Tuesday, October 15, 2019

About the Book

Book: Once Upon A Christmas

Author: Andrea Boyd, Mikal Dawn, Toni Shiloh, Angela Ruth Strong, Jaycee Weaver

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Embrace the magic of the Christmas season with these contemporary twists on timeless tales.

Upon a Dream — A rare sleeping disorder keeps Talia from performing, but when Philip recognizes her gift, he’ll do whatever it takes to see her onstage.

Claim My Heart — Li Na and Colin Wen face off in a Mulan-esque courtroom battle where the real win might be losing their hearts.

A Snow White Christmas — Sheltered heiress Amala White flees her conniving stepmother’s plans and finds refuge with a handsome orchard owner and his seven quirky uncles.

Christmas Ella — Reality TV meets Cinderella story when a location director is swept off her feet by a rising star.

A Splash of Love — Las Vegas glitz meets Land of Enchantment culture in A Splash of Love, a modern twist on the Little Mermaid.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Authors

Andrea Boyd Author–Each of Andrea Boyd’s series represents a different genre but all fall into the category of romance. All offer an element of her own brand of humor. And all are a tribute to God. Besides writing, she loves spending time with her family, quilting, going to car shows, and driving around in her 1968 Barracuda convertible. Andrea lives with her husband, Tommy, and at least a couple of cats in York County, SC. Visit her at www.andreaboyd11.com.

Mikal Dawn AuthorMikal Dawn is an inspirational romance author, wedding enthusiast, and military (retired) wife. When she isn’t writing about faith, fun, and forever, she is obsessively scouring Pinterest (with coffee in hand!) for wedding ideas for her characters.

Mikal lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two of their three children. Visit her at www.mikaldawn.com.

Toni Shiloh AuthorToni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness. Visit her at www.tonishiloh.com.

Angela Ruth Strong Author

Angela Ruth Strong sold her first Christian romance novel in 2009 then quit writing romance when her husband left her. Ten years later, God has shown her the true meaning of love, and there’s nothing else she’d rather write about. Her books have since earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been optioned for film, won the Cascade Award, and been Amazon bestsellers. She also writes non-fiction for SpiritLed Woman. To help aspiring authors, she started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho, and she teaches as an expert online at WRITE THAT BOOK. Visit her at www.angelaruthstrong.com.

Jaycee Weaver Author
Jaycee Weaver is a wife, mother, and substitute teacher living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jaycee writes contemporary Christian romance with lifelike characters in everyday situations who always get their happy ending. Visit her at www.jayceeweaver.com.

More from the Authors

Dear Readers,

Thank you for stopping by the Celebrate Lit blog tour of Once Upon a Christmas. We are so excited to bring you this Christmas collection. All of us had a lot of fun writing it as we delved into the fairy tales of Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Snow White, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid.

What we discovered when writing is that in the heart of every girl is the desire to be a princess. Now, I’m not talking about dressing up in a beautiful gown and wearing a crown while twirling around (although I, Toni, admit I would do that in a heartbeat). No, we discovered that in the heart of every girl (sister, mom, daughter, etc) is the desire to be loved and accepted.

Can Talia find someone who can accept all of her, including her health issues? Can Amala find someone who will love her for her and not her money? Can Li find acceptance for who she truly is and not the façade she presents? Will Ella find a familial kind of love? And Gabrielle, can she find a love so powerful that all her dreams will come true?

As the heroines of our stories journey down their path to love and acceptance, they all come to realize a deep-seated truth. They are loved. They are princesses. They have a love of a King who laid down His life for theirs. A King who is preparing a home for them. A King who sees who they truly are and loves them without hesitation.

As you read these stories, we pray they touch your heart. We pray they entertain you and maybe even make you laugh a time or two. And lastly, we pray the Christmas truths bless you this holiday season.

Blessings,

Andrea, Mikal, Toni, Angela, and Jaycee

Enjoy the wonderful collection of stories that feature Christmas, laughter, love and hope. Each story is unique but brings a great message of belonging and the Christmas Spirit. I enjoyed the variety of authors and how each story flowed with compassion and celebration.

Upon A Dream by Andrea Boyd

I could tell right away that this story was going to be a fun one. The aunts are a hoot in the story with good intentions toward their niece Talia. Having an unusual medical condition prevents Talia from living a normal life at times. I don't think it would be fun to sleep for days or months at a time. When you wake up, you realize you have lost valuable time that you can never get back.

The big production at the theater this year that the aunts own is not anywhere close to a Christmas play. Talia is not sure her aunts are thinking clearly when she learns that someone is in charge of the production of Sleeping Beauty for their Christmas play. What were the aunts thinking? I loved getting to go behind the scene at a theater through the words of a gifted writer.

It's a lovely story of finding strength, believing in yourself and following your dreams. The retelling of Sleeping Beauty in a modern twist is full of surprises and delightful characters

Come fall in love with Talia, Phillip, the aunts and the spirit of Christmas.

Claim My Heart by Mikal Dawn

The dreaded tale of a take over by undermining people make this story so intriguing. I absolutely adored Li Na. Her devotion to her father is a wonderful example of honoring your mother and father. She wants to do right and honor the family name while working with an unlikely person named Colin. It was interesting to see Colin not do what his boss wanted. His decision to help Li Na in court will be a challenge on his career.

Their instant chemistry was sweet and I loved how both seemed to be tongue tied at times as they face the feelings of attraction for each other. I love court stories where the underdog takes on a big company. This story is loosely based on Mulan and moves at a great pace. I loved learning about how a company operates and the heart and soul of its founder. There are many surprises in the story as two people lean on God as they try to help someone keep their company. In the spirit of Christmas, miracles do happen.

A Snow White Christmas by Toni Shiloh

Amala's heart is broken when she hears a confession in secret from the man she loves. Oh how I wanted to comfort her as she knows she has been used. She isn't thinking clearly as she drives off into a snow storm.

Marcus happens along when he sees a car on the side of the road that looks like it has been in a wreck. He finds Amala shaking in her car and decides to take her to his family's place. I loved the subtle hint of apples as Marcus's family runs The Seven Groves which is an apple orchard. The story is really quite wonderful with the seven uncles who each have distinctive personalities. The creativity in this story is remarkable as the author delights readers in a take on a beautiful fairy tale.

Trouble has come to hurt Amala in the form of a man and an evil woman who has greed on their mind. Marcus senses something is wrong and knows Amala is running from someone. His prayer for God to help him and show him how to be compassionate towards others is nice. I liked the part when Marcus shares Jesus with Amala and explains how darkness can keep you away from Him.

The story is a wonderful example of trusting, finding God , experiencing happiness and a Christmas surrounded by loving people.

Christmas Ella by Angela Ruth Strong

Ella and Paxton don't get off to a good start when Paxton hears Ella on the phone. She is not happy that she missed Paxton getting off the plane and shares her irritation on the phone with her dad. It sure was funny when Ella realizes Paxton heard her conversation. I don't think this relationship is getting off on the right foot. Ella has a lot of work ahead of her to get Paxton to accept her apology.

The theme of Cinderella is at the center of this story filled with charming men and great humor. Ella has a handsome man who she needs to win over in order for the show to go on. Paxton's family is a handful with out of control sisters who feel privileged and a mother who insists on traveling with an cat with a temper.

I did like Paxton and how patient he is with his family. They are selfish at times, but he loves them and always watches out for them. It's Christmas time and family is important to Paxton. Ella is having a wonderful morning with her niece that she adores. I hope she has enough strength to deal with what is ahead for her. One of the best lines I've read in a while comes from Paxton speaking to Ella. " I don't want you to get hurt when falling for me, " he says as they talk about ice skating. That made me chuckle. Paxton sure is a charmer.

There are godmothers, a prince, mean sisters, a mother who only wants the best for her son or maybe what is best for her. The highlight of the story is the ball where Paxton may find his princess.

A Splash of Love by Jaycee Weaver

Mermaids have always fascinated me. I have not had the pleasure to see a show where mermaids swim in a big tank entertaining customers. This story reflects the famous Little Mermaid. Derek has his eyes on the beautiful Gabrielle as she leads the mermaids in a show that pleases the crowd.

What are the odds that he will later meet Gabrielle in person when he attends a meeting. Sirene is a spit fire and pretty mean to Gabrielle. I think there could be a little jealousy going on with Gabrielle receiving the green eyed monster look from her sister. I liked how the author takes us to the beauty of New Mexico . It's a wonderful story of finding your dream while finding love during the holidays. There a few twists that I found intriguing and Derek's family added warmth to the story. There are a lot of similarities to the fairy tale in this story which I enjoyed. God is at the center of this story as Gabrielle sees her dream drawing closer. She must learn to trust God and wait on Him.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.