The
Heart of Christmas
by
Brenda Novak
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
links:
BarnesandNoble.com:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-heart-of-christmas-brenda-novak/1119221344?ean=9780778316398
a Rafflecopter giveaway
It would be nice if some sexy strangers moved to my town and who dosent like a little mystery too
ReplyDeleteStacey, 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
DeleteI love that it took me somewhere else, and that is the best when a book can transport you!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Megan. I love escaping to my fictional world of Whiskey Creek. Wish I could live there (sometimes). LOL
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds good!
ReplyDeleteRebecca, 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!
DeleteI love the mystery of it. Like what caused his scars.
ReplyDeleteSo 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!
DeleteThanks for hosting me. You have a darling blog. It would be fun to go shopping with you guys sometime. LOL
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeletei enjoyed books by brenda novak...thx u for hosting :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt and the fact that the book is about the upcoming Christmas season.
ReplyDeleteExpert was very good i love Christmas my favorite love to cook for my whole family.
ReplyDeletei am a fan and have loved her books previously. I've reread several. I enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI love a good romance novel and this one looks great! It would be a perfect novel to read for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
I liked that you included an excerpt.
ReplyDelete