Christmas in July Bargain Reads by Kristin Wallace

Even though temps are in the 90s (at least where I live) we have this fun tradition of celebrating  Christmas In July. Hallmark Channel runs their Christmas movies. Stores have holiday specials. I thought I'd get in on the act by putting a couple of my Christmas-themed books on sale for $.99 cents. This month you can download the Christmas In Shellwater Key and Second Chance Christmas.


You can get them both for 99 cents on Amazon. HOWEVER, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can get them for free.


Christmas in Shellwater Key (Boxset) - Now on sale for .99 cents!
Shellwater Key Tales

This boxset contains 3 Shellwater Key Christmas novellas. The main stories in the series center around three childhood friends who revive the old Paradise Dinner Theatre. The holiday novellas venture beyond the theatre.

Finding You At Christmas

After years of looking out for everyone else, preacher’s daughter Janie Worthy is ready to get a life of her own. But on the way to her first date, her car decides to quit, and a stranger on a motorcycle becomes her savior. The short time she spends with Caleb Montgomery on the side of the road might be the most romantic interlude Janie can remember. Of course, it’s all a fantasy, and soon Caleb is riding off into the night.

Until he shows up again in Shellwater Key. When Caleb decides to stay in town for Christmas, Janie can’t help but wonder if she is the reason. Except people don’t fall in love in one night…Right?

Falling For You At Christmas

Pregnant and alone at Christmas, Cassie Stevens decides to take a holiday vacation in Shellwater Key before her baby girl is born. Then she discovers her reservation is lost and there is literally no room left at the inn. Thankfully, single inkeeper, Jared Lathem, offers to let Cassie stay with him and his young daughter. She won't have to sleep in a manger, but being in close poximity to the gorgeous Jared might be dangerous t her piece of mind...and heart.

But the magic of the season can change everything. Cassie is suddenly surrounded by a group of friends, who all seem to have names relating to another important birth long ago. And when Christmas Eve brings an unexpected delivery, Cassie will discover that miracles are still possible even in modern times. 

Loving You At Christmas

Annaliese Matheson once had a perfect life, with a successful career on Broadway and a loving husband. Then her husband died. Devastated, she left the stage behind and only returned when her best friend, Grayson Kendall, asked her to perform at The Paradise Dinner Theatre in tiny Shellwater Key, Florida.

Annaliese is convinced she’ll never love again, but when she steps in to direct to Middle School Christmas Show, nothing will ever be the same. A man unlike any she’s known awakens her buried heart, giving her a second chance at forever with the last person she would have expected. It will take a miracle for Annaliese to let someone else in and embrace happiness again...but then it is Christmas.

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Second Chance Christmas - Now on sale for .99 cents!

Palm Cove Tales

This book is part of my Palm Cove Tales series. It’s the follow-up to the Heiress Games trilogy. It features desperate single mom, Mia Reynolds, the cousin of security expert Damon Grant (who appeared in the Heiress Games books).

Ten years ago, Mia Reynolds and Winthrop Barrington spent one magical Christmas together. Until lies and manipulation at the hands of Win’s wealthy family tore them apart and left Mia to raise a daughter on her own. Now, both of them have returned to their hometown of Palm Cove, Florida. Once they uncover the truth, can Mia and Win rediscover the love they lost and celebrate a Second Chance Christmas with their daughter?

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Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. 

A beach read to take you away...by Kristin Wallace

It's been such a craaaaaaazy year. I barely know what day it is, let alone the month. The world seems to have stopped sometime in March, like a weird Twilight episode. Since most of us have been on

lockdown, it might be a good time to take a virtual vacation. How does Florida sound? A quaint beach town filled with characters you will love.

I'm talking about my Shellwater Key Tales series. The books have been out for awhile, but now I'm getting ready to release a 4-book Box Set, "Four Tales From Paradise". (I already put together a box set with three holiday novellas.)

These books follow 3 childhood friends who return to their hometown when their lives fall apart. They become involved in reviving the old Paradise Dinner Theatre. 

Four Tales From Paradise – Shellwater Key Tales 

Three childhood friends return to their hometown at a crossroads in life. One slightly past-her-prime dinner theatre in need of some TLC will show them that love and healing is still possible by the time the curtain rises.

Left Turn At Paradise (Layla & Grayson’s story)

Layla McCarthy has spent most of her life trying to outrun the wild reputation of the mother who abandoned her as a baby. Raised by her grandmother, one of the first female surgeons in Florida. Layla puts all her faith in building a career, only to lose everything when her business partner absconds with the company funds. Then she learns her grandmother and great aunt have bought an old, rundown dinner theater in her hometown of Shellwater Key.

Bringing The Paradise back to life will play a key role in bringing about a brand new act in her life. Including a romance with Grayson Kendall, the enigmatic and sexy director hired to produce the first show. At the same time, the mother who abandoned her as a baby returns seeking redemption.

Can she learn to forgive her mother and open her heart to love? 

Coming Home to Paradise (Beth’s story)

This is the companion book to Left Turn At Paradise, telling the story of Layla’s mother, Beth McCarthy.

After years of trying to outrun the memories and guilt, Beth McCarthy has come home to Shellwater Key to make amends. She has survived deadbeat relationships, single motherhood, and a fight with cancer. Now, she faces the most difficult battle of her life…finding a way to connect with the legendary mother she was never able to please…and earning the forgiveness of the daughter who has every reason to hate her. She might even have a chance to find the missing piece of her heart when Layla’s father comes back to Shellwater Key looking for answers. 

Straight On Toward Paradise (Emma & Reece’s story)

As a teenager, Emma Bertram’s perfect family splintered when her father left her mother for another woman. Anger and bitterness, along with the demands of being a professional chef, have kept Emma apart from her father and his new family for years. Then her father and stepmother are killed in a car accident. Returning to her childhood home of Shellwater Key, Emma learns she has become guardian of her two half-sisters.

What Emma knows about raising children could fit on a restaurant napkin. Then there’s her father’s law partner, Reece Casings, who has no trouble telling Emma what she’s doing wrong. The buttoned-up, so-wrong-for-her, but oh-so-handsome lawyer makes Emma’s blood boil. Or is it heart race? 

In the end, Emma will have to learn how to forgive her father…and herself…and trust in love and faith again if she ever hopes to serve up a happily ever after for everyone.

Last Stop At Paradise (Callie & Noah’s story)

When Callie Dalton’s charismatic televangelist husband falls into disgrace, she and their children is taken down with him. Now, he’s dead, and Callie is left with no other choice but to return to Shellwater Key…and the memories of the mother who tragically died there when Callie was just a girl.

A job as the House Manager at the Paradise Dinner Theatre seems like a chance to start over. However, every instinct warns that the sexy and mysterious carpenter, Noah Johnson, could be the most dangerous complication in her life…and her wary heart. 

When she learns his secrets, will she be able to face her own tragic past and embrace the possibility of a love that will finally set her free?

Four Tales from Paradise will launch in a few days so look for it. All of the Shellwater Key Tales books are in Kindle Unlimited right now so you can scoop them up for free if you're a subscriber. 

Check my Amazon Author Page for all of my books. 

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with "Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith". It's not too late to pick up her holiday box set featuring three Christmas romances (Finding You At Christmas, Falling For You At Christmas, and Loving You At Christmas). Christmas in Shellwater Key is available on Kindle Unlimited so go ahead and scoop it up now. 

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Coping by Baking....by Kristin Wallace

What a difference a month makes. What a different world we live in now thanks to this awful pandemic that has impacted so many countries. Depending on where you live, you’ve probably been in “lockdown” mode for several weeks. Where I live in Miami it’s been over 3 weeks. Only going out for the store or for walks to get some air. I’ve been freelancing for the past several years so staying home for “work” isn’t new, but now there is so much uncertainty and fear.

In times of stress - and now in times when we can't go anywhere - many are cooking and baking as a release. I pulled out an old chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’m also trying new things. We had some old bananas that were turning brown so I decided to try and make banana bread. Never made it before so I asked around. Then finally went with a classic Betty Crocker recipe, but with a couple of added ingredients from another recipe. 

My Banana Bread + Recipe

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup of sugar

½ cup softened butter

2 eggs

1 ½ cup mashed ripe bananas (3-4)

½ cup of buttermilk

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (added from another recipe)

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (added from another recipe)

Chopped pecans (if you want)

Chocolate chips (if you want)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350
 Mash bananas in a separate bowl
Mix flour, baking soda & salt in a bowl
 Mix butter and sugar in another bowl
Mix in eggs and blend well
Add in mashed bananas, buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Slowly add flour mixture a little at a time.
Pour into pans

You can pour the batter into bread pans, but I decided to make muffins. I still had enough batter left over to make a small loaf of bread. I set the timer for 30 minutes, but the muffins baked fast. Took them out around 18-20 minutes. The bread took the full 30 minutes. 

Are you resorting to cooking and baking to cope? What have you tried? Please share!

I hope that you are staying inside and that you are healthy. Please stay safe!

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with "Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith". It's not too late to pick up her holiday box set featuring three Christmas romances (Finding You At Christmas, Falling For You At Christmas, and Loving You At Christmas). Christmas in Shellwater Key is available on Kindle Unlimited so go ahead and scoop it up now. 

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Why We Celebrate St. Patrick's Day...by Kristin Wallace

With all that's going on in the world, it's good to focus on something a little lighter. St. Patrick's Day is this week, and even though many celebrations are being curtailed, I still thought it would be fun to do a holiday post. 

For most people, St. Patrick's day means wearing green and drinking "green" beer. But how many of you know the actual history of St. Patrick’s Day? I looked into the mystery some years ago. (I actually used children’s books. I find them great resources since they’re very succinct. So, if any of my information is wrong, blame the kid’s books.)

The Real St. Patrick

St. Patrick was a bishop who lived around 385-460 A.D. He was one of the most popular saints in Ireland, even though his real name was not Patrick and he was not born in Ireland. His real name was “Maewyn Succat”, and many scholars believe he was actually born in Scotland or England. He referred to himself as “patricius” in his writings, which is Latin for “well-born”. The name became Patrick is the English version.

When St. Patrick was a boy he was taken as a slave to Ireland where he was put to work tending sheep. It was during those years in captivity that he found comfort in God. After six years, he escaped. However, St. Patrick felt he was being called to teach God’s word so he spent the next few years studying in a monastery. Then he returned to Ireland where he lived for the rest of his life.

Have you ever read the book “How The Irish Saved Civilization” by Thomas Cahill? If not, you absolutely should, especially if you like history. The premise of the book is that while the rest of Europe was mired in the Dark Ages, Ireland experienced a Golden Age. Irish monks were responsible for copying every piece of literature they could get their hands on. They almost single-handedly preserved the history of the Western culture, as well as some of our greatest literary works. Nearly every written word from before the Middle Ages exists today because of them. If not for the Irish we wouldn’t have The Bible or Homer’s Iliad or Aristotle’s philosophy, no Greek tragedies, no Roman law. The man responsible for this Golden Age in Ireland was none other than St. Patrick.

One last note...the day we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), is not his birthday but rather the day of his death.

One last question...how many of you can claim Irish ancestry? I have some on both sides. although it's been so long since my relatives left the "old country" that any true Irishness has been lost. What about you? 

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with "Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith". It's not too late to pick up her holiday box set featuring three Christmas romances (Finding You At Christmas, Falling For You At Christmas, and Loving You At Christmas). Christmas in Shellwater Key is available on Kindle Unlimited so go ahead and scoop it up now. 

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Favorite Romantic Movies Round 3 by Kristin Wallace

Okay, this month I get to review more romantic flicks in honor of Valentine’s Day, which we just celebrated on Friday. 

Be sure to check out my previous roundups if you want.

Volume 1

Volume 2

2020 Romantic Movie Review

While You Were Sleeping

Lucy (Sandra Bullock) is a lonely single cashier for the L-train who pines after the handsome man she sees taking the platform every day. When he’s attacked and falls onto the tracks, she saves him. At the hospital she gets mistaken for his fiancé and then she begins to fall in love…with her “fiancés” family, especially his brother Jack (Bill Pullman). 

Groundhog Day

Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is a cynical weatherman who gets stuck (or cursed) to relive Groundhog Day over and over as he covers the annual Groundhog Day festival in Punxutawney, PA. This is one of the most innovative romantic comedies

I’ve ever seen, with a brilliantly funny performance and a sweet love story as Phil tries to woo the news station’s producer, Rita (Andie McDowell).

13 Going On 30

When a girl (Jenna Rinc) makes a wish to be “Thirty, Flirty and Thriving” on her 13^th birthday, she wakes up the next day as a 30-year-old woman (Jennifer Garner). She doesn’t remember anything about the intervening years. To help her put the pieces back together, she looks up her childhood friend, Matt (Mark Ruffalo). Turns out Jenna has the life she dreamed of, as an editor for a NY fashion magazine. Or does she? This is totally Jennifer Garner’s movie as she pulls off the feat of acting like a typical teenager, and as she slowly realizes the kind of life she really wanted.

Something’s Gotta Give

Diane Keaton is Erica Barry, a successful playwright and divorcee who seems perfectly happy on her own. Until her 20-something daughter brings home her new boyfriend…who happens to be a much older man (Jack Nicholson), who only dates young women. This is a great story about a “mature” couple finding each other and realizing they were both missing out on a real love.

The Proposal

Sandra Bullock again, only this time she plays Margaret Tate, a tough-as-nails senior editor at a book publisher. Turns out she’s Canadian and is unknowingly in the US illegally. In order to stay and keep her job, she ropes her assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds). This story is unique as it’s the woman who has the power in the relationship. At least until Andrew takes Margaret home to meet his family…in Alaska. Hilarious and such great chemistry between the two leads who at first hate each other. A classic “hate turns to love” story.

The Princess Bride

I can’t believe I’ve never included this movie on my list! It’s one of the funniest movies of all time, but at its heart we can never forget that it is also the epic romantic tale of Westley “As you wish” and his beloved Buttercup. I’m sure most of you can quote some of the best lines. The cast is incredible, and every role is perfection. If you haven’t seen it in awhile, do yourself a favor watch it again. 

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. The Christmas in Shellwater Key boxes et will release this winter. If you're not tired of holiday romances, scoop up Christmas in Shellwater Key, a holiday boxed set with three Shellwater Key novellas (Finding You At Christmas, Falling For You At Christmas, and Loving You At Christmas). It's still available on Kindle Unlimited. 

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The Writer's New Year's Resolution by Kristin Wallace

While most people make New Year’s Resolutions, authors tend to make Writer’s Resolutions. At least I do. Every year I have grand plans to write X number of books. Unfortunately, I have to confess that 2019 was not a good year for me as an author. I had plans, but most of them didn’t happen. A lot was due to having to meet deadlines for my “day job” freelance writing gig, often working 7 days a week to get things turned in on time. 

The other reason had to do with some weird health issues that messed with my ability to focus, which as you can imagine, makes creative writing extremely difficult. In many ways, the voices that I've always had in my head basically went “silent”. In the end, I only managed to publish one book, SECOND CHANCE HERO, which is part of the Palm Cove Tales series. 

AMAZON  /  APPLE BOOKS  /  B&N   /   KOBO 

BUT…I am truly hoping to get back on track for 2020. I do have plans and plenty of ongoing projects to keep me busy.

One is the reissue my inspirational series, COVINGTON FALLS CHRONICLE. I got the right back from the original publisher some time ago and created new covers. I’m just doing light editing. I also hope to continue with that series. There are so many characters begging for stories in my quirky Southern town. 

I am also working on a fun new series called THE LOST ROYALS about separated siblings who find out they are royalty. 

Finally, there is a joint project/series that I plan to publish with one of my author friends. It’s a modern-day take on Cinderella featuring a pair of magic shoes and a cursed Stepmother who might not be as bad as everyone thought. 

So those are my plans…now to get writing! 

I did put together a Christmas box set with three of my Shellwater Key holiday tales (Finding You At Christmas, Falling For You At Christmas, and Loving You At Christmas). Christmas in Shellwater Key is available on Kindle Unlimited so even though it's January, go ahead and scoop it up now. 

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Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. The Christmas in Shellwater Key boxes et will release this winter. 

My Favorite Christmas Movies by Kristin Wallace

We all have favorite traditions during the holidays. Perhaps one of yours is watching classic Christmas movies. A few years ago, I did a series on my blog called "25 Days of Christmas Movies". Thought I'd share some of the top examples here.

1. It's a Wonderful Life

This is the Granddaddy of all Christmas movies. Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, an angel named Clarence and the age-old question. “What would have happened if you’d never been born?” 

Growing up, this movie was on TV all the time in December. Then NBC bought the rights and decided it should only air once.  Talk about being a Scrooge! Everybody say it with me. “Every time a bell rings…”


2. Love, Actually (2003)

The movie stars just about every famous British actor working today, including Kiera Knightly in one of her first roles. Sadly the fabulous Alan Rickman passed away a few years ago. The weaving together of about a dozen different stories playing out in the weeks before Christmas is sheer perfection.

It's hard to pick just one storyline that's my favorite, but it's probably thriller writer Jaimie (Colin Firth) as he falls in love with a Portuguese maid, without being able to fully communicate.

3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964).  

The stop motion animation is pretty rudimentary, but the tale of the little reindeer with the glowing red nose is one I have to stop and watch every time. 

4. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

This story begins on Christmas so for me it counts. Plus, I love it. It’s got Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and how can you not love them? Sam (Hanks) is a widower living in Seattle who ends up on a radio talk show after his son calls in and says his dad needs a new wife. Eventually, Sam starts talking about how much he misses his wife. Meanwhile, Annie (Ryan) is listening to the show in Baltimore on the other side of the country and falling in love. I honestly can’t listen to Sam’s radio confession without tearing up so it’s no wonder thousands of women start sending letters offering to be Sam’s new wife. The movie borrows heavily from the classic film An Affair to Remember as Sam and Annie (with the help of Sam’s son) arrange to meet at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day. And the ending is perfection…

5. A Christmas Story (1983)

There is not one moment of this movie that isn’t absolute perfection and LOL funny. The deadpan perfection of narrator Jean Shepherd (the story is based on his work); the little brother in the snowsuit; the neighborhood bully; the 

lesson about sticking your tongue on a flagpole in sub-zero weather; Ralphie cursing as his dad tries to change a flat tire; grandma’s bunny suit; the infamous leg lamp and the ensuing war as mom tries to destroy it; the mystery message that turns out to be an advertisement for Ovaltine; the dogs eating Christmas dinner…and of course Ralphie’s dream to get a Red Rider BB Gun from Christmas and everyone’s insistence that he’ll “just shoot his eye out”…which he almost does.


6. Elf (2003)

Will Ferrell as a man who thinks he’s an elf. Could there be a better premise? Talk about the perfect actor for a role. Buddy is an orphan who was raised by elves so he thinks he is one. And when he learns the truth, he sets out for New York City to find his father (played by the fabulously gruff James Caan). Buddy’s wide-eyed innocence could have been cloying, but Ferrell’s sincerity (something he rarely ever plays in movies) carries the day. There are so many hilarious moments: His reaction to the “store Santa” and subsequent destruction of the “North Pole”. His love of revolving doors. His habit of dumping sugar (or syrup) on everything he eats. The epic snowball fight with a couple of bullies. Note: Don’t ever get into a snowball fight with an elf. Plus, you gotta love Ed Asner as a rather cranky Santa, not to mention the bumbling Bob Newhart as Buddy’s adoptive elf father.7.

7. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

This movie made Sandra Bullock a movie star and established her as the go-to actress for romantic comedies. It may also be one of my favorite movies of hers. There is such sweetness to her character. She’s just heartbreaking and lovable and so relatable. A lonely token collector is in love with a guy (Peter Gallagher) she’s only seen getting on the train. When she rescues him from the tracks, she gets mistaken for his fiancé. And while he’s…well…sleeping...she falls in love with his brother (Bill Pullman) and his family.



Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? Please share your pick!

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She is the author of three best-selling series, Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. 

Pick up her latest release, a "Christmas in Shellwater Key" box set, now available through Kindle Unlimited.

Christmas in Shellwater Key…

- A woman who thought life & love had passed her by…

- A single mom-to-be without a room at the inn…

- A heartbroken widow who learns she can find a second chance at love…

AMAZON

A Holiday Box Set...by Kristin Wallace

In honor of our Holiday Reads theme, I’m highlighting my book…or rather books. I’m working on a box set with my 3 Shellwater Key Christmas tales. This calls for new covers, which are being designed now. 

Christmas In Shellwater Key

I’m excited to revisit these fun & touching novellas set in the Florida beach town of Shellwater Key. The main stories in the series center around 3 friends who revive the old Paradise Dinner Theatre. These holiday novellas venture beyond the theatre.

Here’s a little preview….

Finding You At Christmas

She’s going to find her destiny this Christmas…

After years of looking out for everyone else, preacher’s daughter Janie Worthy is ready to get a life of her own. But on the way to her first date, her car decides to quit, and a stranger on a motorcycle becomes her savior. The short time she spends with Caleb Montgomery on the side of the road might be the most romantic interlude Janie can remember. Of course, it’s all a fantasy, and soon Caleb is riding off into the night.

Until he shows up again in her hometown of Shellwater Key. When Caleb decides to stay in town for Christmas, Janie can’t help but wonder if she is the reason. Except people don’t fall in love in one night…Right? As the holidays kick into high gear, Janie must find the courage to move beyond past guilt to embrace the future and open the best Christmas present she could ever find.

Falling For You At Christmas

A nativity story for the modern day…

Pregnant and alone at Christmas, Cassie Stevens decides to take a holiday vacation in Shellwater Key before her baby girl is born. Then she discovers her reservation is lost and there is literally no room left at the inn. Thankfully, single inkeeper, Jared Lathem, offers to let Cassie stay with him and his young daughter. She won't have to sleep in a manger, but being in close poximity to the gorgeous Jared might be dangerous t her piece of mind...and heart.

But the magic of the season can change everything. Cassie is suddenly surrounded by a group of friends, who all seem have names relating to another important birth long ago. And when Christmas Eve brings an unexpected delivery, Cassie will discover that miracles are still possible even in modern times. 

Loving You At Christmas

This Christmas will become the opening act for her holiday happily ever after…

Annaliese Matheson once had the perfect life, with a successful career on Broadway and a loving husband who was her greatest champion. Then her husband died. Devastated, she left the stage behind and only returned when her best friend, Grayson Kendall, asked her to perform at The Paradise Dinner Theatre in tiny Shellwater Key, Florida.

Annaliese is convinced she’ll never love again, but when she steps in to direct to Middle School Christmas Show, nothing will ever be the same. A man unlike any she’s known awakens her buried heart, giving her a second chance at forever with the last person she would have expected. It will take a miracle for Annaliese to let someone else in and embrace happiness again...but then it is Christmas.

The box set will be up soon so be on the lookout for it!

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. The Christmas in Shellwater Key boxes et will release this winter.