When a struggling single mom and her adorable toddler get snowed in with a grumpy wolf shifter, Christmas magic starts working overtime.
Fur Fangs & Mistletoe
Christmas Cove Book 1
by Jessica Coulter Smith
Genre: Paranormal Holiday Romance
Escape to Christmas Cove, a cozy small town where magic, shifters, and holiday romance collide.
After a painful breakup, Riley is ready for a fresh start in Christmas Cove. All she wants is a peaceful life for herself and her two-year-old daughter, Sabrina. Love isn’t on her holiday wish list. When she’s stuck in a blizzard, help arrives in the form of Alex Conors — a protective, brooding werewolf.
Snowed in with a grumpy shifter and a crackling fire, Riley begins to see the gentle heart behind Alex’s fierce exterior… and Alex finds himself falling for the brave single mom who awakens something he thought he lost long ago.
Hot cocoa and toddler giggles turn strangers into something more. But when Riley’s past resurfaces and threatens the safety she’s found, Alex will have to prove that loyalty, love — and pack — are forever.
A warm, emotional holiday romance filled with shifter charm, second chances, and the magic of Christmas. Ideal for fans of protective alphas, found family, and heartfelt happily-ever-afters.
🏠 Small-town charm & found family
🐺 Grumpy wolf + sunshine single mom
👩👧 Adorable toddler moments
🎁 Snowed-in & forced proximity
💕 Fated mates and holiday magic
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The sedan’s engine rattled — a sound Riley had learned to distinguish from its other mechanical complaints over the past three states. This particular rattle meant she’d make it another fifty miles, maybe more if she kept her speed steady. Her knuckles had gone white on the steering wheel somewhere around the state line, and she couldn’t remember now how to relax them. The GPS showed their arrival in Christmas Cove, and Riley’s shoulders tensed further, an automatic response to any declaration of reaching a destination.
Dusk had settled over the town. Main Street stretched before her, lined with Victorian storefronts that belonged in a Thomas Kincade painting. White lights twisted around lampposts, and wreaths hung at precise intervals, each decorated with the same combination of pine cones and red ribbon. Fresh snow dusted the sidewalks in a way that seemed too perfect, too deliberate. Riley checked her rearview mirror again — the same compulsive glance she’d made every thirty seconds for the past six hours. Empty road. No one following. No one cared where she went.
She drove slowly past the Sugar Moon Café, noting its warm glow and the silhouettes of people inside. Past a bookstore with a display of holiday romances in the window. Past a hardware store already closed for the evening, its owner probably home with family, sitting down to dinner, living a normal life. The thought made something twist in Riley’s chest, but she pushed it down. Normal was a luxury she couldn’t afford to want.
The residential streets branched off from downtown. Riley followed the GPS directions, checking the crumpled paper in her cup holder against the street signs and the directions from the GPS. One too many times, it had taken her the wrong way. Oak Street. Maple Avenue. Someone had named these roads with an almost nauseating wholesomeness, as if determined to prove the town’s charm. She turned onto Pine Ridge Road, where the houses grew sparser and the forest pressed closer to the road.
A small sound from the backseat made Riley’s gaze dart to the mirror. Sabrina stirred in her car seat, her head rolling to the side as she woke from the nap that had mercifully consumed the last hour of driving. Riley watched her daughter’s eyes flutter open, adjusting to the darkness and the strange lights outside.
“Mama?” Sabrina’s voice carried that quality of toddler confusion. Not quite upset, but teetering on the edge of it.
“We’re here, sweetie.” Riley forced warmth into her voice, though her jaw ached from clenching. “Look at all the pretty lights.”
Sabrina pressed her mittened hands against the window, leaving tiny smudges on the glass. “Lights!” She bounced in her seat as much as the straps would allow. “Pretty, Mama! Pretty!”
“Very pretty.” Riley’s smile felt tight on her face. She wanted to share her daughter’s uncomplicated joy, but she kept scanning the streets, cataloging escape routes, noting which houses had lights on and which sat dark. Old habits. Necessary habits.
The GPS announced their final turn, and Riley’s breath caught. The cottage stood at the end of a short gravel drive, a small structure someone’s grandfather had most likely built and barely maintained enough to keep standing. A single porch light illuminated the front door, and beyond it, the forest loomed.
Riley pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. The sudden silence felt heavy, broken only by Sabrina’s humming as she kicked her feet against her car seat. Riley sat motionless, her hands still gripping the wheel, and studied their new home.
The cottage was smaller than the photos had suggested. Single-story, with a chimney that leaned slightly to the left. The windows were dark, revealing nothing of the interior. Snow had drifted against the front steps, undisturbed except for what looked like animal tracks, probably a deer or raccoon. The porch railing needed paint, and one shutter hung at an angle.
But for now the house was theirs. For six months, at least, with the first month paid in advance with money Riley had saved from extra shifts and skipped meals. Six months to figure out what came next. After that, she’d have to either renew the lease, or move on to another town.
“Out, Mama!” Sabrina had moved past patient and into demanding. “Out now!”
“Just a minute, baby.”
Riley scanned the neighboring properties. The nearest house sat quite a distance down the road, its windows dark. On the other side, nothing but forest. The isolation should have comforted her. Fewer people meant fewer questions, fewer chances of being found. But instead, it made her hyperaware of how alone they were. No witnesses if something went wrong. No one to hear them scream.
She shook her head, dislodging the thought. Nothing was going to go wrong. This was a fresh start in a quiet town where nobody knew her name or her history. Where Sabrina could grow up without her mother constantly looking over her shoulder.
Jessica Coulter Smith is an acclaimed romance writer with a passion for storytelling. Her works showcase the power of love and its ability to transcend boundaries, capturing the hearts of audiences worldwide. With a unique writing style and perspective, Jessica continues to inspire and entertain readers from all walks of life.
Find her online…
Website * Blog * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Finding Holiday Magic in Fur, Fangs, & Mistletoe
The holidays have always been one of my favorite times of year — the twinkle lights, the smell of cinnamon and pine, and that cozy feeling of being wrapped up with someone you love. It’s the perfect backdrop for romance. So when the idea for Fur, Fangs, & Mistletoe came to me, I knew I wanted to mix that warm, nostalgic feeling of Christmas with the magic (and chaos) of a shifter romance.
Writing shifters has always felt a little like writing fairytales for grown-ups — they’re wild, protective, loyal to a fault, and often just a little rough around the edges. In this story, I wanted to take that primal energy and blend it with the hope and softness that comes with the holiday season. Because even the fiercest wolves deserve a happily ever after under the mistletoe.
One of the things I love most about Fur, Fangs, & Mistletoe is how it balances sweetness and spice. My heroine may be human, but she’s no damsel waiting for someone to save her. She’s strong, smart, and trying to make the best of a difficult season — the kind of woman who’s more likely to bake her way through heartbreak than let it define her. And then, of course, there’s the grumpy wolf shifter who crashes into her life, convinced he doesn’t need anyone. Let’s just say Christmas has other plans for them both.
This story also gave me a chance to revisit one of my favorite romance themes — found family. The holidays can be hard for a lot of people, especially those who don’t have a traditional family to go home to. My characters learn that sometimes, family isn’t about who you’re born to — it’s about the people (or pack) who choose to stand by you.
Fur, Fangs, & Mistletoe was such a joy to write, and I hope readers fall in love with this story the same way I did. It has all the things I love most about holiday romances — cozy winter nights, unexpected love, a touch of magic, and a hero who’ll do anything to protect the woman who changes everything.
So grab a blanket, pour yourself a mug of cocoa (or maybe something stronger), and get ready to curl up with a story full of love, laughter, and a few happy growls under the mistletoe.
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Sounds like a really good book. I like the cover.
It sounds great and I love the cover.
Looks very exciting Do you write in a daily journal?
Looks like a good read
I love shifter romance so much!
Love the title and the cover is wonderful.
This sounds like a great read for the holiday season and the cover is really neat.
Terrific cover
Thanks for the great blurb and excerpt. The book sounds like an interesting read.
This looks good.
I love the book cover.
this sounds like a good book to read
I love the cover and the excerpt.
The excerpt sounds like a good book.
Love the cover
Sounds like a great holiday romance.
Hope it does awesome!
question for author-What personal experiences or observations influenced your writing?
This book looks intriguing
Paranormal Holiday Romance - this genre ensures a great read!
Thank you for the excerpt.
It looks like a good read.
This is an interesting holiday read! I like the cover!
I like the way the cover was done. It makes the central portion really stand out. Thanks
Toddlerhood is a really fun part of having children, and this is despite the terrible twos and the constant 'why?'.
I love a snowed in romance!! This book sounds great!
It sounds like a good paranormal story
Sounds like a very interesting read.
I enjoyed the excerpt for Fur, Fangs, & Mistletoe. Thank you for the giveaway!
I like the book details.
The excerpt is interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
This sounds like an amazing holiday book.
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
I feel really old saying this but I've been waiting for this since Moonlight's!
Interesting concept for a book. I like the cover with the mistletoe above the wolf.
I love this book cover. I can not wait to read this book
I enjoyed the excerpt. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Looks like a great read. Congratulations on your new book.
looks like a fun one.
What a beautiful cover! And I love the way the blurb is written- the way details are described, it makes me want to read the book.
This sounds like a great Paranormal Holiday Romance book. I like the cover and excerpt.
Merry Christmas and good luck with your book.
Happy holidays! The eye-catching cover looks great and I like the story. Thanks for sharing. :-)
Sounds like a great read.