REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: A Family for Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor

A Family for Christmas

Helen Scott Taylor

A heartwarming tale for Christmas.

A lonely career woman stranded in a blizzard, a disillusioned man who has cut himself off from women. When he rescues her from the snow and takes her into his home, the spirit of Christmas and his little girl's love work their magic.

Excerpt

Eve grabbed her coat from the back seat and struggled to put it on in the confined space, buttoning it up to the neck. She pushed open her car door and gasped as the icy wind whipped snow into her face. Quickly, she climbed out and shut the door to keep in the warmth. Freezing water trickled into her shoes and bits of snow stung her skin. She trod cautiously over the slick surface, a hand on her car to stop from slipping.

In the road, a tiny lamb stood shivering, bleating plaintively, wire tangled around its legs. No wonder the poor little thing hadn't moved. Narrowing her eyes against the icy flakes, she crouched and tried to unravel the wire caught in the creature's woolly coat. A spike gouged her hand, but her fingers were nearly numb from cold so she hardly felt it. She sucked away a drop of blood and continued working to untangle the lamb.

Her teeth chattered and she shivered inside her coat. Eventually, she was able to lift the tiny creature out of the twisted strands. After kicking the bunch of wire to the edge of the road, she hurried back to her car with the lamb in her arms. She opened her car door, getting a shoe full of icy water in the ditch, then deposited the small animal on her passenger's seat and followed it into the welcoming warmth.

"You poor little thing." Eve started her car engine and turned the heater up full, rubbing her hands together in the hot air. The tiny creature stared at her with innocent dark eyes, its hooves leaving dirty skid marks on the cream leather car seat. She released a sigh and hoped the animal didn't decide to relieve itself.

Bleating, the lamb pressed its nose against the window. "You're better off inside, little guy. Believe me." Eve stroked its damp curly fur, feeling its bony body beneath. The poor thing couldn't be more than a week or two old. How had it ended up out here all alone? And what was she going to do with it?

The time was only three thirty, but the sky was already darkening. She didn't like her chances of trying to walk to civilization, so it looked as though she would be spending the night in the car. With a farm animal. She smiled ruefully. At least the situation would give her an entertaining story to tell her brother, Connor, at Christmastime. If she saw him.

The sadness she usually held at bay by occupying herself with work welled inside her. If Connor's wife, Lilly, had her way, Eve wouldn't get to see her twin brother at Christmas, or any other time. The family had fallen apart when her parents died. Her eldest brother, Ed, had moved to Germany with his job, but she'd at least thought she still had Connor. She hadn't bargained on Lilly being so possessive and jealous of their close relationship.

For a moment, Eve wondered why she was so anxious to get home for Christmas next weekend when she would probably spend it alone and working. But she enjoyed her work. There were a lot of people worse off than she was.

Huge, bright headlights suddenly blinked on about a half mile away, jolting her from her musings. With a burst of hope, Eve leaned forward, squinting to see what sort of vehicle was coming. A truck, no…a tractor.

Maybe she wouldn't have to spend the night in her car. If the tractor towed her to the main road, she might reach her hotel in Plymouth tonight. She chewed her lip as the mammoth vehicle crawled closer through the snow, the drone of its engine rumbling. It halted a short distance in front of her car. The door opened and a man climbed down from the cab and came towards her.

She was pleased to see him, but it didn't hurt to be careful. She locked all her doors and cracked the window open. He bent and looked inside. "You okay?"

She caught a flash of blue eyes beneath the wool hat pulled low on his head.

"I'm not hurt, but my car's stuck," she said.

He tried the door handle and she quickly made a decision and unlocked it. Caution was all very well, but right now she needed help. He crouched down, so wrapped up with a scarf and upturned collar that all she could see was his nose. "Where'd you find Pickle?"

"Pickle?" Eve stared at the man blankly.

"The lamb. I've been searching for him for hours."

"Ah." Eve glanced at the woolly creature lying happily beside her. "He's what put me in the ditch. He was tangled in some wire in the middle of the road."

"Oh." The man rubbed the back of his gloved hand over his face. "Sorry about that."

"Can you tow me out with your tractor and help me reach the main road?"

"Not now. It's getting dark and the weather's closing in."

Eve thought the weather had already "closed in" but she didn't say so.

"You'd better come home with me tonight. It's the least I can do after Pickle put you in the ditch. I'll tow you out in the morning if the snow stops."

Eve stared at the man's dark silhouette against the glowing white landscape. She wouldn't normally go home with a stranger, and she certainly didn't want to, but her choice was that or sleep in the car. "Thanks, Mister…?"

"Tom Millington."

To her surprise, he extended a hand. She grasped his cold, leather-gloved fingers and shook.

"I'm Eve Scott."

"Well, Eve, you'd better bring anything valuable with you," he said, standing. "It's unlikely a thief will come along, but you never know. Even up here."

While she gathered her laptop bag, handbag, and the small overnight suitcase, Tom went around to the other side of her car, opened the passenger door, and gently picked up the lamb. He unbuttoned his coat and tucked the creature inside so only its head stuck out under his chin. With one hand supporting the animal, he picked up her suitcase and headed for the tractor.

Eve followed him, wading through the snow that had grown a lot deeper, even since she climbed out to bring Pickle into the car. Surely farmers didn't normally name their sheep? She wondered about it for a moment, then turned her attention to climbing into the massive blue tractor. Tom went up the metal steps on the side of the vehicle and stowed her suitcase, then held a hand down. She passed him her laptop bag and purse, drawing a fortifying breath. "Here goes."

She grabbed the icy metal handhold and wedged the toe of her pump on the bottom step, then climbed to the next one. Tom's hand gripped under her arm and she found herself hauled unceremoniously into the small cab beside him. She hadn't realized how big he was until she was jammed in the snug space with him.

He leaned around her to close the door, his coat brushing her front. She came face to face with Pickle who looked snuggly and content cocooned against Tom's chest. She had the strange random thought that she wouldn't mind being snuggled into a warm chest herself right now, but immediately put the idea out of her head. Tom Millington might be her knight in shining armor—or in his case, knight in a wool hat and rather scruffy coat—but she was attracted to professional men. Men who put farm animals inside their jackets were definitely not her type.

GIVEAWAY:  Helen Scott Taylor has offered up a copy of this book. To be eligible for this book, leave your favorite Christmas memory of you and your significant other.  If you don't have a significant other, leave your favorite Christmas romance movie/book.  You must provide an email so Ms. Taylor can email you with your book. 

Sarah's Review:

I had this one hidden on my Kindle for a while and finally got around to reading it.  I am glad I found this story when I did because I really needed an uplifting romance and one that involved Christmas.  There was something about this story that hit my soul to its core.  I can't explain it either.  

What I love most about this story is how a snow storm, a lamb and a little girl all came together to lead two people to fall in love.  This story gave me hope for the future and that sometimes fate has a way of changing how you view your life.

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: A Christmas Family Wish by Helen Scott Taylor

A Christmas Family Wish

Helen Scott Taylor

 

A heartwarming tale of second chances for Christmas. 

When a tree falls on Rachel's house in a storm, the person who rescues her is Ian, the same man who rejected her declaration of love when she was eighteen. She has banished him from her thoughts for eight years, but all her feelings rush back as he plays the white knight and takes Rachel and her son into his home. The young man she once knew is now a wealthy, successful business owner, and more gorgeous than ever. Life has left them both bruised, but can they put the past behind them and start again?

Chapter One

Rachel Carne lay awake, her heart pounding with alarm, unable to sleep for the noise outside. Wind howled around the house, sending things clattering along the street. Rain pelted the windows in a torrential downpour, drumming against the glass.

She climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom to peer through the window at her small red car parked in the road. A wooden box skidded past it and banged into another vehicle. Her hand pressed over her mouth. She half expected to find her car wrecked in the morning, but there was nothing she could do except wait for the weather to pass.

After peeping in on her little boy, she climbed back in bed and pulled the covers over her head. So far Toby had slept through the noise. She hoped he stayed asleep. Her shift at work started early tomorrow. She would feel bad leaving him in day care if he was tired and irritable.

A new noise started outside, a groaning, wrenching sound as though the very earth was screaming. Rachel's already frayed nerves strung tight with fear. She hated this. Hurricane-force winds were rare in England. In all her twenty-seven years, she didn't remember a night like this before.

The groaning increased, then her house trembled. A crashing, tearing sound filled the air. The trembling became a shudder, the horrendous noise almost deafening.

Fear streaked through her. She must get to Toby. Rachel yanked her covers aside and scrambled out of bed, tripping as the loose fabric caught around her legs. She kicked it aside and reached for the light switch. She clicked it up and down with no result.

Then her little boy's terrified scream cut through the cacophony.

"Toby! I'm coming, sweetheart."

In darkness, she pulled open her bedroom door. Cold, wet wind hit her, knocking her back a step.

Her son's terrified wails spurred her on. Tree branches poked through the splintered wood of her son's bedroom door. The old oak tree at the roadside must have blown down and hit her house.

Frantically she pulled apart the damaged door and pushed into Toby's bedroom. Rain drove through the gaping hole in the wall where the massive trunk laid balanced precariously on the crumbling brickwork, Toby's bed right underneath.

Breath sawing in and out in painful jerks, Rachel fought her way between the spiky branches, barely noticing the pain as twigs scraped her exposed skin, and rubble and splinters dug into her feet.

"Mummy, Mummy," her son wailed in fright.

"I'm coming, Toby. You're all right, baby. Mummy will be there in a minute." Her sodden nightdress clung to her body as she crawled under the trunk to reach the bed. Rachel snapped off some twigs and blindly extended a hand.

"I'm here, sweetheart. Wriggle out to me. Come on, you can do it, baby." He crawled out from under the trunk resting a few inches above him. If it slipped…

As soon as her hand grasped his arm, she dragged him from underneath the tangled branches and hugged him against her.

"You're all right, Toby. You're all right."

He wailed and clung to her as the bitter wind and rain lashed at them. She had to get him to safety. He wrapped his arms and legs around her. Half crawling, half crouching, she fought her way back to the door. She grabbed the door frame as the house tilted and a section of damaged wall collapsed and tumbled to the ground outside with a crash.

Rachel stumbled, pressing her hand into the soggy carpet to help her stand. She tripped into her bedroom on bruised feet and slammed the door behind her to keep out the wind and rain.

Toby's fearful cries filled her ears, his little body stiff with terror in her arms.

Please, God, let him not be hurt. Please. She laid him on her bed and ran her hands over him in the dark. He was so wet from the rain, she had no idea if he was bleeding. She grabbed her mobile phone and switched on the flashlight app. The volume of Toby's screams increased as she shone the blinding white light at him. She stroked back his hair and examined his face.

"Okay, sweetie. It's okay. I need to check you over. There's a good boy." Rachel pulled off his wet pajamas and dried him with her bedcovers. Holding the flashlight above him, she ran a hand all over him, searching for cuts and bruises.

Miraculously, he was unmarked. "You're okay, Toby. You're not hurt. Calm down, sweetheart." She grabbed one of her T-shirts from a drawer and pulled it over his head, then sat on the edge of the bed, hugging him close, rocking him.

Gradually his crying stopped and he scrubbed his fists over his eyes. "The wall fell down and the rain came in."

"I know, baby. Don't worry about it. You're safe with me."

He cuddled closer. "Where's Jimbo?"

Rachel closed her eyes and fought to stay calm. She couldn't go back to Toby's room for a teddy bear. "Jimbo is watching over your things until it gets light and Mummy can rescue them."

Toby pouted but seemed to accept that explanation.

"Let's get you all warm and snuggly in Mummy's bed, shall we?" She lifted the covers and Toby crawled inside and curled up. "You go back to sleep, baby." She sat beside him and stroked his damp hair for a few minutes until his breathing grew even and she was sure he slept.

For a few moments she rested her head in her hands, eyes closed, shivering in the chill. She needed to pull herself together, dry off, and change clothes.

Trembling with a mix of shock and relief, Rachel dragged off her clingy, wet nightdress, gave herself a cursory wipe down, and wrapped herself in a warm dressing gown.

Thank God Toby was unhurt. Rachel snuggled under the covers and curled around her four-year-old, her heart still pounding. She hugged Toby close, stroking and kissing his hair until she could think more clearly.

The house was half fallen down. She couldn't stay here. Yet where could she go in the middle of the night? It would be dangerous to try to drive anywhere in the storm. She didn't have any relatives she could stay with. Her parents had retired to Spain for her father's health.

The last thing she wanted to do with her dad so sick was worry him, but she didn't know who else to turn to. With a shaking hand, she reached for her mobile phone and dialed her father's number. It went through to voice mail. She cut the connection and dialed again. On the second try, he picked up.

"Rachel. What's wrong?" Her father's voice was scratchy with sleep.

"A tree's come down on my house in the hurricane. It hit Toby's bedroom. I don't know what to do, Dad."

"Is Toby all right?"

"Yes. He's here with me."

"Thank the Lord." There were a few moments of muffled conversation as her dad told her mum what had happened. Then he came back on the phone.

"Where are you, Rachel?"

"In my bedroom."

"Is it safe there?"

Rachel sucked in a breath, her gaze going to the door. The temperature had plummeted, and wind and rain battered against the wood.

"I don't know. The front of the house where the tree hit is falling down."

Her father cursed. "Can you get down the stairs?"

"I haven't looked."

"Okay. Don't worry, darling. You stay put. I'll call Ian Harper and get him out to you. He'll know what to do."

Hearing Ian's name sent a strange shock through Rachel. She hadn't heard her dad mention him for years. Ian had worked for her dad's construction company, then left to set up his own. "Will he come out in the middle of the night?"

"Of course. He owes me one."

"Okay, Dad. Thanks."

"You just stay safe and look after that grandson of ours. I'll call Ian now."

Rachel ended the call and sighed. She pulled away from Toby, careful not to wake him, and climbed out of the warm cocoon of the bed into the cold room.

She should be good at coping with emergencies. As a flight attendant for an airline, she'd been trained for all sorts of eventualities, including what to do when a plane crashed. A tree falling on her house wasn't quite the same thing, but it was close.

It was time to pull herself together, get dressed, and deal with this mess.
GIVEAWAY:  Helen Scott Taylor has offered to provide a copy to one person.  For this giveaway, I want to know your favorite family memory.  Please make sure you leave a valid email for Ms. Taylor to send your book to, if you are the winner. 
Sarah's Review: 

Thanks to Helen Scott Taylor for providing us with a copy of her newest Christmas story.  I had found one on my kindle when I was looking for Christmas romances and when I let her know that I was looking for the media kit, she let me know that she had this one. 

This story was such a sweet romance with a touch of heart break.  Rachel and Ian have a history and when there is an emergency, Ian is the one that Rachel’s father calls to rescue her and Toby, her son.  Ian used to work for Rachel’s father and when he called, he goes to help. 

What happens when a tree comes down during a storm and you get the one thing you never thought you would get?  What happens when the past threatens the new happiness?  Oh, this wonderful journey to finding a family together.

PROMO, REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Army Doctors Christmas Collection by Helen Scott Taylor

The Army Doctors Christmas Collection

Including:

The Army Doctor’s Baby

The Army Doctor’s Wedding

The Army Doctor’s Christmas Baby

By: Helen Scott Taylor

Blurbs

The Army Doctor’s Baby

After his wife betrayed him, Major Radley Knight dedicated himself to becoming the best Army doctor he could be, dedicated himself to saving soldiers' lives. When he returns on leave from Afghanistan he is ready for a break. Instead he finds himself helping a young mother and her newborn baby. He falls in love with Olivia and her sweet baby boy and longs to spend the rest of his life caring for them. But Olivia and her baby belong to Radley's brother.

The Army Doctor’s Wedding

Army doctor, Major Cameron Knight, thrives on the danger of front-line Battlefield medicine. Throwing himself into saving the lives of injured servicemen keeps the demons from his past away. When he rescues charity worker, Alice Conway, and a tiny newborn baby, he longs for a second chance to do the right thing, even if it means marrying a woman he barely knows so they can take the orphan baby to England for surgery. The brave, beautiful young woman and the orphan baby steal his heart. He longs to make the marriage real, but being married to an army officer might do her more harm than good.

The Army Doctor’s Christmas Baby

After he loses his wife, army surgeon Colonel Sean Fabian protects his damaged heart by cutting women out of his life. He dedicates himself to his career and being a great dad to his twin babies. When he asks army nurse Kelly Grace to play nanny to his children over Christmas, he realizes how much he misses having a beautiful woman in his life and in his arms. Caring for Sean's adorable twin babies is Kelly's dream come true. She falls in love with the sweet little girls and their daddy, but she's hiding a devastating event from the past. If she can't trust Sean with her secret, how can she ever expect him to trust her with his bruised heart?

Buy Links:

The Army Doctor’s Baby at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Army-Doctors-Romance-Novella-ebook/dp/B00D1WWGT2/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1380910202&sr=8-12&keywords=Helen+Scott+Taylor

The Army Doctor’s Wedding at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Army-Doctors-Wedding-Baby-ebook/dp/B00EPK7BQC/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1380910243&sr=8-13&keywords=Helen+Scott+Taylor

Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/08/now-booking-tasty-review-tour-for-army.html

Author Info

Helen Scott Taylor’s first novel, The Magic Knot, won the American Title contest in 2008, was a Golden Heart® finalist, and was chosen as one of Booklist’s top ten romances of 2009. Since then, she has published other novels, novellas, and short stories in both the UK and USA.

Her published works have been finalists in a number of contests including the Holt Medallion, the Lories, the Prism Contest, the Write Touch Award and the Maggies.

Helen lives in South West England near Plymouth in Devon between the windswept expanse of Dartmoor and the rocky Atlantic coast. As well as her wonderful long-suffering husband, she shares her home with a burmilla cat, an elderly shih tzu, and her new baby--a cute westie cross Bichon.

Author Links

http://www.helenscotttaylor.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/HelenScottTaylorAuthor

https://twitter.com/helenscotttaylo

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1915619.Helen_Scott_Taylor

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($20.00 Amazon Gift Card)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link to Rafflecopter Page, http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NTIxYWM0YzhjYmFkNDc1MDkxYzA3ZDNmMjhhM2RjOjE3MA==/  

Sarah's Review: 

Thanks to Tasty Book Tours and Helen Scott Taylor for the opportunity to read these great stories.  I read and reviewed the first one here, so this will have my review of books two and three.  

The Army Doctor's Wedding Review:  Let me just say that after the first book, I was not a fan of Cameron, our hero in this one.  I did tell the author this in messages, but she assured me that he would have his story.   Well, I have to retract my opinion of him in this one.   

Cam and Alice became a couple that I was rooting for right from the beginning.  With the time jump that occurred between book 1 and this one, you could see how much Cam had grown.  He truly did gain the respect that I didn't want to give him in the first one.  

The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby Review: So, after reading the first two, I was excited to see who this one was about and when Ms. Taylor told me it was Kelly Grace, I was excited to see her story. I really liked her in the 2nd book.   I wanted her to get her happy ending.  

I enjoyed seeing how Ms. Taylor gave Kelly and Dr. Fabian, the hot shot plastic surgeon Army doctor we met previously!  Both of these characters had to overcome heart break to get their happy ending.   I cried more reading this one than I did the other two.  

I truly enjoyed this series and if Ms. Taylor ever gets it in print, I want a singed copy!!