EMILY MARCH
"March's return to Eternity Springs exudes warmth, love and courage; all the elements of a cozy Christmas romance.” -RT Book Reviews AAS, Martin's Paperbooks
Christmas In Eternity Springs
Emily March
St. Martin's Press (Expected publication date October 4th, 2016)
320 pages
5 stars
Yes, it is early to start one's holiday reading, but what a wonderful way to get into the holiday mood. This is a great new addition to the Eternity Spring series. You do not need to start at the beginning of the series, but can just jump in, starting with this book. You will most likely want to end up reading the others. I started this series in the middle at #7, Miracle Road, another book set for the holidays and have read everyone from #7 to #12 and I'm slowly getting to the previous ones.I love the entire Eternity Springs series, but her books that take place during the holiday season are even more special. When can I move to Eternity Springs?
EXCERPT of Christmas in Eternity Springs
In
her apartment, he discovered she’d been busy since making the decision to move
to Three Bears Valley.
“That’s
a lot of boxes.”
“I
know. I’m not quite sure how I’ve accumulated so much stuff. My closets aren’t
that big. Of course, most of the boxes are filled with books.”
“That
sound is my back groaning.”
She
glanced at him in alarm. “You don’t have to help, Jax. I planned to hire some—”
He
cut off her protest by placing his index finger against her lips. Her full,
soft, cherry- red lips. His voice rough, he said, “I was teasing.”
She’d
gone still. The pulse at her neck visibly fluttered.
Jax
recognized that he’d made a mistake by touching her.
However,
now that he’d done it, he couldn’t seem to stop.
He
allowed his fi n ger to slide, stroking her bottom lip back and forth. Her
mouth fell open. Back and forth. “Do you like to be teased, Miss Christmas?”
“No.
Yes. It depends,” she replied, her voice low and breathy.
Jax
chuckled softly. “ You’re quite a tease yourself.”
“Why
do you say that?”
Had
she swayed toward him as she spoke? Maybe so.
“You
have mistletoe hung from every doorway in the building.”
“That’s
not t- t- teasing. It’s marketing.” Her gaze was locked on his mouth.
“Customers who shop with their significant others tend to love it. They linger.”
He
lifted his free hand to her waist. “I like to linger.”
“You
do?”
“Oh,
yeah.” He pulled her closer. “I’ve been thinking about lingering since last
July.”
“You
have?”
“You
ask a lot of questions, Miss Christmas.”
“I’m
curious.”
“
You’re delicious.”
“How
do you know?” she challenged. “You haven’t kissed me.”
“Now,
you have a point right there. But like I said, I like to linger.”
He
tilted her face up to him and finally . . . finally . . . lowered his mouth to
hers.
Jax
hadn’t kissed a woman in a very long time, and he wanted to savor the
experience, so he lingered as promised. He nipped and nibbled and leisurely
explored, banking the rising heat her response triggered and keeping the moment
within the bounds of a totally appropriate first kiss.
So
when it suddenly caught fi re, it caught him by surprise. He wasn’t aware of
backing her against the wall. He didn’t consciously tug the tie of her apron
and free the knot, then slip his hand beneath her blouse to skim across the
downy softness of her skin. She tasted of peppermint—
of course she does, she’s Miss Christmas—
and smelled of cinnamon and made him ache. For sex, oh, yeah, definitely for
sex, but also for something more.
For
home.
For
hearth.
For
love.
Whoa. That last was just what
he needed to shock himself out of the sensual haze into which he’d fallen. He
shifted his hands back to safer territory and broke the kiss, lifting his head
and gazing down into her upturned face.
The
vision of her lips pink and wet and swollen from his kiss proved irresistible.
He needed one more taste, so he dove in again.
The
one more taste became a second taste and then a third. Only when it threatened
to flare out of control completely was he able to release her and take a step
back. For a long minute, they gazed at one another in a bit of a daze. When Jax
finally found his voice, he said, “Wow. You pack
a
punch, Miss Christmas.”
The
slow smile that spread across her face was as sweet as a candy cane. “That’s
the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a very long time.”
“That
kiss is the nicest thing I’ve shared with anyone in a very long time,” he
responded honestly.
She
opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. A shadow crossed her face and her
teeth nibbled at that sweet lower lip. “What’s wrong?” Jax asked.
“I
just . . . well . . . this is probably the absolutely wrong thing to say. Way
too presumptive. But . . . after my last romantic disaster, I promised myself .
. . you see . . . expectations are a dangerous thing. I don’t ever want anyone
to think . . . I don’t want you to think . . .”
“Spit
it out, Claire.”
“I
like you, Jax. I really, really like you. And Nicholas, too. Like I said, I
know this is presumptive, but I’d like to spend time with you. I’d like to
share more . . .” She waved her hand about, obviously searching for a word.
“More. But I’m not in the market for a relationship, and I want to be up- front
about that.”
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Here is a link to a copy of a coloring page from the upcoming Eternity Spring coloring book.