the angel statue times ten. This was her twining her fingers through the thick layers of his hair and running her hands under his shirt along the solid muscular contours of his back, and him nipping at her lower lip and then sucking on it and grabbing her backside with both hands and letting out a low growl that thrilled her to the core.
It was their breath getting ragged and their hands frantic and kiss following upon kiss, devouring and insatiable.
It was like the wedding.
And that thought made Kaitlyn freeze.
She turned her head and nearly tumbled off the couch in her race to sit up.
“What is it?” Rafe asked, helping her find purchase on the cushion. His hair was disheveled, his shirt half-unbuttoned from where she’d undone it groping his chest. She sat there, gathering her hair up in a ponytail, trying to regain her breath and her sense. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I just—” She halted and closed her eyes. If they were to communicate, she had to stop avoiding hard conversations. “Yes, something is wrong.” She faced him on the couch. “I need to know that this isn’t just another opportunity to let ourselves get out of control. That night at the wedding it was a few drinks, the blackout. Now it’s the haze of falling asleep together on the couch.” She swallowed hard for courage. “I need to know this is for real. Not just a…spur-of-the-moment thing. A thing that’s too easy for both of us to do without thinking.”
Afraid of his reaction, afraid she may have pushed him too far, she turned away, and ended up staring at her hands in her lap. Her heart was beating wildly, and part of her thought she must be out of her ever-loving mind for stopping something so wonderful.
This was not her strong suit, saying these things, especially with him, but she had to know. Because she was all in. She’d known it from the moment he’d looked at her over those ultrasound images.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him sitting there, bent forward, his long fingers tented together in a steeple between his legs.
“You want the truth from me? I’ll give it to you.” He paused, and she swore she held her breath the entire time, afraid to inhale. He turned on the couch and faced her. “You haven’t called me a coward, but that’s the word I would use for myself. Because you’re right, it’s very easy to start kissing you without thinking. I used the wedding and the blackout and any other excuse I could to justify being with you, but the truth is—the truth is—being with you scares me more than going into a burning building.”
She couldn’t stop herself from reaching up to touch his cheek, gently tracing the outline of one brow and then the other with her thumb, smoothing out the tension. Then she dropped her hand and smiled. “Well, you’ve been in some pretty dangerous situations before,” she said in a low voice, “but you’ve always come back out.”
He looked at her, wide-eyed. She thought about saying more, but it suddenly occurred to her that none of what she would say would matter. What mattered was what he believed himself. She got up from the couch and kissed him softly on the forehead. “Think about that, fireman,” she said over her shoulder as she headed for her room.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

The award-winning author who writes with “humor and heart” (Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author) invites you to visit the charming small town of Angel Falls.
Being naughty was nice, but now these friends-turned-lovers are in for an unforgettable Christmas…
Just when Kaitlyn Barnes vows to get over her longtime crush on Rafe Langdon, they share a sizzling evening that delivers an epic holiday surprise: Kaitlyn is pregnant. And if that weren’t life-changing enough, everyone assumes they’re engaged — a charade they must keep alive through the holiday season. But Kaitlyn knows Rafe better than anyone, and Rafe settling down is about as likely as Santa skipping Angel Falls this year…
Rafe would rather Kaitlyn believe a lie — that their night together was a fling — than face his own dangerous truth: he’s falling for her, hard. After a devastating loss, Rafe swore he’d never risk his heart again. Yet the longer they pretend to be engaged the more Rafe starts to want the real thing. But now he has to convince Kaitlyn he wants to be by her side — and their baby’s — for all the Christmases to come.
Includes the bonus novel Christmas on Mistletoe Lane by Annie Rains!

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Miranda Liasson loves to write stories about everyday people who find love despite themselves, because there’s nothing like a great love story. And if there are a few laughs along the way, even better!
She’s an Amazon bestselling author whose heartwarming and humorous small–town romances have won accolades such as the National Readers’ Choice Award and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and have been Harlequin Junkie and Night Owl Reviews Top Picks.
She lives in the Midwest with her husband and three kids in a charming old neighborhood which is the inspiration for many of the homes in her books.
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