The Secret Santa Wishing Well by Nikki Lynn Barrett Tour & Giveaway
The
Secret Santa Wishing Well
By:
Nikki Lynn Barrett
Blurb
The
magic of Christmas has been lost to Jacob Winston. At the suggestion
of his ill sister, Jacob takes a job as a Secret Santa at the mall,
hoping to restore his Christmas spirit. Even that doesn't seem to
work, until a special little boy ambles up to make a very special
wish...
Cheyenne
Jensen is struggling to raise her two kids without the help of her
ex-husband who refuses to acknowledge his daughter's existence and
doesn't provide for the son he does. This Christmas is shaping up to
be as heartbreaking as the last, until her son Ben's kind actions
lead a stranger to them.
Ah,
but it's Christmas time and the magic has begun.
When
Jacob and Cheyenne meet, neither can deny their immediate attraction
to one another. As situations arise that require they spend more time
together, their feelings grow stronger and stronger.
With
Christmas fast approaching, the pair learn what matters most in life.
Now, if only they could ditch the ghost of Christmases past.
Maybe
this holiday will bring some wishes come true- for everyone after
all.
Cheyenne
wasn’t sure where she should go. With all the equipment, she felt
out of place. Desiree was settled comfortably in her swing, but at
least she could move that out of the way. The doorbell rang again.
That must be the other person Erin referred to. Cheyenne gasped in
surprise when she pulled the door open and came face to face with
Jacob.
“Hi!
What are you- how did you-” Cheyenne couldn’t talk all of a
sudden. Why was Jacob standing on her porch? How had he found her?
She never imagined she’d see him again after the weekend. He
picked the craziest moment to show up. “I’m sorry. It’s a
little crazy right now.”
“I
know all about it.” Jacob smiled, his voice easing her nerves.
“I’m here for the interview.”
“You
are? Why?” Cheyenne blurted. Oh yeah, that was sure classy.
Cheyenne opened the door, gesturing for him to come in. It wasn’t
until he was inside that Cheyenne noted a stuffed bear in his hands.
Her cheeks heated, embarrassed. Could this day possibly get any
stranger? It was bad enough she couldn’t shake the nerves for the
interview, but now Jacob stood in her living room? The butterflies
danced in her gut.
“Mr.
Winston! There you are. We’re ready when you are,” the reporter
said with enthusiasm. Ben turned, eyes round as saucers when he saw
Jacob.
“Mr.
Santa’s Helper! What are you doing here?” Ben grinned. Jacob
got a better reception from Ben than Cheyenne had given him. What a
goof! No wonder she didn’t date. She couldn’t even manage to
make a man feel welcome. Blame it on the nerves and the distraction,
sure, but she still didn’t know what to say to Jacob when he was
around.
“Ben,
Cheyenne. Jacob is the person that nominated Ben for the Eyes of a
Child Award. I wanted him to be here for this event, as he must have
been very inspired by you, Ben, to nominate you,” Erin said.
“Okay, guys. Positions. We’re going to get ready to record.
Just take my lead. You have nothing to be nervous about.” The
woman’s gaze met Cheyenne’s. She must have sensed her worry.
Cheyenne gave a small smile, following Jacob into the living room.
Since Ben and Erin sat on the couch by the window, that left the love
seat for her and Jacob. Cheyenne took the spot closest to Desiree’s
swing. Jacob eased beside her.
Just
a foot away from her or less. One of the cameramen walked over and
set Jacob and Cheyenne up with tiny microphones that attached to
their shirts.
Excerpt
It
didn’t take long for her to come back. Jacob moved to the living
room, standing and waiting. When he saw her coming, he closed the
gap between them. Before he could could think twice, he touched her
shoulder gently, wanting to thank her for the evening.
But
instead of talking, he leaned in and kissed her. Just a light kiss.
Gentle. Friendly.
Until
she responded. She had her arms around him, pulling him for another
kiss. Deeper. Sweeter. She tasted so sweet. Her need made him
swell. He could do this all night. Jacob pressed her against the
wall, their kisses deepening with urgency. He ran his fingers
through her fine hair. Her hands wrapped around his neck, rubbing
lightly. She tasted so good.
Jacob
pulled back abruptly. “Cheyenne,” he ground out. “We have to
stop.”
Before
I lose it.
He
didn’t want to stop. He never expected her to reciprocate like
this. Wow. Maybe it wasn’t one sided after all. Jacob sighed.
That
halted everything. She pulled away, looking at him with wide,
beautiful eyes. “I’m sorry. I pushed. You must think I’m a
fool. I thought, when you kissed me...” Cheyenne attempted to
move out of Jacob’s embrace. Oh, damn. She thought he didn’t
want her. He did, oh, how he did.
“No,
no. Honey, that’s not it at all. Kissing you was magical.
Amazing. But we just met. I don’t want to take things too far.
But I would love to see you again.” He pushed back loose strands
of her hair that hung over her face when she’d moved. She looked
so vulnerable. Was she going to cry? Oh hell, he wouldn’t be able
to handle it if she did. The last thing he wanted was for her to be
upset with him.
“I’d
like that, too. It was a wonderful, amazing day, and I have you to
thank for it.” She nearly whispered the words, choking up on the
last part. “God, I’m a mess. I’m sorry. There’s been so
much going on, and my signals are going crazy at the moment.”
Buy
Links
Author
Bio:
Nikki
Lynn Barrett lives in Arizona with her husband and son. She's an avid
reader, a dreamer, and loves everything about books. She runs a book
blog, an online used bookstore, and writes various genres of romance.
Nikki can also be found outside with her camera when a storm is near,
snapping photo after photo. Her dreams of becoming a writer started
when she was young, when she started writing books in one subject
notebooks by the fifth grade. The Secret Santa Wishing Well is her
debut book. You can visit Nikki's site at:
www.nikkilynnbarrett.blogspot.com for more information. She is
working on her next book. Nikki would love to hear from readers.
Email her at nikkilynnbarrett@yahoo.com
Author
Links:
Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
Review
I'm a big fan of the the holidays, Christmas in particular so I'm always up for reading a holiday book. Most of the time I like then slightly less serious to go with my mood. I can't say that The Secret Wishing Well is all fun and happiness, but I can say that it reminds you why you love the holidays. Family, new and old, friends and even strangers with a kind word. I think you'll really enjoy The Secret Santa Wishing Well because you will be able to relate to the story. You'll see either yourself or someone you know in the story. I found it to be well written with characters I just needed to know more about. More then once it had me tearing up. This is the perfect weekend read for the holidays. Happy reading!
My wish.....my husband gets his disability, cause we are sinking fast...
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting my book today and for your review! I actually have the 'sequel' coming out soon, so there's more time with the characters! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome! Good to know.
DeleteMy secret "wish list" to santa is for something small and shiny. I have already put in the request and shown him some ideas of what I'd like.....
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the second book in this series, On the 12th Date of Christmas and loving it. I'd love to read this novel and find out how Cheyenne and Jacob got together.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to the question, my secret santa wish would be for a new kindle - one that lights up. I've got the oldest one out there ;)
DeleteWhat a great review!! My Secret Santa wish is a print contract or a waterproof camera. I tweeted.
ReplyDeleteS.S.wish list: date night planned by hubby with my interests not his :-)
ReplyDeleteI want some photos printed on canvas for an empty wall in my family room.
ReplyDeleteMy (very) secret wishes are two:
ReplyDelete1. a nice camera
2. a gorgeous wedding set to replace the one I lost a year and two days ago.
I will not ask for either of these things, though.
I love the title for this book. A secret wish: a room with new shelves so I could set out more of my books.
ReplyDeleteA secret wish? a new set of silverware, I don't need it:):) Loved the book
ReplyDeleteMy secret wish is for a laptop computer.
ReplyDeleteI'm not that difficult to please. I'm happy spending a quiet day at home with the kids and my husband. The time together means even more since my son is in college and my daughter will be soon.
ReplyDelete