Holidays Are Where Your Heart Is by Bru Baker – Warmest Wishes

Jared’s been all over the world as a traveling manny with Holiday Helpers, and the itch to put down roots is starting to eclipse his wanderlust—especially since his current family is a handful.

After culinary school, Wes did some wandering of his own, exploring Central America before settling as a resort chef in his mother’s homeland of Costa Rica, a place he loves and where he plans to stay. If he’s learned one thing, it’s to be wary of flings with vacationers. Still, he can’t stand to watch two little Swiss kids lose their belief in Saint Nicholas, so he’ll lend a hand to the manny assisting the family. It won’t be easy to recreate a traditional European Christmas in a tropical paradise.

Between a snowball fight on a sunny beach and sledding down an active volcano, Jared and Wes discover some renewed holiday magic of their own. Can they make it last a lifetime?

Advent Calendar Day 25

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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
My only complaint about Holidays Are Where Your Heart Is, is that I wasn’t ready for it to end. This is an adorable meet-cute that would make the perfect prequel novella for Wes and Jared’s fledgling romance as they take the next step in their relationship. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to warm up to the kids based on the opening scene, but as they settled into a routine with Jared and were on solid ground, it was easy to see why Jared enjoyed spending time with them. That they gave him an excuse to get to know Wes, their surfing instructor, better was an unexpected bonus that kept on giving because it quickly became apparent that the attraction was mutual. As much as I snickered at the volcano sledding scene and grinned as the guys stuffed the kids’ shoes with cookies, my heart totally melted at the conversation between Jared and the kids at the very end of the story… until I turned the page and discovered it was over. But seriously, this was a lovely little Christmas tale that left me wanting more.

Real, relatable romance.

Bru Baker has been writing for Dreamspinner Press since December 2012. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, but she almost always makes her characters work to get there. She and her husband live in the Midwest with their two young children, whose antics make finding time to write difficult but never let life get boring.

Connect with Bru

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Warmest Wishes: Holidays Are Where Your Heart Is by Bru Baker to read and review.

Homemade from the Heart by Bru Baker – Stocking Stuffers

Craft store owner Grant has always been a sucker for a pretty face, and that goes double for a pretty face with an adorable sidekick. When seven-year-old Aubrey has her heart set on taking Grant’s already-full holiday craft series, he caves and gives up his one day off a week so she (and her hot guardian, Josh) can take private lessons. Their flirting ramps up week after week, and even though Josh isn’t with Aubrey’s mother, Grant can’t be sure the man isn’t straight. Maybe he’s just being friendly. And Josh, who most definitely is not straight, is afraid of being the creepy guy hitting on the teacher.

Frustrated by their stubbornness and cluelessness, Aubrey takes matters into her own hands. She decides the best gift to give Josh is something homemade and from the heart—a boyfriend they’ll both love.

Day 25
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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I love romantic Christmas novellas, as they bring all the magic and excitement of Christmas to life with plenty of heartwarming passion.

This story builds over a number of weeks, and heats up so beautifully, almost innocently. Grant skirts around his attraction as he completely misunderstands the relationship between Aubrey and Josh, which is both cute and funny. I loved his inventiveness and the fun he had in the craft sessions. The culmination of the classes, and the last-minute mercy dash, all added to the fun that finally got him the guy.

Thank you, Ms. Baker, great story and it inspired me to go and do some crafty projects of my own!

BRU BAKER got her first taste of life as a writer at the tender age of four, when she started publishing a weekly newspaper for her family. What they called nosiness she called a nose for news, and no one was surprised when she ended up with degrees in journalism and political science and started a career in journalism.

Bru spent more than a decade writing for newspapers before making the jump to fiction. She now works in reference and readers’ advisory in a Midwestern library, though she still finds it hard to believe someone’s willing to pay her to talk about books all day. Most evenings you can find her curled up with a book or her laptop. Whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s, there’s no denying that Bru is happiest when she’s engrossed in a story. She and her husband have two children, which means a lot of her books get written from the sidelines of various sports practices.

Connect with Bru

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Stocking Stuffers: Homemade from the Heart by Bru Baker to read and review.