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WORK TITLE: The 12 Dares of Christmas
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WEBSITE: http://leighwstuart.com/
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http://www.anasimons.com/single-post/2016/12/06/The-12-Dares-of-Christmas-by-Leigh-W-Stuart
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PERSONAL
Born in Kansas City, MO; married; children: two.
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SIDELIGHTS
Leigh W. Stuart’s debut romance novel, The 12 Dares of Christmas, sets the stage for a holiday romance between Lauren Hall, a young woman with a mission to help animals, and Gabe Nicholson, a young man looking to launch his career by winning a high-powered job working for the governor of Virginia. The two, explained Joyce Sparrow in Xpress Reviews, “meet when Lauren’s protective brother, Cooper, overbooks the number of guests staying at his townhouse a few days before Christmas.” “Lauren is passionate about raising money to build a new, no-kill shelter in her home town of Sycamore Cove,” related a Smexy Books reviewer. “To thank the ladies of the local knitting group for their generous donation, she has planned a dinner, and a surprise male dancer to jump out of a cake for dessert.” Gabe, for his own reasons, agrees to go along with Lauren’s scheme—even if the news gets out and costs him his dream job with Virginia’s extremely conservative governor. “It’s all sugar plums and mistletoe until a scandal caused by Lauren’s fundraiser threatens to ruin it all,” observed a Reading Belle contributor. “With Gabe’s work opportunities disappearing before his eyes and Lauren’s fundraising efforts tanking, their game of dares stands to burn them both.” “Gabe is lovely for helping her out,” said a reviewer for Book Fidelity, “even though he wasn’t sure what he was going to do in order to help her (bless him). And together they make a cute couple.” “The ending nicely wraps up the characters’ development,” said a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “and leaves readers wishing for a sequel.”
Stuart sees romance as a healing genre. “At the heart of every romance is love. There is acceptance and fulfillment,” Stuart explained in an interview with Aimee Brown in For the Love of Chick Lit. “Real life might be more complicated than a romance, but love is here for you. It might not be easy and you might have to rely on a group or even medication to start the process, but accepting and caring for yourself is the first step to healing.”
In general, critics enjoyed Stuart’s debut. “I had already read some of Leigh W Stuart’s previous work and knew how brilliant and talented she is. In The 12 Dares of Christmas, she doesn’t disappoint,” declared Ana Simons in a review posted on the website Ana Simons. “If you’re looking for a funny, steamy, yet sweet pre-holiday reading, I very highly recommend this book.” “One thing I really appreciated about this book is that it wasn’t the cut in dry `home for the holidays’ trope,” asserted a contributor to Kiss at Midnight Reviews. “When a novel opens with a strip scene, you know you’re in for a ride.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, November 14, 2016, review of The 12 Dares of Christmas, p. 39.
Xpress Reviews, November 4, 2016, Joyce Sparrow, review of The 12 Dares of Christmas.
ONLINE
Ana Simons, http://www.anasimons.com/ (December 6, 2016), Ana Simons, review of The 12 Dares of Christmas.
Book Fidelity, http://bookfidelity.weebly.com/ (December 31, 2016), review of The 12 Dares of Christmas.
For the Love of Chick Lit, http://lovechicklit.com/ (December 18, 2016), Aimee Brown, “On the 17th Day of Christmas, Leigh W. Stuart Said to Me…”
Kiss at Midnight Reviews, https://kissatmidnight.wordpress.com/ (December 12, 2016), review of The 12 Dares of Christmas.
Leigh W. Stuart Website, http://leighwstuart.com (August 30, 2017), author profile.
Reading Belle, https://thereadingbelle.com/ (December 19, 2016), review of The 12 Dares of Christmas.
Smexy Books, http://smexybooks.com/ (December 16, 2016), review of The 12 Dares of Christmas.
About Me
Home / About Me
Born in the 70’s, I’ve forgiven my mother for the haircut she kept me in during my formative years. The 80’s were spent staying up late at night with a book hidden under my Smurfs sleeping bag, or with a book while stretched out on the back seat of the minivan, driving across Kansas for vacation.
Finally grew out my perm for the 90’s and gave grunge an honest try. As for books, I was pleasantly surprised by most of the classics I was required to read for high school. Still love 1984.
Before I went to college, I decided that trying to be an author was a silly career move and decided to study French and German in the middle of the United States, instead. Got a ticket to Switzerland, met the love of my life and started a family. Now that I’ve come to my senses about writing, I’m returning to a university in the middle of Switzerland for a degree in English literature. Because life is funny like that.
And I think this whole thing was supposed to be in 3rd person. Dang it.
The 12 Dares of Christmas
Publishers Weekly. 263.46 (Nov. 14, 2016): p39.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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The 12 Dares of Christmas
Leigh W. Stuart. City Owl, $12.99 trade paper (225p) ISBN 978-1-944728-10-6
Stuart's debut, a cheerful, lighthearted romp set in small-town Sycamore Cove, Va., during the Christmas holidays, starts with an entertaining mix-up. When Gabe Nicholson, who's angling for a job working for Virginia's very conservative governor, agreed to help Cooper Hall's sister with a charity event, he wasn't aware she needed someone to jump out of a cake and do a striptease for a local knitting society. Lauren Hall has Gabe out of his clothes and slicked down with massage oil before he fully understands what's going on, and then he can't resist her pleading eyes and takes the gig. The night is such a success that they continue to work together and eventually give in to their attraction to each other, keeping the affair a secret from overprotective Cooper, who's conveniently invited them both to stay with him over the holidays. Stuart cleverly mixes in a seductive game of alternating dares that morphs into more than just a holiday hookup, putting their future plans at war with their desires. Trust is at the heart of this joyous tale. The ending nicely wraps up the characters' development and leaves readers wishing for a sequel. (Jan.)
Stuart, Leigh W.: The 12 Dares of Christmas
Joyce Sparrow
Xpress Reviews. (Nov. 4, 2016):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170-289/xpress_reviews-first_look_at_new.html.csp
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Stuart, Leigh W. The 12 Dares of Christmas. City Owl. Dec. 2016. 225p. ebk. ISBN 9781944728106. $3.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
[DEBUT] "Don't you see since we met, like five days ago, it's been back and forth, up and down and total madness?" So goes the story of Gabe and Lauren, who meet when Lauren's protective brother, Cooper, overbooks the number of guests staying at his townhouse a few days before Christmas. Gabe is in Sycamore Cove in preparation for a job interview with the governor's office. Lauren, who is fearful of dogs because she was bitten as a child, is focused on raising money to build a new no-kill animal shelter. Gabe is willing to accept Lauren's dares to pop out of cakes for the knitting society, dress as an elf for photos at a boat show, and crash the mayor's holiday soiree in hopes of keeping Lauren's attention and collecting donations for her project. As concerned as Lauren is that Cooper may find out she is beginning a relationship with Gabe, the couple find many cozy locations to ignite their passion over and over and over again.
Verdict Much happens in five days as Gabe and Lauren tease and toy with each other in between sultry sex scenes. Gabe's promise of a career in the governor's office is quashed by the Internet photos of his seductive cake dances, and it is Lauren who saves the day-- maybe to readers' disappointment.--Joyce Sparrow, Kenneth City, FL
The 12 Dares of Christmas, by Leigh W. Stuart
December 6, 2016
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Ana Simons
I loved this book for a number of different reasons!
1. The author. I had already read some of Leigh W Stuart’s previous work and knew how brilliant and talented she is. In The 12 Dares of Christmas, she doesn’t disappoint, on the contrary. She weaves a wonderful, heartwarming story that keeps you hooked from the very first page;
2. The holiday mood and the setting. These are simply adorable;
3. The initial premise. Being the owner of two dogs I brought home from a shelter, I can only perceive Lauren’s initiative as a very noble one;
4. A Knitting Society? Honestly, I don’t know if there’s such thing or if that’s a product of the author’s imagination, but the idea of these women watching a hot guy getting out of a cake has me grinning from ear to ear. In fact, the whole book made me laugh a lot. I love the author’s sense of humour;
5. Dare someone to keep her cold feet (and everything else) away? From a hot guy? That’s funny and holds a lot of promise of naughty bits;
6. The remaining dares and the chemistry between Lauren and Gabe? Totally hot.
So, if you’re looking for a funny, steamy, yet sweet pre-holiday reading, I very highly recommend this book.
The 12 Dares of Christmas is available on AMAZON.
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
BLURB
Lauren Hall has one wish for Christmas this year—raise money to build a new, no-kill animal shelter for the town of Sycamore Cove. And she is prepared to do anything to make it happen. Even dare a man she just met to perform a strip tease for the local knitting society.
Gabe Nicholson has one wish too—obtain the job of a lifetime to launch his career. Only his wishes get snowballed when his best friend's little sister hands him a pair of stripper pants and a bottle of eggnog-flavored body oil.
It’s all sugar plums and mistletoe until a scandal caused by Lauren’s fundraiser threatens to ruin it all. With Gabe's work opportunities disappearing before his eyes and Lauren's fundraising efforts tanking, their game of dares stands to burn them both. Unless it ignites a spark of Christmas magic.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leigh W. Stuart was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, daughter to an English teacher. Although she decided to be a writer by the age of six years old, she later talked herself out of it and went on to study French and German in college. She met her husband in Switzerland (or as she calls it, the Marvelous Land of Cheese and Chocolate), where she studied abroad one year, and they now live there with their two children. Love of reading inevitably transformed into a love of writing and she is thrilled to begin a new adventure as an author of romance.
Review: The 12 Dares of Christmas by Leigh W. Stuart
December 16, 2016 By Mandi Leave a Comment
32970174
The 12 Dares of Christmas by Leigh W. Stuart
Released: November 22, 2016
Contemporary Romance
City Owl Press
Reviewed by Mandi
Lauren is passionate about raising money to build a new, no-kill shelter in her home town of Sycamore Cove. To thank the ladies of the local knitting group for their generous donation, she has planned a dinner, and a surprise male dancer to jump out of a cake for dessert. Apparently these ladies really wanted something spicy for their “thank you” from Lauren. But when the male dancer doesn’t show, Lauren calls her brother, Cooper, and begs him to come in as a replacement. To Lauren’s surprise (and happiness that she doesn’t have to see her brother in his underwear) a dancer shows up at the last minute. Except he isn’t a dancer.
Gabe is Cooper’s best friend from college. Lauren had seen pictures of him on Facebook, but never met him in person – so when he shows up, she doesn’t recognize him. Her brother sent Gabe to help out, not telling him what he was really going to do – so when Lauren drags him in a closet and starts rubbing eggnog body oil on him – he thinks this is his lucky day! When he learns that he has to get in a cake and dance around for a room full of ladies – his excitement isn’t as great. But he sees what this means to Lauren and is a good sport.
Have I mentioned that Gabe is a ginger? I don’t think we get enough Ging heroes! Cheers for the gingers!
A mouthwatering ginger with a trim beard and captivating, green eyes stepped toward her. Broad shoulders filled his wool coat, jeans hugged his narrow waist, and melting snow twinkled in his hair, lashes, and beard.
Back to the story – Gabe happens to be staying at Cooper’s house – and as Lauren doesn’t want to be alone for the holidays, she ends up at Cooper’s house – and they both accidentally end up in the same guest room, in the same bed – and this is how their relationship starts. They have hot chemistry. The only problem is that Cooper is extremely overprotective of his baby sister and would never let Gabe get close to her , so they have to be secretive. Gabe continues to help Lauren raise money for the shelter and Lauren continues to have doubts and worries about her attraction to Gabe.
This book starts out super cute with Gabe filling in for the dancer. It made me giggle. Overall, the chemistry is great between these two. Referring to the title, their friendship/relationship starts with a dare, getting Gabe to dance – and they continue with the dares throughout the book. There are some very sexy dares that turned quite steamy. I give a thumbs up
I liked their relationship but there are times that Lauren’s defensiveness wore me out. There is also another girl in town that has the hots for Gabe and it was hard for Lauren to trust that Gabe wasn’t into her. It dragged on for a while and I got tired of it. I didn’t think I would like Cooper’s extreme protectiveness but it actually worked for me. He is more of a big doofus so his caveman attitude fit.
It’s a fun sexy read – I’ll try this author again.
Grade: B-
The 12 Dares of Christmas
December 12, 2016
It’s officially the holiday season, as seen in our Outlander Gift Guide and our Fandom Gift Guide, but here’s the first Christmas book of the month, The 12 Dares of Christmas by Leigh W. Stuart.
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Heat Level: ♥♥♥♥♥
Overall Rating: 5/6 Glass Slippers
Genre: Holiday Romance
Lauren Hall wants the simple things in life…a safe haven for abandoned animals, some holiday cheer, and for a hot guy to jump out of a cake for a crowd of knitting enthusiasts. Reasonable, right? Well, when her star finally shows, he’s one tall drink of ginger water with piercing green eyes. Lauren thinks he’s just the hunky stripper she hired, but that’s far from the truth.
When Gabe Nicholson was asked by Lauren’s brother Cooper to help her out, he thought he just needed to swing by a help with some charity cake. But when Lauren gives him some oil and questions his hip shaking skills, Gabe wonders what the hell he signed up for. But by the time he explains that he isn’t a stripper, it’s too late to back down and the knitting society is waiting.
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Gabe’s routine is a show stopper and Lauren thinks she’s seen the last of the hot redhead. But when they’re both home for the holidays, without a home to go to, Cooper opens his to both of them. Close quarters heat up their week, as does a series of dares that bring them our of their shells. But both have lives, dreams, and jobs outside their bubble, which could pop by the end of the holidays.
This book was cute and basically what you would expect from a holiday romance novel, but with several spicy twists. It featured dual POV that helped to give you fun insight into both their motivations and attractions. One thing I really appreciated about this book is that it wasn’t the cut in dry “home for the holidays” trope where guy meets girl at a holiday party, they’re stuck in a cabin in the snow, and make sweet love by the fireplace and decide to get married. Yawn. When a novel opens with a strip scene, you know you’re in for a ride. So if you love ginger hardbodies with a good sense of humor, steamy scenes, and saving the animals, you can’t go wrong with a copy of The 12 Dares of Christmas.
Remember to enter our Outlander Giveaway and read about my contemporary romance and Scottish historical romances here!
Review: The 12 Dares of Christmas
12/31/2016
The 12 Dares of Christmas
by Leigh W. Stuart
Synopsis
Lauren Hall has one wish for Christmas this year—raise money to build a new, no-kill animal shelter for the town of Sycamore Cove. And she is prepared to do anything to make it happen. Even dare a man she just met to perform a strip tease for the local knitting society.
Gabe Nicholson has one wish too—obtain the job of a lifetime to launch his career. Only his wishes get snowballed when his best friend's little sister hands him a pair of stripper pants and a bottle of eggnog-flavored body oil.
It’s all sugar plums and mistletoe until a scandal caused by Lauren’s fundraiser threatens to ruin it all. With Gabe's work opportunities disappearing before his eyes and Lauren's fundraising efforts tanking, their game of dares stands to burn them both. Unless it ignites a spark of Christmas magic.
Review
Yes, technically the Christmas season is over - but as long as my Christmas tree is up (usually until January 6), I'm counting it!
As any reader of the site should know by now, I am a sucker for a holiday romance. 12 Dares definitely had its moments where it was hot and steamy, and others when it was funny, but it still left a lot to be desired.
Lauren is a sweet heroine - working her butt off to help the local animal shelter (even though...well, I'll let you read that part). Gabe is lovely for helping her out, even though he wasn't sure what he was going to do in order to help her (bless him). And together they make a cute couple. Add in the problem that Gabe is Lauren's older brother's close friends - and you have your friction. But, even with all that, I still could not fully muster enough energy to care about these two characters. Not really. They left me feeling a bit bland about it.
To be honest, the insta-love is really getting to me. This may be why I'm taking a little break from the romance genre. Not for long, mind you, because I love it.
Back to the book - if you want a HEA (happily ever after) steamy romance surrounding Christmas, you'll like this.
THE 12 DARES OF CHRISTA
by Marissa Burt
Age Range: 10 - 13
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KIRKUS REVIEW
To say Christa Vasile loves Christmas is an understatement.
She always sets the Best Christmas Plan Ever into motion on Nov. 1, with the goal of outdoing the previous year’s celebration. This year’s excellence has already surpassed the others, as Christa and her parents will be going to Europe. But then her parents drop the bad news: they’re getting a divorce, and the “coppery”-skinned 13-year-old with “crazy-thick hair” and “eyes that crinkle up in the corners” (but no named race) and her similar-looking mother will go to Europe for some “mother-daughter time.” Christa’s actress mother will perform in venues throughout their trip, which means Christa has to join the “kid portion of [the] tour” with the other actors’ children: hyperexuberant Kylie, artist Sasha, Harry Potter superfan Owen, spiky-haired Logan, and cute hipster Colby. (Sasha is Asian; the rest appear to be white.) After Christa spies her mother making out with Kylie’s father, her hopes for a parental reunion go out like a candle in the wind. However, a surprise from her father lifts Christa’s spirits. He’s continuing their holiday scavenger hunt tradition with one dare for each of the 12 days of Christmas. The tasks encourage Christa to allow the unexpected to lead her to new and exciting places. Her first-person present-tense narration carries the story, and Burt does an excellent job of bringing the magic of Europe to life on the page.
A sweet story about letting go and allowing life to lead the way. (Fiction. 10-13)
Pub Date: Sept. 26th, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-241618-6
Page count: 304pp
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 27th, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15th, 2017
Lauren Hall has one wish for Christmas this year—raise money to build a new, no-kill animal shelter for the town of Sycamore Cove. And she is prepared to do anything to make it happen. Even dare a man she just met to perform a strip tease for the local knitting society.
Gabe Nicholson has one wish too—obtain the job of a lifetime to launch his career. Only his wishes get snowballed when his best friend’s little sister hands him a pair of stripper pants and a bottle of eggnog-flavored body oil.
It’s all sugar plums and mistletoe until a scandal caused by Lauren’s fundraiser threatens to ruin it all. With Gabe’s work opportunities disappearing before his eyes and Lauren’s fundraising efforts tanking, their game of dares stands to burn them both. Unless it ignites a spark of Christmas magic.
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I received 12 Dares of Christmas on NetGalley.
Hey guys, are you looking for a cute romance book just for the holidays? Let me tell you that 12 Dares of Christmas is not the book for you! It wasn’t the synopsis that got me to read the book, but the cover. I thought to myself, “this book looks cute.” Oh, was I wrong.
Normally, I don’t read romance books, but I decided to give it a chance. I was in the mood to read a Christmas book. I didn’t imagine an erotic filled book. That was not what I was expecting. Oh Lord.
I’ll keep it short: Avoid it.
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You see, the main characters don’t have a chance to slowly fall in love. I assumed this was going to be a slow burn romance. Nope, that’s not the case. Instead you are presented with a lot of sexual dares and most of the time I was skipping ahead to see how this travesty was going to end. Did I get attached to the characters? Not really.
All I know about the two protagonists is that both want new job opportunities. Lauren works hard for her causes such as raising money for a new animal shelter. She doesn’t have much of a love life because of her over-protective brother. Some of the things she does are a bit questionable…such as hiring a male stripper to entertain older women, but she has a good heart. Gabe is the “sexy” best friend of Lauren’s brother. Gabe knows that Lauren is off limits because of her over-protective brother. Gabe doesn’t really know Lauren, yet fate brings them together. When Lauren finds herself without a stripper, guess who becomes one by default. Yes, Gabe does. Their lives are intertwined because of that event.
The two characters fall for each other instantly. It is a book about lust and sex. There were some stereotypical situations…and I hated the dares…there I said it!
Final Rating: (0.5)
On the 17th Day of Christmas, Leigh W. Stuart said to me…
December 18, 2016
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When the Holidays Aren’t Joyful
In honor of the holidays, I would like to bring up a difficult subject; one that might not seem to have anything to do with Romances, but is intimately tied to the central theme of every romantic story.
Holiday Depression.
I’ve been blessed in my life to have never experienced depression, but I have friends and loved ones who have struggle with this, and I know that it can be particularly hard for some people during the end of the year festivities. I’ve watched them fight or phase out of life, not caring, not living and not able to get out of bed during the day, and it has torn me apart.
Many people get a form of Holiday Blues. Me, too. Believe me. There are so many reasons the holidays are a pain. Stores are overcrowded, traffic is a mess, kids constantly whining for this or that toy (or a bunch of them), making arrangements to see family members you normally avoid like the Black Plague, and those same old songs playing over and over. It’s enough to drive anyone into a cozy corner with a good book and cup of cocoa, or make you want to scream at the shoppers in front of you who are holding up the check-out line with ten thousand gifts. Remember, this will pass. It passes every year, so take a moment to breathe deeply and think of the happiness in your life.
But depression goes beyond that. If going out and facing the world is too difficult to bear, if the thought of seeing certain people in the family sends you into a panic, or you feel like everyone would be better off if you weren’t here anymore, then I am begging you to reach out. Find a person you can trust to talk to, go to a therapist or a support group that is trained to help you through this, and please, before you do something that cannot be undone, call a hotline if there is no one else.
Because the world is not a better place without you in it.
At the heart of every romance is love. There is acceptance and fulfillment. Real life might be more complicated than a romance, but love is here for you. It might not be easy and you might have to rely on a group or even medication to start the process, but accepting and caring for yourself is the first step to healing.
I mentioned earlier that there are a couple members of my family who are depressed. Since I know she won’t read this, I’ll go ahead and confess that my mother was diagnosed with severe clinical depression with schizophrenic tendencies when I was a teenager. I grew up in a household with a mother who could not take care her children. Things could have been worse, but it was never easy.
I love her just the same. I can’t ask her to help me for anything, or have a discussion without censoring the topics I bring up (triggers and sore spots), but I love her. And someone loves you (or will if you give them the chance.) And it starts with loving yourself.
Never forget:
You are worthy of love.
You should and must love yourself.
Give yourself time; your soul and body need time to heal, but you are worth the wait.
Thank you all for reading and please have safe and blessed holidays this season. Leigh W. Stuart
About the Author:
Leigh W. Stuart
Bio:
Leigh W. Stuart was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, daughter to an English teacher. Although she decided to be a writer by the age of six years old, she later talked herself out of it and went on to study French and German in college. She met her husband in Switzerland (or as she calls it, the Marvelous Land of Cheese and Chocolate), where she studied abroad one year, and they now live there with their two children. Love of reading inevitably transformed into a love of writing and she is thrilled to begin a new adventure as an author of romance.
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About her Christmassy Book:
The 12 Dares of Christmas
Blurb:
Lauren Hall has one wish for Christmas this year—raise money to build a new, no-kill animal shelter for the town of Sycamore Cove. And she is prepared to do anything to make it happen. Even dare a man she just met to perform a strip tease for the local knitting society.
Gabe Nicholson has one wish too—obtain the job of a lifetime to launch his career. Only his wishes get snowballed when his best friend’s little sister hands him a pair of stripper pants and a bottle of eggnog-flavored body oil.
It’s all sugar plums and mistletoe until a scandal caused by Lauren’s fundraiser threatens to ruin it all. With Gabe’s work opportunities disappearing before his eyes and Lauren’s fundraising efforts tanking, their game of dares stands to burn them both. Unless it ignites a spark of Christmas magic.
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About Me
Aimee
Hi there, I'm Aimee Brown. I'm a wife & mother of 3 teenagers. My first book Little Gray Dress will release later in 2017. I'm completely addicted to coffee, curse like a sailor & yes, that's a tattoo across my chest.