Sweetness of the Season

Sweetness of the Season by Shanna Hatfield

A certain nostalgic sweetness sweeps through me, flooding my senses with sappy emotion, at the thought of holiday romance.

The reason for the syrupy state of my heart is due to my own holiday romance with Captain Cavedweller.

Years ago, on the day after Christmas, I reluctantly agreed to go on a blind date with the son of one of my dad's friends. Any number of thoughts, none of them very positive, raced through my head as I got ready to go out to dinner with him.

What kind of weirdo agrees to go out with the offspring of his father's friend?

What kind of whacko decides to go on a first date the day after Christmas?

What kind of loser doesn't already have a special someone?

Evidently, the negative notions rolling through my thoughts closely mimicked those he was thinking. (And yes, the fact that I was also a weirdo, whacko loser is not lost at all on me!)

It didn't help matters that he couldn't find the house I was living in at the time and showed up late. In fact, I'd just decided he was standing me up when the phone rang. He apologized for being late and asked for better directions. Within ten minutes, he stood on the front step and rang the doorbell.

Nervous and still slightly annoyed, I took a deep breath and opened the door. A shy, boyish smile charmed me. Then I looked into a pair of vibrant blue eyes and knew, in that moment, that I'd just met the man I'd marry. I never expected to open that door and immediately fall in love, but something I can't explain happened as soon as our eyes connected.

It took him a little longer than five seconds to decide he wanted to spend his future with me, but we married a week before Christmas the following year. We'll celebrate our twenty-third wedding anniversary this year.

Writing holiday romances gives me the opportunity to experience all those exciting, wonderful, falling-in-love feelings that I enjoyed first-hand from beginning my relationship with Captain Cavedweller. I love including elements of the season in my sweet romances. There's just something about all that mistletoe and sleigh rides that warms my heart.

My latest release, The Christmas Quandary, is no exception. I had such fun writing the story of a young man who comes home for the holiday season to recuperate from an injury and unexpectedly falls in love.

Tom Grove just needs to survive a month at home while he recovers from a work injury. How bad can it be to return to Hardman for the holiday season?  He arrives to discover his middle-aged parents acting like newlyweds, the school in need of a teacher, and the girl of his dreams already engaged.

After the loss of her parents and her fiancé abandoning her to spend a year abroad, Lila Granger desires a change of scenery. She leaves her home in New York to spend a few months with relatives in Hardman, Oregon. The idea of stepping off the train into a place that gives her a true sense of coming home never entered her mind. Neither did the notion of falling in love with a man who clearly can’t wait to get away from the small town.

The Christmas Quandary is a sweet Victorian romance, full of laughter and heartwarming moments, perfect for a holiday read.

Do you have a favorite holiday romance or holiday memory?

~*~

Shanna Hatfield

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, this hopeless romantic is out to make it happen, one story at a time. When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

Make sure you sign up for her Newsletter to get a free short story and get in on the opportunity to win exclusive monthly prizes!

Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple | Audible

Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at:

ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Newsletter | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter