{"id":577,"date":"2018-12-17T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-17T08:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/?p=577"},"modified":"2018-12-14T03:51:34","modified_gmt":"2018-12-14T11:51:34","slug":"the-christmas-ballet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/17\/the-christmas-ballet\/","title":{"rendered":"A little love, a little magic: The Christmas Ballet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Welcome Constance Bretes and <strong>The Christmas Ballet<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2J3j-XXEkjQ\/W-_JTpa2hZI\/AAAAAAAARdw\/gGrKwIzFbkQzProe_4Ae7w_cL4qQZEyDwCK4BGAYYCw\/s1600\/TCB%2BCB%2BBanner.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2J3j-XXEkjQ\/W-_JTpa2hZI\/AAAAAAAARdw\/gGrKwIzFbkQzProe_4Ae7w_cL4qQZEyDwCK4BGAYYCw\/s640\/TCB%2BCB%2BBanner.jpg?resize=640%2C242&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"640\" height=\"242\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: purple; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif; font-size: large;\"><b>The Christmas Ballet<\/b><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><b>By Constance Bretes<\/b><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: red; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Constance has 2 $10 gift certificates to Paparazzi Accessories to giveaway during the tour. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember you may enter every day for your chance to win one of the prize packages. You may find the tour locations <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/taJJDH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/span><span style=\"color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #134f5c; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><b>About The Christmas Ballet:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><a style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-i6nfTzpustQ\/W_CSZ_JOG_I\/AAAAAAAARd8\/LnEjT0FVo5Y197Czzl1ZLuPeEiR-ljYOgCK4BGAYYCw\/s1600\/TheChristmasBallet_Medium.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-i6nfTzpustQ\/W_CSZ_JOG_I\/AAAAAAAARd8\/LnEjT0FVo5Y197Czzl1ZLuPeEiR-ljYOgCK4BGAYYCw\/s320\/TheChristmasBallet_Medium.jpg?resize=213%2C320&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"213\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: purple; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Laura Hemmingway cut herself off from men and her family when the man she loved married her sister. She moved across the country and was doing just fine until she received a devastating call to return to New York. She had to face the death of her sister, her sister\u2019s little girl, Maria, and Maria\u2019s father, Stefan\u2014the man she had once loved. She figured she would pay her respects and leave as soon as possible. She never anticipated on the beautiful little girl stealing her heart. And she never expected that seeing Stefan again after twelve years would stir up old feelings.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: purple; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span style=\"color: purple; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Stefan\u2019s life was complete. He had a successful career as an attorney, a beautiful wife and an adorable six-year-old daughter. Although he and his wife had been married in name only for the past several years, he cared for her deeply. Then her unexpected death brought him face-to-face with his former lover, and the guilt he\u2019d carried for years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: purple; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Stefan is still in love with Laura and wants to give her everything she deserves. He and Maria are racing against time to convince Laura to stay with them in New York.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: purple; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span style=\"color: purple; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Can a little girl\u2019s love, and the true magic of Christmas, help Stefan convince Laura to stay and give their relationship another chance?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #660000; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span style=\"color: #660000; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Content Warning: contains some sexual content<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #660000; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Genre \u2013 Contemporary Romance<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #660000; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Heat Level &#8211; Hot<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #660000; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\"><b>Amazon Buy Link:<\/b><\/span><span style=\"color: #660000; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">\u00a0https:\/\/amzn.to\/2qPPQWB<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #134f5c; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\"><b>Excerpt from\u00a0The Christmas Ballet:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">He smiled as he thought about the look on her face when he\u2019d stroked her. Maybe she was more interested in him than she either believed or cared to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Then he thought of something. \u201cOne more thing, Laura,\u201d he called out to her, and she stopped at the door and turned around.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cOn the nineteenth, the law firm is hosting the annual Christmas party. It\u2019s quite grand and lasts all evening long.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cYou want me to be sure to be available to babysit Maria,\u201d Laura said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cNo. I want you to plan to come with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cRemember that beautiful, green, velvet dress we saw at Macy\u2019s? I want you to get that dress, and the accessories to go with it, and attend the party with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cStefan, really. You know I don\u2019t go to those types of events, and I don\u2019t wear those kinds of clothes. I\u2019m not comfortable with either of those things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cYou need to get comfortable.\u201d He smiled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cThis is not a part of a job for the nanny and teacher. It\u2019s out of the range of the job description. You need to get Ginger to go with you. I\u2019m not going.\u201d She gave him a defiant look.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cLaura, I want to take you to this event. I\u2019m not taking no for an answer. I will arrange for Rhonda to take you shopping to help you get what you need. You will charge all the purchases to a credit card I will give you that\u2019s for your use only. This is the first of many social parties you will be attending.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">He watched her as she clenched her hands into fists and released them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cWho do you think you will get to care for Maria on these\u2026occasions?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cUsually Lillian is available.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cStefan, it\u2019s my job to care for Maria, not be your date to your parties. I don\u2019t like being told what I will or won\u2019t do. I don\u2019t like social parties, and I don\u2019t like wearing expensive clothes. It\u2019s not me, and you\u2019re not going to change me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to change you. I want you to attend an event by my side. It won\u2019t hurt you to have some beautiful clothing to show your feminine side. I want the world to see the beauty I see. Be glad I want to show you off. Some men might decide they don\u2019t want others to see what they see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cFlattery doesn\u2019t work with me. You can tell me what to do as far as Maria is concerned, but my personal life is off limits to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cThat\u2019s good to know. At least I know you won\u2019t get carried away and escape my grasp by someone making flattering remarks to you. Your personal life interests me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cStefan, you just don\u2019t get it. I am not going to this party,\u201d she said, enunciating each word slowly and carefully. \u201cBesides, your mother would be horrified to see me walk in with you.\u201d Her face hardened as she stared at him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cLook at it this way\u2014you\u2019d be doing me a big favor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cHow?\u201d She raised an eyebrow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cI\u2019m not interested in the other women that come to this social party looking for an eligible bachelor. With you on my arm, it would send a clear message to all the others that I\u2019m taken.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cGod, you\u2019re impossible. Ginger is more than capable of providing you that kind of service.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cI don\u2019t want Ginger. You have the grace, quiet beauty, and finesse I want in a date, and I will not take no for an answer. After Maria\u2019s recital, you and Rhonda will set a shopping date. And one more thing. When you get your hair done, I\u2019d like you to wear it down.\u201d He smiled at her.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cThis is not going to happen.\u201d She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cIt will. I\u2019ll just have Maria work on you.\u201d He eyed her.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">Stefan grinned. \u201cYou heard me. You\u2019d never turn down anything from Maria.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">\u201cGrrrr.\u201d She growled and stomped up the stairs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #38761d; font-family: 'georgia' , 'times new roman' , serif;\">He laced his hands and put them behind his head. Oh yeah, it\u2019ll be a night she\u2019ll never forget.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\"><b>About the Author:<\/b><\/span><br \/>\n<a style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\" href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2eqpnO6wb9I\/W_CjOUo3s8I\/AAAAAAAAReU\/JJL6BhiXD1k5NiY94WzYm4LWJAUCbOd2wCK4BGAYYCw\/s1600\/CB%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-2eqpnO6wb9I\/W_CjOUo3s8I\/AAAAAAAAReU\/JJL6BhiXD1k5NiY94WzYm4LWJAUCbOd2wCK4BGAYYCw\/s200\/CB%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg?resize=200%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"200\" height=\"160\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><span style=\"color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">Constance Bretes is an author of contemporary romance and suspense. Her romance books are often set in different parts of the country, but her favorite site is Montana. She retired from the State of Michigan after 38-plus years of service and now writes and researches full time. She is married to her best friend and has recently moved from Montana to Alabama. Her hobbies include basket weaving, sapphire digging, and checking out old ghost towns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\"><b>Constance&#8217;s Social Links:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">Website:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/constancebretes.com\/\">http:\/\/constancebretes.com<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">Facebook:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/conniebretes\/\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/conniebretes\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">Twitter:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ConstanceBretes\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/ConstanceBretes<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">GoodReads:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/7737457.Constance_Bretes\">https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/7737457.Constance_Bretes<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">Email: <\/span>bretesc@gmail.com<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">Beachwalk Press:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/beachwalkpress.com\/constance-bretes\/\">http:\/\/beachwalkpress.com\/constance-bretes\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">Instagram:<\/span> #constancebretesauthor<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;\">Amazon Author Page:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Constance-Bretes\/e\/B00IKSKRES\">https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Constance-Bretes\/e\/B00IKSKRES<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6dSCLbhUXJA\/W_Cj814ooqI\/AAAAAAAAReg\/1aUDq8B5BBolNZUs20_x47L8Pmxnfa-1QCK4BGAYYCw\/s1600\/Reviews%2Bby%2BCrystal%2Bbutton.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6dSCLbhUXJA\/W_Cj814ooqI\/AAAAAAAAReg\/1aUDq8B5BBolNZUs20_x47L8Pmxnfa-1QCK4BGAYYCw\/s200\/Reviews%2Bby%2BCrystal%2Bbutton.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a id=\"rcwidget_dwudzum6\" class=\"rcptr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rafflecopter.com\/rafl\/display\/801c221b83\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-raflid=\"801c221b83\" data-template=\"\" data-theme=\"classic\">a Rafflecopter giveaway<\/a><br \/>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widget-prime.rafflecopter.com\/launch.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome Constance Bretes and The Christmas Ballet! The Christmas Ballet By Constance Bretes Constance has 2 $10 gift certificates to Paparazzi Accessories to giveaway during the tour. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember you may enter every day for your chance to win one of the prize packages. You may find the tour &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/17\/the-christmas-ballet\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;A little love, a little magic: The Christmas Ballet&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[48,306,30,50,302,305,7,304,307],"class_list":["post-577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-christmas","tag-constance-bretes","tag-contemporary","tag-family","tag-love","tag-magic","tag-romance","tag-sexual-content","tag-sisters"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9wA33-9j","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":585,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577\/revisions\/585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}