It's a Bangers' Tavern Christmas with Sadira Stone

I'm pleased to welcome Sadira Stone to Journeys with Jana. She's here to talk about her newest release, Christmas Rekindled, part of the Bangers Tavern series which is on sale for .99 cents until December 4. And she's supplying us with a cocktail recipe, just in time for the holidays! Thanks Sadira!

Blurb:

When two Scrooges unite to save a bar in trouble, a kiss under the mistletoe sparks the sexiest Christmas miracle ever.

Bartender River Lundqvist has a damn good reason for hating Christmas. Bangers Tavern is the perfect place to lay low over the holidays—until Charlie walks in. His first encounter with the saucy server nine years ago was utter humiliation. Her reappearance stirs up powerful desires and hopes for a new start. But the timing is all wrong. 

Back in Tacoma to care for her estranged dad over the holidays, freelance web designer Charlie Khoury braces herself for the suckiest Christmas ever. A temporary job at Bangers Tavern gives her a chance to escape Dad’s criticism and blow off some steam. But why does the hunky bartender seem to hate her?     

A pretend girlfriend is just what River needs to keep his family off his back—until a kiss under the mistletoe flares hot enough to melt the North Pole. When greedy developers threaten Bangers Tavern, River and Charlie must team up to save it. Their sizzling chemistry feels like the real thing—but everyone knows rebound relationships don’t last. 

Come to Bangers Tavern for an enemies-to-lovers tale of reconciliation, found family, holiday cocktails, and the steamiest Christmas miracle ever.

A holiday cocktail from River Lundqvist, hero of Christmas Rekindled and bartender extraordinaire at Bangers Tavern.

Jaegertee

This sweet, boozy, “hunter’s tea” from Austria is the perfect warm-up tipple for après-ski. Just don’t drink one until you’ve reached the bottom of the ski run! Any spiced rum will do, but if you can get some, try Stroh rum from Austria for an authentic kick. If you choose Stroh 160, reduce the amount of rum—that stuff is strong.

In a saucepan, combine a cup (250 ml) of brewed black tea, a cup of orange juice, three whole cloves, a cinnamon stick, and three lemon slices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes to blend the flavors. Turn the heat very low, then add a cup each (250 ml each) of red wine, spiced rum, plus a cup of plum brandy, apple brandy, or any other sweet liqueur you have lying around. Stir, cover the pan, and warm the mixture through but do not boil—you don’t want to burn off the alcohol! Remove from the heat, strain the Jaegertee, and add brown sugar to taste. Serve in mugs. Will serve about six—or one Jojo (Bangers Tavern’s mammoth bouncer). Prost! 

Excerpt:

Her low, throaty chuckle made him want to kiss her again. Though he pretty much wanted to kiss her anytime she was within range.

She laid her hand palm-up on the center console. “The thing is, I’m not looking for a relationship.”

Remembering a bit of Dawn’s wisdom, he nestled his hand into hers. “You never find a relationship when you’re looking for one.” 

Her gaze softened, open and vulnerable. “Are you looking?”

Warning sirens blared inside his head. This was a question to answer very carefully. “If you’d asked me a month ago, I’d say, ‘No way.’ But then, I kissed this girl under the mistletoe, and…”

She closed her eyes, lifted his hand, and pressed it to her sternum. Beneath his palm, her heart thudded fast. His pulse sped to match hers. He held his breath. 

“I like you, River.” Her whisper matched the brush of snowflakes against the windows. 

“I like you too.”

She inhaled deeply, then met his gaze. “Enough to be my friend?”

He nodded, mesmerized.

“Because my life is a mess right now, and I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing.” 

Her coarse language stirred up a heady swirl of laughter, sympathy, and arousal. He scooted as near as the center console allowed and placed his lips close to her ear. “I’ll tell you a secret. Me neither.”

Fire flickered in her eyes’ inky depths. Her lips parted. A golden thread wound around his heart and tugged him toward her. His thumb stroked the delicate line of her jaw as he closed the distance.

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JKW3XR2

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-rekindled-sadira-stone/1137720901?ean=2940162818212

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1532772664

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/christmas-rekindled

Google Play Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=R3X_DwAAQBAJ

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55430214-christmas-rekindled

Universal book link: https://books2read.com/b/3JjPxP

Story Origin Universal link: https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/ccc92634-0333-11eb-a6bb-ff78f1d0dee5

Bookbub link: https://www.bookbub.com/books/christmas-rekindled-a-bangers-tavern-romance-by-sadira-stone

Author Bio:

Ever since her first kiss, Sadira’s been spinning steamy tales in her head. After leaving her teaching career in Germany, she finally tried her hand at writing one. Now she’s a happy citizen of Romancelandia, penning contemporary romance from her new home in Washington State, U.S.A. When not writing, which is seldom, she explores the Pacific Northwest with her charming husband, enjoys the local music scene, plays darts (pretty well), plays guitar (badly), and gobbles all the books. Visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.

Visit Sadira on All the Socials!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadirastone/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadiraStone

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadira-stone

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadirastone/

Author newsletter: https://eepurl.com/dKLMP2

Tell us about what you write (short stories, novellas, novels, non-fiction)?

I write steamy contemporary romance set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. My Book Nirvana series centers around a quirky bookshop in Eugene, Oregon. Gelato Surprise is a steamy older woman/younger man beach romance novella. The Bangers Tavern Romance series is set in a neighborhood tavern in Tacoma, Washington, where I live—the town, not the tavern! Each story features a holiday celebration in Bangers Tavern: Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, 4th of July, Halloween, etc. During this sad time when so many bars, restaurants, and other businesses are shut down, Bangers Tavern gives me the chance to virtually share the fun, camaraderie, and bar food I miss so much. And each volume includes tasty cocktail recipes I’ve personally tested and tweaked—a tough job, but I do it for my readers (wink).

Under my own name, I write cozy mysteries and creepy short stories—think The Twilight Zone—but so far only one creepy short has been published. I’ll get to the rest of them eventually, but right now I’m having too much fun writing romance!