Cutter Creek Christmas Tour with Authors Kit Morgan, Vivi Holt, Annie Boone, and Kari Trumbo

About the Novellas

​It’s a Christmas sugarplum celebration! Christmas in Cutter’s Creek means a Christmas social; sugarplum contest, dancing, a dash of mayhem and a heaping helping of romance.

First off is Kit Morgan’s Recipe for Christmas. This novella is set in 1866 and is the very first Cutter’s Creek Christmas social, and so much mischief happens, it’s a wonder they had another! Lucius Judrow from Love is Blind has a brother and he’s on his way to Cutter’s Creek. Come see who Eldon meets in this hilarious and sweet romance!

The next is Vivi Holt’s Seasons of Love. It takes place in 1872. The social has changed just a bit. You’d think they’d learned with all the trouble, but no, the social is more fun than trouble. Margaret is a lonely school teacher from the East looking for a little love and adventure. She finds just that and a whole lot more in this sweet Christmas romance!

Third Christmas novella is just a few years later and the social has changed yet again, to a cider competition! The contestants get a little rowdy and words are said that might ruin Christmas! Felicity will need special help to solve this mess. Find out more in Annie Boone’s Christmas Spirit.

The fourth and final Christmas novella takes place in 1892 and rumors of Christmas social’s past dominate the festivities. Carol needs to find a husband and the new doctor in town provides a great opportunity. A snowball fight leads to romance in Kari Trumbo’s A Carol Plays.

Recipe for Christmas  ǀ  Season of Love  ǀ  Christmas Spirit  ǀ  A Carol Plays
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Snippets from the Novellas

​Eldon had changed, a lot. He’d cut his long hair and now kept his face clean-shaven. He’d sported a long bushy beard and mustache for years and didn’t care much about his appearance. He was too busy. Besides, a bounty hunter didn’t need to look nice, he just needed to be good at his job. 
Eldon was quick to learn folks treated him different when the beard, long hair, and raggedy clothes came off. It also helped to smell nicer too. 
But the biggest change that got folks attention was the size of his bank account. Yes, they’d congratulated him on striking it rich, and a lucky strike it was, but they’d also treated him differently, some, grotesquely so. He half-expected a few old acquaintances to fall begging at his feet. Others acted as if they might rob him, given half the chance. Then came the ones that humbly congratulated him on his good fortune and went on their way. How, he wondered, would Lucius act?
He spied the town up ahead and stopped his horse, suddenly nervous. He and Lucius hadn’t seen each other since they’d fought in the Chattanooga Campaign three years ago. Someone told Eldon that Lucius was taken down by some Yankee gone loco. There were other ridiculous reports, all of them false. All Eldon knew was his brother had gone missing. Whether he was alive or dead, he didn’t know, but thank the Lord he knew now.
Once in town, he dismounted and tied his horse to a hitching post in front of the sheriff’s office. He then took off his hat, ran a hand through his hair and stepped onto the boardwalk. After he took a deep breath, he entered the small building. 
The office was empty. 
“Now doesn’t this just figure?” he muttered, hands on hips. “I travel all this way, little brother, and you’re not here.”
“Howdy,” a voice called from the other side of a half-open door.
Eldon stepped to the door and gave it a shove. Two cells occupied the back room, one of them empty. The other held a short, pudgy man with a few days growth of whiskers. Eldon sighed. “Hello. You wouldn’t happen to know where the sheriff has got to?”
“Nope. ‘Fraid not.”
“Do you know when he’ll be back?”
The man’s brow puckered in thought. “Ahhhh, er … well … sorry. Don’t know that either.”
Eldon studied him a moment. “What are you in for?”
The man smiled. “Sheriff says it’s for disturbin’ the peace. I say it’s for havin’ me a good time.”
Eldon smiled at that. “What about the deputy?”
“Lucius? He ought to be along any minute with my lunch.”
Eldon’s heart skipped a beat. “Fine. I’ll wait.”
“Here? Ya know ya ain’t supposed to be back here. Lucius is gonna bust a gut if he catches ya.”
“Good. Let him catch me.”
The prisoner eyed him suspiciously. “What’s yer name, mister?”
“Judrow. What’s yours?”
The man stared at him. “Albert Dunst.” He stared at him some more. “Hey, you got the same last name as …” he peered through the bars at him. “Slap me silly! Ya even look like him!”
Eldon smiled again. “So I’ve been told. I’ll wait up front.” 
He’d no sooner turned around when the door in the main office opened, and in walked Lucius. “I got ya a ham sandwich, Albert and some apple pie. If we got time we can have a game of check …,” he stopped up short, almost dropping the plate in his hand, and stared at Eldon.
“Hello little brother.”
Lucius’s jaw dropped like a brick. “Eldon?!” he squeaked.
“Lucius …”
Before he could say anything more, Lucius launched at him and almost knocked Eldon over in the process. A wail from Albert mixed with the sounds of the brothers talking at once filled the room.
“Where have you been? How did you find me?” Lucius asked then stopped and looked down. The plate he’d been holding was now smashed between them, Albert’s sandwich and apple pie plastered to his vest. He took a step back. The plate hit the wood floor and shattered as the sandwich and pie stuck for a second or two before landing amongst the shards with a plop. Lucius glanced between the mess, Eldon, and his prisoner. “Sorry, Albert.”
“Not as sorry as I am,” Albert huffed and sat on the cot behind him. He glanced at the two brothers, still frozen in place. “Ah go ahead and say your hello’s. But I want another sandwich when you’re done!”
Lucius laughed. “Sure.” He took another step back and studied Eldon. “Where did you come from?”
“Maybe you’d better fetch your prisoner another sandwich, then I’ll tell you. But first I want to here about this wife of yours.”
Lucius smiled. “Ya heard about that, eh?” He then looked him up and down, even reached out and touched the sleeve of Eldon’s jacket. “That’s a right fine coat ya got there brother. Life must be treatin’ ya good.”
“Yes, I’ve done all right. Now about that sandwich? I wouldn’t mind one myself.”
“Of course, follow me. The café’s just down the street.” He turned, brushing crumbs from his shirt and vest. Eldon followed. They’d worry about the mess when they got back.
“And don’t forget the pie!” Albert called after them.

​Margaret cinched her scarf more tightly around her neck and shivered as her booted feet crunched through the icy snow. The main street of Cutter’s Creek sparkled in the sunlight, and drifts of snow pushed up against storefronts and house walls all up and down the street. Juniper and hemlock branches drooped under the weight of the white powder, and icicles hung from the eaves. Her breath burst from her mouth in white clouds as she struggled along, being careful not to lose her footing. 
When she pushed open the door to the mercantile, a bell dinged above the doorway, announcing her arrival. She stamped the snow from her boots, and unwound her scarf to greet Abigail Smith. 
“Abi, it’s good to see you. How’s Jasper Jnr? Last time I came in he had a cold.”
“Why, hello there Meg. Junior is doin’ just fine now, thank you for askin’. He’s still got a bit of a cough, but nothin’ some chicken broth and gruel won’t fix.”
The bell over the door rang again, and Margaret turned to discover Mrs Agatha Waverley tapping her boots on the welcome mat.
“Mornin’ Abi, mornin’ Meg. What a day it is.” Agatha had a habit of grumbling and complaining first thing, to get it out of the way so she could deal with the more important matters of conversation over the rest of the day.
“Good morning Mrs Waverley. It’s lovely to see you on this fine day.” Margaret removed her gloves with a tug at each fingertip, and smiled at the older lady. She strode to the counter, and began perusing the wares behind it, calculating in her head the supplies she’d need to get through the week. 
Mrs. Waverly nodded, and followed Abigail, who was stacking a new supply of brooms in a corner of the store. “Did you hear about the incident over at the school,” she whispered conspiratorially, with a dip of her head.
Margaret’s ears pricked at the mention of the school. She listened closely, her eyes still focused on a barrel of red and white striped candy.
“No, I did not. But I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it,” sighed Abigail as she pushed the last of the brooms into place. She turned and hurried back to the counter to wait on Margaret. Mrs Waverly followed her like an eager pup.
“As you know, Mr Waverley checks on the schoolhouse regular-like through the winter months, since no one else seems to feel the responsibility.” Here she paused with a meaningful look at Margaret, who was running her fingers over a bolt of blue and tan calico. She gasped in surprise and turned to face the women. Abigail’s face flushed red. She scurried the last few steps, to stand before Margaret.
“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting, Meg. Have you decided yet what you’ll need?”
“Yes please. I’ll have a pound of flour, a half-dozen of your wonderful eggs, and a half pound of butter, thank you kindly.”
Abigail set about wrapping the items in brown paper.
Mrs. Waverley waddled close, and interrupted them to continue. “Well, he went by the schoolhouse yesterday, and noticed smoke comin’ from the chimney. Well now, he says to hisself, ain’t no one supposed to be in there, then how come there’s smoke a’comin’ from the chimney?” She grinned with delight at the intrigue of her own story, and Margaret and Abigail exchanged a glance of aggravation.
“Is that so?” asked Abigail, strumming her fingernails against the counter top.
“Yep. And when he went inside, do you know what he found?”
“I do not. Pray tell.”

Felicity swallowed the curse that she wanted to fling at Lana. Her friend knew that she was a disaster in the kitchen. What kind of game was she up to?
As she glanced at Josh’s dark blues eyes, she could see they were full of expectation. Maybe he didn’t know about her lacking cooking skills. Could this festival be a chance for her to show him that maybe she could be the woman he needed? That she was indeed the woman to nurture his appetite and his heart.
“It’s everything she says,” Felicity mumbled.
A smile tugged at the corners of Josh’s mouth, making the dimples in his cheeks deepen just a bit. She glanced away, biting on her tongue. It was a crime for a man to be this handsome.
“What’s in it?” he asked.
She managed to hold back the groan that wanted to escape.
“Secrets from her grandmother,” Lana said, helpfully.
“Well, I can’t wait to try it,” he said with a grin.
Well she sure could certainly wait for him to try it. She didn’t have the first clue about cider except that it was made from fruit. It was, wasn’t it? Sugar plums that grew in the area, she thought. Oh, my. This was going to be a disaster.

​His back was so broad and his movements so sure. She scooped a handful of thick heavy snow into her hand, forming it into a ball. As he grabbed for his mitts she launched her snowball at his wide back, hitting him between the shoulder blades. She turned and rushed on her way.
A snow clod landed at her feet exploding between her shoes. She danced away from the flying bits and turned, grinning at him. “You missed!” She laughed then shrieked as another ball hit her in the shoulder.
The snow was deep enough she didn’t have to lean far for another scoop of snow. She formed it in her hands calculating her next toss.
Dr. Gentry held up his hands. “White flag!” He smiled.
She lobbed it at his stomach. “I didn’t see a flag with all this snow.”
He slid to the side avoiding the snow bomb. His intense eyes took her in as he walked slowly for her, forgetting the shovel. He stopped right in front of her. The passion in his gaze stopped her and she backed a step away. He gazed down into her eyes then down to her lips. She gasped and glanced away.
“We should get you to the chapel.” His voice rumbled between them and he touched her elbow.
Her heart tripped over itself as she backed another step from him. “I’m sure I can get there.” She turned and his grip grew tighter. She couldn’t leave, but part of her didn’t want to. Part of her wished they weren’t standing out in the street in front of everyone.
“I know you can get there, but let me be the gentleman I’m expected to be and take you there.”

Recipe for Christmas (Cutter's Creek #10) by Kit Morgan

Review coming soon...

A review copy of this novella was provided by author Kari Trumbo, as well as purchased on Amazon.  A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

A Carol Plays (Cutter's Creek #13) by Kari Trumbo

Kari Trumbo has written a cute and sweet Cutter’s Creek novella in A Carol Plays.  It is about a young lady, Carol Williams who is determined to marry so that she and her father will be taken care of and don’t have to rely on her recently married brother to do so.  Carol is sure she has found her match when Dr. Manning Gentry comes to town for a few weeks to take care of her father, but her father does not want them becoming involved.  Readers will fall in love with spunky Carol as she does her best to follow her father’s wishes, even as she is falling for the kind doctor.  A sweet and delightful holiday read, I would recommend this novella to readers that enjoy historical fiction and holiday reads.
 
Series: Cutter’s Creek
Genre: historical, romance, holiday, Christmas
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Publication date: October 27, 2016
Number of pages: 70
 
Content Rating: PG
Book Rating: 5 stars
 
Other books in the series:
1-That Healing Touch by Kit Morgan
2-The Strong One by Vivi Holt
3-New Beginnings by Annie Boone
4-A Lily Blooms by Kari Trumbo
5-A Penny Shines by Kari Trumbo
6-Becoming a Family by Annie Boone
7-The Betrothed by Vivi Holt
8-Love is Blind by Kit Morgan
9-Cherished by Vivi Holt
10-Recipe for Christmas by Kit Morgan
11-Season for Love by Vivi Holt
12-Christmas Spirit by Annie Boone

A review copy of this novella was provided by author Kari Trumbo, as well as purchased on Amazon.  A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.