Title: The Heart of Christmas
Author: Brenda Novak
Series: Whiskey Creek #7
Pages: 384
Date Published: October 28th, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Format: Paperback
Genre: Romance
Source: Goddess Fish Blog Tours
Synopsis:
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.
Eve's worried that her future will simply be a reflection of her past. There's no one in the area 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. And just when she's counting on the best Christmas of her life!
~Try an Excerpt!~
There was a naked man in her bed.
Eve Harmon’s stomach tensed, and her heart skipped a
beat—but she was pretty sure she’d invited him. From the way their clothes were
strewn carelessly around the room, it was obvious that, not long ago, she’d
been happy to have him with her.
She nearly groaned as her eyes swept over him. What had she
done? She didn’t have a boyfriend and she never slept around. She hadn’t been
with anyone since Ted Dixon—an old friend who had briefly turned into more a
year ago. And before him, it had been much longer. Most people, at least those
younger than her parents, would consider her extended periods of celibacy
rather pathetic for a woman her age. But she lived in a small town, cared about
her reputation and had been holding out for the kind of love that came with a
white picket fence.
She just hadn’t found the right guy, and she was beginning
to think maybe she never would. The odds weren’t in her favor. Now that most of
her friends were married, she didn’t get out all that often.
But she had a lot to be grateful for in spite of her dismal
love life, she quickly reminded herself. Although she’d never been the type who
wanted work to become her sole focus in life, she liked her job. She ran Little
Mary’s, a B and B in a converted Victorian owned by her retired parents. They
lived in the house a hundred yards in front of her own small bungalow—when they
weren’t traveling in their RV like they were at the moment. Thanks to them, and
the quaint, bucolic area where she’d been raised, her life had always been
pleasant and safe—and predictable. Absolutely predictable.
Until now.
God, she hadn’t even slept with someone she knew. And since
there were only about two thousand people in Whiskey Creek, it was hard to find
someone she didn’t.
Shifting carefully so she wouldn’t wake the man lying next
to her—she needed to regain her bearings before confronting him—she tried to
get a look at his face, but a thunderous headache made it difficult to sit up.
That headache also explained how she’d ended up in this predicament. Last night
she’d made the mistake of going out to celebrate her thirty-fifth birthday even
though her friends weren’t available until tonight, and she’d drunk too much.
She’d been determined to do something wild and fun and completely out of
character before reaching such a significant age, the age at which some doctors
advised against getting pregnant.
Now she was paying the price for her out-of-control evening.
Had they even used birth control?
Briefly squeezing her eyes shut, she sent up a silent prayer
that she’d had the presence of mind for that at least. It would be entirely too
ironic for someone like her—someone so cautious—to get pregnant because of a
one-night stand.
What have you done?
~Meet Brenda!~
Brenda will be awarding a $100 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $50 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn host. You can also check out Brenda's own site for her 12 Days of Christmas Contest!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I cannot believe I've never read a full length book set during Christmas time! It's my favorite holiday and nothing. I have been looking for books to read, and the excerpt definitely makes me want to give this series a try!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Nancy! I'm glad that the excerpt pulled you in. Thanks for taking the time to read it. This book is on sale for nearly 30% off at Amazon.com in both print and digital, so definitely give it a try and let me know what you think!
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting. Nancy you'll love the series.
ReplyDeleteThanks a million for helping me get the word out about my new book. I'm thrilled that THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS is finally available. And I'm super excited that it just received a starred review from Library Journal!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading Brenda's book. Looking forward to this one. Love Christmas stories.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing excerpt. I love Christmas stories.
ReplyDelete