Ah, Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year.
Correction. If your name is Mina Wilde, and you’re an almost-blind punk rock bookseller with three boyfriends who were plucked straight from your favorite literary masterpieces and a crazy mother who wants to marry you off to the Napoleon of Crime, and you live in a picturesque village that must be the murder capital of England, in a magical bookshop with a room that skips around in time, then Christmas isn’t just wonderful.
It’s magic.
THE END
Morrie’s been arrested on suspicion of murder. Mina knows the Napoleon of Crime is innocent, but how can she prove her favorite con-artist is being stitched-up? Find out in book 5 of the Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries, Prose and Cons.
Can’t get enough of Mina and her boys? Read a free alternative scene from Quoth’s point-of-view when you sign up for the Steffanie Holmes VIP list.
From the Author
Ah, Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year.
I live in New Zealand, so the notion of a snowy, snuggly Christmas is completely foreign to me. Growing up, Christmas always meant presents in the morning, a BBQ or roast for lunch, and then off to the beach for swimming and sandcastle competitions. (My sister and I won once for our ‘Homer Simpson Asleep On The Couch’ sandcastle, complete with beer cans we found lying around on the beach.)
Christmas to me has always meant eating too much chocolate, and staying up late on Christmas Eve putting the last touches on homemade presents. It means seeing my niece and nephew excitedly ripping into their gifts. It means my husband giving me a gift at least two weeks early because he can’t stand waiting another moment to see my reaction. It means forcing my cats to wear adorable little Santa hats while they try to dial an animal rights activist without opposable thumbs.
It means eating ALL the roast potatoes.
I hope you, dear reader, have a wonderful celebration surrounded by family and friends – no matter where you are or what cultural traditions you embrace. I hope that if the holiday season is a tough time of year for you – as it is for many – that you can find support and comfort and joy in the small things. A mug of hot chocolate. A good book. A hug from a friend.
If you need something to read over the holidays, I’ve got you covered. Check out my Briarwood Witches series – it’s complete at 5 books, so that’s 400,000+ words about a science nerd heroine who inherits a real English castle complete with great hall, turrets, and 5 hot English/Irish tenants. She also inherits some magical powers she can't control (also, there is MM). Grab the collection with a bonus scene. Turn the page for a teaser.
For something a little darker, try Shunned, book 1 of my Kings of Miskatonic Prep series. HP Lovecraft meets Cruel Intentions in a dark paranormal reverse harem bully romance about three broken bad boys and the girl who stood her ground. This is my most popular release EVER and readers are calling it, “The biggest mindfuck of 2019” so if you haven’t read it already, I suggest you give it a try!
I’ve got lots of new books releasing soon, as well as some special surprises. Join my Facebook group Books That Bite or follow my Instagram to see more.
I’d like to thank my amazing family of writer buddies – aka, the Professional Perverts – for being by my side during an amazing year. Thanks Bri, Katya, Elaina, Kit, Jamie, and Emma for all the laughs and love.
And a big snuggly Christmas hug to my cantankerous drummer husband, who beta read this book and laughed the whole way through.
Until next time!
Steffanie
Want more reverse harem from Steffanie Holmes
“Sizzling hot, sexy characters, and a plot filled with magic, mayhem, excitement, suspense, and fairies. Fantastic.” - Laure Eccleston
“I love all the guys and this book is hot!” - Gilda Rodriguez
“Maeve is feisty and no damsel in distress. I want more!” - Stephanie
Dear Fae,
Don't even THINK about attacking my castle.
This science geek witch and her four magic-wielding men are about to get medieval on your ass.
I’m Maeve Crawford. For years I’ve had my future mathematically calculated down to the last detail; Leave my podunk Arizona town, graduate MIT, get into the space program, be the first woman on Mars, get a cat (not necessarily in this order).
Then fairies killed my parents and shot the whole plan to hell.
I've inherited a real, honest-to-goodness English castle – complete with turrets, ramparts, and four gorgeous male tenants, who I'm totally not in love with.
Not at all.
It would be crazy to fall for four guys at once, even though they're totally gorgeous and amazing and wonderful and kind.
But not as crazy as finding out I'm a witch. A week ago, I didn’t even believe magic existed, and now I’m up to my ears in spells and prophetic dreams and messages from the dead.
When we're together – and I'm talking in the Biblical sense – the five of us wield a powerful magic that can banish the fae forever. They intend to stop us by killing us all.
I can't science my way out of this mess.
Forget NASA, it’s going to take all my smarts just to survive Briarwood Castle.
The Castle of Earth and Embers is the first in a brand new steamy reverse harem romance by USA Today bestselling author, Steffanie Holmes. This full-length book glitters with love, heartache, hope, grief, dark magic, fairy trickery, steamy scenes, British slang, meat pies, second chances, and the healing powers of a good cup of tea. Read on only if you believe one just isn’t enough.
Start The Briarwood Witches series today.
Excerpt
The Castle of Earth and Embers
Rowan showed Maeve around the kitchen, pointing out the spice racks and explaining his stupidly complicated fridge-stacking system. Maeve listened attentively, and she didn’t laugh or poke fun of any of Rowan’s OCD tendencies. The tension slipped from his shoulders. She was affecting even him.
“What are you making here?” Maeve peered into the baskets of produce and empty preserving jars on the island.
Rowan’s face reddened and his shoulders hunched back up again. I winced. That didn’t last long. Maeve looked at Rowan’s face as his jaw locked. He stared at his feet and twirled the end of a dreadlock around his finger.
“Rowan, is something wrong?” Maeve’s voice tightened with concern. She reached out a hand to him, but he stepped back, leaving her arm hanging in the air. The awkward tension in the air ratcheted up a notch.
Time to save this situation. I stepped forward and grabbed Maeve’s arm, doing my best to ignore the tingle of energy that shot through me when our skin touched. I’d have to get used to ignoring it. I dragged her across the room.
“This is really cool,” I said, opening a door at the back of the kitchen to reveal a narrow staircase. “This was installed when the castle was a grand stately home so the servants could rush meals up to the bedrooms without being seen in the main part of the house. It comes up near the staircase that goes up to your bedroom, so it’s a good shortcut down to the kitchen if you fancy a nightcap.”
“Duly noted.” Maeve sashayed across the room and peered up the narrow staircase. “Are the bedrooms upstairs? Can I see?”
At the word bedroom passing through her red, pursed lips, my cock tightened in protest. Don’t think about it. But that was like telling Obelix – the pudgy castle cat – not to think about all the delicious birds sitting in the tree outside the window.
“Sure.” I gestured to the staircase. “After you.”
Maeve started up the narrow steps, her gorgeous arse hovering inches from my face. I made to follow her, but something heavy slammed into my side, knocking me against the wall. I cursed as my elbow scraped against the rough stone of the wall.
“Sorry mate,” Flynn flashed me his devil’s grin as he leapt past me and followed Maeve up the stairs. “I didn’t see you there.”
“I believe you,” I mumbled as I followed th
em up. “Millions wouldn’t.”
At the top of the stairs, Maeve pressed her hands against the wood panel. “How do you get this open?”
Flynn tried to reach around her to unlock the clasp at the top of the door, but this time, I beat him to it. As I reached around Maeve, she turned slightly to press her back against the wall and her breasts brushed against my shirt, setting off a fire beneath my skin.
Her lips formed an O of surprise, and I couldn’t help but mentally fill in that O with the shaft of my cock. I blinked, trying to stop thinking about her like that, trying to remember that it was the magic making me into this animal.
The air between us thinned, and an invisible force drew my body forward, my arm brushing hers. A few inches more, and my lips would be pressed against hers—
No. You can’t do this. You can’t encourage her to choose you.
“Well, isn’t this intimate?” Flynn shimmied his way through the gap so that he had his back against the opposite wall, his hands falling against Maeve’s hips. If he wanted, he could slide her back so her arse rubbed against his cock, and even though that was totally cheating, I wouldn’t even blame him. I was cheating just as bad – my face in hers, my eyes begging for her touch. All I’d have to do was lean forward, press my lips to hers, and it would all be over…
Want to find out what happens next – Start The Briarwood Witches series today.
Other Books By Steffanie Holmes
This list is in recommended reading order, although each couple’s story can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Kings of Miskatonic Prep
Shunned – READ NOW
Initiated – READ NOW
Possessed – READ NOW
Ignited – READ NOW
Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries
A Dead and Stormy Night – READ NOW
Of Mice and Murder – READ NOW
Pride and Premeditation – READ NOW
Memoirs of a Garroter – READ NOW
Prose and Cons – READ NOW
How Heathcliff Stole Christmas
Briarwood Reverse Harem series
The Castle of Earth and Embers – READ NOW
The Castle of Fire and Fable – READ NOW
The Castle of Water and Woe – READ NOW
The Castle of Wind and Whispers – READ NOW
The Castle of Spirit and Sorrow – READ NOW
Crookshollow Gothic Romance series
Art of Cunning (Alex & Ryan) - READ NOW FOR FREE
Art of the Hunt (Alex & Ryan) - READ NOW
Art of Temptation (Alex & Ryan) - READ NOW
The Man in Black (Elinor & Eric) - READ NOW
Watcher (Belinda & Cole) - READ NOW
Reaper (Belinda & Cole) - READ NOW
Wolves of Crookshollow series
Digging the Wolf (Anna & Luke) - READ NOW
Writing the Wolf (Rosa & Caleb) - READ NOW
Inking the Wolf (Bianca & Robbie) - READ NOW
Wedding the Wolf (Willow & Irvine) - READ NOW
Fallen Sorcery Fae (shared world)
Hollow - READ NOW
Witches of the Woods
Witch Hunter - READ NOW
Coven - READ NOW
The Curse (coming in 2018)
Want to be informed when the next Steffanie Holmes paranormal romance story goes live? Sign up for the VIP Readers Club to get the scoop, and score a free bonus prequel to enjoy!
About the Author
Steffanie Holmes is the author of steamy historical and paranormal romance. Her books feature clever, witty heroines, wild shifters, cunning witches and alpha males who always get what they want.
Before becoming a writer, Steffanie worked as an archaeologist and museum curator. She loves to explore historical settings and ancient conceptions of love and possession. From Dark Age Europe to crumbling gothic estates, Steffanie is fascinated with how love can blossom between the most unlikely characters. She also writes dark fantasy / science fiction under S. C. Green.
Steffanie lives in New Zealand with her husband and a horde of cantankerous cats.
Steffanie Holmes VIP List
Can’t get enough of Mina and her boys? Read a free alternative scene from Quoth’s point-of-view when you sign up for the Steffanie Holmes VIP list.
Come hang with Steffanie
www.steffmetal.com
[email protected]
How Heathcliff Stole Christmas: A Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries novella Page 11
