10 Novels That Will Get You Through Your Thanksgiving Family Drama
No matter what your plans look like for Thanksgiving, you do not want to miss out on the reading opportunity that a long holiday provides. Whether you're traveling to see family or prepared to hunker down at home social distancing, here are 10 novels to read over Thanksgiving, for when you just want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the holiday.
Their Perfect Bride (Bridgewater Brides #6) by Lacey Davis
Two bold cowboys might be able to tame a wild mustang, but a bride? An unmarried woman in the Montana Territory is a dangerous thing to be, especially one with money to her name. Mattie Byrne finds herself fighting off the unwanted advances of her stepbrother, Frank, keen on having her and her inheritance. Fortunately, she's rescued by not one, but two, Bridgewater men. Alex and Jessie take one look at the feisty blonde? and they know she will be theirs, that they will cherish and protect her. With her mother ill, they vow to the dying woman to keep Mattie safe by putting a ring on her finger. To make her theirs. But marriage can't guard her completely. Can Mattie, Alex and Jessie overcome the past and create a future that satisfies them all? Will Mattie become the wife the two men have dreamed of possessing? Or will it all be destroyed by lurking evil?
Straightened Out by Janine Infante Bosco
I'm a mob boss with a tarnished name, leading a kingdom in the shadows of disgrace. She's a ballerina, the sister of my underboss, dancing her way through life. Until her, all I wanted was to be straightened out. But with power comes sacrifice. With respect comes fear. With love comes death. The rule of the streets is to take or be taken. Some legends are born, others are made. But not all survive.
Treats for Lucia (Holiday Daddy Doms, #3) by Raisa Greywood
Can a Daddy pick out just the right treat for a sad little girl’s Halloween? After losing her best friend, Lucia loses her way along with the security of a loving Mommy. Now, there’s no one to stop her from acting out in an attempt to ease her grief. Ryan is a Daddy on a mission to show Lucia everything she’s been missing. It might take a few tricks, but he’s determined to bring joy back into her life.
Their Harlot Bride (Bridgewater Brides #7) by Golden Angel
As successful Bridgewater men, Clive North and William West are only missing one thing: the love of a good woman they will share. Despite Clive's skepticism, William places an ad for a mail order bride. Though neither man has high hopes when the ad is answered, both are stunned at the arrival of the most beautiful woman they've ever seen. Desperate and on the run, Sassy McCloud travels as far from her old life as possible. Escaping the vengeful Lord Carmichael takes her across an ocean and all the way to the Montana Territory to be a bride, sight unseen. She finds passion she never knew possible with not one husband, but two. Love may not be enough. Can two brawny cowboys protect her from her past and all of the secrets that followed her?
Burning Daylight (Devil's Cartel MC #2) by Skyla Madi
How do you save your son from the vile grips of a bad man? You find one that's more evil. The fight against my ex-husband cost me everything – my job, my house, and the only family I had left. With him, I experienced the worst of life, so chasing the Devil’s Cartel’s President down a darkened highway in the middle of the night didn’t seem so scary. On the surface, Damon Judge was cold, calculative, and cruel. But underneath his tough exterior, his leathers, and his ink, he was charming and passionate. He was a father who’d already faced my greatest fear...and lost. I knew better than to exchange one evil for another, but Judge was my last resort. I needed him to save me from suffering the same fate he did. And I wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.
Reforming Kent (The Kennedy Boys #10) by Siobhan Davis
An angsty, emotional new adult romance from USA Today bestseller Siobhan Davis. Stand-alone with an HEA and no cliffhanger. Kent. Rogue. Troublemaker. Bad Boy. Delinquent. Everyone thinks they know who I am, but they know nothing. And that's how I prefer it. Keeping my demons under lock and key is my only survival tactic. Until a gorgeous feisty bartender enters my life, turning it upside down. Presley captivates me in a way no woman ever has, and I can't get her out of my mind. She's determined to resist me, but I'm equally stubborn and more than up for the challenge. Winning her trust, and her heart, becomes everything because she shows me a future worth fighting for. But the consequences of my tortured past are far-reaching, and if I don't let her go, I'll only drag Presley down this dark hole with me.
Wallflower Seeks Mountain Man by Marley Michaels
Serena Black has never liked being the center of attention. She’s always been the girl swaying to the music at the side of the room, happy to watch everyone else. Having put her life on hold and moved back home to look after her father, she’s happy to read her beloved mountain man books and work at their family store. The less peopling involved, the better. When her dad drags her along for a delivery, the moment she steps onto Bear Mountain and locks eyes with Brady Long, she knows her life will never be the same. Brady has dedicated his life to creating a self-sustaining homestead on his family’s land as one of the founding brothers. Now that the mountain’s prophecy has been fulfilled, he’s waiting for his one true love to be called to the mountain and reveal themselves. And the moment he sees Serena Black, he knows he’s found her. All they have to do now is overcome all the obstacles keeping them apart, so they can finally make their bright future a reality.
Fractured Crystal by Margaret Manchester
Northern England, 1895. Josie Milburn meets Elliott Dawson, a man who shares her interest in collecting crystals. Defying an age-old superstition, Elliott takes Josie into a lead mine, an action which sets off a sequence of dramatic events, beginning with a miner’s death that same day. Elliott and Josie face a series of trials involving tragic loss and the unveiling of family secrets, which change their lives and fortunes in ways that they could never have imagined. Will these traumatic circumstances bind them together or break them apart? A clean historical romance.
One Snowy Week in Springhollow by Lucy Knott
Tomboy Scarlett thought Devon would be her best friend forever. He was the only person in Springhollow who supported her ambitious artist dreams. But then one winter, Devon and his parents disappear without warning to start a new life in NYC and a devastated Scarlett is left alone to face her high-school bullies and overbearing mother. Fast-forward ten years: Scarlett is playing it safe in her childhood village with a dull PA job and a wardrobe that passes her mother's old-fashioned standards. Meanwhile, Devon is a Hollywood heartthrob, starring in the latest superhero blockbuster. And he's finally coming home for Christmas...
The Girl Who Never Came Home by Nicole Trope
They find her just as the sun is beginning to rise in the early morning mist. They had begun at dawn, the group of searchers keen to get going. A missing child spurred everyone on. In the end, it was a flash of colour, a bright neon pink that caught her eye. They had been looking for pink. Nothing tests your faith like being a mother. The first time your children walk to school alone, their first sleepover, when they finally fly the nest. As a parent, you have to believe that everything will be OK. It’s why, when Lydia’s sixteen-year-old daughter Zoe goes on a school camping trip, she has no idea of the horrors that will unfold. It’s why, when Lydia gets a call saying that her daughter has disappeared, she refuses to give up.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
1-pound Brussels sprouts
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon Parmesan seasoning, optional
1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus 2 teaspoons zest
1 tablespoon grated, or 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
parsley leaves, for garnish
pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the Brussels sprouts in half, toss with drizzles of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper, and spread on the baking sheet. Roast 30 to 40 minutes or until tender and golden brown around the edges. If desired, toss the roasted Brussels sprouts with the lemon juice, zest, Parmesan, and thyme leaves. Garnish with parsley and red pepper flakes.