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Overview
A Romance Told Over a Year of Holidays...
Shannon Quinn is the small-town girl who runs "Holiday Quinn" -- a holiday-themed inn/resort based in scenic Door County, Wisconsin. One winter evening, wealthy Minneapolis businessman, Bram Hartwick, blows into town along with the fast-falling snow.
The sparks Bram and Shannon create succeed in heating up the chilly Midwestern night, not to mention plenty of holiday weekends in the year that follows... But is their relationship destined to be for special occasions only, or might it be the elusive everyday love that neither thought could be found?
BONUS CONTENT:
Award-winning author Marilyn Brant includes three story excerpts in additional to the full HOLIDAY MAN novel! Enjoy sample scenes from:
ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE (June 2011) - a Bestseller in Humor
DOUBLE DIPPING (September 2011) - an International Digital Awards finalist
PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH (Coming January 2013!)
An Excerpt from HOLIDAY MAN:
Bram watched Shannon scurry after that assistant of hers--that man with the shrewd eyes and the pesky manners--and he wanted to throttle the guy.
Jake-Somebody-or-Other lusted after Shannon, that much was clear. Shannon's feelings toward the assistant were more difficult to ascertain, but Bram would figure it out. He always did.
Why? Because she'd caught his interest. Even if anything beyond tonight was an exercise in futility.
He marched around the perimeter of the dance floor, trying to imagine his ex-girlfriend at a weekend affair like this. Angie would've wanted to hit every activity. Not miss a single second of excitement, whatever the latest thrill might be. She absolutely exhausted him when they were together, but not because he couldn't handle the events she threw his way.
No. He could handle anything.
But her insatiable need for diversion drained him. It felt like a reflection on him. Made him fear his inability to keep her entertained. And he'd hated that.
Pretty-faced women dotted the dance floor. Several looked at him with those eyes filled with feverish anticipation, an expectation that a love match might be imminent. Well, Bram knew better. Relationships were fine as long as they were kept in their proper place. Something hot. Something short-term. Something with boundaries. Try to make them your top priority and everything else in your life would get shot to hell.
He shuddered, flooded by a need to get away from the hopeful expressions etched on the faces of those single women.
So he strode out into the hallway and lingered by a display cabinet featuring, among other things, a curvy stained-glass vase. It was European. Mid-Twentieth Century. Delicate yet intricate. Colorful but in a tasteful, not discordant way.
Funny. In an odd way it reminded him of Shannon.
Now there was a woman whose company he'd admit to enjoying. But, let's face it, she wasn't exactly available to him. If he were being honest with himself--and he'd made a habit out of doing just that--perhaps this was part of his fascination.
She was lovely, but she wouldn't be capable of making demands on him during his hectic workweek. She represented everything that spelled relaxation in his book: Home and hearth, an out-of-the-way locale, feminine cozy comfort nestled in a charming, rustic environment. She was smart, responsible and in full charge of her own career path.
He could almost convince himself his attraction to her was "wholesome." Almost...because he still loved the allure of her most curvaceous assets. And, after a mere twenty seconds of remembering her in his arms as they danced, he knew their potential physical chemistry played no small part in her appeal.
He stared at the vase again, mesmerized by the swirl of colors when a stained-glass chip reflected the light. He squinted at it, and the magnificent rainbow was no longer distinct. The hues bled together like silken watercolors, as if, by a mere change in perspective, all the disparate elements of life could join together as one.
"Well, hello again, Bram."
Shannon. Her voice made him open his eyes fully and drink in the vision of her standing before him.
"Crisis averted?" he asked her.
She smiled. "For the time being." She pointed to the display cabinet. "See anything that intrigues you."
He looked right at her. "Yes." He stared into her blue eyes until she blushed. After another moment he added, "And the vase is nice, too."
Shannon Quinn is the small-town girl who runs "Holiday Quinn" -- a holiday-themed inn/resort based in scenic Door County, Wisconsin. One winter evening, wealthy Minneapolis businessman, Bram Hartwick, blows into town along with the fast-falling snow.
The sparks Bram and Shannon create succeed in heating up the chilly Midwestern night, not to mention plenty of holiday weekends in the year that follows... But is their relationship destined to be for special occasions only, or might it be the elusive everyday love that neither thought could be found?
BONUS CONTENT:
Award-winning author Marilyn Brant includes three story excerpts in additional to the full HOLIDAY MAN novel! Enjoy sample scenes from:
ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE (June 2011) - a Bestseller in Humor
DOUBLE DIPPING (September 2011) - an International Digital Awards finalist
PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH (Coming January 2013!)
An Excerpt from HOLIDAY MAN:
Bram watched Shannon scurry after that assistant of hers--that man with the shrewd eyes and the pesky manners--and he wanted to throttle the guy.
Jake-Somebody-or-Other lusted after Shannon, that much was clear. Shannon's feelings toward the assistant were more difficult to ascertain, but Bram would figure it out. He always did.
Why? Because she'd caught his interest. Even if anything beyond tonight was an exercise in futility.
He marched around the perimeter of the dance floor, trying to imagine his ex-girlfriend at a weekend affair like this. Angie would've wanted to hit every activity. Not miss a single second of excitement, whatever the latest thrill might be. She absolutely exhausted him when they were together, but not because he couldn't handle the events she threw his way.
No. He could handle anything.
But her insatiable need for diversion drained him. It felt like a reflection on him. Made him fear his inability to keep her entertained. And he'd hated that.
Pretty-faced women dotted the dance floor. Several looked at him with those eyes filled with feverish anticipation, an expectation that a love match might be imminent. Well, Bram knew better. Relationships were fine as long as they were kept in their proper place. Something hot. Something short-term. Something with boundaries. Try to make them your top priority and everything else in your life would get shot to hell.
He shuddered, flooded by a need to get away from the hopeful expressions etched on the faces of those single women.
So he strode out into the hallway and lingered by a display cabinet featuring, among other things, a curvy stained-glass vase. It was European. Mid-Twentieth Century. Delicate yet intricate. Colorful but in a tasteful, not discordant way.
Funny. In an odd way it reminded him of Shannon.
Now there was a woman whose company he'd admit to enjoying. But, let's face it, she wasn't exactly available to him. If he were being honest with himself--and he'd made a habit out of doing just that--perhaps this was part of his fascination.
She was lovely, but she wouldn't be capable of making demands on him during his hectic workweek. She represented everything that spelled relaxation in his book: Home and hearth, an out-of-the-way locale, feminine cozy comfort nestled in a charming, rustic environment. She was smart, responsible and in full charge of her own career path.
He could almost convince himself his attraction to her was "wholesome." Almost...because he still loved the allure of her most curvaceous assets. And, after a mere twenty seconds of remembering her in his arms as they danced, he knew their potential physical chemistry played no small part in her appeal.
He stared at the vase again, mesmerized by the swirl of colors when a stained-glass chip reflected the light. He squinted at it, and the magnificent rainbow was no longer distinct. The hues bled together like silken watercolors, as if, by a mere change in perspective, all the disparate elements of life could join together as one.
"Well, hello again, Bram."
Shannon. Her voice made him open his eyes fully and drink in the vision of her standing before him.
"Crisis averted?" he asked her.
She smiled. "For the time being." She pointed to the display cabinet. "See anything that intrigues you."
He looked right at her. "Yes." He stared into her blue eyes until she blushed. After another moment he added, "And the vase is nice, too."
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940015845464 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Twelfth Night Publishing |
| Publication date: | 11/11/2012 |
| Series: | Sweet , #3 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Sales rank: | 1,011,799 |
| File size: | 865 KB |
About the Author
Marilyn Brant is a USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary fiction, and she was named the 2013 Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. She wrote ACCORDING TO JANE, the story of a modern woman who receives dating advice from the spirit of Jane Austen (October 2009); FRIDAY MORNINGS AT NINE, a tale about three suburban moms, their marriages and what happens a decade or two after the "Happily Ever After" (a Doubleday Book Club and Book-of-the-Month Club pick in 2010); and A SUMMER IN EUROPE, a novel about a woman's journey of self discovery as she travels through Europe with her adventurous aunt's Sudoku & Mahjongg Club (a Literary Guild and BOMC2 featured alternate in 2011, and a Rhapsody Book Club Top 20 Bestseller in "Fiction & Literature" in 2012), all women's fiction releases from Kensington Books.
She's also a #1 Kindle & #1 Nook Bestseller and has written a series of fun and flirty contemporary romantic comedies, available as original ebooks. Both ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE and PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH were Top 100 Bestsellers on both Barnes & Noble and Amazon. DOUBLE DIPPING was a 2012 International Digital Awards Finalist for Best Contemporary Novel. Her latest book, THE ROAD TO YOU, was a coming-of-age romantic mystery (October 2013) and a Top 100 B&N Bestseller. Her novella "All About Us" was included as part of the new-adult romance anthology, ALL I EVER WANTED (January 2014). Look for PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT BET, coming summer 2014.
As a former teacher, library staff member, freelance magazine writer and national book reviewer for Romantic Times, Marilyn has spent much of her life lost in literature. She received her M.A. in educational psychology from Loyola University Chicago, dabbled in both fiction and art at Northwestern University, studied the works of Austen at Oxford University and is a Lifetime Member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Her debut novel won RWA's prestigious Golden Heart Award® in 2007 and a number of awards since -- including the Single Titles Reviewers' Choice, the Booksellers' Best and the Aspen Gold.
Marilyn lives in the northern Chicago suburbs with her family. When she isn't rereading Jane's books or enjoying the latest releases by her writer friends, she's working on her next novel, eating chocolate indiscriminately and hiding from the laundry.
Visit her website: www.marilynbrant.com
She's also a #1 Kindle & #1 Nook Bestseller and has written a series of fun and flirty contemporary romantic comedies, available as original ebooks. Both ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE and PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH were Top 100 Bestsellers on both Barnes & Noble and Amazon. DOUBLE DIPPING was a 2012 International Digital Awards Finalist for Best Contemporary Novel. Her latest book, THE ROAD TO YOU, was a coming-of-age romantic mystery (October 2013) and a Top 100 B&N Bestseller. Her novella "All About Us" was included as part of the new-adult romance anthology, ALL I EVER WANTED (January 2014). Look for PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT BET, coming summer 2014.
As a former teacher, library staff member, freelance magazine writer and national book reviewer for Romantic Times, Marilyn has spent much of her life lost in literature. She received her M.A. in educational psychology from Loyola University Chicago, dabbled in both fiction and art at Northwestern University, studied the works of Austen at Oxford University and is a Lifetime Member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Her debut novel won RWA's prestigious Golden Heart Award® in 2007 and a number of awards since -- including the Single Titles Reviewers' Choice, the Booksellers' Best and the Aspen Gold.
Marilyn lives in the northern Chicago suburbs with her family. When she isn't rereading Jane's books or enjoying the latest releases by her writer friends, she's working on her next novel, eating chocolate indiscriminately and hiding from the laundry.
Visit her website: www.marilynbrant.com
From the B&N Reads Blog
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