Silver Dagger Book Tours
  • Welcome!
  • Current Tours
    • Book Tours
  • Book a Tour
  • Open Sign Ups
  • Contact
  • About
  • Welcome!
  • Current Tours
    • Book Tours
  • Book a Tour
  • Open Sign Ups
  • Contact
  • About
Silver Dagger Book Tours

 

The 12 Days of Christmas Book Blitz and Giveaway - Day 1

12/6/2019

13 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

The Pear Tree
The Twelve Days of Christmas #1
by Lark Westerly
Genre: Fantasy Menage Romance
Print Length: 92 pages
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Publication Date: December 6, 2019 

Picture
A partridge, a pear tree…and a fairy in the bed.
Nelis Winter and Xavier Partridge knew one another years ago. Now Frances le Fay has invited them both to a dinner party on Christmas Eve. Stopping at The Pear Tree pub on the way seems a good idea…until Nelis walks in on an orgy of naked elves.


Goodreads * eXtasyBooks


​

Picture
Picture
​Nelis Winter’s Leavers’ Party had been held on a Friday night in December. The night was stuck in Nelis’ mind forever, like a nail in the coffin of her school years. Daisy Comice, trying to make up for years of frugal indignity heaped on Nelis during their life with Snowland Winter, booked her daughter into Affinity to have her hair and makeup done, and took her to Beautiful Signets to buy a dress and shoes among the Christmas shoppers.

The party should have been in November, but the venue, Theme of Your Dreams, had had a conflict with bookings. The earliest block available was in December, and it had offered a big incentive to Diversity High to shift its dates. Since the school’s motto was something along the lines of We Welcome Alternatives, it couldn’t refuse.

“What, no home-sewn mu-mu made of home-dyed homespun?” the imp in Nelis’ brain demanded as Daisy took down racks of shimmering dresses. “No lecture on the ills of mineral makeup and the beauty of natural skin? No implication that Leavers’ Parties for seventeen-year-olds are inappropriately sexualising occasions?”

Nelis said none of this aloud. She hadn’t been glad when her dad took off to the Arctic Circle to commune with polar bears and hunt the yeti, but she hadn’t been too sorry, either. She’d half-hoped Daisy might go, too, and so leave Nelis to board with a friend for her last year at Diversity, but Daisy, most unexpectedly, had rebelled against the idea of living in an igloo, as she’d put it.

“Come home when you’ve got it out of your system,” she’d told Snow.

 By the day of the Leavers’ Party, Snow had been gone for a year.

Daisy and Nelis had settled into a comfortable rut with a whole lot less tofu and vegan clothing than during Snow’s tenure. They watched cooking shows on their new TV, and Daisy got rather too well acquainted with the shopping channel.

“You look gorgeous, Nel.” Daisy lined her up between the long green recycled tie-dyed curtain and their first-ever microwave oven and photographed her from every angle.

They had a flat now. The eco-cabin had been let to two starry-eyed newlyweds who wanted to spend a year trialling self-sufficiency before they made the lifestyle irrevocable.

Nelis wondered how long they’d last, but she didn’t say so.

She eyed her reflection. A stranger looked back. Her dress was floor-length and pink, with a sequined bodice. Her dark hair was piled with a few loose curls, and her face was made up with soft pink lipstick and faintly pink shadow.

She looked feminine. She looked grown-up.

A flutter of excitement began in her chest.

Some of the parents had clubbed together to hire a minibus to carry a dozen or so leavers to the dinner and to return them afterwards. Daisy accepted an invitation for Nelis to travel in that. “Be nice for you to go with your friends.”

Nelis gave her mother a quick smile. She didn’t tell Daisy the people in question weren’t her friends. Neither were they her enemies. They were simply the dateless, the unpopular and the odd ones out.

Nelis figured she’d fit right in.

So would Xavier Partridge.

The flutter intensified.

Xavier Partridge, whom no one but teachers ever called anything but Bird Boy, was an exchange student who’d arrived at the beginning of year eleven. In his two years at Diversity High, Xavier had remained an outsider even in that eclectic company. He was geeky, gawky, cheerful and odd. He didn’t fit in any category. He wasn’t a member of any clique, team or group. He talked to anyone, anywhere, about anything. He was heart-stoppingly handsome and treated everyone with the same alert, friendly courtesy.

Nelis wished she had half his disregard for peer opinion.

After Snow defected to the Arctic Circle and her life became more mainstream, she wondered if she might invite Xavier out for pizza or to play chess. She wanted to sate her curiosity. She wanted to see what he’d do.

She never had. Now it was probably too late. School was all over but for the final barbecue, which would be held in the school grounds on New Year’s Eve. After that, she presumed Xavier would return to his place of origin, wherever that was, and she’d never see him again.

The minibus was going to leave from the end of Glebe Point Road. Daisy drove Nelis there and decanted her daughter from her eco-warrior car. “Got your phone?”

“Yes, Mum.” It was brand new. She was still learning how to use it. She was half-ashamed of having one because she’d pretended indifference during the Snow years.

“Okay. Give me a call if you need picking up.”

“I’ll be right.”

“If you decide to make a night of it at a café or a girlfriend’s place, just give me a call.”

“Yes, Mum.”

Not a chance, unless…

Daisy took a deep breath. “Okay. Have fun.”

“I will.”

Nelis watched her mother drive away. Then she walked over to the minibus, which was decorated with tinsel and fake holly.

She’d been right. The odd, the undatable and unpopular were all present. So were Alyssa Curry and Ryan Besnik, who were none of these things.

Ryan had his driver’s licence and a car, so what was he doing on the Misfits’ Bus?

The question went out of her mind, for Xavier Partridge was perched in a rear seat and looking about with pleased expectation.

He’s like a bloody tourist watching animals in their natural habitat.

She wanted to sit with him. Instead, she sat down three seats in front of him, next to Alyssa Curry. That was foolish, but the bus was almost full.

“Piss off, Pear Tree, Ryan’s sitting here.”

What happened to the plan for him to drive you?

Nelis got up. Miffy’s cousin Melanie Smith settled behind Alyssa. The only other spare seat was next to Xavier Partridge.


​

Picture
Picture
Picture
Lark Westerly lives in the island state of Tasmania, a place of wind and rivers, wild places and hidden delights. She enjoys walking over the hills, gardening, collecting china dogs, listening to music and wallowing decadently in a hot bath. Lark has been married for some years, and has two grown children. She writes under a variety of names, and lives in many worlds- most of which don’t bear much resemblance to the 21st Century.


Website * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

​


Picture

**HOT HOLIDAY SAVINGS!!***
30% off all backlist books at eXtasyBooks and Devine Destinies!!
​

​

Picture
Follow the 12 Days of Christmas Blitz HERE for bonus content and a giveaway!


Day 1- The Pear Tree by Lark Westerly 

​

Picture
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Picture
13 Comments
Bea LaRocca
12/6/2019 05:16:02 am

An awesome excerpt. This sounds like a must read for me. Thank you for sharing your book and author details

Reply
Sassy Brit @ Alternative-Read.com link
12/6/2019 06:17:52 am

Sounds like a fantastic read! Looking forward to this whole tour!

Reply
Ashley Martinez
12/6/2019 08:55:42 am

Sounds good! Love the cover

Reply
Shirley Ann Speakman
12/6/2019 09:00:54 am

I great excerpt the book look really good and I enjoy Christmas stories so these are going on my wish list.

Reply
Calvin
12/6/2019 03:25:07 pm

Short and sweet, very nice.

Reply
Deborah D
12/6/2019 04:59:40 pm

I love the covers.

Reply
wendy hutton
12/6/2019 05:13:10 pm

amazing covers, thanks

Reply
Angela Saver
12/7/2019 02:15:48 am

I’m loving all the covers!

Reply
Donna L Holder
12/7/2019 09:25:29 am

these books are awesome. love all the covers.

Reply
Sherry
12/7/2019 04:30:50 pm

I think the books sound very good.

Reply
Carmen Guthrie
12/8/2019 08:49:38 am

Sounds like a good read. Sexy cover.

Reply
Leela
12/9/2019 06:00:27 pm

It looks like a good read.

Reply
Corey Hutton
12/10/2019 10:47:01 pm

Good luck with the book and Thanks for the giveaway.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Activity Book
    Adventure
    African American
    Alt History
    Anthology
    Apocalyptic
    Audiobook
    Australian
    Bdsm
    Billionaire Romance
    Biography
    Chick Lit
    Childrens
    Christian
    Coloring Book
    Comedy
    Coming Of Age
    Contemporary Fiction
    Contemporaryromance
    Contemporary Romance
    Cookbook
    Cozymystery
    Cozy Mystery
    Crime
    Cyberpunk
    Dark
    Dark Romance
    Drama
    Dystopian
    Educational
    Eroticromance
    Erotic Romance
    Fairytale
    Fantasy
    Financial
    Giveaway-hop
    Gothic
    Health-and-wellness
    Historical
    Historicalromance
    Historical-romance
    Holiday
    Horror
    Humorous
    Inspirational
    Legal-thriller
    Lgbtq
    Literaryfiction
    Mafiaromance
    Mafia-romance
    Magicrealism
    Magic-realism
    Mcromance
    Mc-romance
    Memoir
    Menage
    Middlegrade
    Middle-grade
    Military
    Mystery
    Newadult
    New Adult
    Nonfiction
    Paranormal
    Paranormalromance
    Paranormal-romance
    Parenting
    Pets
    Poetry
    Postapocalyptic
    Pulp-fiction
    Reverseharemromance
    Reverse-harem-romance
    Rockstarromance
    Rockstar-romance
    Romance
    Romanticcomedy
    Romantic-comedy
    Romanticsuspense
    Romantic-suspense
    Satirical
    Sciencefiction
    Science Fiction
    Scifi
    Scifiromance
    Scifi-romance
    Selfhelp
    Shortstories
    Short-stories
    Speculativefiction
    Speculative Fiction
    Sportsromance
    Steampunk
    Supernatural
    Suspense
    Sweetromance
    Thriller
    Timetravel
    Time-travel
    Urban
    Urbanfantasy
    Urban Fantasy
    Western
    Womensfiction
    Womens Fiction
    Ya
    Youngadult
    Young-adult
    Youngadultya
    Young Adult Ya

    Picture

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016

© 2021 Silver Dagger Book Tours