The Alien and the Elf #Excerpt #KindleUnlimited #Scifiromance #holidayread

My name is Noelle, and I'm an elf.

I was minding my own business, testing a newly installed engine on Santa's sleigh when it suffered a slight malfunction. I found myself spiraling out of control. Then a bright beam of light hits from above, and I'm taken on board a spaceship.

Jaxar is a sexy, to-die-for, green-skinned alien who thinks I'm stealing his salvage.

He's never met an elf.

Well, I've never met an alien.

With no way to get home, I need Jaxar's help. Can we work together to fix Santa's sleigh in time to save Christmas?

A short, steamy, happy-for-now romance between a quirky elf and a brooding alien.

Excerpt:

After the creaking of metal silenced, the sleigh bumped against something solid. The sensation of floating dissipated. Again, I was firmly entrenched in my seat.

The light vanished. Everything went black. I blinked several times, panic rising when I suspected the bright light had blinded me completely. I couldn’t see anything until I spotted the red light flashing from the console.

No, I wasn’t blind. I was in some dark place where I could no longer see the stars.

Unsure what to do, I remained in my seat.

Had I died? Did the sleigh crash? Was this what happened after elves died? Humans often spoke of light at the end of a tunnel. Well, I had seen a light. Not so much a tunnel, but—

Light flickered on around me, illuminating a rather spacious room.

Okay, so I wasn’t dead.

The room was expansive. Far larger than the biggest workshop at home. I’d never been in such a room. There were no windows. Only two doors, one on either end of the large space.

The light came from fixtures on the ceiling, spaced evenly apart.

Piles of metal cluttered the area on the floor. Random parts of twisted machines. Wait… Was that a rocket at the other end of the room?

I tapped my finger on the wheel and bit my lip.

“Um…”

Where in all the land of peppermint was I?

And then a man appeared in one of the doorways.

Well, I thought it was a man. He looked like a man at first glance, but as he approached, I realized how wrong my assumption was when I saw smooth green skin.

My jaw dropped. I couldn’t help it. I’d never seen a man with such skin. It glistened as he strode forward, his body moving like an animal stalking prey, smooth, fluid movements, his muscles bunching in anticipation of attack.

It was mesmerizing to watch.

Other than the tantalizingly colorful skin, he wore clothes as any other man would wear. Well, maybe not many human men. This one wore brown trousers and a leather vest revealing his large, well-cared for green abdomen and biceps.

As he closed the distance between us, I could better see his facial features. He had dark eyes, a strong nose with a strange bumpy ridge near the top, and a determined chin covered with a dusting of dark hair. His black hair was sheared short and a silver chain dangled on the lobe of his left ear.

He had the look of a green-skinned pirate. I shivered in anticipation as he approached. I had never been struck by a man’s appearance before, but this one knocked my candy-cane striped socks right off from under my booted feet.

“Who are you?” I asked as he drew closer, grateful it had taken some time for him to reach me so I could find my voice. “What is this place?”

I swept my gaze around the overly large room as my rather small in comparison sleigh sat off center.

The green-skinned alien lifted his arm to point a cylindrical metal object at me. I’d never seen a ray-gun before, but I assumed this is what one might look like.

I raised my hands at the intense expression on the alien’s face.

That’s what he was, wasn’t he?

An alien?

I tried to piece together the facts as my brain fought the evidence right before my eyes.

A bright light beaming me up.

A green-skinned man with a ray gun pointed at me.

Yeah. I’d been abducted by an alien.

Wait until the elves at the North Pole heard about this one.

“What is your purpose here?” The alien barked, keeping the ray gun leveled at my chest.

I swallowed hard as I watched the sexy alien hold a weapon at my heart.

“My purpose?” I frowned. What did he mean by that?

“What are your intentions?”

My frown only deepened, but a spark of irritation lit, chasing some fear away.

“My intentions?” I lowered my raised hands, feeling foolish for standing there like I was some criminal. I had done nothing wrong. In fact, I’d been minding my own business until he abducted me. “I intended to fly my sleigh to test the engines. Everything was going like plum pudding until you came along with that bright-ass light of yours.”

The alien’s mouth quirked, but he kept the weapon trained on me, stepping closer.

“You were flying an unknown spacecraft above Seattle. I’ve seen nothing like it. Again, I ask, what are your intentions with this planet?”

“My intentions with this planet?” I scoffed. “This is my planet. I live here. I intend to live the rest of my life here unless you end it with that ray gun of yours.” I crossed my arms over my chest as if to protect my heart should he shoot me. “What about you? You’re not from around here. What are your intentions?”

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What I Read When I'm Not Feeling Well #books #amreading

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Today's topic: What I Read When I'm Not Feeling Well

There are always two authors that I turn to whenever I'm feeling down in the dumps or if I'm sick and in dire need of some cheering up. If I'm caught up with all of their books, then I'll go back and reread them. But, these two authors are guaranteed to make me smile and laugh which is a definite cure for whatever is ailing me at the time.

Janet Evanovich

Her Stephanie Plum books are hilarious. The cast of characters outrageously funny. Each book is guaranteed to make me laugh. Stephanie is a bounty hunter usually in need of money to pay her rent. In order to do that, she has to bring in the skips who've jumped bail for her cousin, Vinnie. There are a variety available from those committing petty theft to more violent crimes. With her on her quest is Lula, who adds a unique flavor to every book installment. I love Lula! She takes no nonsense from anyone. She's also a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it! Then there's Grandma Mazur, who is well known for wanting to see an open casket at the local funeral parlour and if there isn't one, she'll find a way to take a peek anyway. Another reason to keep reading these is to find out just who will Stephanie finally settle down with, Joe Morelli, the sexy cop who she has an on again, off again relationship with, or Ranger, the drop-dead gorgeous man of mystery who often sweeps in to save the day. It's also fun to see how many cars Stephanie accidentally destroys in each book.

   

Julia Quinn

Oh, the Bridgertons! I fell in love with this family since I first picked up Colin's story. I had to go back and read from the beginning, although Colin remains my favorite. The entire Bridgerton clan has a book each. She also branches off to continue other stories for some of the characters populating the world she created in Regency England. These books are humorous and sweet and so emotional that I can go from laughing to crying within a page. The stories are compelling and addicting. I will read these again and again. They're guaranteed to make me smile and help make me believe that there is always love and hope in this world.

   

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FIRE & ICE

Fire and Ice...they are two of the most powerful elements known to man.

From the tiniest sparks to a blazing inferno, fire is an intense energy that can consume anything in its path.

Ice is it's unrelenting and frigid counterpart that can startle your senses and make you shiver. When put together, you'll find a force that is stronger than anything you'll ever encounter.

If you love the paranormal and can't get enough of romance, then this set is exactly what you need in your library.

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Book Review ~ Shopaholic on Honeymoon by Sophie Kinsella #shortstory #humor

Shopaholic on Honeymoon by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The new Mr and Mrs Brandon are on honeymoon, and Becky has big plans! They’ve got a whole year to explore Venice, learn yoga in India, sleep in little wooden huts in South America… maybe even see penguins in the Arctic. And of course they’ll need to buy just a few essential souvenirs along the way (everyone needs a set of Murano glass goblets, after all).

They’re not just tourists, they’re travellers. Becky is sure it is just the thing that Luke needs – time to unwind. He’ll come back a changed man… with all the good bits still intact of course.

But it soon becomes clear that Luke has different plans entirely. Can Becky help him let go, or will this little disagreement threaten their whole honeymoon?

ebook, 28 pages

Published December 10th 2014 by Transworld Digital

My Review:

This is a short story that's set after Book #3: Shopaholic Ties the Knot. It was just a quick taste of the Shopaholic series. Here we got to see a tidbit of Becky and Luke on their honeymoon. Becky intends to travel all over the world in a year, convince Luke needs some time off of work. He's been stressed (but who wouldn't be after that wedding?) and she's sure that traveling the world is just the thing that Luke needs. But Luke isn't sure that taking so much time off of work is such a good thing. He has a business to run. Becky and Luke must come to a decision about their honeymoon, and maybe even their relationship.

I liked this cute little peek into the world of Becky Brandon. She's always one to entertain and although this is her shortest adventure by far, it was still an enjoyable read. 




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Book Review ~ Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella #chicklit #humor

Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) has stars in her eyes. She and her daughter, Minnie, have joined husband Luke in LA — city of herbal smoothies, multimillion-dollar yoga retreats, and the lure of celebrity. Luke is there to help manage the career of famous actress Sage Seymour — and Becky is convinced she is destined to be Sage's personal stylist, and go from there to every A-list celebrity in Hollywood! But things become complicated when Becky joins the team of Sage’s arch-rival. How will charming and supportive Luke deal with this conflict? Is it possible that what Becky wants most will end up hurting those she loves most? Shopaholic fans old and new will devour Sophie Kinsella's newest adventure!

Paperback, 496 pages

Published April 14th 2015 by Dial Press Trade Paperback

My Review:

This is book 7 in Ms. Kinsella's Shopaholic series and I've read each and every one. The first, Confessions of a Shopaholic, remains my favorite probably because it's the one in which I fell in love with her characters. I did enjoy Shopaholic to the Stars, but not as much as some of her other books in the series. It might be because I could only read it in desperate spurts of rare reading time as I was caring for my newborn son and the rest of my children home for summer vacation. I didn't get much free time this summer. Perhaps that's why I had trouble following Becky Brandon through her typically hilarious yet touching adventures. I didn't care much for the location change either. One of the reasons that drew me to Ms. Kinsella's books were because they were set in England, one of my favorite places and this one was set in California.


As for the writing, Ms. Kinsella does a wonderful job describing all the wonders of Hollywood that Becky experiences. She has a wonderful, easy-going way with words that makes her novels so much fun to read. I was happy to see a reunion of sorts with her characters as her best friend, Suze, followed Becky out to Hollywood with her husband Tarquin and kids. And Becky's father also followed along for different reasons. Becky becomes obsessed with her newest chosen career which leads to major complications with the ones she loves. I was happy to see that by the end of the book she had mostly all that sorted out. However, this book doesn't wrap up all the loose ends. Ms. Kinsella has left some very big threads still tangled which will probably see de-tangling in her next book, Shopaholic to the Rescue. I believe that book has a release date for October 2015. I've already pre-ordered it, so you can see that I'm committed to this series.



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