Bitchin' Blog Posts
Hanukkah Chanukkah Chanukah Hanukah Romances
by SB Sarah | December 14, 2011 | Wednesday at 12:28 pm | 20 Comments
There are, I believe, at least 30 ways to spell "hanukkah," which is an English transliteration of a Hebrew word, so there's lots of room for creativity. Like JR Ward, we are very free with the extra Hs, too. Thus it can be hard to find Hanukkah-themed romances because you might not be sure how the person listing the book spelled Chanukkah.
I've received a few email messages asking about Hanukkah themed romances - and have a small list of some Harlequin categories from way back when.
Sweet Light by Judith Arnold (OOP - BN | AMZ). Check out the description:
They went down on an icy mountain. It was a miracle they survived.
For Alana Halpern, flying Judd Singer was supposed to be a quick favor, and then home for Hanukkah. But when her plane went down in New Hampshire, it became a journey of survival.
Was it all an illusion--the makeshift cabin, the woodpile, the oil lamp that never burned out? When Judd laid his ice-blue eyes on her, passion flared, and Alana knew this was real.
She never expected to spend Hanukkah snowbound with a man she barely knew, a man who could ignite her with just a gaze. But as the wind howled outside, inside they created a heat all their own.
The fight for survival became a flight from desire. And Alana hoped for one more miracle--to resist a forbidden attraction.
OMG. Snowbound WITH a MENORAH?
Burning Bright, an anthology with stories about solstice, Christmas, and Hanukkah. The Hanukkah story is "One for Each Night" by Judith Arnold, and it's available for pre-order for the Kindle for $1.49 at Amazon right now.
The plot description:
Alana Ross needs a candle, too, one to fit her late grandmother's antique menorah. Not just any candle will do. For Alana's first Hanukkah open house in Crescent Cove, everything has to be perfect.
Maybe that'll make her feel more at home in her new town. It can't hurt. So far she's managed to alienate Jeffrey Barrett, the only man to show any interest in her, by accusing his uncle—in print—of a crime.
Season of Light, by Lorna Michaels ( OOP - AMZ | BN ). I think there's a mistake in this description, but I can't find a better one. I don't think the heroine's name is "dill" though.
Back home in Cincinnati for the holidays, dill Levin was tormented by thoughts of the baby she'd given up years before, and still angry with her family for their lack of support.
So when charming Ben Abrams showed an interest in her, she was determined to keep it light, She didn't have the emotional energy for a new relationship,
But Ben wasn't easily put off, He had only the eight days of Chanukah to win dill's trust and her love, but he was confident, After all, the holiday season was a time for healing, reconciliation and miracles ....
(I read this, I think. But I read it so long ago, I'm not sure I remember everything. I do know that I liked it, and I was totally charmed that there was a romance set against Hanukkah, but if I recall correctly, there is some infodump about the Jewish holidays in the form of some "As you know, Bob" dialogue in there, too.)
A Candle for Nick, by Lorna Michaels ( HQN | AMZ | BN ).
Mallory Brenner's life was in a tailspin. Her son, Nick, had been diagnosed with a fatal disease and his best hope of survival was Dr. Kent Berger, the one man Mallory never expected—or wanted—to see again.
For more than ten years Mallory had kept Nick's paternity a secret and now, to save her son, Mallory would continue to keep it. Still, the more time Kent and Nick spent together, the harder Nick fell for his newfound hero… and the more Mallory realized how much she'd missed him.
Kent deserved to know the truth, but while her son's life hung in the balance, could she risk telling him?
Could she risk not telling him?
(SECRET BABY HANUKKAH STORY? Oh, I may swoon!)
Who Needs June in December, Anyway? by Stevi Mittman, part of the Holiday Wishes anthology (AMZ | BN). Check out this description!
Teddi Bayer could use some holiday magic this year, especially since Grandma June is making everything worse. If only there was a magical menorah Teddi could rub, and pouf!
But rubbing it while humming "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" seems to be having unexpected consequences. Hum. You have to wonder...
(Whoa.)
Newly Fallen, by Megan Hart (HQN | AMZ | BN)
Faced with spending her first Hanukkah alone, Lilly Gold wishes for a miracle that would change her life just a little bit. Then her prayers are answered--in a big way--when the most perfect naked man appears in her yard during a blizzard.
Zachariah tells Lilly he's been sent to be--and do--anything she wants.
And for eight passionate days, trapped together by the snow, he does just that, giving Lilly all the pleasure she could have hoped for. But when their holiday is over, only another miracle can keep their affair from ending, too...
(And again I say, snowbound with Hanukkah? Clearly I am celebrating this holiday ALL WRONG. Good thing there's still time to plan alternate arrangements, and order some fake snow.)
Second Chance Chanukah, by Fay Alter which is a new self-published novella. (AMZ | BN)
Jess Coen always thought she'd marry her childhood sweetheart, Danny Adler. Until he married someone else.
Now a widower with a son, Danny is back in town just in time for Chanukah.
Will these two have a second chance at love or will past hurts and new emotional wounds keep them apart forever in this holiday-themed, contemporary romance novella.
Got any more suggestions of ChHannukkah romances? Let's hear them!
ETA: Forgot something! A big huge thank you to Jayne at Harlequin for helping with the list!!
