Spotlight & Giveaway: Mistletoe Christmas: An Anthology

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome authors Eloisa James, Christi Caldwell, Janna MacGregor and Erica Ridley to HJ!

Hi Eloisa, Christi, Janna and Erica and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Mistletoe Christmas!

 
Hello, Harlequin Junkie readers, and thank you, Sara, for having us!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

We are delighted to be here today to talk about our just-released holiday anthology, Mistletoe Christmas. For this collection, we came up with the idea of a splendid Christmas house party—the Revelry—in which our characters could behave scandalously, without ruining their reputations. Here’s how it all begins:
The Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry is famous throughout the British Isles for its plays, dancing, magical grotto . . . not to mention scandals leading to the marriage licenses he hands out like confetti.
But not everyone welcomes a visit from Cupid.

Lady Cressida, the duke’s daughter, is too busy managing the entertainments—and besides, her own father has called her dowdy. Her cousin, Lady Isabelle Wilkshire, is directing Cinderella and has no interest in marriage. Lady Caroline Whitmore is already (unhappily) married; the fact that she and her estranged husband must pretend to be together just makes her dread the party all the more. But not as much as Miss Louisa Harcourt, whose mother bluntly tells her that this is her last chance to escape the horrors of being an old maid.

A house party so large that mothers lose track of their charges leads to a quartet of seductive stories that we hope you will savor for the Season!
 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

Eloisa James: When my heroine, Lady Cressida, learns that her only suitor, the gorgeous Elias, Lord Darcy de Royleston, had dismissed her as plain and fading into the background, she’s heart-broken but unsurprised. Her father has never let her believe herself a beauty; the only question is what bribe Elias was given to court her.
In truth, Elias doesn’t need or want a dowry or a bribe. But how can he possibly persuade Cressie, after she learns of his unkind words? It’ll take a Christmas miracle—or a well-placed sprig of mistletoe!

Fun Facts About Mistletoe Kiss:

• My heroine, Cressie (Cressida) runs the huge party known as the Revelry — but that’s a secret!
• 2. Her cousin offers a dowry “commensurate with her lack of attractiveness” (ouch!).
• 3. My hero, Elias, has the profile of a medieval knight.
• 4. Cressie is untidy, leaving scraps of paper with ideas all around the house (me too).
• 5. Cressie designed musical instruments from ice—inspired by Norway’s Ice Music Festival!

 
Christi Caldwell: Wishing Under the Mistletoe features, a duke’s granddaughter—with a penchant for writing plays—and the self-made man whom she’s loved since she was a young woman. The hero’s desire to make “more” of himself, however, costs him the woman he loves, and the happy future they’d always dreamed of. Now, years later, they find themselves reunited at the duke’s Revelry . . . and of course, passions flare between them.

Fun Facts about Wishing Under the Mistletoe:

• I have ALWAYS longed for a happily-ever-after between Scrooge and Belle . . . and decided to write it myself between my Scrooge-like hero, Cyrus, and his heroine, Isabelle!
• The working title for my novella was: A Lady From Christmas Past.
• Eloisa James and I first discussed the set over Thai in NYC.
• My heroine’s sister, Maeve, had me in stitches while I wrote, and has been one of my favorite secondary characters to write.
• Isabelle is a character mash-up of Belle from A Christmas Carol and Jo March from Little Women . . . which is one of my favorite Christmas movies!

 
Janna MacGregor: My story, Compromise Under the Mistletoe, is about an estranged couple, Caroline and Stephen Whitmore. They’re attending the Revelry to convince the duke they’re happily married so he’ll release the money in Caroline’s trust. It should be easy since the sparks between the couple could set the duke’s house party ablaze. Did I mention they haven’t seen each other in a year, and there’s a cow named Betsey involved?

Fun Facts about Compromise Under the Mistletoe:

• I love animals and always try to include them in my stories. I’ve had several dogs and cats, but this story includes the first cow!
• One of my favorite tropes is second-chance romance. As you might have guessed by the fact that my couple is already married, they are headed for a chance to renew their romance .
• Since my male protagonist loves Christmas, I named him Stephen for the Feast of St. Stephen, also called Saint Stephen’s Day. This takes place on Boxing Day—December 26.
• I was fortunate enough to be at Chatsworth three years ago during the holiday season. The gorgeous paintings and sculptures lining the walls made the grand halls feel so warm and inviting. It gave me the idea for my female protagonist Caroline, who has lived apart from her husband for the past year, and how she would take comfort in the portraits lining the walls, as if they were there keeping her company during the lonely days and nights.
• I’ve always loved snow. Naturally, I had to feature a snowstorm where my couple become stranded.

 
Erica Ridley: I have so much sympathy for my heroine, awkward Miss Louisa Harcourt, who just wants to be left alone to scribble her secret poetry, and instead must dance with boors and hope one of them proposes—her mother’s deadline of Twelfth Night is fast approaching.

And I think you’ll love charming, complicated Mr. Ewan Reid, who has the sexiest brooding glare—he knows, because he’s been practicing—and a dark secret that could spoil Christmas and lose his one chance for true love…

Fun Facts About Mischief and Mistletoe

• Like my heroine Louisa, when I was younger, I wanted to be a poet as well as a novelist. I no longer have any of those old spiral notebooks I used to fill with (probably horrendous) poems, but I wish I did!
• Both my main characters’ well-meaning families try to push them down an ill-fitting path because they honestly believe they’re doing the best for their child (or grandchild). This one is personal, too. I was encouraged to secure a “real” job rather than write, and spent far too long in a field that wasn’t for me, only to finally achieve my dream years later.
• “Cozy cabin in the woods” may be one of the most classic spots for a writing retreat, but I have never been in one, snow-covered or otherwise. An appalling oversight I hope to one day remedy!
• 4. I wish I were half as observant as Louisa and Ewan. To my eternal consternation, I cannot picture anything in my mind’s eye, and am dreadful at recalling even familiar faces (I have failed to recognize family before) and would be a stunningly terrible eye-witness, straight out of The Onion.
• 5. Although I have written several house parties (a gothic one in Too Wicked To Kiss, and a cozy holiday-town one in the 12 Dukes of Christmas) I myself have never attended a week-long party. Well, unless reader and writer conventions count. I especially adore events like Historical Romance Retreat and Romancing the Gold Coast where we dress in period clothing to take our tea and waltz the night away!

Readers should read this book….

Each and every story is filled with holiday cheer. You won’t want to miss a single second of the marvels that happen at the Revelry.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Winner’s Choice of Print or eBook copy of Mistletoe Christmas

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Which book character would you like to catch under the mistletoe?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Mistletoe Christmas:

Prologue
Lady Elizabeth Childe to her American cousin, Mrs. Sarah Darby
November 25, 1815
My dearest Sarah,
I’m so thrilled to tell you that after years of hoping, Lord Childe and I have finally received an invitation to the Duke of Greystoke’s Revelry! ’Tis a magnificent Christmastide house party featuring every amusement and wonder. I’ve heard there are plays, dancing, a magical grotto . . . His Grace has a genius for bringing together the finest in England: the aristocracy mingles with artists, politicians, commoners—even journalists and opera dancers!
As you can imagine, such a Revelry does lend itself to scandalous behavior. For mothers, though, it’s as important as the Season: a girl who has failed to attract a husband might find success in its less formal atmosphere. We shan’t discover the other names on the guest list until it is printed in the Morning Chronicle.
My husband grumps that Greystoke thinks too highly of his party, but the Revelry has been labeled a cornerstone of British society. Now that the duke is on his deathbed, though, no one knows what will happen next year. If this is to be the final gathering, I’ve no doubt it will be a Revelry to remember.
On a topic closer to home, you would be thrilled by my hothouse peonies . . .

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

From four beloved writers—Eloisa James, Christi Caldwell, Janna MacGregor, and Erica Ridley—come four original stories that tell a hilarious tale of a Christmas house party that serves up love and scandal in equal measure!

The Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry is famous throughout the British Isles for its plays, dancing, magical grotto… not to mention scandals leading to the marriage licenses he hands out like confetti.

But not everyone welcomes a visit from Cupid.

Lady Cressida, the duke’s daughter, is too busy managing the entertainments—and besides, her own father has called her dowdy. Her cousin, Lady Isabelle Wilkshire, is directing Cinderella and has no interest in marriage. Lady Caroline Whitmore is already (unhappily) married; the fact that she and her estranged husband have to pretend to be together just makes her dread the party all the more. But not as much as Miss Louisa Harcourt, whose mother bluntly tells her that this is her last chance to escape the horrors of being an old maid.

A house party so large that mothers lose track of their charges leads to a delightful, seductive quartet of stories that you will savor for the Season!
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Eloisa James is a USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling author and professor of English literature, who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two, and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight. Visit her at www.eloisajames.com to find out more about her extensive backlist of books, including the Wildes of Lindow Castle and Lizzie and Dante, a modern-day love story written under the name Mary Bly.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eloisajames
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eloisajamesbooks?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eloisajamesbooks/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/86778.Eloisa_James
 
USA TODAY bestselling, RITA-nominated author Christi Caldwell blames Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught for luring her into the world of historical romance. While sitting in her graduate school apartment at the University of Connecticut, Christi decided to set aside her notes and pick up her laptop to try her hand at romance. She believes the most perfect heroes and heroines have imperfections, and she rather enjoys torturing them before crafting them a well-deserved happily ever after! Christi makes her home in southern Connecticut where she spends her time caring for her three spirited children and writing her own enchanting historical romances like Along Came a Lady, the first book in her new All the Duke’s Sins series, and the upcoming A Wanton for All Seasons and It Happened One Winter from her Scandalous Affairs series.
Website: http://christicaldwell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChristiCaldwell/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/christicaldwell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christicaldwellauthor/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5297089.Christi_Caldwell?from_search=true&from_srp=true
 
Janna MacGregor, author of the popular Cavensham Heiresses series, was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. She credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. This is on vivid display in her recently released Regency romance, A Duke in Time. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs. She loves to hear from readers.
Website: https://www.jannamacgregor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JannaMacGregor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JannaMacGregor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jannamacgregor/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15613220.Janna_MacGregor?from_search=true&from_srp=true
 
Erica Ridley is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of witty, feel-good historical romance novels, including The Duke Heist, featuring the Wild Wynchesters. Why seduce a duke the normal way, when you can accidentally kidnap one in an elaborately planned heist?
In the 12 Dukes of Christmas series, enjoy witty, heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village. After all, nothing heats up a winter night quite like finding oneself in the arms of a duke!
Two popular series, the Dukes of War and Rogues to Riches, feature roguish peers and dashing war heroes who find love amongst the splendor and madness of Regency England.
When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.
Website: https://ericaridley.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericaridley/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricaRidley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EricaRidley/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3087787.Erica_Ridley?from_search=true&from_srp=true