On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Home for Christmas(Shores of Indian Lake #12)
By Catherine Lanigan
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
November 1st 2019 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Can a magical Christmas under glass…
…bring them back together for good?
Widowed dad Adam Masterson still doesn’t understand why Joy Boston left Indian Lake and broke his heart all those years ago. Now she’s returned to sell her grandfather’s beloved poinsettia greenhouse—and Joy and Adam’s connection is as strong as ever. But Joy has a life in New York. And Adam has only until Christmas to convince Joy that she belongs in Indian Lake—with him.
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Excerpt
Adam took off his hat, and as he did, his thick black hair fell over his forehead.
Joy nearly gasped as the movement reminded her of when they’d been in love.
“I know that Frank didn’t want to destroy your memories of this place. How it was.”
“It was glorious, wasn’t it?” Joy felt her first smile creep slowly to her lips as she remembered so much.
“It was,” he replied wistfully, still staring at her.
“From the time I was nine or ten, it was my job to keep those tiles clean. I took pride in scrubbing them—”
“Until they glistened,” he interrupted. “I remember.”
“Adam.”
“I remember a lot of things.”
She paused, fearing what she wanted to ask, but daring to say it. “Like us?”
“Yeah, like us.”
“We were kids.”
“I thought we were pretty adult. Planning a life together.”
“Well, we’re different people now.”
“We certainly are,” he replied with that dark tone he’d used before.
“You’re angry with me. About the past...”
He took a long step toward her. “Not the past, Joy. The present. I was the one who was with Frank when he had the heart attack. I called 911. I was in the hospital with him. I held his hand when he passed.”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”
“His last thoughts were about you.”
“Thank you for being with him.” A new wave of guilt and grief hit her.
“I should go.” He started to go, then turned back to her.
Joy braced as she felt a wave of heat from him.
“I know Frank lied to you about some things, but it seems to me you could have pried yourself away from your city friends long enough to visit your only living relative. All these years and you never came back. I watched Frank spend Christmas after Christmas alone. He talked about you and the old days. How he loved you. And what did he get? A ten-minute phone call, Joy. A ten-minute phone call.”
Adam slapped his hat against his thigh, turned and stomped toward the French doors.
Joy’s natural defenses shot to the fore. “I have responsibilities!”
Adam pulled to a stop and marched back to her. His face was nearly nose to nose with hers. “Nothing was as important as Frank and you know it. I would have killed to have what you had with Frank. All that love. All that concern and caring. At least I got to enjoy that after college, when I came back here. Frank befriended me as if not a day had passed. He may have been your blood, but he was my family. And I miss him.”
“Me, too,” she whispered, as she lowered her eyes.
He moved back. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I swore when I moved back here that I’d keep myself in check. Getting close to people never worked out for me.”
“Like when I left—”
“Like then, yeah.”
Joy blinked back tears. Everything Adam said was true, and she felt like dirt. She should have come to visit her grandfather, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t always college or her career. It was Indian Lake. The place where her loving parents were buried. She couldn’t face it. She wouldn’t be reminded of the way they died. And the aftermath.
“I’m sorry, Adam. For everything.”
Other Books in the Series
About the Author
Catherine Lanigan is the international bestselling and award-winning author of over forty-five published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile. Ms. Lanigan’s novels have been translated into over twenty-four languages. Lanigan was tasked by the NotMYkid foundation to pen a collection of compelling and informative true stories of teen addicts. Ms. Lanigan’s SHORES OF INDIAN LAKE series for HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING includes LOVE SHADOWS, HEART’S DESIRE , A FINE YEAR FOR LOVE, KATIA’S PROMISE, FEAR OF FALLING, SOPHIE’S PATH, PROTECTING THE SINGLE MOM, FAMILY OF HIS OWN, HIS BABY DILEMMA, RESCUED BY THE FIREFIGHTER and HERS TO PROTECT (2019).
Ms. Lanigan is a frequent speaker at literary functions and book conventions as well as inspiring audiences with her real stories of angelic intervention from her Angel Tales series of books. She is an outspoken advocate for domestic violence and abuse and was honored by The National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. She has been a guest on numerous radio programs including “Coast to Coast” and on television interview and talk show programs as well as blogs, podcasts and online radio interview programs. She writes a monthly blog for Heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com.
Tour Giveaway
- One winner will receive a $100 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally)
- Two winners will each receive a signed copy of Home for Christmas with a bookmark (US only)
- Ends November 27, 2019
- Ends November 27, 2019
My Review
Home for Christmas is the twelfth installment from Catherine Lanigan’s great series, Shores of Indian Lake. I loved this magical tale! It was great returning back to Indian Lake. I loved how the town has turned into a beautiful winter wonderland. It was great getting to know Adam and Joy. It was so heartwarming to learn some fabulous lessons of moving on and learning where one belongs.
I am giving Home for Christmas a very well deserved five plus stars. It is most definitely a must to add to any reader’s Christmas reading.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Nice review! This looks like a good holiday read. What themes would you say is explored in this book?
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