Christmas Ghosts - I know, Grim, I know. But there is a really good Chanukah story (as well as a couple other non-Christmas stories).
Goodreads has a list of books of 26 that include - the ones above. You can find the list Here
There is a multi-cultural list Here
Esther list ; Here
GR also has several kid Chanukah book lists.
Last night, we lit the first candle for Chanukah.
Here is the prayer my family says each night.
We light these candles to celebrate the triumph of hope over fear, light over darkness, and the powerless of the powerful.
Wishing you and yours love and light.
Every year, I hope to gather more wonderful Chanukah Romances. This year's list as a some new (to the list) and and few from last year's list as well.
My lists are never in any particular order.
1. Lighting the Flames by Sarah Wendell
Genevieve and Jeremy have known each other since they were seven, and have been summertime best friends at Camp Meira, a Jewish overnight camp in the mountains. As campers, and then as staff, their friendship was a constant, something neither wanted to change, no matter how tempting those changes might be.
Then, last year, with little warning, Jeremy left camp early. After that summer, Gen left the country on a graduate fellowship.
Now, a little over a year since they were last at Meira, Gen and Jeremy are back together to help run a special Winter Camp during Hanukkah. Any water under the bridge is frozen this time of year, and with so much left unspoken and unexplained, this week may be their chance to rekindle their friendship, or turn it into something new.
2. Revving Up The Holidays by A.S. Fenichel New!
Workaholic Isaac hasn’t been back to his hometown since his father’s funeral two years earlier, pushing his family away because of a painful secret. Hanukkah and a forced vacation lure him back to Atlanta, where he’s reunited with his two lost loves— an old motorcycle and his sister’s best friend Giada. While rediscovering his passion for both the bike and the woman, Isaac rebuilds his heart.
Giada has lost her Christmas spirit since returning home to care for her dying parents. Left alone, she struggles to return to her successful teaching career, choosing instead to stay in her hometown. Only the unexpected return of her high school crush Isaac brings any joy to the season.
The transitive nature of Isaac’s visit and Giada’s fear of abandonment keep them from sharing their whole hearts, but certainly not their bodies. Their desire for each other is hotter than the flames of a menorah and they take advantage of their limited time together by burning up the sheets. But once their secrets are revealed, their hearts will do all the thinking.
3. Lights, Latkes, and Love by Peggy Bird
Ah, the holidays. David Shay can't get enough of the December festivities. He especially enjoys sharing his love of the season with the underprivileged children at his non-profit organization SafePlace for Children and Parents. Hannah Jenkins, on the other hand, turns into a jaded Scrooge every year on Black Friday. As manager of a large retail store, she's seen firsthand how the rampant commercialism of the holiday can bring out the worst in people.
When David's organization is the charity Hannah's boss picks for their annual donation, it falls on her to organize a huge holiday party, whether she likes it or not.
Can a nice Jewish boy—with the help of some Christmas lights, a little girl, and a latke party—teach Hannah the true meaning of the season and guarantee them both a New Year's Eve kiss to remember?
4. Season of Magic (Holiday Box Set) by Merry Holly New!
Noel Noel Noel by Merry Holly
Dumped and lonely, is it possible to find love at the local mall? Noelle thinks not, but a chance encounter with Chase Clayborne while Christmas shopping has her rethinking her rigid set of rules, as sparks flare between them.
A Cinderella Christmas by Cara Marsi
Jessica Gallo no longer believed in fairy tales or happy endings. And she certainly didn’t believe she’d find her Prince Charming at Saks Fifth Avenue. Her Fairy Godmother thought differently.
Matchmaker Matchmaker by Bobbi Lerman
With Chanukah around the corner, is there enough magic left for a matchmaker to bring Molly's cynical heart back to life.
Holiday Disaster by Vicki Batman
The week before Christmas and all is in disarray when a librarian experiences horrible plumbing issues and a Mr. Maintenance Man who isn’t nearly as jolly as Santa Clause. This Christmas is a disaster.
Yuletide Bride by Gerri Brousseau
The Dowager Duchess’s decree that her grandson must marry before Twelfth Night or relinquish his title and fortune sends him into a tail spin. Without any prospects and with only two weeks until Christmas will Stuart Nelson find himself destitute or will he find The Yuletide Bride.
5. A Candle for a Marine by Heather Long
Tormented by the question of 'what if...'
Home for Hanukkah, Sergeant Isaac Janko has never forgotten the baby his girlfriend gave up for adoption years ago. But he didn’t realize how angry he still was....
More than time separates them....
A chance meeting at Temple brings Zehava Elbaz face-to-face with the first and only man she's ever loved. She sees a deep and hidden pain in him, one she blames herself for...
An invitation to Hanukkah brings them together....
The two must confront their pain and loss. They have only eight days to face their past, and win each other's trust, but it is a time for healing, reconciliation and miracles….
6.. Menorahs and Mistletoe by Jess Roth New!
If nothing else, Hanukkah this year will be interesting. Single dad Martin’s six-year-old daughter, Sara, is determined to get him a new “friend.” Martin isn't even sure he wants to step back into the pool, much less go out with the mall elf they met while shopping for gifts. But he’s starting to get to know the cute receptionist at work, Tim, and thinking maybe the whole dating thing isn’t such a terrible idea. Too bad things are never that simple.
7. Lit Up by Devyn Morgan New!
Has a fateful November meeting over raspberries led Rusty to Mr. Right? He and Cole have so much in common, except for that religious background thing.
And Cole loves holidays. Rusty decks out Christmas trees, while Cole lights up menorahs. It can't be that hard to plan and execute the perfect Chanukah. What could possibly go wrong?
Two men, two sets of traditions, one chance for Rusty to get it right.
Exactly what do you do with a dreidel?
8. Burning Bright by Anne Stuart, Maggie Shayne, Judith Arnold New!
"Star Light, Star Bright" by Anne Stuart
Angela McKenna is back in Crescent Cove after a painful divorce, and soon finds that Brody Jackson is also back in Crescent Cove after a financial scandal. Brody had had a crush on her when they were both teenagers, but Angela had married her childhood sweetheart and moved away. Once Brody sees Angela again, he realizes that he still has a crush on her, and Angela wonders why she was so blind when it came to Brody in the first place. Can a little Christmas magic bring Brody and Angela together?
Return of the Light" by Maggie Shayne
Dori Stewart thought she had it all - a job she loved, a great salary, and a wonderful apartment. The publishing house she worked at was acquired by a conservative publishing house, though, and she found herself fired for her religious beliefs (although the new company cleverly disguised this fact) because she was a practicing Wiccan. Dori went back to Crescent Cove, where she met Jason Farrar, her old boyfriend. She had left Jason behind years ago for the big city, but Jason had never forgotten her. In fact, he still loved her madly - but he wasn't going to get his heart broken by her again. As Dori tries to reignite her waning faith this winter solstice, will she come to the conclusion that she was meant to return to Crescent Cove because she and Jason are destined to be together?
If singles events planner Nicki Heller thought she was confused before about what she wants from her relationship, then a blow to the head certainly isn't helping matters. The doctors have assured her family that Nicki's on the mend. But for now? Well, let's just say she's in a, uh, Hanukkoma. Trapped in the unconscious world of Menorahville, she's celebrating Hanukkah on an endless loop . . . along with a date from hell for each night.
Like everyone else in the world, Carrie Pilby used to make a lot of resolutions she didn't keep. But this New Year's it's going to be different. She's going to be different. Really. The twenty-year-old genius is determined to be less geeky and more social and has imposed a new rule for herself: leave the apartment at least twice a week. Hey, she has to start somewhere . . .
A country Christmas isn't exactly at the top of Emma Townsend's "Dear Santa" list this year. Flannels and work boots? No, thanks. She's a dignified Manhattanite now. So how did she end up back in the "winter wonderland" yet again? It's family tradition, and she can't let her parents down. This is it, though -- this is the last year she forsakes her life (and fashion) for ornaments and tree trimming and live-action nativity scenes. No matter how good-looking that guy in her parents' yard is. Wait, where'd he come from?
10. Burning Bright: Four Chanukah Love Stories by Megan Hart, KK Hendin, Stacey Agdern, Jennifer Gracen New!
This December, take a break from dreidel spinning, gelt winning, and latke eating to experience the joy of Chanukah. When you fall in love during the Festival of Lights, the world burns a whole lot brighter.
It’s definitely not love at first sight for Amanda and her cute but mysterious new neighbor, Ben. Can a Chanukah miracle show them that getting off on the wrong foot doesn’t mean they can’t walk the same road?
Lawyers in love, Shari Cohen and Evan Sonntag are happy together. But in a moment of doubt, he pushes her away—then soon realizes he made a huge mistake. To win her back, it might take something like a Chanukah miracle.
When impulsive interior designer Molly Baker-Stein barges into Jon Adelman's apartment and his life intent on planning the best Chanukah party their building has ever seen, neither expects that together they just might discover a Home for Chanukah.
All Tamar expected from her Israel vacation was time to hang out with one of her besties and to act like a tourist, cheesy t-shirt and all, in her two favorite cities. She definitely was not expecting to fall for Avi, a handsome soldier who’s more than she ever dreamed.
It was the first night of Chanukah last evening. Here is the the prayer my family gives each night:
We light these candles to celebrate the triumph of hope over fear, light over darkness, and the powerless of the powerful.
Wishing you and yours love and light.
Here are some wonderful Chanukah Romances (my lists are never in any particular order.)
1. Lighting the Flames by Sarah Wendell
Genevieve and Jeremy have known each other since they were seven, and have been summertime best friends at Camp Meira, a Jewish overnight camp in the mountains. As campers, and then as staff, their friendship was a constant, something neither wanted to change, no matter how tempting those changes might be.
Then, last year, with little warning, Jeremy left camp early. After that summer, Gen left the country on a graduate fellowship.
Now, a little over a year since they were last at Meira, Gen and Jeremy are back together to help run a special Winter Camp during Hanukkah. Any water under the bridge is frozen this time of year, and with so much left unspoken and unexplained, this week may be their chance to rekindle their friendship, or turn it into something new.
2. HEARTS OF HANUKKAH by Eve Paludan
When ninety-one-year-old Moshe asks his adult grandson, Benjamin, for a complicated mitzvah, it throws the family's Hanukkah plans for a loop. Moshe's secret, long-lost wartime sweetheart has found him through the Internet! Now she wants to see him again, as soon as possible. Benjamin's wife isn't happy that his grandfather can't wait until after Hanukkah, but time is of the essence, after all, he isn't getting any younger either.
When Benjamin and his grandfather set out on a road trip in a blizzard to reunite Moshe with his long-lost Sarah, the miles turn into an odyssey of truth, love, hope, forgiveness, pain, and joy. Moshe has chosen Benjamin for this mitzvah (good deed or favor) for a very special reason. He's an author, and Moshe wants him to write the love story of himself and Sarah, so he can read it to her when they reunite. But is Benjamin really up to the task?
It will be a true labor of love to write the harrowing story of this beloved couple who was torn apart by a horrific war and separated for more than seven decades. And Benjamin must also get Moshe to Sarah before it is too late. No one in the family will ever be the same again, from the oldest to the youngest.
3. Lights, Latkes, and Love by Peggy Bird
Ah, the holidays. David Shay can't get enough of the December festivities. He especially enjoys sharing his love of the season with the underprivileged children at his non-profit organization SafePlace for Children and Parents. Hannah Jenkins, on the other hand, turns into a jaded Scrooge every year on Black Friday. As manager of a large retail store, she's seen firsthand how the rampant commercialism of the holiday can bring out the worst in people.
When David's organization is the charity Hannah's boss picks for their annual donation, it falls on her to organize a huge holiday party, whether she likes it or not.
Can a nice Jewish boy—with the help of some Christmas lights, a little girl, and a latke party—teach Hannah the true meaning of the season and guarantee them both a New Year's Eve kiss to remember?
4. Sweet and Sour by Astrid Amara
Miles thought he and Itai would make a great team, despite the infidelities haunting their past. After all, Itai is smoking hot, they're both driven entrepreneurs, and they love each other. What else did a person need? Well, a lot more, apparently, because not only are they no longer passionate, they don't even share the same passions. Like people, affections change, but Miles wonders if a relationship this broken is truly worth repairing.
Itai's business launch with his ex-boyfriend isn't helping. And Miles himself has a new business to grow over a busy few weeks where Thanksgiving and Hanukkah collide to form either the best holiday season ever, or a kosher caterer's worst nightmare. But help comes in the unexpected, ruggedly handsome form of Detective Dominic Delbene, a pickle aficionado with his own ghosts, who stakes out the deli to capture a dangerous drug dealer.
As Hanukkah's eight days and Miles and Itai's relationship comes to an end, Miles discovers that Nic is not only good with pickling; he's good at everything.
5. A Candle for a Marine by Heather Long
Tormented by the question of 'what if...'
Home for Hanukkah, Sergeant Isaac Janko has never forgotten the baby his girlfriend gave up for adoption years ago. But he didn’t realize how angry he still was....
More than time separates them....
A chance meeting at Temple brings Zehava Elbaz face-to-face with the first and only man she's ever loved. She sees a deep and hidden pain in him, one she blames herself for...
An invitation to Hanukkah brings them together....
The two must confront their pain and loss. They have only eight days to face their past, and win each other's trust, but it is a time for healing, reconciliation and miracles….
6. Newly Fallen by Megan Hart
Faced with spending her first Hanukkah alone, Lilly Gold wishes for a miracle that would change her life just a little bit. Then her prayers are answered--in a big way--when the most perfect naked man appears in her yard during a blizzard.
Zachariah tells Lilly he's been sent to be--and do¬--anything she wants. And for eight passionate days, trapped together by the snow, he does just that, giving Lilly all the pleasure she could have hoped for. But when their holiday is over, only another miracle can keep their affair from ending, too...
7. Sweet Light by Judith Arnold
They went down on an icy mountain. It was a miracle they survived.
For Alana Halpern, flying Judd Singer was supposed to be a quick favor, and then home for Hanukkah. But when her plane went down in New Hampshire, it became a journey of survival.
Was it all an illusion--the makeshift cabin, the woodpile, the oil lamp that never burned out? When Judd laid his ice-blue eyes on her, passion flared, and Alana knew this was real.
She never expected to spend Hanukkah snowbound with a man she barely knew, a man who could ignite her with just a gaze. But as the wind howled outside, inside they created a heat all their own.
The fight for survival became a flight from desire. And Alana hoped for one more miracle--to resist a forbidden attraction.
8. A Very Scandalous Holiday by Nancy Fraser, Crista McHugh, Sophia Garrett, and Amber Lin
But he has...and suddenly the holiday has taken on a whole new meaning.
As Nancy and Mike celebrate together at sparkling holiday parties and family festivities, Mike's presence ignites long-buried feelings in Nancy's heart. But past events have made her certain that their romance could never last.
Mike can't deny his feelings for the woman he once loved. The more he sees of Nancy, the more he knows they're meant for each other.
Can Mike convince Nancy that their love can shine as brightly as the glowing Hanukkah candles...forever?
Unmasking Love
A Holiday for Romance
Peggy Bird
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Date of Publication: September 29th, 2014
Number of pages: 155
Getting a life do-over in the small theater town of Ashland, Oregon, has suited lawyer Julie Payne to a T. After ten years in the Portland prosecutor’s office, she’s enjoying her new, easy lifestyle, and she’s not looking for any complications.
Trace Watkins comes to town seeking the same refuge from life as a big city banker. A new job might make Ashland his permanent address, and he likes what he sees of the place, especially when he meets Julie one hot Halloween night.
The sparks fly instantly between the costumed couple, and Julie and Trace waste no time connecting beneath the sheets while literally hiding behind their masks.
But when the holiday hook-up ends, their real identities present a serious snag: Trace manages the bank Julie happens to be suing. The only way they can turn this trick into a treat is if both of them are willing to face their pasts and finally bury the skeletons in their closets.
Excerpt:
Julie was reasonably sure there were more people crammed into her living room, dining room, and kitchen than the number she’d expected from the RSVPs. Dozens of people laughing, flirting, having conversations about the future of the theater, who should run for mayor, and God knows what else, drowned out the carefully chosen background music. Most of the catered food had disappeared in the first couple hours, so she was down to crackers, chips, the remains of a wheel of brie, and a few lonely olives, carrots, and celery stalks on the dining room table. However, since the wine and beer were holding out, no one seemed to object. Her first party in Ashland appeared to be a success.
She should have been smugly satisfied. Instead she couldn’t shake the sense there was something going on, something more to the evening than friends, food, booze, and good conversation. The atmosphere felt charged. Not some scary the-dead-walking-the-earth- on-Halloween feeling, but something exciting in a good way. The energy in the crowd gave her goose bumps. She tried to talk herself down with reminders of what a practical person she was, a lawyer, for God’s sake. She didn’t believe in woo-woo or spirits. The only thing in the house right now was half the population of Ashland, Oregon.
But she couldn’t get it out of her mind. There was something going on. She scanned the room, trying to figure it out. All she could see was a mind-boggling array of people in fabulous costumes, no two dressed alike. There was, for instance, only one Queen Elizabeth, one Princess Leia. One Santa Claus, one Napoleon. One Easter and one Playboy bunny.
Could her feeling be based on something as simple as seeing the mix of time, place, and reality in what her guests were wearing? The time warp of a NASA astronaut chatting up an Elizabethan woman? The clash of cultures as a belly dancer walked in with her Puritan date?
Maybe that was it. Maybe it was just the comfortable way everyone seemed to inhabit a different persona for the evening. Well, except for the guy across the room, the one who looked like he’d stepped off the Elizabethan stage of the Shakespeare Festival. He seemed ill at ease in the costume, or maybe in the crowd, hanging back, not looking at anything or anybody except the bottle of beer in his hand.
Guest Post:
Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. Well, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving…
Okay, I’m a sucker for holidays. All of them. Any of them. That’s why I came up with the idea of writing a series called A Holiday for Romance. It gave me an excuse to endlessly research the food, decorations and customs of all the wonderful celebrations I love!
Take the latest release, “Unmasking Love.” On a magical Halloween night, Julie Payne throws a costume party to celebrate one year of her new life in Ashland, Oregon. She dresses as Juliet, which happens to be her real first name. Trace Watkins, in town to see if he wants to take the bank manager position, crashes the party dressed as Romeo, a costume his old fraternity brother digs up for him at the last minute. Julie and Trace…um…Romeo and Juliet…share a spectacular night of passion without ever revealing who they are or, even, what they look like. Their masks stay on both literally and figuratively.
When real life intervenes, they will have to gradually reveal themselves to find their happily-ever-after. And of course they will have challenges along the way.
But let’s get back to that Halloween party Julie threw.
Planning my fictional party, I set the stage for the hero and heroine to connect by using the other couples to set the scene. I started to think of other paired couple costumes. Several Shakespeare couples came to mind (Ashland is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, after all): Anthony and Cleopatra, Kate and Petruchio from “Taming of the Shrew.”
Then I thought of Rhett Butler and Scarlett in that sprigged muslin dress she wore in the opening scene. Or maybe the dress made from the draperies (although I’d have left out the Carol Burnett touch of including the curtain rod.)
I even considered including Count and Countess Dracula, a combo that won my husband and me a prize one year at a party. Or the ones a friend and her husband wore when she was eight and a half months pregnant. She was a bride; her husband dressed as her father with a shotgun.
In the end, I decided to create an air of tension by using couples dressed in opposites to contrast with Romeo and Juliet—a NASA astronaut attended the party with an Elizabethan wench. A Puritan with a belly dancer. They help create the magic on a night when more than the spirits of the dead were aroused.
What would you have chosen? A famous couple like Rhett and Scarlett or a contrasting couple like the space explorer and the wench? Give me your ideas on the comments!
Giveaway:
Peggy is hosting a Tour Wide Giveaway for a Grand Prize of Print Copy of TRUSTING AGAIN, Glass Mask Trinket and eBook copy of SPARKED BY LOVE and a Second Winner will receive an eBook of SPARKED BY LOVE
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Book Tour Info:
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the Book Tour:
October 13th:
This book was part of a blog tour I received an ARC for my honest review3 1/2 starsCynthia has already been in one bad relationship with a rich playboy and she is not about to be played again, when she meets Marius she is wants. The two of them go on a sailing trip and Cynthia starts thinking the two of them might have a chance, when she sees him with another woman everything changes and Marius has to work hard to convince Cynthia that she is really the one he wants. This was a good quick read for me with lots of sexy scenes and some serious romancing, but there were a few things that bugged me. Cynthia while it was great that she was outspoken and didn't hide how she was feeling, I think she overreacted to things a little too much. It would have been nice to have a little more back story on how bad her old relationship really was because after awhile her hang ups and insecurities started to get a little bit annoying. Marius had the patients of a saint; he worked really hard to show Cynthia he really cared about her. Overall Trusting Again is a fast hot read and definitely something romance readers should check out.
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