Today, I welcome a fellow Romance Gems author, Bonnie Edwards, and her delicious romance, Christmas to the Max! Take it away, Bonnie!
This book bridges two separate series and was never planned. At the end of my Love at Christmas trilogy (3 novellas that straddle the Canada/US border) I had a leftover single dad who deserved to find a forever love. This cannot stand! (not in the world of romance writing/reading). He also needed to move to WA state so he could be near his daughters.
Meanwhile, I had planned on writing the fourth book in my Return to Welcome series, set in Welcome, WA, a town where memories are long, and grudges not forgotten. And gossip runs unchecked. Returning to Welcome is tricky and my three previous heroines run into a lot of trouble when they try.
Once I knew Max Whyte was moving to Welcome, I needed a heroine to return. And I needed her to bring a bag of troubles with her. Namely, a deadbeat ex, her adorable twins, and a totally inappropriate attraction to Max…the man who saved her son’s life and now employs her to renovate his home.
There are children on most pages of this story. The twins who are modelled on certain three-year-olds who are in my life, (some of the dialogue is straight out of their mouths) and Max’s early teen daughters (matchmakers and meddlers).
Max has decided to avoid single mothers and women who might want children so he can focus on being the best dad he can be to his girls. To avoid loneliness in a new country, new job and new town, he gets a dog. A poodle, based on my own Jackson.
Kaylin Simpson needs to be financially independent and to do that, she needs to get her fledgling business doing home renovations off the ground in a town that doesn’t remember her. She’s down to her last dollars when Max Whyte literally swoops in and saves her son’s life. And then, through a twist of fate, gives her a break and offers her a chance.
For a man who’s sworn off little kids, Max becomes entangled in ways he’s never dreamed but maybe…secretly wanted.
Christmas to the Max is a warm and funny story with humor and children and pets and life on every page. It’s pure escape. I needed escape when I wrote it and I hope I’m passing it on to readers.
Do you have a favorite part?
There’s a scene where Max is trying to deny the pull he feels to get a dog. He’s staring at turning forty, alone. Everyone he knows has recently taken a second chance on love…and all he wants is a dog. Not too much to ask, right?
But then he meets Karen Bowler who runs Bowler Rescue. She’s blunt and strong-minded and none-too-sure that he meets her criteria for being a dog owner. Max is afraid he may not measure up. Now, more than ever, he’s determined to get the “guy’s dog” he wants.
She brings him a poodle instead. I laughed at a couple of scenes between Karen and Max…and Jackson, the dog.
Is the book dedicated to anyone?This book is dedicated to my brother, Bob and my sister, Jaunice. Gone, but loved always. I'll see you both on the other side.
Christmas to the Max sounds extremely heart-warming, and I love that children are so well-featured! I can't wait to get cozy with this book during the holidays!
Meanwhile, I had planned on writing the fourth book in my Return to Welcome series, set in Welcome, WA, a town where memories are long, and grudges not forgotten. And gossip runs unchecked. Returning to Welcome is tricky and my three previous heroines run into a lot of trouble when they try.
Once I knew Max Whyte was moving to Welcome, I needed a heroine to return. And I needed her to bring a bag of troubles with her. Namely, a deadbeat ex, her adorable twins, and a totally inappropriate attraction to Max…the man who saved her son’s life and now employs her to renovate his home.
There are children on most pages of this story. The twins who are modelled on certain three-year-olds who are in my life, (some of the dialogue is straight out of their mouths) and Max’s early teen daughters (matchmakers and meddlers).
Max has decided to avoid single mothers and women who might want children so he can focus on being the best dad he can be to his girls. To avoid loneliness in a new country, new job and new town, he gets a dog. A poodle, based on my own Jackson.
Kaylin Simpson needs to be financially independent and to do that, she needs to get her fledgling business doing home renovations off the ground in a town that doesn’t remember her. She’s down to her last dollars when Max Whyte literally swoops in and saves her son’s life. And then, through a twist of fate, gives her a break and offers her a chance.
For a man who’s sworn off little kids, Max becomes entangled in ways he’s never dreamed but maybe…secretly wanted.
Christmas to the Max is a warm and funny story with humor and children and pets and life on every page. It’s pure escape. I needed escape when I wrote it and I hope I’m passing it on to readers.
Do you have a favorite part?
There’s a scene where Max is trying to deny the pull he feels to get a dog. He’s staring at turning forty, alone. Everyone he knows has recently taken a second chance on love…and all he wants is a dog. Not too much to ask, right?
But then he meets Karen Bowler who runs Bowler Rescue. She’s blunt and strong-minded and none-too-sure that he meets her criteria for being a dog owner. Max is afraid he may not measure up. Now, more than ever, he’s determined to get the “guy’s dog” he wants.
She brings him a poodle instead. I laughed at a couple of scenes between Karen and Max…and Jackson, the dog.
Is the book dedicated to anyone?This book is dedicated to my brother, Bob and my sister, Jaunice. Gone, but loved always. I'll see you both on the other side.
Christmas to the Max sounds extremely heart-warming, and I love that children are so well-featured! I can't wait to get cozy with this book during the holidays!
Can you share an excerpt?
Kaylin Simpson loved her twins. She truly, really, did. But some days she could scream until her throat collapsed and they wouldn’t hear a thing. She’d thought two two-year-olds were hard. Having three-year-olds was a brand-new level of hell. They talked back, got stubborn, and were more curious. And taller, stronger, capable of climbing onto chairs and getting into cupboards.
And they were faster.
It was being faster that would kill her one day. Or them. Whatever. Someone would be dead.
Right now, Brody was telling a little girl to go down the slide when she clearly didn’t want to. The poor child looked scared and Brody yelling in her ear wasn’t helping.
“Brody, please let the little girl take a breath so she’s not so scared. And DON’T PUSH!” But he did, and Kaylin dashed for the end of the slide to catch the wailing child.
Too late, she realized she’d taken her other eye off Taylor. She scooped up the girl before she landed on the ground, and then spun her head to scan for her other boy.
There. By the swings. “Taylor! Stop right THERE!” But he didn’t.
No, not her Taylor. He turned his head, glanced at her with a devilish grin and dashed for the road. Chase. He wanted to play chase.
In traffic.
Kaylin set the girl on her feet and ran after Taylor who’d already stepped onto the road. A car took the curve on Cross Street too quickly and Kaylin screamed her boy’s name. Screamed it again. And again…
A man, tall, dark-haired, and with broad shoulders got there just before Taylor ran headlong into the car’s path. Kaylin’s heart stalled and her eyes stung.
Gasping for breath, she nearly collided with the big man who cradled her son in his arms, his large palm covering Taylor’s head in a protective move. Taylor didn’t seem to understand what had happened until he looked up into the stranger’s face.
And screamed blue murder an inch from the man’s nose.
Kaylin Simpson loved her twins. She truly, really, did. But some days she could scream until her throat collapsed and they wouldn’t hear a thing. She’d thought two two-year-olds were hard. Having three-year-olds was a brand-new level of hell. They talked back, got stubborn, and were more curious. And taller, stronger, capable of climbing onto chairs and getting into cupboards.
And they were faster.
It was being faster that would kill her one day. Or them. Whatever. Someone would be dead.
Right now, Brody was telling a little girl to go down the slide when she clearly didn’t want to. The poor child looked scared and Brody yelling in her ear wasn’t helping.
“Brody, please let the little girl take a breath so she’s not so scared. And DON’T PUSH!” But he did, and Kaylin dashed for the end of the slide to catch the wailing child.
Too late, she realized she’d taken her other eye off Taylor. She scooped up the girl before she landed on the ground, and then spun her head to scan for her other boy.
There. By the swings. “Taylor! Stop right THERE!” But he didn’t.
No, not her Taylor. He turned his head, glanced at her with a devilish grin and dashed for the road. Chase. He wanted to play chase.
In traffic.
Kaylin set the girl on her feet and ran after Taylor who’d already stepped onto the road. A car took the curve on Cross Street too quickly and Kaylin screamed her boy’s name. Screamed it again. And again…
A man, tall, dark-haired, and with broad shoulders got there just before Taylor ran headlong into the car’s path. Kaylin’s heart stalled and her eyes stung.
Gasping for breath, she nearly collided with the big man who cradled her son in his arms, his large palm covering Taylor’s head in a protective move. Taylor didn’t seem to understand what had happened until he looked up into the stranger’s face.
And screamed blue murder an inch from the man’s nose.
Christmas to the Max
A stand-alone Return to Welcome Novel: Christmas to the Max brings two charming and romantic series together! Max Whyte (Love at Christmas) moves to Welcome, WA. (Return to Welcome)
Max Whyte moves to Welcome WA to live closer to his daughters after their mother remarries. He wants to fix up an old home, settle into his new position at an IT firm, and try not to think about turning forty alone.
Burned by a single mother in the past, he vows not to get tangled with another woman with children. When he saves the life of a small boy, he finds himself tangled in more ways than he could imagine.
When the boy’s mother turns out to be the perfect person to do his renovations, Max has trouble keeping his personal feelings out of their employer/employee relationship.
Kaylin Simpson has returned to Welcome to give her boys the kind of home she wanted as a child. She needs a fresh, stable start and wants to run her own business. Her three-year-old twins keep her hopping, but after she finishes the renovations for Max, she hopes to have her life well in hand.
Max is drawn to Kaylin and her adorable twin boys. Her wit and feisty spirit pull at his heartstrings until he realizes being a stepfather is never what he wanted.
Christmas in Welcome can be a time to heal and move forward and Max and Kaylin must set aside their old hurts to allow love to blossom.
A stand-alone Return to Welcome Novel: Christmas to the Max brings two charming and romantic series together! Max Whyte (Love at Christmas) moves to Welcome, WA. (Return to Welcome)
Max Whyte moves to Welcome WA to live closer to his daughters after their mother remarries. He wants to fix up an old home, settle into his new position at an IT firm, and try not to think about turning forty alone.
Burned by a single mother in the past, he vows not to get tangled with another woman with children. When he saves the life of a small boy, he finds himself tangled in more ways than he could imagine.
When the boy’s mother turns out to be the perfect person to do his renovations, Max has trouble keeping his personal feelings out of their employer/employee relationship.
Kaylin Simpson has returned to Welcome to give her boys the kind of home she wanted as a child. She needs a fresh, stable start and wants to run her own business. Her three-year-old twins keep her hopping, but after she finishes the renovations for Max, she hopes to have her life well in hand.
Max is drawn to Kaylin and her adorable twin boys. Her wit and feisty spirit pull at his heartstrings until he realizes being a stepfather is never what he wanted.
Christmas in Welcome can be a time to heal and move forward and Max and Kaylin must set aside their old hurts to allow love to blossom.
Bio: Bonnie Edwards
Author Bonnie Edwards lives with her husband and pets on the coast of British Columbia. She has written novels, novellas, and short stories for Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) although now she publishes her work herself.
With four ongoing romance series and contemporary family novels in her newest series, Return to Welcome, she rarely spends a day without writing.
Bonnie’s Newsy Bits.
https://www.bonnieedwards.com/
Follow her on BookBub, a great site for readers and writers to connect and talk books!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/bonnie-edwards
https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Edwards/e/B001IO9UTO
https://twitter.com/BonnieEdwards
https://www.facebook.com/Bonnie.Edwards.Author/
https://www.instagram.com/authorbonnieedwards/
Author Bonnie Edwards lives with her husband and pets on the coast of British Columbia. She has written novels, novellas, and short stories for Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) although now she publishes her work herself.
With four ongoing romance series and contemporary family novels in her newest series, Return to Welcome, she rarely spends a day without writing.
Bonnie’s Newsy Bits.
https://www.bonnieedwards.com/
Follow her on BookBub, a great site for readers and writers to connect and talk books!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/bonnie-edwards
https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Edwards/e/B001IO9UTO
https://twitter.com/BonnieEdwards
https://www.facebook.com/Bonnie.Edwards.Author/
https://www.instagram.com/authorbonnieedwards/
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