August 1, 2023
After moving back to Piney Peaks, PA, and working for the chamber of commerce, Elisha Rowe has gotten herself into a jam. The idyllic small town was the setting for the classic '70s Christmas movie Sleighbells Under Starlight, which took place particularly in the house of Elisha's elderly neighbor Maeve. With a sequel planned, Elisha accidentally leads the movie's director to believe that he'll definitely be able to film at the house after the holidays. Unfortunately, Maeve died before she could sign the agreement. Meanwhile, New York-based author Ves Hollins is dreading the task of cleaning out his great-aunt Maeve's stuffed old house. Somehow Elisha needs to convince Ves, who she is sure is part grinch (and part blond Greek god), to allow filming to take place. Ves finds himself being persuaded to stay in Piney Peaks just a little bit longer than expected thanks to Elisha, her family, and the coziest town on the map. VERDICT Vale (The Decoy Girlfriend) adds depth to her characters with relatable themes of bad breakups and fractured families, while also creating a slow-burn romance that is sure to satisfy.--Nicole J. Suarez
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August 15, 2023
Vale takes her celebration of small-town life from YA romance to adults-only. Elisha Rowe left a good job in Atlanta to return to the quaint Poconos village of Piney Peaks to become the film and media liaison for the chamber of commerce. She and her family live across the street from the late Maeve Hollins' Christmas House, made famous for its role in the 1970s romance Sleighbells Under Starlight. On the 50th anniversary of the movie that put Piney Peaks on the map, Elisha has brokered a sequel that will boost the economy of her beloved village and revitalize other small towns in the Pennsylvania region. But the deal hinges on using the house, and with Maeve's recent death, it's been bequeathed to her great-nephew, handsome city boy Ves Hollins, a writer of YA fantasy novels, who wants to strip the house, sell it, and get out of town. Elisha is the small-town girl with the world's biggest heart; Ves is the big-city boy who doesn't believe love will ever come his way. After the meet-cute--she thinks he's a burglar and runs over to defend her much-loved neighbor's house in bunny slippers, brandishing a candy cane--they take the usual romance steps from verbal fencing to flirtation, lust, mutual admiration, and love. Elisha's family and friends embrace Ves, who has never really known a loving family. With hugs and laughter, great food and all-around kindness, he's persuaded to stay long enough to allow the production company to use his home. But then he's leaving. Elisha has a history of men who wouldn't stick around in her small town. Piney Peaks is a snow globe of Christmas motifs: When Ves is aroused, his "lord['s] a-leaping." Vale's small-town snow globe has a cosmic heart that embraces people of all ethnicities, genders, and faiths. Everyone is entitled to joy. And good food. A typical holiday sleigh ride but with quick wit and good sex.
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August 28, 2023
This spicy holiday rom-com from Vale (The Decoy Girlfriend) begins 50 years after Piney Peaks, Pa.’s “Christmas House” was immortalized by the popular Christmas film Sleighbells. Now film location scout Elisha Rowe is determined to secure the house as one of the sets for the long-awaited sequel. Children’s author Ves Hollins inherited the Christmas House from his great-aunt and intends to sell it as fast as possible and return to New York City. The pair meet cute when Elisha mistakes Ves for a burglar breaking in. After this bad first impression, bubbly Christmas enthusiast Elisha offers to help grinch-with-a-heart-of-gold Ves sort through the clutter his aunt left behind—and along the way, she plans to convince him to allow filming on the property. Ves, whose strained relationship with his family is part of his distaste for the holiday season, is drawn in by Elisha’s beauty, spirit, and compassion, and finds unexpected community in quaint Piney Peaks. Complete with love scenes as hot as a crackling fire, sweet romantic overtures, and all the comforts and joys of small-town living, this scintillating contemporary will make a great gift for any romance lover. Agent: Jessica Watterson, Sandra Dijkstra Literary.