Holiday Showcase 2010

Christmas is almost upon us, and most publishing companies are rolling out the holiday romances at the moment. I have two, myself - Good for the Goose and Un-Scrooged, and you can read more on how I feel about the sub-genre in my post at the Decadent Blog. I thought today I would give you a little look-see at some of the seasonal finery available this month!

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Over at Decadent, they seem to be having quite a Christmas party, with two pages full of holiday romances. If your wintery tastes run to moving, historical romances, Amanda McIntyre's A Christmas Promise seems right up that alley, with a touching love story involving a young widowed Irishman bringing his young son to the New World, and finding love when he least expected it. If you like historical, but with a wee bit more zest and a lot more action, PJ Schnyder delivers in Evie's Promise, a steampunk story about a feisty young woman saving her airship from an enemy submarine! (Who says Christmas is calm?) For even more action-adventure, Robert C Roman Jr has his second book of the Iron Angel Series out, Vigil, in which "A cowardly attack on Christmas Day leaves Sebastian standing alone against the might of the Ottoman Immortals."

Decadent also has some fine contemporary Christmas stories with a touch of erotica, such as Clarissa Yip's new Snowy Encounter. Also, remember, this is the season for giving, so check out Deanna Wadsworth's M/M holiday erotica, Secret Santa - Decadent's December "Read for a Cure" story. All publisher proceeds for this book during December will be donated to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life program.

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At Wild Horse, you should take a look at what authors Ashlynn Monroe, Lila Munro, BethAnn Buehler, J.L. Oiler, and Jessica Coulter Smith have been up to! All I Want for Christmas is Redemption is their new holiday anthology, which brings a bit of paranormal to the holidays.

On the border of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, sits a town deep in history - Redemption. The name itself would speculate a place for second chances. In a town bound by a curse, strange is a state of mind. Condemned for the murder of a young white witch in 1699, the descendents of the towns founders are far from "normal."

Christmas is a time of good will and love... even in a town like Redemption.

Available now!

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As always, old standbyHarlequin has a wide selection of Christmas stories coming out in its various series and imprints. From Inspirational, with such old fashioned sweetness as An Amish Christmas, by Patricia Davids, to their much-touted Medical Romance series, and Dr Zinetti's Snowkissed Bride by Sarah Morgan, or their Historical romance line, with Annie Burrow's A Countess by Christmas, they've got titles galore this season, including multiple Christmas romances in their ever-popular SuperRomance collection (my persona favourite).

At HQ's new e-book imprint, Carina Press, Christmas gets a bit more eclectic, with holiday titles in even more sub-genres, including GLBT, erotic and paranormal, along side more contemporary mainstream novels, as well.

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If your tastes run a bit more to the wicked, Wicked Nights has the thrills to combat those chills this season, with their Wicked Christmas Series of definitely-atypical holiday erotic stories, and more coming out in the next few weeks. Watch for a Wicked Nights holiday offerings run down from author/publisher Stacey Thompson-Geer later on this blog! And don't forget their Wicked contest!

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There are also promising holiday collections at Silver Publishing, Evernight Publishing, and Pink Petal Books, and many more small, large and in-between ebook and brick-and-mortar publishers. Well worth a look around! Please, feel free to comment below with your holiday recommendations, new and old.

Happy Holidays, and Happy Reading!