The Widow’s Christmas Surprise by Jenna Jaxon released in late June in the Historical Romance genre.

The death of her husband has thrown Lady Maria Kersey’s future into doubt—and her heart into the arms of a man she cannot have. But Christmas with the Widows’ Club will bring choices—and surprises–that may change all her holidays to come . . .

Maria just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful daughter—but the event is shrouded in sorrow.  A month earlier, Maria’s husband, Lord Kersey, was killed in a duel under compromising circumstances. Worse, Maria’s failure to provide a male heir has stripped her of any hope of an inheritance. Scorned by the ton, one of her few allies is her late husband’s steward, Hugh Granger. Hugh is everything her husband was not—warm, charming—and penniless. . . .

Hugh has fallen desperately in love with Maria, but has little to offer but comfort. As their attraction becomes impossible to resist, Maria flees to London to spend Christmas with her dearest friends, a group of widows who lost their own husbands in the Battle of Waterloo. Little does she know the holidays will reveal a twist of fate she never expected—proving that the greatest Christmas gift is the magic of true love . . .

The book is on sale for $0.99.

“Would you and Lady John come to tea with me and my sister tomorrow afternoon at Wingate?”

“I would be delighted to meet Miss Granger. I shall ask my cousin, but I am certain she will wish to make the acquaintance as well.” Her eyes sparkled with true joy, making Hugh almost giddy with relief.

“Thank you, my lady.” She was so close, so temptingly close. Her face tilted up to him brought her mouth only inches from his lips. If he swayed slightly toward her—

She rose up and brushed her lips against his in a fleeting kiss that seemed to last far longer than the few seconds it surely took. Still, he savored the warmth of her mouth, the sweetness of her breath, the closeness of her face next to his. Not a sensual kiss, but one so comforting he could forget the worries for his family completely for those few blissful moments. Heaven in several different ways.

Then she was gone, slipped out the door with only the swish of her purple skirts lingering on the air. 

Hugh gazed about the room, not entirely certain what had just happened had been real. And if it had been—and he hoped like the devil it had been—then he must figure out what Lady Kersey had meant by kissing him, and how they could go on from here.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories.

She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets–including two vocal cats, one almost silent cat, two curious bunnies, and a Shar-pei mix named Frenchie.

Why a Christmas book in July?

As with any decision in writing romance, when to release a completed novel or novella is key to garnering sales. You always have to weigh the pros and cons of things like what day, what month, how soon after the previous book do you let a book release. When you are considering releasing a holiday themed book, the timing is most crucial, especially for a Christmas book.

Most Christmas books are released in mid to late September, just about the time people are starting to gear up for Christmas. When the weather begins to get crisp in the northern hemisphere, many readers’ thought turn to thoughts of Christmas romance and yuletide books become first on their wish lists. 

This being said, there are, of course, pros and cons to be found if you want to release your book as part of a Christmas in July promotion. 

I actually haven’t done this, although I’m spotlighting The Widow’s Christmas Surprise this month, which was released more traditionally in late September 2020. If an author does, however, wish to release in July, there are many sound reasons to do this. First, there is the novelty of finding a new Christmas romance in July. By mid-summer readers may be tired of the traditional “beach reads” and will turn eagerly to something different. The Christmas book release could be done in conjunction with a general Christmas themed promotion for other holiday books, therefore increasing chances for sales of both old and new books. And releasing a Christmas book in July could create two time periods for optimal sales—in July when the book releases, and later in November and December when people who are normally looking for Christmas reads will purchase it.

Some cons of releasing a Christmas book in July are missing those readers who are only into beach themed books in the summer. That means you may have a smaller release, fewer sales, and less momentum for the book to continue to sell. Releasing a holiday themed book in July can also steal some of the thunder the book might have had closer to the actual Christmas holiday and make it “old hat” when the holidays finally come around. It’s simply hard to say how readers will react to a holiday book being released six months before the holiday.

Any author contemplating releasing a holiday book must weigh these pros and cons carefully in order to maximize their sales and their reader’s pleasure in finding the book at the perfect moment for them.

Blog:  www.jennajaxon.wordpress.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Jenna_Jaxon

Instagram: passionistimeless

TicTok: @jennajaxon1

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This post is part of a tour. The tour dates can be found here: https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2022/06/vbt-widows-christmas-surprise-by-jenna.html

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

a $20 Amazon/BN GC

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4281

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