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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Heart of Christmas by Brenda Novak Super Book Blast and Giveaway





The Heart of Christmas

by Brenda Novak



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BLURB:



Just call her Christmas Eve…



Eve Harmon has always enjoyed Christmas, but this year it reminds her of everything she doesn’t have. Almost all her friends are married now, and that’s what Eve wants, too. Love. A husband and kids of her own. But the B-and-B she manages and even Whiskey Creek, the small Gold Country town where she was born and raised, suddenly seem…confining.



As Eve turns thirty-five, she’s worried that her future will simply be a reflection of her past. She’s dated all the eligible men in the area. There’s no one she could even imagine as a husband—until a handsome stranger comes to town. Eve’s definitely attracted to him, and he seems to have the same reaction to her. But his darkly mysterious past could ruin Eve’s happily ever after—just when it finally seems within reach. Just when she’s counting on the best Christmas of her life!





Excerpt;

Moving slowly to compensate for her hangover, she managed to prop herself against the headboard and, once there, frowned at her bedmate.



Who the heck was he?



She had no idea, but she was relieved to see that he was no bum off the street. He wasn’t even one of those “he looked a lot more attractive last night” kind of pickups everyone joked about. This guy was so far above average that she began to wonder why he wasn’t already taken. Heaven forbid that was the case! She didn’t see a ring on his left hand, which rested on the pillow above his head. But he had to have some story. If he looked this good sleep-tousled, she could only imagine what he’d be like once he had a chance to clean up.



It was his bone structure, she decided. Those pronounced cheekbones. The narrow bridge across his nicely shaped nose. The distinct ridge of his upper eye sockets. He also had a strong chin and a manly jaw, which certainly didn’t detract.



So maybe she couldn’t point to just one or two features. With his long, sandy-colored hair spread across his pillow, he resembled a fallen angel—and his body further enhanced that image. He was built like a greyhound or panther, lean and sinewy and ideally proportioned with very little body hair. What body hair he did have was golden and downy, as appealing as his tanned skin.



He’d make a nice subject for a painter, she mused, someone looking for refined masculine beauty—a man who could even be called elegant.



But not everything about him was elegant. When she looked closer, she could see that he had some very unusual scars….



What types of injuries could’ve caused those? she wondered. It seemed to her that he’d been shot, and more than once. Several round, bullet-size marks dotted his chest. Then there was a long, jagged scar on his side that must’ve come from something else….



Out of nowhere—he didn’t open his eyes first, so she had no warning—he grabbed her wrists in a crushing grip and slammed her onto her back.



Eve gasped as she stared up at him. Gone was the image of an angel, fallen or otherwise. Shocked at being so easily and unexpectedly overpowered, she couldn’t even scream. His fierce expression, as if he was intent on causing her bodily harm, made it worse.



Had she brought home a homicidal maniac? Was he about to kill her?



The terror that surged up must’ve shown on her face because he suddenly came to his senses. He gave his head a shake. His expression cleared and, letting go, he eased off her and slid back onto his side of the bed.



Sorry about that. I thought…” His words trailed off, and he covered his eyes with one arm as if he needed a moment to pull himself together.



Her heart was now pounding in unison with her head. But once she could speak somewhat normally, she prompted him to finish his sentence. “Thought what?”



His lips turned down. “Never mind. I was dreaming.”



She pressed a hand to her chest as though she could slow her galloping pulse. “It couldn’t have been a pleasant dream.”



They never are,” he muttered.





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AUTHOR Bio and Links:



New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than fifty books. A four-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised over $2 million. For more about Brenda, please visitwww.brendanovak.com.



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19 comments:

  1. It would be nice if some sexy strangers moved to my town and who dosent like a little mystery too

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    1. Stacey, thanks for your comment. I'm excited that my new book is finally out. Rex (the sexy stranger) actually hails from INSIDE & IN SECONDS. That's where readers first meet him. I was getting so much mail, asking for his HEA that I decided to bring him to Whiskey Creek. He really deserves the love he finds, let me tell you. LOL

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  2. I love that it took me somewhere else, and that is the best when a book can transport you!

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    1. Thanks so much, Megan. I love escaping to my fictional world of Whiskey Creek. Wish I could live there (sometimes). LOL

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  3. Replies
    1. Rebecca, I hope you'll give it a try. It just received a starred review in Library Journal and a Top Pick from RT Book Review Magazine, so I'm definitely celebrating today!

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  4. I love the mystery of it. Like what caused his scars.

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    1. So you've already read it, Donna? Or just the excerpt? It's on sale at Amazon.com (for nearly 30% off) if you'd like to read the whole thing (and haven't). Thanks for commenting!

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  5. Thanks for hosting me. You have a darling blog. It would be fun to go shopping with you guys sometime. LOL

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  6. i enjoyed books by brenda novak...thx u for hosting :)

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  7. I liked the excerpt and the fact that the book is about the upcoming Christmas season.

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  8. Expert was very good i love Christmas my favorite love to cook for my whole family.

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  9. i am a fan and have loved her books previously. I've reread several. I enjoyed the excerpt.

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  10. I love a good romance novel and this one looks great! It would be a perfect novel to read for Christmas.

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  11. The excerpt!
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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  12. I liked that you included an excerpt.

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