A Romance for Christmas Archives

It’s Christmas Eve and there’s a cop at the door. Read a feel-good holiday romance #SweetRomance #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 12/06/2023 Holiday Stories 4 Comments

Can you fall in love again when the love of your life has gone?

A year ago on Christmas Eve, the love of Dara's life passed away in a tragic accident, leaving her with their three-year-old daughter. Though insurance paid off the house and provided the basics, there wasn't much left over.

A car accident drained finances and cost her missed work. She's hoping for a chance to work again after the new year. But right now, it's Christmas Eve, there's no money for a tree, and everything Dara loves has been sold to survive. Will the holidays ever bring joy again?

A knock on the door reveals a cop, with an unselfish gift that will change her entire life.

A second-chance romance full of hope, so sweet there's not even a kiss...

If her husband had not gone to work that night, he'd be home for Christmas. Dara would still have all their possessions. Their daughter would still have her daddy. The future would still hold hope. But it's Christmas... and a miracle is about to happen.

Do Miracles Still Happen?

Dara was gaining strength daily, and would finish therapy the first week of January and return to work. Disability paid for the basics - lights, phone, water, trash collection, and she'd never bought anything on credit, refusing to dig herself into a hole she'd never escape once it got started.

She went to the closet and pulled down a box with a ball, crayons, paper, and three books. A friend had brought over a few things as well. This wasn't the grand Christmas she had wanted for her daughter, but all the other valuables had been sold. There was nothing left but her wedding ring.

She didn't wear it. Removing it had been part of saying good-bye to Jack.

They said it would help, and it had. Sort of. But not much.

Dara sank into one of the kitchen chairs and put her face in her hands.

Sometime later, when the doorbell rang, she grabbed a paper towel and dried her eyes. The clock over the stove said nine o'clock. Who would be calling at this hour on Christmas Eve? She stuffed the wet towel in her robe pocket on the way to the door.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.

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This would win the Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest #ChristmasRomance #UglyChristmasSweater #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 12/21/2022 Books by Kayelle 12 Comments

The Christmas Sweater / Shirt

In his old room, Scott stripped out of his uniform and put on sweatpants and slippers. On his bed was the loose T-shirt with a blond-haired elf on the front that his mother had given him the year before. The elf was shirtless, wearing red boxer shorts with holly on them, and he was licking a candy cane while dangling a round ornament on one finger of his other hand. Some people got an ugly Christmas sweater. His mom gave him the T-shirt version he could wear all year. Yay. Lucky him.

Upon seeing the shirt when Scott unwrapped it, a cousin had started singing, "Don we now our gay apparel..." and had broken into riotous laughter. That didn't stop the family from insisting he wear it. He was sure he'd asked Mary to give it to Goodwill, so how it had shown up again this year he couldn't explain. Yet, there it was. It could only have come from one person.

"The things we do for our mothers." Scott slipped it on over his head and headed for the kitchen.

He leaned against the door jamb, enjoying the sight. His mother was chopping things for the stuffing and adding them to her biggest bowl. His dad sat at the end of the counter, reading a Popular Science magazine. Neither seemed to pay attention to the other, but while his mother was cooking, Dad always kept her company. She'd crochet in a wooden rocker in the garage while he worked on the boat he was building. As if they couldn't bear to be parted from one another, even though they didn't talk much. Maybe they didn't need words.

Scott had thought he and his wife would be the same, but he and Mary had shared a different lifestyle. Both were often busy, and sometimes saw each other only in passing. He'd worked nights, and she'd worked days. She'd had a downtown office, working as an architect for government housing. Time spent outdoors had given her a great tan, but exposed her to hazardous toxins no one had known were in the old buildings being demolished. When she fainted at work, the company sent her in for a check up. After the diagnosis, the project had been shut down immediately, but cancer took a quick toll. Mary was gone in six months. A government investigation into the cause was still ongoing.

Scott now had sole custody of a four-year old daughter and a job that took him into danger every day. He'd shifted to the downtown beat and day shift because it seemed safer, and he could still do what he loved doing: Helping people.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.

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Celebrate the holidays with a sweet romance. Or a hot one #Holiday #Romance #Fantasy #FairyTale #BookFair

Kayelle Allen 11/30/2021 Book Fair

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Chestnuts aren’t the only things getting roasted #Excerpt A Romance for Christmas #MFRWhooks #ChristmasRomance

Kayelle Allen 12/23/2020 Books by Kayelle 8 Comments

Excerpt

In his old room, Scott stripped out of his police uniform and put on sweatpants and slippers. On his bed was the loose T-shirt with a blond-haired elf on the front that his mother had given him the year before. The elf was shirtless, wearing red boxer shorts with holly on them, and he was licking a candy cane while dangling a round ornament on one finger of his other hand.

Upon seeing the shirt when Scott unwrapped it, a cousin had started singing, "Don we now our gay apparel..." and had broken into riotous laughter. That didn't stop the family from insisting he wear it. He was sure he'd asked Mary to give it to Goodwill, so how it had shown up again this year he couldn't explain. Yet, there it was. It could only have come from one person.

"The things we do for our mothers." Scott slipped it on over his head and headed for the kitchen.

He leaned against the door jamb, enjoying the sight. His mother was chopping things for the stuffing and adding them to her biggest bowl. His dad sat at the end of the counter, reading a Popular Science magazine. Neither seemed to pay attention to the other, but while his mother was cooking, Dad always kept her company. She'd crochet in a wooden rocker in the garage while he worked on the boat he was building. As if they couldn't bear to be parted from one another, even though they didn't talk much. Maybe they didn't need words.

Scott had thought he and his wife would be the same, but he and Mary had shared a different lifestyle. Both were often busy, and sometimes saw each other only in passing. He'd worked nights, and she'd worked days. She'd had a downtown office, working as an architect for government housing. Time spent outdoors had given her a great tan, but exposed her to hazardous toxins no one had known were in the old buildings being demolished. When she fainted at work, the company sent her in for a check up. After the diagnosis, the project had been shut down immediately, but cancer took a quick toll. Mary was gone in six months. A government investigation into the cause was still ongoing.

Scott now had sole custody of a four-year old daughter and a job that took him into danger every day. He'd shifted to the downtown beat and day shift because it seemed safer, and he could still do what he loved doing: Helping people.

"Well," his dad said, not looking up from his magazine, "Are you going to help your mother or stand there in that dumb elf shirt?"

His mother braced both hands on the counter. "That shirt cost more money than any three pairs of your pants."

"Did not. I paid a pretty penny for these pants."

"Pants were cheaper back in 1982."

His dad snorted, and went back to his reading.

Image credits: In my honest opinion, this elf is the cutest thing ever!
Created by author/artist Janet E Jones

GIVEAWAYS

Thank you for popping in today. Here's the link to the free Christmas cookbook and the free peek inside the book. Both are in Adobe Reader (PDF).

This is not a contest -- everyone who wants one may download it. No sign ups required.
Download a free Christmas Cookbook: https://kayelleallen.com/media/christmas-cookbook-from-kayelle-allen-by-rachel-paxton.pdf
Download Peek Inside A Romance for Christmas: http://bit.ly/rom4cmaspeek
Sign up for my newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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The Ugly Christmas Sweater, T-shirt version #ChristmasRomance #UglyChristmasSweater

Kayelle Allen 12/23/2019 Kayelle Allen

The Christmas Sweater / Shirt

In his old room, Scott stripped out of his uniform and put on sweatpants and slippers. On his bed was the loose T-shirt with a blond-haired elf on the front that his mother had given him the year before. The elf was shirtless, wearing red boxer shorts with holly on them, and he was licking a candy cane while dangling a round ornament on one finger of his other hand. Some people got an ugly Christmas sweater. His mom gave him the T-shirt version he could wear all year. Yay. Lucky him.

Upon seeing the shirt when Scott unwrapped it, a cousin had started singing, "Don we now our gay apparel..." and had broken into riotous laughter. That didn't stop the family from insisting he wear it. He was sure he'd asked Mary to give it to Goodwill, so how it had shown up again this year he couldn't explain. Yet, there it was. It could only have come from one person.

"The things we do for our mothers." Scott slipped it on over his head and headed for the kitchen.

He leaned against the door jamb, enjoying the sight. His mother was chopping things for the stuffing and adding them to her biggest bowl. His dad sat at the end of the counter, reading a Popular Science magazine. Neither seemed to pay attention to the other, but while his mother was cooking, Dad always kept her company. She'd crochet in a wooden rocker in the garage while he worked on the boat he was building. As if they couldn't bear to be parted from one another, even though they didn't talk much. Maybe they didn't need words.

Scott had thought he and his wife would be the same, but he and Mary had shared a different lifestyle. Both were often busy, and sometimes saw each other only in passing. He'd worked nights, and she'd worked days. She'd had a downtown office, working as an architect for government housing. Time spent outdoors had given her a great tan, but exposed her to hazardous toxins no one had known were in the old buildings being demolished. When she fainted at work, the company sent her in for a check up. After the diagnosis, the project had been shut down immediately, but cancer took a quick toll. Mary was gone in six months. A government investigation into the cause was still ongoing.

Scott now had sole custody of a four-year old daughter and a job that took him into danger every day. He'd shifted to the downtown beat and day shift because it seemed safer, and he could still do what he loved doing: Helping people.

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Featured Book: Do you pick Sci Fi, Fantasy, or Christmas? #SpaceOpera #ChristmasRomance

Kayelle Allen 12/08/2019 Colonies of Man

Featured Book: Blast Off with Sci Fi

Pick up new reads in Sci Fi, Space Opera, Cyberpunk and more FREE till Dec 31, 2019.

Featured Book: Lights Out!

He can save mankind. All he has to do is die.

Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You'll live forever, they said. You'll save mankind, they said. They didn't say that to do it, first he had to die.

When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he's assigned duty on the space station Enderium Six.

He's facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the corps exists.

Do they expect him to win? Fat chance. Tornahdo and his team are already dead and this mission is codenamed "Lights Out." No, there's more to this than he can see.

To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time--somehow--find a way to keep himself alive...

Featured Book

Featured Book: CL Cannon's SF & Fantasy Holiday Sale

Pick up new reads in Sci Fi, Space Opera, and Fantasy on sale until Dec 26, 2019.

Featuring The Last Vhalgenn

Duty. Honor. Ritual.

One of these things may kill her.

The Vhalgenn is the last of her kind, a companion bred to serve the king. Duty and honor burn in her blood. When the queen begs for a secret blessing to save the newborn prince, the Vhalgenn answers.

But when she takes the babe to the queen's homeland for the ritual, what she discovers could topple the king and overthrow the kingdom. If she saves them--she must abandon every last thing she holds sacred, and do the one thing that will destroy her own heart...

Featured Book

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It’s Christmas Eve and a cop is at the door… #SweetRomance #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 11/28/2018 Kayelle Allen 14 Comments

From A Romance for Christmas

Dara was gaining strength daily, and would finish therapy the first week of January and return to work. Disability paid for the basics - lights, phone, water, trash collection, and she'd never bought anything on credit, refusing to dig herself into a hole she'd never escape once it got started.

She went to the closet and pulled down a box with a ball, crayons, paper, and three books. A friend had brought over a few things as well. This wasn't the grand Christmas she had wanted for her daughter, but all the other valuables had been sold. There was nothing left but her wedding ring.

She didn't wear it. Removing it had been part of saying good-bye to Jack.

They said it would help, and it had. Sort of. But not much.

Dara sank into one of the kitchen chairs and put her face in her hands.

Sometime later, when the doorbell rang, she grabbed a paper towel and dried her eyes. The clock over the stove said nine o'clock. Who would be calling at this hour on Christmas Eve? She stuffed the wet towel in her robe pocket on the way to the door.

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How to Offer Help at Christmas #holidays #pets #hunger

Kayelle Allen 12/15/2016 Marketing for Romance Writers

People and pets will go hungry this Christmas. It’s sad that in the midst of all our plenty, there are still some who won’t get enough to eat. Why not be a blessing this Christmas? If you want to offer help and make a difference, here are some concrete things you can do.

Offer help for People

You can offer help in a concrete way. Instead of stocking up on cranberry sauce and stuffing, here are some items people need every day of the year. Donate these and you help people long after the holidays are over. Once you determine a place to donate, consider offering some of these items.

1) For people on food stamps and other assistance, a food allowance is provided, but it doesn’t cover diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, or cleaning supplies. When it’s on sale, stock up and donate some of the extra.

2) Personal hygiene products are vital. Consider picking up small travel sizes (handy for those who are homeless).

3) One of the biggest needs is for baby food and formula. Getting the dry powder to mix is great, and less expensive. If you get coupons for these items, stock up when they go on sale. Offer help personally if you know someone with a baby by bringing coupons, offering to drive them to the store, shop for them, or even to just sit down and talk. New parents are often exhausted. Having someone offer help might make a big difference.

4) Healthy snacks for children to pack in lunches, such as granola bars, milk boxes, juice boxes, and fresh fruit like apples and oranges. These keep well.

5) Salt, pepper (especially the type in small shakers), mayo, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, sriracha, salsa, and other condiments such as salad dressing.

6) Donate non-perishable proteins. Pick up cans of tuna, chicken, ham, beans, jars of peanut butter, or almond butter.

A site in the Atlanta area for helping families is Papa’s Pantry. They let families come in and shop at no cost for what they need in a small store of donated items. The site is always in need of donations. They also teach workshops such as budgeting, job-finding skills, resume creation, and how to coupon. Knowledge and skill help break the cycle of need.

Offer help for Pets

When people are in tough financial straits, they sometimes have to surrender their animals to a shelter because they can’t take care of them anymore. That’s so sad! Do you have a pet? When you shop for your own, grab a few extra cans of dog and cat food. Even one can of food will make a difference to a hungry animal. Local shelters love getting extra food. They can use old blankets and towels too. Call your local shelter and ask what they need most. After a natural disaster such as a wildfire, flood, or earthquake, consider contacting one of the service agencies that help homeless pets. One in the Atlanta area is the Homeless Pets Foundation.

I want to give a shout out to Rob’s Rescues near Atlanta, GA. http://www.robsrescues.com/ Rob writes a column every month for four magazines in the Cherokee and Cobb county areas north of Atlanta. He profiles one dog and one cat each month from both the Cobb County Animal Shelter and Cherokee the County Animal Shelter and tries to get them adopted. He does pet food drives in local businesses and animal hospitals, and gives pet food to people who can’t afford to feed their pets. He has done interviews with people like the Gwinnett County Sheriff about the Jail Dogs Program. He’s been doing this since May 2015. The unusual thing about Rob is that he is still in elementary school! Just goes to show that to help others, you only have to be willing.

I urge you to click the Rob’s Rescues link, visit his site, and help him accomplish his mission of feeding pets.

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Looks like a Holly Jolly Hop #HolidayRecipe #giveaway

Kayelle Allen 12/13/2016 Kayelle Allen

Welcome to the Holly Jolly Hop. This hop runs from 13 – 20 Dec 2016, and is held on Facebook. There are 60 authors taking part, which means multiple prizes and opportunities to win.

The Prize for my stop is (winner’s choice) either a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card. My prize is open internationally for Amazon readers, and the US for Barnes and Noble. Your prize will be emailed to you, so if you win, I will need your email.

The featured book for this hop is A Romance for Christmas. This sweet feel-good holiday romance reaffirms all you love about Christmas. It’s Christmas Eve, and the end of a year in which everything Dara loves was lost. Everything but her little girl and a fierce determination to survive. When a cop brings Christmas to her door, he brings another gift she never expected to get.

Holly Jolly Hop Bread Pudding Recipe

I don’t bake often. Since I retired, I try to grab lunch and dinner out with friends, or pick up convenience foods. My local grocery stores have wonderful, fresh made items prepared and all I have to do is take them home and pop them in the microwave. But when it’s Christmas, I love to make bread pudding. This recipe is easy, and it’s a favorite.

You can download and share this recipe in pdf format. It includes the Bread Pudding recipe plus bonus recipes for Sweet Butter Topping and Cinnamon Sprinkle

Bread Pudding Ingredients
1 loaf whole grain bread, broken into small pieces
2 12 oz. cans evaporated milk
1 cup water
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
5 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, softened
(Optional: Add 1 cup raisins)

Place broken bread pieces in a large bowl. If using, add the raisins.
Combine milk, water, vanilla, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar, and blend well.
Pour over the bread and toss to coat. If dry, add 2-3 teaspoonsful of water, one at a time, until bread is well moistened.
Pour mixture into a greased 13×9 inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until set.
Serve warm with ice cream, or drizzle with your favorite icing. Download the PDF for additional recipes.

Holly Jolly Hop Entry

ON DECEMBER 13th go to my Facebook page: http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author and find the post for the Holly Jolly Hop. It’s right at the top. While there, comment with the name of a friend you’d like to see at Christmas. That’s all there is to it!

If you like my page I can tag you if you win. This is not required but greatly appreciated. Tell your friends about this giveaway. Like this post, share this post, tag a friend, tap someone on the shoulder, etc.

You must enter on Facebook. Comments here are great, but they won’t enter you into the Holly Jolly Hop.

The next Holly Jolly Hop stop is here: https://www.facebook.com/mjohnstonwriter/ and you’ll also see that link on my Facebook page. For more fun hops and goodies from other events, visit Fiction Books, Readers, Writers, and Reviewers on Facebook. Have fun and enjoy hopping!

Enter to win the Grand Prize Kindle Paperwhite and find a list of all stops and giveaways on the hop on CM McCoy’s website. http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/holly-jolly-holiday-giveaway-kindle-paperwhite-or-50-gc/

The Holly Jolly Hop giveaway is open until 11:59pm EST, 20 Dec 2016. The prize from me is open internationally. Other authors in the hop may have different requirements. Random winner selected from comments. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Facebook is not responsible for the Holly Jolly Hop giveaway.

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How to Leave a Review #amreading #Books

Kayelle Allen 12/04/2016 Marketing for Romance Writers

Does it matter if readers leave a review? Yes. A book with even one review moves up in the sales ranking on Amazon. With enough reviews, an author can join programs that offer the book to more readers. It’s easy to leave a review. If you’ve never written a review before, this will guide you.

What should a review say?

If you received a book free then Amazon requires the following text (you can copy and paste):

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

For the rest of the review, the wording is up to you. When you leave a review, you should tell others what you liked about the book, or how you felt the author did at getting across the story. It can say that you recommend it to other readers. A review should not give away the ending of a story or spoil surprises for other readers. A review can be short and sweet.

What should a review not say?

Remember that a book review is for a product for sale, so keep the topic to the actual product. It should not have negative or unkind words. If should be about a book you’ve read. If you didn’t read it, it’s not fair to leave a review. It should not be about delivery issues. For example, if the book arrived late in the mail, that has nothing to do with the book itself.

Where can you leave a review?

If you have a blog, Facebook page, or an account on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, or other sites, you can post a review there. Here is a brief how-to that will guide you to getting to the right place to leave a review. In the examples below, I’ve used the book title “A Romance for Christmas” but you can substitute that for any title you wish.

To leave a review on Amazon

Go to www.amazon.com and log in.

To be considered a verified reviewer on Amazon, you need to have purchased at least one item from Amazon in the past.

In the search bar, put A Romance for Christmas.

Once you find the book, scroll down to “Customer Reviews” and click on “Write a customer review.”

To leave a review on Goodreads

Go to www.goodreads.com and login or create a new account: https://www.goodreads.com/user/create.

In the search bar, put A Romance for Christmas.

Once you find the book, click on it.

Rate the book with a star number underneath the book cover. The box above the stars will now mark the book as “Read.”

Hover over the box saying “Read” and you will see a small pop up balloon. Inside the balloon, click “Write a Review.”

Write a review in the box on this page or copy and paste your review from Amazon.

Sample Reviews

A sweet Christmas romance by @kayelleallen #holiday romance — A Romance for Christmas

Here are three actual reviews for my book A Romance for Christmas.

Even when you think there’s no one else for you, surprises happens & another chance presents itself. Take a shot and see what happens.
Merry Christmas to me. Absolutely loved this romantic story. Just beautiful.
It was a very touching story! Dara and Scott were perfect for each other because they had a lot in common. It was a nice light romance and fun!

As you can see, a review doesn’t have to be long or have a lot of detail. Of course, if you think a book deserves a longer review, by all means leave one.

Do you have any tips for reviews? Please share them in the comments. If you left a review because you read this post, please share the link. It doesn’t have to be one of my books. Also, feel free to share this post with friends.

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Tag: A Romance for Christmas

Do Miracles Still Happen?

Print a Free Christmas Coloring Book

Love Contemporary Romance?

Welcome to Book Hooks!

The Ugly Christmas Sweater... Shirt.

The Christmas Sweater / Shirt

Love Contemporary Romance?

Welcome to Book Hooks!

A Book Fair for Lovers of Holiday Romance

Love Contemporary Romance?

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

Excerpt