Hi Everyone!

I have a special treat here for you today! Nikki, author of Locking Up Santa is here on the bloh sharing with us some information her new book. Welcome Nikki and thanks for being here!

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Thank you SO much for having me on He said Books or Me! I’m so grateful to be given a chance to share a bit about myself and my new book, on your wonderful blog.

                My name’s Nikki and I am a writer from Canada. I write Cozy Mysteries and Chick Lit’s. My new release is part of my cozy mystery series that centers on an eccentric ghost and her multimillion dollar beauty company, which the main character, Phoebe Mercer, inherits.  This is the second story in the series, and it revolves around Christmas time in the gorgeous fictional seaside town, Cedar Springs. 

                I have lots of readers ask me about this town, and the beauty company Lavish Looks. If either the town, or the company, are real. I also get asked about the Edwards Manor.

                Lavish Looks was inspired by my love/obsession for The Body Shop and its products. I adore their Brazil Nut line, and find their face masks sensational. My sister was also an inspiration, from the moment she brought me a batch of her first ever, all natural, home-made soaps two years ago.  Now she makes these soaps all the time and I order batches of them before each new book launch as part of giveaway’s and launch party favors.

                Cedar Springs is fictional, but it was inspired by numerous towns I’ve visited in the past, and towns I wish to visit in the future. The big one, which I’m sure everyone has heard of is, The Hamptons.  Now it wasn’t really the glamourous, gigantic houses that I took from it, but the sandy shoreline and the fact that it was a huge tourist spot. I imagined Cedar Springs with beaches like the ones at the Hamptons, and a few small seaside homes right along the sand. Sure Cedar Springs, as you will discover if you read Locking Up Santa, has its own set of enormous mansions like the Hamptons but they are far and wide.

                I also took inspiration from a small lake side town near my hometown in Canada, called Port Dover. It has a main drag just like Cedar Springs, where you will find Mom and Pop shops, various cafes and bistros, and plenty of tourists during the summer.

                The Edwards Manor, well, it is based solely on one house. One house in New Orleans, which I am in love with. It’s called The Wedding Cake House. I am in love with its structure, its age, and its beauty. Granted, the Edwards Manor is a tad bigger than the Wedding Cake house but I tried to keep it almost identical in design. As the first story came together, and Edie Edwards developed a definite main character, her personality only fit one house. That was the Wedding Cake house, and I knew I had to recreate it, with my own spin, in the Haunting Me series.

                The best part about writing this sequel was that I was able to dive into the town more than I was capable of in the first book. I was able to slowly develop its history, and the shady history of many of its residents. I truly hope that upon reading Locking Up Santa, you’ll fall in love with the town like I have, despite it being fictional.

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Thanks again Nikki!

Happy Reading!

Blog Tour: Locking Up Santa

Locking Up Santa Book Tour
By author Nikki LeClair

 
Tour Dates: November 8th – 15th, 2016

Blurb:

It’s the Christmas season, and seven months since Phoebe Mercer’s life dramatically changed. She went from being an overworked legal assistant, to a CEO of a popular beauty company. She moved from the bustling big city, to a quaint seaside town. She’s gone from living with a fiancé, to living with a ghost. Yet, it seems she can’t get a grip on her new life, whether it’s getting used to being a public figure, having a Chief Operating Official who hates her, or a ghost who is just too passionate. As if things can’t get any worse, Phoebe’s friend and mentor is arrest for a horrible crime many think they were capable of committing. Except for Phoebe, and her ghost.  As Phoebe races to prove her mentors innocence, and stop the company from sinking, she must deal with a face from her past that throws her in a disarray of emotion, an unwanted visitor, and old friends who seem to have abandoned her.

Buy the Book:

AmazonUS
AmazonUK

About the Author:

 

Nikki LeClair

Bio:

Nikki LeClair lives in Canada with her loving husband and their two rambunctious children. When she isn’t ordering her children to behave or begging her Border Terrier to listen to her, she sits behind her lap-top plotting out the next adventure of her new characters. She’s a fan of a good glass of Pinot Noir, and can’t live without her favorite Tea blends.
She enjoys hearing from readers and fans of her work. You can find her on twitter at @NikkiL_Books, and on her Facebook Fanpage Nikki LeClair

Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

Visit all the Tour Stops:

November 8th

lifeisawalkingshadow - Book Review
Novelgossip  - Excerpt/Promo Post

November 9th

Living Life With Joy - Guest Post/Promo
Grass Monster - Amazon Book Review
Judging More Than Just The Cover - Author Q&A

November 10th

Jena Books - Book Review
Hello...Chick Lit - Book Excerpt/Promo Post

November 11th

He Said Books or Me - Guest Post/Promo
Steamy Book Momma - Promo Post
Splashes Into Books - Book Review/Excerpt

November 12th

Reading Is My SuperPower - Book Review

November 13th

Reading To Unwind - Book Review/Promo

November 14th

BookLoverWorm - Book Review
Book Lover in Florida - Book Review/Promo

November 15th

Whispering Stories - Book Review/Excerpt

Tour Arranged by:

Book Review: Unicorn Tracks

Author: Julia Embers
 
Summary from Goodreads: After a savage attack drives her from her home, sixteen-year-old Mnemba finds a place in her cousin Tumelo’s successful safari business, where she quickly excels as a guide. Surrounding herself with nature and the mystical animals inhabiting the savannah not only allows Mnemba’s tracking skills to shine, it helps her to hide from the terrible memories that haunt her.

Mnemba is employed to guide Mr. Harving and his daughter, Kara, through the wilderness as they study unicorns. The young women are drawn to each other, despite that fact that Kara is betrothed. During their research, they discover a conspiracy by a group of poachers to capture the Unicorns and exploit their supernatural strength to build a railway. Together, they must find a way to protect the creatures Kara adores while resisting the love they know they can never indulge

Personal Review:
When Julia reached out to me about her book, I knew this was a book that sounded very interesting. I am happy to report that it didn't disappoint. As a little girl, I remember having a toy unicorn (from Lisa Frank) and all of the magic it had. This book kept the magic alive in me and I am so glad.

This book was one of love. The women in the story cannot be together, but you can feel the connection every time they interact. I appreciated that element of this book.

The plot of the story was interesting and well written. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the opportunity. 

 Disclaimer: I was awarded this book from the author. Though I did not pay for the book, the opinions are strictly my own.

Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Upside of Unrequited

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I am excited to feature a book that I have seen some people are already reading! :)

The Upside of Unrequited
Release Date: April 11, 2017
Becky Albertalli



Information from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Right?

I am so excited for this one! 

Happy Reading! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I've Added To My To-Be-Read List Lately

Hi Everyone! 

Just stopping by with another Top Ten Tuesday!  This week's topic is Top Ten Tuesday is about books that have been recently added to my TBR pile. I love this topic because I feel like I am going to be able to get so many good ideas from all of you. :)  However, let me start by sharing with you some of the books I am looking forward to:

1) Dan Brown -Origin

(I loved the Da Vinci Code, so I am looking forward to the next part of this story)

2) World of Wanderlust

(I love to travel and the blog by this same name gives me chills! It's awesome.)

3) Get your sh*t together: how to freak out less, accomplish more, and generally win at life

(While some people may not prefer the title, it sounds like a motivator to me!)

4) The Sprinkles Baking Book

(Anyone else binge Cupcake Wars on Netflix? The author is from the show!)

5) Oliver the Cat Who Saved Christmas

(You guys know I love a good animal book. This one looks so cute!)

(Photo Credit to Good Reads for all of these images)

I am so excited for all of these! In addition, I have started a 2017 releases list on my Good Reads for books that I am highly anticipating in the next year. (It has quite a bit of YA for my friends who read that genre!)  If you have a GR's account, feel free to add me. I look forward to talking books with you.

Happy Reading!

October Rewind

Hi Everyone,

Happy October wrap up! What a crazy busy month, but I am excited to report that I have finished 13  books! This number is a little down from the usual count, but I am happy with it. We spent some time abroad this month, so I am still happy to be in the double digits. I won’t link to the reviews directly, but if you head over to the side of my blog you can sort my posts by month.

Specifically, I read:
9 Books for Review
3 Library Books
1 Books I Own

They fell into the following groupings for my Challenges:
I love Libraries-3 Books
Mt. TBR-1 Book
#RockmyTBR-1 Book
Popsugar-0 books 
Read Harder-0 Books
Animal-1 Book
(Some books overlap!)

Highlight of the month included:
 -Continuing the Gilmore Girls Readathon that I am hosting!

I have to say, it turned out to be another busy month! But so much fun :)   I hope that you had a successful month of reading! What’s in your que for November?

Happy Reading!