In Defense of Hallmark Movies

You would probably think I’m not the biggest fan of hallmark movies. As a super spicy writer, you’d probably think I have no interest in the squeaky clean hallmark channel. And you’re not completely wrong.

I don’t spend a lot of time watching hallmark movies. Especially with everything I have going on in my life these days. If I have a little free time, I’d much rather read a spicy book. Or enjoy some good old-fashioned reality tv, like Real Housewives or Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I do have issues with the paper thin characters they create, and lack of character growth. I can’t stand the romances that end with an engagement, when they’ve only known each other for one week and only had one kiss. I’m not saying they need to get down and dirty like my books, but a little more time together before committing their life together feels necessary to me.

But regardless of all these complaints about hallmark movies, I will happily defend them. I’ll battle to the end of the earth for people to give them their due. Because Hallmark movies are no different than the entire romance industry. They are media created by women, for women’s enjoyment, and should be taken seriously as that. 

It’s so easy to mock media for women. To make fun of hallmark movies for their sappiness, romance novels for their spice, reality tv for its constructed pretenses. But how is that any different than any other media. How is The Kardashian any more produced than Survivor or The Amazing Race. They both have producers that decided where they story should go, that encourage the participants to speak out or act a certain way. The only difference I see is that the Kardashian’s is almost entirely about women, where these other shows are not. How are hallmark movies any more tropey or over the top than wrestling, with their staged fights and over the top characters. Once again, it’s the viewers that are different. The participants that change.

And it is for that reason that I will defend hallmark movies every day, even though I don’t watch them much myself. Because media focused on women, and their desires deserves to be valued. To be seen as much a part of the landscape of our television as any other programming. 

So this season, if you want to watch some Hallmark to enjoy the magic of the season, go for it. Embrace what you enjoy. Don’t feel shame. Don’t degrade it. Don’t justify it. Just savor it. Because media developed for and enjoyed by women is rare, and that alone deserves to be celebrated. 

And if you’re looking for something a little spicier than a Hallmark movie, but still filled with all that Christmas cheer, take a look at my Frostbite Falls Christmas Ball series. It’s filled with all the same joy and a whole bunch of the hijinks—only every one of my ladies gets to take two men home for the holidays.

Every Day Should Be A Holiday--and Discounted to 99 cents

Almost fifteen years ago when I first started writing the Naughty Holiday List series I had no idea what I was doing. I'd read a bunch of what we now call smutty books (back then the more common term was erotic romance), I'd written one (Wandering off the Path, which would not be published for a few years after this series started) and I knew I had a fun idea with tons of possibilities. As a devoted romance reader, I knew I loved series, and that other readers did too. And that was about all the knowledge I had when I wrote the first book in this series. 

A good idea. A dream. Enough knowledge to be dangerous, but not enough to realize I had no clue what I was getting myself into. 

I read a submission request for Christmas stories, and the idea just came to me (this happens to me a lot), and I quickly wrote a fun little story featuring a girl, her four best friends, and the lists they all created to bring love into their lives. 

I had no clue if the first book would ever get published (which was published by Cobblestone Press titled Naughty List). I didn't know if anyone would read it. But I was still naive enough to think I could write a whole series of women finding the man of their dreams using lists. It was only after writing Naughty List that I decided all the characters would use their lists at different holidays. And in different ways. (I also thought I would write the whole series in one year, which I definitely didn't do. I had no idea back then how long it would take to not just write a book but five). 

When I started out I didn't even know what holidays would feature in these stories. I started with the big hits. Christmas. New Years Eve. Valentine's Day. All popular holidays, perfect for romance. And I found the perfect stories for those special days. But that all changed with Foolish Desire. None of the remaining popular holidays really worked for the story I wanted to tell for Amy. She was shy, scared, stuck in her own shell. Drinking green beer or watching fireworks wouldn't change any of that.

That's when I thought to try an untraditional holiday. The type of holiday that is rarely written about. And probably seen even less in romance novels. April Fool's Day. 

And that changed everything about this series. It opened up new and different holidays to explore. New possibilities, not just for this book but for the final book in the series, Dirty Work, which was set on Labor Day. Holidays that aren't know for their romance, but had so much great untapped potential. It might be one of the things I love most about this series.

Before writing this book I'd never read a April Fool's holiday romance, but even now, after writing my own, I don't know why I haven't seen more. If every day can be a romantic, why not April Fool's? And if a mix up with a Christmas email, or a Halloween costume, can be the beginning of a beautiful romance, why not an April Fool's Prank gone wrong? Which is exactly what happens to Amy and Will. 

April Fools offered so much potential for romance, especially romantic comedy. All the hijinks that could occur, all the misunderstandings that could take place and lead to so much more. Without the cheesy music, crowded restaurants, or family meddling of the other holidays.

Just thinking about it makes me want to write a whole new series. Filled with even more obscure holidays, and even more delicious romances. Or maybe one where they are all set on April Fools. The ideas are endless. Because everyday is a great day romance. 

And for the next three days, on the anniversary of its original release, Foolish Desire is only $0.99 on bookstrand.com. There was never a better time to pick up a romance set on an untraditional, but so appropriate holiday, than right now. And that is no joke.

Buy Link: https://www.bookstrand.com/foolish-desire

Blurb : Amy Spear has never felt special. She’s shy, awkward, and clumsy to boot. No one ever noticed her, especially not hunky guys like Will, except for maybe when she was tripping over her own feet. Until an April Fools' prank goes too far, and for the first time Amy is the center of Will’s interest, and she's rather liking the arrangement. But does he want all of her, or just the woman who likes getting naughty to an audience?

Will Long has always been a joke. And he never minded playing the jester to a tee, until he met Amy. She’s far too sweet, too innocent, too serious for a guy like him. But when his April Fools' prank shows him a whole new side of Amy, he can’t pretend to look away any longer. But can a fool like Will keep a girl like Amy? Or will he end up being the butt of his own joke?

New Year’s Eve snowstorm brings unexpected love in Bear’s Dream #shapeshifterromance #enemiestolovers #holidayromance

Wintertime blew into Virginia fast this year. Almost as soon as I raked the autumn leaves, the wind blew in with an icy chill that forced me to pull my boots and heavy coat from the back of my closet. I’m not a big fan of cold weather, but there are some aspects of winter I do love, like hot apple cider, peppermint bark, and driving through different neighborhoods at night to see houses adorned with festive decorations.

Watching the snow fall, if I’m indoors with nowhere to be, is a beautiful, calming experience. Nature does what she wants, though, and sometimes a light dusting of flakes turns into several inches of snow. Each season has its own kind of magic and what seems, at first, like bad luck and bad timing can actually be the beginning of a beautiful love story.

 

A snowstorm on New Year’s Eve brought bear shifters Ellie and AJ together but a secret threatens to tear them apart.

 

#HavenForestResortSeries #PNR #ParanormalRomance #RomanticSuspense #shifters #EnemiesToLovers #ShifterRomance #RomanceNovels #BearShifters #SteamyRomance #winter

 

Blurb:

She had every reason to hate him

Aiden "AJ" Shepherd's mistake during a Shifter Army Enforcement rescue mission cost Ellie Ortiz's brother, Marco, his life. She despises AJ with a passion until a chance encounter with him on New Year’s Eve reveals he's not the cold, heartless man she once thought him to be. Her attraction to him takes her by surprise and she vows to ignore her feelings. When a new job puts her in contact with him every day, the heat building between them threatens to flare out of control.

His secret could ruin everything

During a disastrous assignment with Shifters United, AJ uncovers some information that changes everything. Keeping the truth hidden from Ellie is killing him but he might lose her forever if he tells her what he learned on his mission. When Ellie ends up in danger, AJ will stop at nothing to save her. To survive, they’ll have to work together to stop a reporter who is determined to prove the existence of shifters. 

Excerpt:

              AJ staggered toward Ellie, holding his side. She caught him before he fell. Blood poured down the side of his face. She pulled the hood of his coat over his head to hide the blood.

People rushed over to them, asking if he was alright.

I guess they only care how he is now that the fighting is over.

“He’s fine. Just a little bruised up.”

The wolf shifter woman cleared a path to AJ and guarded his other side. “I’ll help you get him to the woods. My friend can stall the cops and do crowd control while you guys shift out your injuries.”

“Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”

The wolf shifter nodded. “No problem. Hurry.”

Ellie grasped AJ’s face in her hands and looked him in the eye. “We just have to get to the woods. It’s not far. Stay awake and stay with me. I can’t carry you. Understand?”

“Yeah.” His voice was barely audible.

An eternity later, they found a spot amongst the pine trees and bushes with enough cover for him to shift. “Hold on. Don’t shift yet. Let me pull these chunks of metal out of your head first.”

He cursed as she pulled one particularly large, jagged chunk out of his scalp. Blood poured down his face and neck. His eyes drifted shut.

“Come on! Wake up! Shift!”

He slumped over, oblivious to her yelling. She stripped him then dug her fingers into his stab wound. He growled and shifted into bear form. A sob of relief escaped her. AJ shifted back to human form, then, a split second later, he was a giant furry brown bear again. The bear walked around for a moment, dug his claws into a tree, then pressed his nose to Ellie’s cheek, making her laugh. In the blink of an eye, he was in human form again.

“You’re alright now?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?” She ran her fingers over the places on his head she’d seen cut and gouged. No sign of any wounds. She looked at his eyes. He focused on her properly. She breathed out a sigh of relief. “I’ve seen more than one shifter be pressed for time to heal and they weren’t healed up as well as they thought.” His injuries hadn’t been superficial. He wouldn’t have made it to their room to shift in privacy without being stopped by well-meaning regulars—shifters and psy often referred to humans with no strange, extraordinary abilities as regulars—insistent on taking him to a hospital.

People who hated shifters lurked in hospitals, watching, waiting to destroy anyone they found out of the ordinary. Today, some ignorant haters had almost killed AJ, at a damn winter festival celebration. Nowhere was truly safe. She was still freaked at how close he had been to losing consciousness and never waking up. She knew damn well he would have died if he hadn’t shifted when he did. She didn’t want his light to burn out. Didn’t want anybody’s light to dim, really, but he was… She shook her head. A good guy. That was all. She didn’t want to see a good person die too young. She wrapped her arms around herself and her eyes teared up.

“Hey,” he spoke softly, “look at me.”

She met his gaze, reluctantly.

“I’m all right,” he assured her. “The important thing is, a group of angry men didn’t get the chance to beat the living hell out of a shifter teenager.”

She nodded.

He gently stroked her cheek and his hand came away bloody. “Your turn to shift.” She hadn’t felt any pain in her face. Probably because several of her ribs were cracked and her stomach had a fist-sized knot in it where she’d been punched. She stepped behind a tree, undressed, and shifted. B shook out her thick black fur and walked around a few paces in the woods. After a moment, she reluctantly shifted back to human form. Ellie stopped still when she caught AJ staring at her.

“Damn, you’re beautiful.” His appreciative tone wrapped around her. She gulped and ducked behind the tree to put her clothes back on. She emerged, wrapped back up in her bloodstained winter coat and clothes. At least the blood wouldn’t show up since everything she was wearing was black.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/Bears-Dream-Haven-Forest-Resort-ebook/dp/B09XT1WX5G

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bears-Dream-Haven-Forest-Resort-ebook/dp/B09XT1WX5G

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bears-dream-christina-lynn-lambert/1143427363?ean=2940160979106

Apple iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/bears-dream/id6448857265?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=books_box_link

Kobo Books: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bear-s-dream

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1388315

Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Christina_Lynn_Lambert_Bear_s_Dream?id=psu8EAAAQBAJ

 

What I’m working on now:

I’m currently working on book five in my Stranger Creatures series and book two in my Haven Forest Resort series. I’m also working on writing poetry as well as short horror, science fiction, and women’s fiction stories.

If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert

Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cllambauthor.bsky.social

A New Year's Eve snowstorm brings enemy bear shifters Ellie and AJ together in Bear's Dream #shifters #enemiestolovers #PNR

 A snowstorm on New Year’s Eve brought bear shifters Ellie and AJ together but a secret threatens to tear them apart.

#holidayromance #shapeshifters #paranormalromance #romancenovels

BLURB:

She had every reason to hate him
Aiden "AJ" Shepherd's mistake during a Shifter Army Enforcement rescue mission cost Ellie Ortiz's brother, Marco, his life. She hates AJ with a passion until a chance encounter with him on New Year’s Eve reveals he's not the cold, heartless man she once thought him to be. Her attraction to him takes her by surprise and she vows to ignore her feelings. When a new job puts her in contact with him every day, the heat building between them threatens to flare out of control. Her resolve to keep the sweet, sexy man in the friend zone is weakening by the day.

His secret could ruin everything
During a disastrous assignment with Shifters United, AJ uncovers some information that changes everything. Keeping the truth hidden from Ellie is killing him but he might lose her forever if he tells her what he learned on his mission. When Ellie ends up in danger, AJ will stop at nothing to save her. To survive, they’ll have to work together to stop a reporter who is determined to prove the existence of shifters.

EXCERPT:

AJ staggered toward Ellie, holding his side. She caught him before he fell. Blood poured down the side of his face. She pulled the hood of his coat over his head to hide the blood.

People rushed over to them, asking if he was alright.

I guess they only care how he is now that the fighting is over.

“He’s fine. Just a little bruised up.”

The wolf shifter woman cleared a path to AJ and guarded his other side. “I’ll help you get him to the woods. My friend can stall the cops and do crowd control while you guys shift out your injuries.”

“Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”

The wolf shifter nodded. “No problem. Hurry.”

Ellie grasped AJ’s face in her hands and looked him in the eye. “We just have to get to the woods. It’s not far. Stay awake and stay with me. I can’t carry you. Understand?”

“Yeah.” His voice was barely audible.

An eternity later, they found a spot amongst the pine trees and bushes with enough cover for him to shift. “Hold on. Don’t shift yet. Let me pull these chunks of metal out of your head first.”

He cursed as she pulled one particularly large, jagged chunk out of his scalp. Blood poured down his face and neck. His eyes drifted shut.

“Come on! Wake up! Shift!”

He slumped over, oblivious to her yelling. She stripped him then dug her fingers into his stab wound. He growled and shifted into bear form. A sob of relief escaped her. AJ shifted back to human form, then, a split second later, he was a giant furry brown bear again. The bear walked around for a moment, dug his claws into a tree, then pressed his nose to Ellie’s cheek, making her laugh. In the blink of an eye, he was in human form again.

“You’re alright now?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?” She ran her fingers over the places on his head she’d seen cut and gouged. No sign of any wounds. She looked at his eyes. He focused on her properly. She breathed out a sigh of relief. “I’ve seen more than one shifter be pressed for time to heal and they weren’t healed up as well as they thought.” His injuries hadn’t been superficial. He wouldn’t have made it to their room to shift in privacy without being stopped by well-meaning regulars—shifters and psy often referred to humans with no strange, extraordinary abilities as regulars—insistent on taking him to a hospital.

People who hated shifters lurked in hospitals, watching, waiting to destroy anyone they found out of the ordinary. Today, some ignorant haters had almost killed AJ, at a damn winter festival celebration. Nowhere was truly safe. She was still freaked at how close he had been to losing consciousness and never waking up. She knew damn well he would have died if he hadn’t shifted when he did. She didn’t want his light to burn out. Didn’t want anybody’s light to dim, really, but he was… She shook her head. A good guy. That was all. She didn’t want to see a good person die too young. She wrapped her arms around herself and her eyes teared up.

“Hey,” he spoke softly, “look at me.”

She met his gaze, reluctantly.

“I’m all right,” he assured her. “The important thing is, a group of angry men didn’t get the chance to beat the living hell out of a shifter teenager.”

She nodded.

He gently stroked her cheek and his hand came away bloody. “Your turn to shift.” She hadn’t felt any pain in her face. Probably because several of her ribs were cracked and her stomach had a fist-sized knot in it where she’d been punched. She stepped behind a tree, undressed, and shifted. B shook out her thick black fur and walked around a few paces in the woods. After a moment, she reluctantly shifted back to human form. Ellie stopped still when she caught AJ staring at her.

“Damn, you’re beautiful.” His appreciative tone wrapped around her. She gulped and ducked behind the tree to put her clothes back on. She emerged, wrapped back up in her bloodstained winter coat and clothes. At least the blood wouldn’t show up since everything she was wearing was black.

 

PURCHASE LINKS:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Bears-Dream-Haven-Forest-Resort-ebook/dp/B09XT1WX5G
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bears-dream-christina-lynn-lambert/1143427363?ean=2940160979106
Apple iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/bears-dream/id6448857265?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=books_box_link
Kobo Books: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bear-s-dream
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1388315
Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Christina_Lynn_Lambert_Bear_s_Dream?id=psu8EAAAQBAJ

 

If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/christinalynnlambert

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chris4lamb

Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com

 

 

Snow and Love is in the Air

 

Snow and Love is in the Air

December is the one time of year when most people enjoy having a little snow around. Snow provides the backdrop for a postcard-perfect holiday. While the white powder hides the barren ground, it also can be a headache for drivers everywhere. Roads become icy and accidents abound. I included such an event in my holiday read- A Christmas Accident. 

Route Two through Northwest Ohio can be treacherous during the winter as blowing and drifting snow coats the two lane, windy road. Even during the summer, accidents abound on the road. An accident became the perfect black moment for my hero and heroine as they head back to Amherst, Ohio for the holidays. Not only are they going to need some car repair but also a miracle as the holidays approach. 

Expecting her first child, Sherri Wilder Davison wants nothing more than to spend time with her father over the holidays, but fate has a way of changing her best-laid plans.

Adam Davison is willing to do anything to make his pregnant wife happy. He will face hell to have her home for the holidays.

For Sherri and Adam, the holidays are a time of celebration and love, but this Christmas will be unlike any they have ever faced.

When a horrible blizzard causes an automobile accident that puts the lives of those Sherri loves on the line, can a Christmas miracle save them?

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Accident-Wilder-Sisters-Novella-ebook/dp/B015JWUJUE

Snow not only makes travel a hazard, it can force people to remain in place. Such an occurrence becomes the black moment for my hero and heroine in A Broken Cowboy. Winter in Colorado can be brutal as roads are closed. But for Trey and his wife, it could mean life or death as they are trapped in their home as his wife goes into labor. Handicapped, former bull rider Trey must take matters into his own hands. 

Sometimes you are stronger than you believe…

Trey and Sara Arking had overcome so much. The former champion bull rider now faced life as a paraplegic since a bull named Brickhouse crushed not only his body but his spirit. Sara hadn’t let him walk away from her, and the two married.

A baby seemed improbable until the double-blue line set their dream of parenthood within reach, but when a freak Christmas snowstorm traps them at home during the birth, will Trey be able to let go of his fears of inadequacy and save the day? Or will he lose the one person he loves more than anything—his wife?

A stand-alone novella featuring a broken cowboy and the stubborn woman who loves him.

https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Cowboy-Cowboys-Whisper-Colorado/dp/B08HGRW7R4/

Additionally, the holidays are a time of celebration...a lifting of a glass. But for people with drinking problems, it can seem overwhelming. How can you navigate the celebrations and not partake of the vice that beats at your mind? You feel left out and isolated. Regret burns in your gut.  For hero, Johnson O'Neill, he's been fighting against his demons for years. His wife is his best supporter but one vice might be replaced with another. Will he be tempted to cheat... on his wife or on his determination to stay sober? Tempting the Cowboy is a gripping emotional tale of one man's drive to stay true to his convictions and how the people in our lives can impact us in positive ways. 

Temptation comes in many forms…

Johnson O’Neill fought hard to climb out of the bottle after battling addiction. He found love and purpose as the foreman at The Heartsong Ranch. But the craving never goes away, and he must battle daily to remain strong.

Debra O’Neill thought her marriage was strong, but when her husband’s alcoholism rears its head, she will not only face her own demons, but she must fight for the man she loves.

Stressful times and the holidays lead former addicts down dark alleys. For Johnson and Debra, they must trust in their love and rely on each other because, when temptation comes calling, only the strong will survive.

https://www.amazon.com/Tempting-Cowboy-Cowboys-Whisper-Colorado/dp/1696780810

These three books are simply a small portion of the many holiday reads that are perfect for any time of the year but are more meaningful during December! I hope your holidays are filled with hope, blessings, and good books!

Until next month...

Keep Reading!

Melissa Keir

www.melissakeir.com