Contrasting Christmas' with Serenity Woods

Today I have the very busy Serenity Woods who has not one but TWO Christmas romances out this year... And she's here with a giveaway too!

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today. I’m here to talk about two Christmassy romances I have out this December.


The two stories couldn’t be further apart in terms of location! White-Hot Christmas from Samhain Publishing is set in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand. When we first landed in New Zealand on 7th December six years ago, it was 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Everyone was dressed in shorts and jandals (flip-flops to the rest of the world), the shops selling beachwear had windows decorated with holly and snowmen, and we spent Christmas Eve paddling in the Pacific. It was incredibly surreal, but we're getting used to it!

In White-Hot Christmas, Merle is from the UK, and she’s come to New Zealand to visit her sister, Bree, and Bree’s new husband, Jake. They introduce Merle to Jake’s cousin Neon (short for Napoleon, only don’t tell him I told you or he’ll kill me) and their attraction to one another is instant and electric. Merle and Neon have a very hot Christmas, in all senses of the word :) But when it’s time for her to go, they realise they’re in deeper than they thought, and there’s no solution that won’t break someone’s heart.

In contrast, Holly’s First Noel from Entangled Publishing is set on the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland during a very snowy Christmas. Noel’s wife died on Christmas Eve from breast cancer three years ago. He’s spent the previous two Christmases alone watching mindless action movies and getting drunk. He’s done more than his share of grieving, and deep down he’s ready for love, but the lingering guilt at the notion of betraying his wife won’t go away. Noel’s young and passionate—he misses sex and companionship and he wants children. But he’s also loyal and devoted. How is he supposed to move on?

Enter Holly, who doesn’t fit the traditional perfect Christmas image either. At the beginning of the story, her partner breaks up with her, leaving her with a tonne of Christmas food and a long holiday void of love and happiness. So when Noel suggests she join him on his retreat, she takes, oh, all of five seconds to say yes. Together they watch action movies, wait for the Loch Ness Monster, and eat beans on toast for Christmas dinner, determined not to conform to society’s idea of the perfect day, and yet somehow the time is more special than any Holly’s ever spent before.

I have a thing about Christmas romances—you may have noticed ;)

Anyway, thanks for having me here, Rachael. I have a free copy of White-Hot Christmas to give away to a lucky reader. Tell me what the weather’s like in your part of the world and be in to win :)

You can find Serenity Woods at the following places:
Website: www.serenitywoodsromance.com
Twitter: @FayeRobertsonNZ, @Serenity_Woods
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/serenitywoodsromance