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Christmas Charms by Teri Wilson
Release Date: October 6th 2020 by Hallmark Publishing
Pages: 280
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
She never dreamed her holiday would include
her hometown, a dog, or a firefighter.
But a mysterious charm bracelet
predicted it all…
Ashley’s supposed to be having the Christmas of her dreams. After four years of working at an upscale jewelry store in Manhattan, she’s finally going to get a little velvet box of her own—from her boyfriend Jeremy, who’s taking her on a romantic trip to Paris. What could go wrong?
Well, everything.
Ashley heads home to Owl Lake instead, falling asleep on the train ride there…and waking up with a beautiful antique charm bracelet on her wrist. Soon, she realizes that each silver charm predicts an event that happens in real life. What does this mean for her and Jeremy…or her and Aidan, her former high school boyfriend, who’s now a local firefighter? Is there still a chance that she could have the perfect Christmas?
This small town Christmas romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Spiced Walnut Crust Cookies with Chocolate Ganache and Sea Salt.
{EXCERPT}
The ghost of my Christmas past, I think. But wait, that’s not right. Aidan is standing right beside me, part of my life again in the present. And as much as I’m afraid to think about it, that means Christmas future is still up for grabs.
“Ashley, wait!” he says once we’re out on the sidewalk.
I spin around so fast that he nearly plows into me. “What?”
He backs up, and his blue irises bore into me, unblinking. I hold the stare, refusing to blink either until tears prick my eyes. “You think I’m like an action figure—plastic and unfeeling?”
“That’s not what I meant at all,” I counter. “I’m just saying that for a man who seems to either be at work or on call twenty-four hours a day, you have a lot of opinions about the fact that my career is important to me.”
He says nothing in return, and I know I should probably drop it, but I can’t.
“I get it. I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I was when I left Owl Lake.” The admission makes me sadder than it should. Changing and growing is part of life, and I’m proud of all that I’ve accomplished since I moved away. But being back in my hometown is making me wonder if leaving everything I knew and loved behind was worth it in the end. Everything...and everyone.
I lift my chin in defiance, because no matter what sort of doubts are swirling through my head, he’s not being fair. “But you’re not the same person either.”
“You’re right,” he says, and there’s an ache in his voice that seems to scrape my insides. “I’m not.”
I bite down hard on my bottom lip to stop it from quivering.
“Did you really think you’d come back after eight years and find the same lovesick boy you left behind?” He gives me a half smile, like he’s trying to downplay the heartbreak behind what he’s just said, but I know better. Those words didn’t come easily for Aidan.
For the first time since I’ve been back in Owl Lake, we’re getting dangerously close to discussing our history together. I almost hope we actually do, just to get it over with. But the sidewalk on Main Street doesn’t seem like the best place to take a painful trip down memory lane.
We’re so close that our breath commingles into a suspended puff of warmth in the frosty air. The angry knot in Aidan’s jaw is back again, and there’s a fire in his eyes that makes me weak in my knees. Then his gaze drops to my mouth, and this huge unspoken thing between us suddenly feels less like history and more like something else—attraction.
My head spins. This feels like the moment in a romcom when the couple kisses in the middle of a huge argument, and the pounding of my heart is a sure sign that at least part of me hopes that’s precisely what’s about to happen. Snow flurries dance around us, and the air smells like crushed candy canes and frosted pine—like Christmas.
Like home.
AUTHOR BIO:
Teri Wilson is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of heartwarming, whimsical contemporary romance. Three of Teri's books have been adapted into Hallmark Channel Original Movies by Crown Media, including UNLEASHING MR. DARCY (plus its sequel MARRYING MR. DARCY), THE ART OF US and NORTHERN LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS, based on her book SLEIGH BELL SWEETHEARTS. She is also a recipient of the prestigious RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction for her novel THE BACHELOR'S BABY SURPRISE. Teri has a major weakness for cute animals, pretty dresses and Audrey Hepburn films, and she loves following the British royal family. Visit her at www.teriwilson.net or on Twitter @TeriWilsonauthr.
