About the Book
Book: Keeping Christmas Volume II
Authors: Chautona Havig, Tabitha Bouldin, Susan K. Beatty, Jennifer Sienes, Melissa Wardwell, and Stacy T. Simmons.
Genre: Christian Christmas Romance
Release date: October 18, 2022
In castles far and near, long ago and yesterday, find happily-ever-afters wrapped in love and tied with Christmas joy.
Escape to Greenaway (by Chautona Havig): She just wanted to escape another holly, jolly family holiday. Because snowbound in a castle B&B with one of Santa’s elves (or as good as) is so much better. With the help of the castle’s owner, Tonya plays matchmaker in a bid to get that Christmas-loving girl out of her hair.
The King’s Promise (by Tabitha Bouldin): In a world of airships and kings, a prince makes a promise that tears him away from his love. An ordinary baker’s daughter finds herself caught in the middle of a game where the winner earns the queen’s crown. They both want what they can’t have as they struggle toward a seemingly impossible happily ever after.
A Castle for Christmas (by Susan K. Beatty): Sadie Foster abhors wealth. Will Randolph, on the other hand, works for the uber-wealthy owner of an over-the-top castle on the California coast–Sadie’s father. When Christopher Foster leaves the castle to her, Sadie doesn’t want anything to do with it or his money. But what if Sadie and Will use the castle and her inheritance for the good of others—together?
An Irish Christmas Heart (by Jennifer Sienes): Will she choose love or an arranged marriage? In the midst of post-famine unrest, Eleanor Blake, daughter of an English nobleman, is thrown into a maelstrom of emotions. How will she escape the duty for which she was born and the confines of the ill-fated Menlo Castle of Galway, Ireland to find her true love?
Christmas at Curwood’s Castle (by Melissa Wardwell): A Christmas party at Curwood Castle should have been Angel Davis’ Cinderella moment. Especially when her dear friend Jimmy arrives. Instead, one obstacle after another threatens to break any chance at a happily-ever-after.
Christmas in the Cotswolds (by Stacy T. Simmons): She’s a paleontologist and ardent Jane Austen fan. He’s enmeshed in the exactitude of mathematics, can they find common ground? Do opposites attract, will the romantic castle, and dashing duke be the undoing of Victoria’s plans?
Grab a mug of something hot and delicious and curl up somewhere comfy. Your literary chariots await to take you on a journey from an early twentieth-century castle in the San Gabriel Mountains of California all the way across the pond to the beautiful Cotswolds of England. These six novellas, all set in castles real and fictional, celebrate the heart and joy of Christmas in this second volume of castle Christmas novellas.
Click here to get your copy!
Guest Review from Donna
What I think you should know:
Keeping Christmas Volume II is a compilation of Christmas themed Novellas. In addition to the Christmas theme they are all centered around a castle in one form or another. The stories range from historical to contemporary to steampunk.
What I thought about these novellas:
Each of these stories were unique and compelling. I highly recommend this book and would read other books by each of these authors.
Escape to Greenaway by Chautona Havig is a sweet contemporary story. Tonya fled to a quiet bed and breakfast to escape Christmas, but instead found herself snowed in with someone who adores Christmas. I really enjoyed getting to know Tonya and the residents of Greenway. I can’t wait to read more about them.
The King’s Promise by Tabitha Bouldin is a steampunk novella. In this story King Adrian must put on a trial to determine which princess will become his bride. When by a twist of fate his love Elina, a commoner, has to take part in the trial things take a turn. I really enjoyed this story and would love to have more stories set in this world, possibly about some of the minor characters in the story!
A Castle for Christmas by Susan K. Beatty is a contemporary novella. It was a difficult story for me to connect with. I dream of all the lives that I could impact if I had money so it was hard for me to see a character who didn’t immediately embrace the opportunity that was given to her. I am glad that I stuck with the story as it ended up being a very sweet story.
An Irish Christmas Heart by Jennifer Sienes is a historical fiction set in Ireland. was a very touching story that tugged on my heart strings. Eleanor was raised to believe that she was inferior because she could not read. I hated to see how her father treated her. The story was very touching and I cheered when Samuel understood her.
Christmas at Curwood’s Castle by Melissa Wardwell is a historical fiction novella set in 1923 Michigan. I really love this story. Angel and Jimmy immediately caught my attention with their story and I was rooting for them to figure things out. I enjoyed reading this story and the unexpected surprises that it held.
Christmas in the Cotswolds by Stacy T. Simmons is a contemporary novella. It is set in London. I appreciate the author’s use of slang to bring home the differences between American English and British English. A paleontologist and a Duke fall in love over Christmas in a super cute story that I would recommend to anyone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
About the Authors
USA Today Bestselling author of Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.
Jennifer Sienes holds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in education, but discovered life-experience is the best teacher. She loves Jesus, romance and writing—and puts it altogether in inspirational contemporary fiction. Her daughter’s TBI and brother’s suicide inspired two of her three novels. Although fiction writing is her real love, she’s had several non-fiction pieces published in anthologies including several in Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has two grown children and one very spoiled Maltese. California born and raised, she recently took a step of faith with her real-life hero and relocated to Tennessee.
Tabitha Bouldin is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, where she is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she works with critique groups and provides endorsements for other authors. Tabitha’s genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart. Tabitha spent ten years working as a Medical Assistant before God opened the door which allowed her to become a stay-at-home-homeschooling-mom and author.
Melissa Wardwell resides in Owosso, Michigan with her husband and three teen-aged children.She doesn’t mind alternating between the world of writing and the reality of being a mother, but she would rather sit with a good book or a good friend and a cup of coffee. When she isn’t penning works of fiction, she is busy reviewing books for her blog, Back Porch Reads. To see more from Melissa Wardwell, visit www.melissawardwell.com
Who says you can’t begin a new career after middle age? Certainly not Susan K. Beatty. She is passionate about writing about finding courage through faith and grit, particularly through the trials of breast cancer and other life trials. Her daughter is a metastatic breast cancer “thriver” and has been an inspiration for her writing. Susan’s first novel, Faces of Courage, debuted May 2021, as part of the Faces of Courage series, including several novelettes. She is also the author of An Introduction to Home Education (AKA California Homeschool Manual). Susan is a professional writer/journalist and is active in the writer community. She is proof you can begin a fiction writing career at any age.
Stacy T. Simmons writes uplifting fiction that delights the reader’s romantic sensibilities. Thirty-four years of marital bliss is a great contributor. She is a mom of two grown children, and she and her family have a menagerie of pets she likes to call “Noah’s Ark.” You can find her working on her next manuscript with a piece of dark chocolate and a cup of coffee nearby. Connect with Stacy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and her blog, Fueled by Faith and Caffeine.
More from Tabitha
Castles near and far. Over time and across worlds both real and fictional. When it came time to write for Keeping Christmas, the world opened up to offer each of us a jewel for our stories. While I chose to base my castle off of a real castle in Romania, others chose a different route. Yet we all came together with a singular mission to write stories about Christmas and to bring the joy of Christ into each and every book. Keeping Christmas is about more than overseeing a holiday. It is looking back through the years of Christmases far and wide, from our real world through fantasy lands some of us dreamed up, and keeping the spirit of the season alive.
Come and keep Christmas with us as we journey across land and sea, through the skies on an airship, and deep into the contemporary halls and towering turrets. Here you’ll meet characters to fall in love with and read stories that span the ages, from a scribe in King Herod’s castle to a paleontologist in the Cotswolds.
Blog Stops
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 16
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 16
Through the Lens of Scripture, November 17
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, November 18
By the Book, November 18
Inklings and notions, November 19
deb’s Book Review, November 20
Blogging With Carol, November 20
Texas Book-aholic, November 21
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 22
For Him and My Family, November 22
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 23
Older & Smarter?, November 24
Mary Hake, November 24
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 25
She Lives To Read, November 26
Holly’s Book Corner, November 26
Simple Harvest Reads, November 27 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Splashes of Joy, November 28
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 28
Writing From the Heart Land, November 29
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 29
Giveaway
To celebrate their tour, the Celebrate Lit Authors are giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/22acd/keeping-christmas-volume-two-by-celebration-tour-giveaway
The Future Never Sleeps 
Sharon Hinck writes “stories for the hero in all of us,” novels praised for their strong spiritual themes, emotional resonance, and imaginative blend of genres. She earned an MA in Communication (with a major in theatre and thesis in dance) from Regent University and spent ten years as the artistic director of a Christian dance company. That ministry included three short-term mission trips to Hong Kong to teach and choreograph for a YWAM dance/evangelism team. She taught classical ballet and liturgical dance for twenty years, and led workshops on dance in worship. She’s been a church youth worker, a dancer/choreographer, a church organist, a homeschool mom, and an adjunct professor of Creative Writing for MFA students. One day she’ll figure out what to be when she grows up. When she’s not wrestling with words, she enjoys speaking at churches and conferences and has taught at Minnesota Christian Writer’s Guild, the national conference of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and Realm Makers. A wife, mom of four, and grandmother of three, she lives in Minnesota and is a member at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church. She loves visitors at sharonhinck.com.
Dr. Rita Woods thought she was going back in time to save the children. She didn’t count on falling in love.
Izzy James grew up in the footprints of history in coastal Virginia. She lives there still with her fabulous husband in a house brimming with books.
In castles far and near, long ago and yesterday, find happily-ever-afters wrapped in love and tied with Christmas joy.
A collection of lost books holds the clues to her family’s legacy…and her future.
Mollie writes contemporary fiction with a heart for history. What does this mean exactly? She loves to write inspirational fiction in contemporary settings with fascinating historical elements, people, objects, and stories woven throughout.
They’ve been in love for ten years, but it takes an interfering neighbor with a penchant for poker to unravel the mystery of their persistent platonic relationship.
USA Today Bestselling author of Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.
This life wasn’t the one she dreamed of, but happily ever afters don’t always come when and how we expect. 
Blossom Turner is a freelance writer published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, former newspaper columnist on health and fitness, an avid blogger and published novelist of the Word Guild semi-finalist Anna’s Secret. However, she has found her home in the writing of historical fiction. The power of love and romance is authentically woven into the Shenandoah Bride Series about five sisters and their love stories. She and her husband, David, have two grown children and live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Read more at blossomturner.com.
The Fight for What is Right is Also a Fight to Survive 
A Scottish-born Australian author, Kristen Young has worked in children’s and youth ministry for decades. She writes fiction and non-fiction for teens, and always has a notebook on hand to capture stray story ideas. In her spare time she loves hanging out with her family, watching movies with subtitles, and enjoying a little too much chocolate.
It’s not easy being the bishop’s daughter, especially for Lydie Stoltzfus. She’s not like other Amish girls, as much as she wishes she were. The only thing she does well is disappoint others. Leaving her family and church seems unbearable, but staying might be worse.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is a Christy finalist, a Carol Award winner, a two-time ECPA Book of the Year finalist, and the Publishers Weekly, ECPA, CBA, bestselling author of more than thirty books. Her genres include contemporary and historical romances, Amish romance, and women’s fiction. She and her husband live in a small town in California, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and why. Most folks act a little nervous around Suzanne because they usually wind up in one of her novels. She has four grown children and enough grandchildren to keep her young. Visit Suzanne at 