This November, Lisa Kleypas dishes up a sweet holiday treat: a new novella called "Wallflower Christmas." You'll be able to read an exclusive excerpt here at myLifetime in March!

Kleypas says "Wallflower Christmas" has the "same sense of playfulness, female friendship and high-powered romance" as her previous Wallflower series novels. Yet — and this is so fabulous — "Wallflower Christmas" tells an entirely new love story, delicious start to sensational finish.

When we sat down to chat a few days ago, Kleypas told me more about her "Wallflower Christmas" project.

Will folks who haven't read your Wallflower series enjoy "Wallflower Christmas?"

Yes, absolutely! As with all my books, I write each to stand alone. New readers will enjoy meeting the original Wallflowers — four young women who helped each other find love when it looked like they'd never be asked to dance, let alone marry. Those already familiar with the series will have a great time revisiting old friends and finding out what the characters have been up to.

What are readers going to love about "Wallflower Christmas?"

"Wallflower Christmas" is going to be a treat for all the readers who enjoyed my Wallflower novels and would like to find out how the original characters are doing. But it's also going to feature a rich, romantic and sexy love story with a hero who was briefly mentioned in "It Happened One Autumn": Rafe Bowman.

Related Links

Rafe is a rich and disillusioned New York businessman, not to mention the black sheep of the family. He made a fortune in questionable financial investment schemes. Now he’s coming to Victorian London to find a "proper English bride." And of course the Wallflowers have all kinds of schemes for pushing Rafe together with a girl they think is just right for him. I think the results will be funny and surprising.

How hot is Rafe, the hero of "Wallflower Christmas?"

Five-alarm hot! Rafe is unique for me because he’s American — I’ve never written an American hero in a historical setting before. He brings a sort of raw, brash masculine energy to the story that will be challenging for the heroine, and hopefully a lot of fun for my readers.

And I think Rafe is a charismatic hero not only because of his looks — tall, dark-haired and very, um, healthy — but also because he is so incredibly jaded. Usually when that kind of guy meets his match, he falls hard, and he fights falling in love every step of the way. So poor Rafe has a bit of suffering to go through.

So, even though "Wallflower Christmas" is shorter, we still can expect lots of your trademark sexy romance, right?

All I can say is, brace yourself for what happens under the mistletoe!