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The Naughty List
by L.A. Kelley
Paperback: 370 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (Black
Rose) (October 25, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1628300248
ISBN-13: 978-1628300246
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Synopsis
Not
your mama’s yuletide tale unless she drank too much egg nog or was born with a
cheeky sense of humor.
Murder,
mystical artifacts, an invisible demon with anger management issues, and an
overbearing cupid—not what Rosalie Thatcher wished for on her Christmas list.
The
holidays had always been a magical time for Rosalie, but not this year.
Stephanie, her new manager at Penrose’s Department Store, is determined to make
this season the most profitable in the store’s history, even if it sucks the
life out of every employee. Introducing arbitrary rules and stealing the
affections of Anthony, the cute temp Santa, were bad enough, but forcing
Rosalie into the stupid elf hat was the worst. The worst, that is, until she
meets a real E.L.F. (Elemental Life Form) named David and gets lassoed into a
desperate hunt for the stolen Naughty and Nice List. Rosalie and David must
dodge a murderous invisible demon and recover the missing artifact before
hellhounds track them down. The couple race against time for without the
magical guidance of the Naughty and Nice List, the world will tumble toward
eternal chaos.
When the Naughty or Nice book is stolen, it is
up to David, an E.L.F. (Elemental Life Form) to find it and the thief before chaos
begins in the world. When he discovers
that it has been hidden in Primrose’s Department Store that is where the real
fun and excitement begins.
Primrose’s is the type of department store that
you would expect to find in a small town.
It has been established forever and the employees’ generally love to
work there and the customers always seem to get in a good mood upon
entering. But, that all changes when the
Naughty List is stolen. Attitudes change
for the worse and Primrose’s becomes the place you just don’t want to be near. Bah Humbug!
Will David be able to find the Naughty List before it’s too late? Well,
you will have to read the book to find out!
In between the mystery and mayhem, this is also
a love story. David and Rosalie are the
cutest couple! But since David is an
E.L.F. and Rosalie is human, the Integral Council sends a cupid to ensure that
all guidelines are met. This was by far
my favorite part of the story and Natalie, the cupid, my favorite character.
The Naughty List was so much fun to read! It is the perfect story to get you in the
holiday spirit. With a great cast of
lovable, quirky characters, made this book absolutely impossible to put down!
Ms. Kelley has taken a traditional Santa story and put an entirely different
twist to the jolly old man – and I liked it!
The romance is sweet, and the action is abundant throughout. If you are looking to get in the holiday spirit,
or just need to read an uplifting, feel-good story, then I would highly
recommend The Naughty List!
4 stars
Excerpt
David had enough time
left to make one quick circuit of the first floor before staff trickled in. He
worked from the front of Penrose’s to the back corner, ending up at Customer
Service. For an instant, his spirits rose. A large box stashed underneath the
counter wasn’t there the last time he checked. He ripped off the top, pawing
through the contents. Fingering the garish green material, David didn’t know
whether to laugh or cry. The oversize ears stuck out like a genetic experiment
gone horribly wrong. The lining felt like steel wool. Had the holiday spirit
been reduced to this?
A wave of despair
enveloped him. “I’m so sorry, Rosalie.”
On impulse, David reached
into his pocket. He pulled out a gold-wrapped chocolate bar saved for later,
swiped from a stash hidden in the store manager’s office. David scribbled on a
sticky pad and pressed the note to the wrapper. He slipped the candy under the
counter just before a sudden murmur of voices broke the silence. The staff had
arrived. He ducked behind a rack of clothing in the back as a girl walked up to
the counter, an elf hat tucked under her arm.
“Ears, Rosalie.”
She halted in mid-stride.
A sharply dressed twentysomething in a skin tight pencil skirt swooped down on
her. To get a better view, David carefully eased back the clothes hanging in
front of his face. He saw Rosalie’s fingers clenched around the hat. He
chuckled to himself. She’s pissed, but hides her aggravation well.Sadhri
would definitely approve of her self-control.
“Stephanie,” Rosalie
stated calmly, “the hats are extremely uncomfortable. Everyone hates them.”
“Nonsense, they’re fine.”
“If you simply try one on
you’ll see—”
“I don’t have to. I know they’re
fine. The hats put people in the holiday spirit and cheerful people spend more
money.” Stephanie examined her perfect French manicure. “So close to Christmas
is an awful time to be out of work.” Rosalie jammed the hat on her head without
another word. “Excellent,” cooed Stephanie. “Keep that attitude up and your
name will stop
appearing on the
Motivation Memo.” Without another word, she flounced off.
David knew he should
dash-away. Every moment in the open was risky, but he couldn’t take his eyes off
Rosalie in the idiotic hat. What would she do?
The young woman leaned
against the counter glaring after Stephanie. She bobbled her head back and
forth and spouted in a falsetto sing-song:
“I’m a special elf from
Penrose’s
I wear the special hat
You are not a special elf
You’re a dirty rat
You don’t belong at
Penrose’s
You don’t know how to
play
Wiggle your tight ass out
of here
Damn you, go away.”
David snorted. Rosalie
stiffened and turned around.
“Who’s there?” she called
nervously.
Purchase
Links
Amazon * Barnes
& Noble
About
the Author
L.
A. Kelley is married with three children and lives in Florida where the heat
and humidity have driven everyone slightly mad. She writers fantasies with adventure,
romance, humor, and a touch of sass. She never cleans under her sofa. In her
spare time she reports Big Foot sightings to the Florida Department of Fish and
Wildlife. They are heartily sick of hearing from her.
Author Links
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