Spotlight & Giveaway: Rancher Under the Mistletoe by Joanne Rock

Posted November 28th, 2023 by in Blog, Spotlight / 63 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Joanne Rock to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Joanne and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Rancher Under the Mistletoe!

 
Hello! So good to be here talking about romance.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Rancher Under the Mistletoe is the fourth and final book in my Kingsland Ranch series for Harlequin Desire. In this one, we meet Clay Reynolds, who was left out of his father’s will. In prior books, the Kingsley brothers searched for him to ensure he received a share of the Kingsland estate, and at last he agreed to leave his Alaska home to spend six weeks in Montana with his half brothers. He fully expects to return to Alaska after the holidays. But he did not anticipating running into Hope Alvarez, the local veterinarian he remembers well from a previous trip home.
 

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

Was it possible to catch fire from a man’s gaze?
Hope felt the slow burn crawl over her skin as Clayton stared back at her, a hand’s reach away.

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • I dedicated this one to my youngest adult son, Maxim. In fact, all of the Kingsland Ranch stories are dedicated to my sons.
  • The Alaskan hero is a wildlife biologist who is researching animal behavior in the tundra.
  • The heroine is a ranch veterinarian.
  • The heroine’s veterinarian assistant, Cassandra, has her own love story in a free novella Midnight in Montana, available on the Harlequin website.
  • Christmas in Montana brings ALL the romance!

 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

The hero and heroine have a shared past, so their first attraction to one another came long before the book begins. We know they were drawn to one another because of their shared passion for saving animals.

 

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

This scene made me laugh when the heroine’s friends egg her on to kiss the hero after they stop under the mistletoe while dancing:

The guitarist finished her song and the crowd around them pausing to applaud. They did the same, and for an unwise moment, she mourned the loss of Clay’s touch while they both clapped.
At the same time, the musician leaned near her microphone to speak. “Thank you. And, in the spirit of Christmas, don’t forget to steer your partner toward our dance floor mistletoe tonight.”
Everyone peered up to find the bundle of greenery.
Hope didn’t have far to look since it was directly over their heads.
She wasn’t sure if the crowd was reacting to the fact that the guitarist had pointed out the holiday symbol or to the realization that a couple already stood beneath it. Either way, the bar patrons erupted in whistles and cheers, clearly expecting the first public kiss of the evening.
Hope appreciated the noise, actually. It distracted her from the pang that went through her at the thought of how long that last bundle of mistletoe had lingered in her house during the months following her mom’s death.
Thankfully, Clay’s gaze found hers, and the heat in his eyes dragged her out of those dark thoughts. In fact, the smoldering look was so potent it sent a shiver of anticipation through her. From the cacophony of shouts and people egging them on to kiss, Hope heard her friends’ voices—Lauryn and Kendra—clear and distinct from the rest.
“Go for it, sexy mama!” Kendra hollered. While Lauryn’s higher pitch called, “Show them how it’s done, Hope!”
In spite of herself—and in spite of the sadness that had surrounded her holidays for so long—Hope laughed.
“Guess there’s no getting out of it,” she said softly, lifting up on her toes while she steadied herself with one hand on Clay’s shoulder.
But she didn’t have far to arch because a moment later, Clay lifted her up at the same time his mouth crashed down on hers, kissing her like a man on a mission.
The whole place erupted. At least, she thought that’s what happened. It was tough to hear over the rush of blood to her ears, her heart pounding so loudly she practically rattled from the vibration. The heat, the warmth of his body enveloped her, as his arms wrappeding around her so they touched…everywhere.
A moment later, the guitarist launched into a new song. Clay broke the kiss but didn’t let her go. Her lips tingled where his mouth had touched hers. The applause died away, and life in the bar seemed to go on around them while they remained together, arms still banded about one another.
People began dancing again. And yet Hope hadn’t peeled herself off of Clay. Or was the problem that he hadn’t returned her to her feet?
“I should get back to my friends,” she said weakly, wriggling in a way that only made her hyper aware of Clay’s every muscle.
Her emotions were in as much of a tangle as her nerve endings. And those were short-circuiting all over the place.
“Right. Sorry.” Clay lowered her to the floor with delectable slowness, heightening the pleasure already coursing through her.

 

Readers should read this book….

For a Christmas feel-good afternoon! Hope and Clay’s story unfolds in a snow-covered mountain town, and their efforts to bring compassionate care to animals will touch your heart, even as the steamy moments make your toes curl. You don’t need to have read the other books in this series to enjoy Rancher Under the Mistletoe as a standalone.

 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

Right now, I’m revising and reissuing some books from my backlist. I just updated my Single in South Beach series, that was a six book series in the Harlequin Blaze era. Now, the books are back and better than ever, with this series available in Kindle Unlimited. Next up for me, I’ll be reworking my five-book Murphy brothers series.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: I’ve got a three-pack of books — copies of my Return to Catamount series– including Rocky Mountain Rivals, One Colorado Night and A Colorado Claim. Open INTL. A US winner can choose print copies while an INTL winner will receive digital editions.

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What holiday gift are you looking forward to giving this year? I’m excited to print some photographs to frame and give as gifts.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Rancher Under the Mistletoe:

Clay tucked her close to dodge a raucous pool game where a winner jumped around with his cue like she’d just clinched the World Cup. Hope gripped Clay’s hand tighter when a server lifted a full tray of bright red cosmopolitan drinks over her head. A moment afterward, they arrived at the table where Levi and Gavin were still shoulder to shoulder with their significant others.
All four sets of eyes turned toward them with varying degrees of speculative interest.
Kendra kept the moment from feeling awkward, however, by lifting her beer glass in their direction. “Cheers to you for breaking in the mistletoe.”
Laughing, Lauryn raised her glass and Hope did the same as she slid into her seat.
As she took a sip of the frothy IPA, Clay bent to speak into her ear. “I have some free time tomorrow. Text me when you finish work.”
Her throat went dry as every cell in her body swooned appreciatively at that deep voice rumbling against her ear.
She could only nod, not trusting her own voice to reply in anything other than a breathless squeak. Cheeks hot along with the rest of her, she peered across the high-top table at her friends, noticing them watching her interaction with Clay with rapt interest.
At some point Gavin and Levi had drifted away, leaving just the three friends again, their bucket of beers a centerpiece on the table.
“Sooo,” Lauryn began, her braid falling forward as she leaned closer. “I feel like the sexual attraction is so thick right now, there’s still a force field of it kind of resonating around you.”
Her friend was right, but it wasn’t something Hope intended to advertise. Especially when she hadn’t a clue how she wanted to proceed. So she shook her head. “It’s not like that.”
But her friends paid her no mind.
Instead, Kendra nodded, pointing her finger at Lauryn. “Oh, my God, you nailed it. That kiss was like a nuclear event and she’s still radiating.”
Behind them, another couple must have danced under the mistletoe, because there was more shouting and clanging of glasses before a big eruption of oohs and aahs along with a few cheers.
Ignoring the kissing to focus on the conversation, Hope covered her eyes. Her friends weren’t stupid. She might as well confess. “Ladies, I don’t want to radiate. There’s too much history between Clay and me.”
Lauryn gasped. “I knew it. From that summer three years ago, right? I was busy with the rescue that year, but I always thought there was something between you.”
“We never took it public,” Hope admitted. Although even as she said it, she wondered why. Had she felt something was off between them? Or was it a case of not really committing even then? “And it was only for six weeks, but at that time it felt—real.”
Kendra reached across the table to squeeze Hope’s wrist, her silver bangles clanking lightly over the wood. “Levi told me that summer ended really badly for Clayton after the big fight with Duke.”
Lauryn bit her lip before adding,. “Gavin said no one but Clay really knows what the fight was about. But it must have been bad to drive him to the most remote parts of Alaska for three years.”
Both women looked at her expectantly.
“I—,” Hope began, before snapping her jaw shut again. All this time, she’d believed that Clay had wanted to get away from her. Only last week had she discovered that he believed she wanted to break up with him. But was there much more to his disappearance than that?
“I should ask him about it,” she said finally, realizing that she’d taken a wrong-headed approach to her attraction to Clayton. Maybe she’d been too focused on her own needs when she could have given more consideration to his.
“I know Gavin really wishes he would stay in Silent Spring,” Lauryn added. “Maybe this time he will.”
Was that even a real possibility? Hope took another long sip of her drink to hide the bolt of panic the idea gave her. It was easier for her to focus on his departure, a definite end to the confusing feelings he stirred inside her.
Kendra must have seen her face, however, since she patted Hope’s shoulder, her bracelets jingling as she said, “Don’t let that freak you out. You’re a strong, smart woman, and you’re in charge of your feelings and what happens next with Clay.”
Hope peered from Kendra to Lauryn—who nodded in earnest agreement—and back again. The vote of confidence felt good. The endorsement of her friends whose opinions she respected. Some of the tension sighed out of her before Lauryn added,
“Besides, you can always shut things down and walk away if it’s not right for you.” Readjusting the bow on her green hair ribbon, Lauryn made it sound simple.
Easy.
And it gave Hope an idea. Just in case these heated encounters with Clay really did lead to more intimacy. She could be the one to end things this time. No need to wait around for more heartbreak.
Hope felt the new realization settle into place. “I appreciate the pep talk. And the assurance that I can call the shots so I don’t get hurt again.” But before she dismissed a relationship that hadn’t even begun, she really did want to hear more from Clayton about his view of their shared past. That summer he’d left. “But I also think I’ve been content to paint Clay as the villain in our break-up for so long that I might not have looked beyond my own disillusionment to appreciate what he was dealing with back then.”
Kendra set her empty glass on the table and then shoved aside the silver bucket of drinks so there was nothing between them. “We don’t want you to get hurt either. But sometimes relationships can be worth the risk.”
Since when was she the kind of woman who played it safe? She’d never seen herself that way. Hadn’t she been the one to move her relationship with Clay out of the friend zone in the first place?
But before Hope could argue the point, Lauryn added, “Personally, I would gamble for the sake of that kind of radiation.”
Hope didn’t agree or disagree, telling them she’d think about it.
But inside, she already knew she had the advice she’d been seeking. She would see Clayton again, of course. This time, she would ask him directly about the summer they’d split. He’d gotten to hear her side of things, but he still hadn’t told her his. It was high time she got some answers.
And, worst case scenario and she got in over her head again? She’d be the one to walk away.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

A Christmas homecoming takes a blazing turn when the woman he left behind comes back into his life! Only in USA TODAY bestselling author Joanne Rock’s finale to her Kingsland Ranch series!

He left the past behind…but the passion was never truly gone.

Clayton “Clay” Reynolds is only staying at Kingsland Ranch through the holidays. Despite his half brothers’ acceptance, bitter memories make him feel like an outcast. But seeing the love he left behind, veterinarian Hope Alvarez, has stirred up more memories—like the searing desire she ignited in him…and the letter telling him they were through.

The aching hunger Clay and Hope both feel is as potent as ever. But neither is willing to trust the other until Clay discovers his past choices were not what they seemed…
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Joanne Rock is a USA Today bestselling author. She’s written over one hundred books, most recently focusing on sexy contemporaries and small-town family sagas. She enjoys romance for prioritizing relationships and encouraging readers to follow their dreams. A frequent speaker at regional and national writing conferences she enjoys giving back to the writing community that nurtured and inspired her early career. She has a Masters degree in Literature from the University of Louisville. When she’s not writing, Joanne enjoys travel to gather new ideas.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |
 
 
 

«
»

63 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Rancher Under the Mistletoe by Joanne Rock”

  1. Latesha B.

    The gift of time. It seems like we are always rushing around and not spending enough time with those that matter the most to us.

  2. Amy Donahue

    I’m excited to give all of my gifts. I only buy for six people and my budget is very limited so I work hard to make sure their gifts are something that will bring them joy.

    • Joanne Rock

      I know it takes a lot of budgeting skill to do this, Amy. I’m sure your loved ones appreciate the thought you put into their gifts!

  4. Glenda M

    We picked out some great gifts for the kids and out daughter’s partner this summer. (Now I just have to get my husband to remember where he hid them )

  5. Kathleen O

    My youngest niece is having a baby next year, so I am giving her some post mom stuff, like a gift card to go have a mani and pedi after the baby comes.

  7. SusieQ

    I have some toys for the grand nieces and nephew. Kids make the holidays fun.

    • Joanne Rock

      It’s a fun holiday when there are cars and dolls and trains to play with… not to mention the joy of a child’s excitement!

  8. Nora-Adrienne Deret

    My grandchildren will receive their gifts on Chanukah. We’ll visit each of the four families to hand them out.

  11. Crystal

    I’m looking forward to giving money to Samaritans Purse to teach kids God’s word in a classroom and money to the Humane Society Butler County Chapter who run on donations only with no Government help.

    • Joanne Rock

      So fun!! I gave my family all Christmas socks before the holiday last year so we had them to wear while opening our gifts!

  16. girlfromwva

    Giving my ex a collage print of all 4 kids from a dinner w attended this Fall.

  17. girlfromwva

    I am giving my ex a collage print i put together of our 4 kids from a dinner we attended this Fall.

  18. Amanda

    I’m excited to give my sister tea I won for her and that she has no clue about

  19. Kim

    There isn’t any particular gift I’m excited to give this year. My kids didn’t really have anything on their lists.

  20. Doris Lankford

    I am excited to give my granddaughter a Lego set she has been wanting.

  22. Linda May

    I always look forward to getting things for my two grandsons and no matter what it is they love it. Thanks.

    • Joanne Rock

      Your friend will treasure it!! I have an afghan a dear friend knitted for me and I adore it. It feels like a friend-hug every time I use it :-).

  26. Patricia Barraclough

    My husband and I are giving ourselves a Christmas Market cruise on the Rhine – Paris to Zurich for Christmas (and birthdays) this year.

  30. Pammie R.

    It’s been a bad season so far so I am simply looking forward to it ending this year. 🙁

  32. Jen K

    My family is forgoing the gift giving this year and making charitable donations. I’m looking forward to finding charities that match up with various family members.