Dylan Maxwell is a busy man. His no-nonsense approach to life and business keeps him balanced—and alone. His life is bland—devoid of any kind of sweetness or light.An unexpected business trip close to Christmas, however, brings three people into his life he never expected.An oversharing teenager.A lisping little angel.A sexy, unassuming woman unlike any he has ever met. Her bossy attitude … woman unlike any he has ever met. Her bossy attitude challenges him, while her green eyes melt the frost around his heart.
They draw out something in him that he has never experienced.
Feelings.
Are they the Christmas miracles he needs—or will he walk away from the sweetest gift he has ever been offered?
Love.
Book 2 in the Insta-Spark Series – Complete standalone reads with one thing in common – lots of sweetness and a guaranteed HEA. Instant attraction, little angst – love and happiness abounds in this series.
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Dylan is a businessman. He is highly successful and has had no room in his life for love. But this holiday season his life will get a nudge in the direction he is not expecting.
Dylan is Mr. Snooty. He expects to be waited on hand and foot. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word no. He is a class a ath-hole. As he soon will learn. When business brings him to the Sleepy Moose Inn, his world will be turned upside down.
Alex is a single mother of two. She works hard to take care of her daughter and her best friends son. Both lost a parent…Both need her. Her world is slowly crumbling as her father-n-law has put the only home they know, The Sleepy Moose Inn up for sale. In a wheelchair and no longer able to take on the responsibility of the Inn, he is behind on payments, mortgaged to the hilt and has no other choice. Once the sale goes through Alex and her children would be homeless. But that is not what is important right now. Right now she needs to make nice with the snooty ath-hole who is trying to buy the place.
Dylan is in for a surprise when he meets Alex and her children. Suddenly this trip turns into more. He begins to really appreciate the little things in life. Things begin to have earning, but as feelings grow he may wind up hurting everyone in the process. Especially his little owl. Can Dylan figure out how to open up to love? Or will he blow it with his cold attitude?
Oh my god! This holiday romance is perfect for the upcoming Christmas season. But be warned, it will tear out your heart and shove it back into your chest. I got to tell you I cried my eyes out. This should be a Hallmark Movie special. It is that good. This book not only has wonderful and sweet characters, it has lots of fun and an amazingly sweet and beautiful story. I fell completely ad utterly in love with them. Especially little owl. She is a bright light in a dark sky.
If you are looking for that feel good holiday romance, then this book is for you. It will pull at your heartstrings and leave you feeling light and loved. An amazing book with loving and wonderful characters. You are sure to fall in love. This should be your top holiday read of the season. You will not regret it.
*ARC provided by Melanie Moreland
One cannot go wrong with a story by Melanie Moreland. All Dylan needs is a sprinkling of sugar and the love of Alex, Seth and his Little Owl. It took him a bit to figure it out, but once he did he went all the way to get his happiness and love.
5 star review of Christmas Sugar (Insta-Spark #2)
If you love the holiday season like I do, then this is a MUST read.
What’s not to love? It’s the most magical time of the year and also happens to be my most favourite holiday. I love any story that is centred around Christmas; it’s a time for family and friends to get together and celebrate life.
I thoroughly enjoy Melanie Moreland’s style of writing and was enthralled from the first to the last chapter of Christmas Sugar. This is one of my most favourite holiday reads EVER; Melanie Moreland delivers in every way. Her characters are so diverse and yet so easy to love.
Dylan Maxwell is a no nonsense man who is totally focused on his company to the detriment of anything and anyone else. The last thing he wants or needs in his life is complications and yet that is what he gets; he doesn’t care if it is Christmas, in fact he is a bit of a Grinch.
Alex Walsh runs the Sleepy Moose Inn (I totally love the name) and the very last thing she needs is Dylan coming in and upsetting the status quo. She is feisty and fiercely protective of those she loves as well as the Inn.
Dylan has decided to turn Sleepy Moose Inn into a destination resort, however he doesn’t count of Alex, her cute daughter Noelle or her ward Seth. Meeting them will change his life forever in ways he never imagined possible. Noelle in fact nearly stole the book away from Dylan and Alex and I really loved how funny Seth was and how he protected Alex.
Christmas Sugar was full of so many feel good moments that my face ached from smiling so much; the love of family is so strong and heart-warming and the banter between them made me smile.
Can Alex, Noelle and Seth help show Dylan the meaning of Christmas and open this eyes to what he can have or will Dylan be blind to what could be?
One click and find out..
I fell in love with Christmas Sugar!
It is a sweet romance story that will drawn you right in and keep you engaged all the way to the end. I loved the story and the characters (well it took a bit of time to warm up to Dylan).
All it takes is a sweet young girl, a semi-helpful teenager and a sassy woman to bring Dylan to his knees and show him how to love and how being part of a family will bring him the happiness he has never had the opportunity to experienced!
Dylan was a self made man, millionaire, workaholic. Christmas was nothing more than another day to work. He goes to Sleepy Moose Inn to close a deal that has been a long time in the making. Nova Scotia should be a two of three day deal – tops.
What Dylan didn’t plan on was feisty innkeeper Alex, her adorable lispy daughter, her teenage ward, a snowstorm, shuga cookies, and most unexpected of all, love! Throw in his long time assistant, Arlene, who has been his surrogate mother and George, the owner of the property, and you have some fairy godparents just out doing their jobs.
This is ranked up there with Melanie’s best! She really knows how to weave a tale and this standalone Christmas story will have your heart and other parts toasty warm, maybe even steamy! Your heart will melt with Little Owl’s pronunciation, and grin as Dylan’s Grinch heart grows. He even gets chest pain! I would give it far more than 5 stars if I could! The HEA and epilogue with make you chuckle like Santa.
A very sweet Christmas story. Kids, romance, angst, snow, Christmas etc. It’s all there. A spunky, smarty pants inn keeper with a teeneager and a four year old meet a rich snob. Perfect meet cute. Great laughs follow as the the rich snob constantly puts his foot in his mouth.
As usual Melanie Moreland gives us a great story, great characters and a happy ending! Go get it now.
To say this book was an unexpected surprise is an understatement. I had no clue that Melanie Moreland was hiding this little gem in her arsenal! I’m not normally a fan of Christmas themed romances, however this story has made me rethink my whole holiday reading material, it was just adorable. No cheesy here. A wonderful romance, and a favourite genre of mine. Grumpy CEO, Dylan, meets sweet adorable, struggling single mum, Alex, and together they form a hate/love relationship, just for the holiday of course. Wonderful writing, fantastic characters, a few of which stole the show (I can’t really name just one – oh what the heck, Noelle, I loved her, she was just the best). A wonderfully addictive and easy to read holiday romance. I loved it. I received an advanced copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review.
If you love Christmas and Christmas Romances you won’t want to miss reading Christmas Sugar it deserves all of the five Stars I’m giving it and more.
Dylan Maxwell lives and breathes for Maxwell Corp after all he worked hard to build this multi million dollar company and when he wants something he gets it, his latest venture involves the Sleepy Moose Inn and that’s where Alex Walsh comes in.
Alex Walsh takes care of everything at the Sleepy Moose Inn she keeps it clean, she checks guests in and the last thing she needs is a corporate mogul yelling at her so it’s no surprise that the welcome she gives to Dylan is decidedly frosty. Alex just wants a peaceful fun Christmas running the Inn and looking after her a family which consists of a typical teenager and adorable little 4 year old angel.
Melanie Moreland has once again given us her readers exactly what we want and expect from her Christmas Sugar has characters you can’t help falling for after all what’s not to love about a grumpy swoon worthy hero learning life is not all about work and a sassy heroine who takes no nonsense and once you add in the funny teenager trying to protect his mum and the adorable little angel who has some classic one liners you get a perfect holiday read. The attraction may have been instant between Dylan and Alex but the getting to know each other took some time. This book has all the feels you want around the holiday season it’s fun it’s romantic and it will leave you smiling like a Cheshire Cat.
Melanie Moreland shows what a talented diverse author she is with this wonderful Christmas story.
This is a MUST READ FOR 2018 !!!!!
This book gave all the feels to the real meaning of Christmas. Dylan Maxwell has always put work before anything else. So when he needs to travel to a winter resort that he wants to pull apart and make into a thriving high scale destination, he never figured his life would change forever. Between Alex, the woman who runs the inn and a angsty teenager Seth and an adorable little girl Noelle, Dylan finally sees what he is missing, but will it be enough to make him change his ways? With beautifully written characters that the reader instantly falls in love with, once again Melanie Moreland creates a masterpiece. This is one holiday novel that you do not want to miss and will read again and again every holiday season.
What a great holiday read right before Christmas. This book will surely get you in the spirit of the holiday season, there is the instant attraction and connection between Dylan and the female lead, as well as her adorable 4 year old daughter, and her teenage son who brings a bit of levity to the story. And just like the series is called Insta-Spark, there is a quick connection that will leave you smiling and enjoying every bit of this HEA read. Can’t wait for more in this series!
I wish I could give this 10+ Christmas stars! I love Melanie’s writing and she never ceases to surprise me with each new release. I can honestly say this is my favorite Christmas story of all time — it hit every single “feel” and emotion and gave me a book hangover because I finished it way too quick. A sweet, adorable little angel, a funny teenager, a sexy workaholic and the charming woman who holds it altogether–pure perfection! I laughed, I cried, I smiled — if you want to read an excellent Christmas story that just makes you feel good, this is it! And the book cover is beautiful! Absolutely loved everything about this read!
Dylan Maxwell is a bit of a diva who uses one mode of communicating — yelling. In his defense, he’s worked hard to make his multi-million dollar company a success, and he lives, eats and breathes Maxwell Corp. Alex Walsh takes care of everything and everyone at the Sleepy Moose Inn. It’s been her home all of her adult life, but business is down and bills have piled up, so the only choice now is to sell the inn. Her head has accepted this, her heart not so much, so it’s no surprise that Alex gives prospective buyer Dylan a frosty welcome when he arrives at the inn.
Ms. Moreland has done it again, because the early copy I read of this book was fantastic! What is better than a workaholic, grumpy alpha having his world turned upside down and finding everything he never knew he needed? In spite of his prickly outer shell, Alex manages to see beyond Dylan’s façade to his vulnerable heart that longs for love. With a wonderful cast of secondary characters, an engaging storyline and the most adorable, endearing four-year-old ever to grace the pages of romance, this is a humorous, heart warming, poignant holiday story that is sure to please your romantic heart.
LOVED… LOVED this book! I loved reading the man’s point of view just as much as the ladies view! Ms Moreland does not disappoint this Christmas! Lovely story… loved all the characters! Need more of Dylan and Alex!
Best Christmas story I’ve read this year.
‘Tis the season to be jolly!
Or in this case sexy, surly but with a hint of charming.
All Dylan Maxwell wanted for christmas this year was to complete the deal he’d working on for a new upscale holiday destination. He has big plans for the piece of land he’s after. But a stumbling block comes in the form a request to visit the owner on site.
That’s not how Dylan normally works but for this, he’ll cancel everything.
He didn’t know that he was about to meet a beautiful young single mom, a sweet as cotton candy kid and a teen with a world of worry on his young shoulders.
Alex just wanted to have a pleasant Christmas and not worry about the upcoming New Year. She knew things were going to change but she had enough to deal with at the moment caring for her family while being manager of a small hotel. Neither of these two expected to meet the person who would change their life forever. Certainly not days before Christmas.
Will the tidings all be good? Or will this unexpected gift belong on the naughty pile?
Find out when you devour this super sweet, sexy little novella and let it heat up your day.
If you want one of the best ‘feel good’ stories of this year, certainly of the Christmas selection for 2018, then this has to be top of the list. Don’t wait for Santa to put it on his for you, grab it now. You know you want too.
Melanie Moreland’s Christmas Sugar (Insta-Spark, #2) is this season’s must-have gift for romance lovers. It’s smart, sexy and funny—basically everything I’ve come to love about Ms. Moreland.
If you’re looking for the PERFECT holiday read, you’ll find in with Dylan, Alex and their quirky, adorable crew!
Oh my how I loved this couple and everyone that surrounded them.
Dylan is a suave, sexy brilliant business man. He has set his eyes on the beautiful inn that has so much potential . He knows that he can take this little diamond in the ruff and make it a hit! Little does he know that this little place not only has charm but a group of people that will melt this business man’s heart.
Alex is working hard to keep her father in laws inn alive. She has lost so much in her life that she needs to do this for herself and her family. She has not had it easy but she is trying. She is a young widow , a single mom, sassy and smart. When Dylan drops in with his gruff, stoic , stiff business persona she may be aggravated but she also oh so intrigued . They have a instant attraction that cannot be denied but they come from different worlds . Is it possible that when these two worlds collide you can have a happy ending!!??
Loved it !!
~~Michele McMullen~~
3.5 stars.
Well, this was sweet.
We have Dylan and Alex, he comes into town to buy a new property and she runs the Inn that comes with that property. Well, she doesn’t think much of him at first, lol.
Anyway, after he meets her kids, he slowly starts to fall for Alex, her family and even the place. He’s only been thinking about an investment, but now he can see what the place is all about.
Like it says in the series, this is insta-love, which I’m usually not a fan of, but this one was a lovely short story about two people who really needed each other in their lives.
I loved the side characters as well, there were some fun and swoon-y moments as well, and all around a sweet read.
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy for which I’m giving my honest opinion*
Swoonie-swoon… It’s almost that time of the year again… Christmas! And what is a Christmas without sweet and funny romantic short stories. Sweet and romantic because that’s what we love, short because we don’t have much time to read with all the Christmas Chaos (family, presents, dinners, and all the mayhem that goes with it). Christmas Sugar is just how I love my Christmas novellas; it’s adorable with a swoon-worthy couple.
“I like it better when you’re smiling. Especially at me. You have a beautiful smile.” Her eyes widened, her breathing picked up. “Dylan, you can’t… You shouldn’t…”
Dylan and Alex are both hard-working people, but that’s where the similarity stops. He is a business tycoon always looking for the next deal or take-over, she runs a small, family hotel. Dylan has a structured life, without personal attachments (besides his mother-like PA), Alex’s life is filled with taking care of her kids and friends. Dylan and Alex have a complete opposite view of life and love, but when they meet, they can’t deny the spark between them.
“What had I done? One moment, we were arguing and the next… Kissing! I ran a hand through my hair. What the hell was I thinking, kissing a total stranger? Except—she didn’t feel like a stranger.”
Alex and Dylan are both very likeable people. Dylan seems like the cold business man, but you sense he wants something different, something more. And in Alex, he just finds that. That little bit of extra, that makes you really look at a person and makes you dream of the future. Alex may doesn’t have much, but she has the love of her kids. She’s a small-town girl through and through who doesn’t want to live in the big city. Alex and Dylan are a swoon-worthy couple, and you know from the get-go they’ll end up together.
Christmas Sugar might be a short novella, but it feels as a full-length book. Dylan and Alex are real like people with previous lives who fall for each other. Given the length of the book the story is just about our couple, without extra storylines or extra drama-for-the-sake-of-drama. Just two grown-up people who want to build a life together after having fallen deeply in love with each other. Is it all realistic? Uh, not really… But that’s not what this is story is about. It’s about love, family and Christmas. And for that Christmas Sugar is perfect; it’s cute and swoon worthy.
“I captured her mouth with mine, kissing her deeply. I could taste her sweetness. Feel her love. She was the very best kind of sugar.”
4.5 stars
OH this is more than a sugar rush, this is a sugar coma. Dylan is a snarky businessman that gets what he wants. Now his very observant assistant he is flying to the East Coast to look at property that will change his life forever. Alex is doing what is best for her family, now she has the burly man at the inn giving her feelings she hasn’t felt in years.
This is a very magical Christmas story that makes you want to snuggle up to a fire and eat sugar cookies. See more on release day.
Here is my review from my YouTube Channel.
https://youtu.be/mklQkHsHJIg
Melanie Moreland has treated us with this beautiful book.
She sure can write a grouchy character like nobody else!
Dylan is a busy businessman who has no time for love and actually has never been loved.
He is going to seal a great resort business in Nova Scotia and needs to meet with the owner of the property in person. He is interested in buying the bed and breakfast and tear it apart to build his resort. Needless to say that all his plans fall apart after he meets the innkeeper Alexis and her children. This is a sweet, sexy and very loving story about sugar, love and caring for others. Sugar is important and you will see why in the book, no spoilers here.
I just loved this book!