Moments Like This

by Anna Gomez, Kristoffer Polaha

Overview

Book One in the From Kona with Love series depicting multicultural romance, love, loss, and redemption woven into a family saga set in the beautiful islands of Hawaii. Though connected, each installment can be read as a standalone.

After Andrea “Andie” Matthews chooses her career over a marriage proposal and then loses a promotion she worked so hard for, she jumps at the chance to take a break and help run a friend’s coffee shop.

Alone in Hawaii, Andie befriends the staff and quickly grows to care for them, making her determined to revive the company.

As luck would have it, she meets the mysterious Warren Yates on Christmas Eve. They share a cup of coffee, some conversation, and even a moment, which leads to many more in the coming weeks.

But when Andie learns who Warren really is—and what he actually wants—she is torn between her feelings and his deception.

Will Warren be able to win her heart back?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645480457
Publisher:	Vesuvian Books
Publication date:	03/09/2021
Series:	From Kona With Love
Pages:	300
Sales rank:	105,087
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Anna Gomez was born in the city of Makati, Philippines and educated abroad. She met and married her best friend who whisked her away to Chicago over twenty years ago. She is Chief Financial Officer for Leo Burnett Worldwide, a global advertising company founded in 1935. In her capacity, Anna serves on the board of several not-for-profit organizations, namely the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Organization and Girl Scouts of America. She is also the executive sponsor for a number of employee resource groups focused on Diversity and Inclusion.

Under the pen name Christine Brae, Anna has published six novels, has an established fan base, and a dedicated following. Her titles rank in the Top 100 months following their release. Her last three novels, In This Life, Eight Goodbyes, and The Year I Left, have won literary awards and were immediate bestsellers on Amazon, ranking #1 across multiple categories.

Kristoffer Polaha is best-known for his long starring role in the critically acclaimed series Life Unexpected (The CW). Other TV series credits include Get Shortywith Ray Romano and Chris O’Dowd, the limited series Condor opposite William Hurt and Max Irons, The CW’s Ringer (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Valentine, as well as North Shore (FOX).

In addition to co-starring with Rainn Wilson in Backstrom (FOX), he had a multi-season role on the acclaimed series Mad Men (AMC) and Castle (ABC). Polaha is also well-known for starring in Hallmark Channel movies such as Dater’s Handbook with Meghan Markle and the Mystery 101 franchise on Hallmark.

Polaha first received attention for his portrayal of John F. Kennedy, Jr. in the TV movie America’s Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story, opposite Portia de Rossi. He has appeared in numerous independent features, including Where Hope Grows, Devil’s Knot (Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon), and the Tim Tebow film, Run the Race.

Polaha has a featured role opposite Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman 1984 and the forthcoming Jurassic World: Dominion.

Table of Contents

1 Heartless 1

2 Flowers in Every Corner 7

3 Hold Your Horses 12

4 Walk of Shame 18

5 Dead of Winter 23

6 Leaving on a Jet Plane 28

7 Arriving 34

8 Api's Place 38

9 A Kiss for a Cup 42

10 What If I Tried 49

11 Christmas Eve 54

12 Stranger in the Night 59

13 New Year's Eve 67

14 Boulder on the Sand 72

15 Resolutions 76

16 That Kind of Kiss 80

17 What Plantation? 85

18 That Playlist 91

19 Family 97

20 Let's Make a Deal 102

21 The Lighthouse Keeper 115

22 Dancing Queen 120

23 What Drives You 125

24 You Can't Fight Fate 131

25 Shave Ice 137

26 Marigold Loop 140

27 Hitachi Tree 148

28 Watch Out for the Fins 152

29 Pink Bikini 159

30 Aries 164

31 Where the Hands Move 170

32 For So Long 179

33 Chiquita's Confession 189

34 The M Word 197

35 She Wore Pink 206

36 Lucas and Jade 211

37 Past and Present 219

38 Chasing Sunsets 223

39 Who You Are 228

40 I'm In Love with You 234

41 The Truth 238

42 Exposed 244

43 Hiding in Place 253

44 Best Laid Plans 261

45 The Foghorn Sounds 270

46 Maybe Tomorrow 275

Acknowledgements 287

About the Authors 295

Editorial Reviews

01/11/2021

Gomez (The Year I Left, written as Christine Brae) and debut author Polaha kick off their From Kona, with Love series with this atmospheric romance. After Andie Matthews loses the promotion that she’s sacrificed friends, fiancé, and free time for, she heads to Hawaii to relax and help out at her friend Api’s coffee shop while Api is out of town. She’s hoping to find herself and her new path in life—instead, she meets the hunky, mysterious Warren Yates, who she believes is a surfing instructor. In reality, Warren’s company is scheming to acquire Api’s shop. He met Andie while looking for Api, failed to tell her his real reasons for visiting the coffee shop, and now his lies have piled up. Andie’s temporary stay should fit perfectly with Warren’s love-’em-and-leave-’em attitude, but her spontaneity, positivity, and intelligence soon have him thinking long-term. Gomez and Polaha’s descriptions of Hawaii are postcard worthy, but while Andie and Warren clearly have fun together, their deeper emotional connection is less convincing and the drama feels contrived. Still, the breezy pace and gorgeous setting will stoke readers’ wanderlust. Agent: Italia Gandolfo, Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"A lyrically written masterpiece of women's fiction that is emotional, raw, and real." —Tarryn Fisher, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author


"The lyrical writing shines in this poignant, layered story about love, sacrifice, and destiny. Her best book to date!" —Leylah Attar, New York Times Bestselling Author


"A transportive, captivating daydream of a story." —Seth King, Bestselling Author of The Summer Remains


“A multifaceted, pleasingly unpredictable story of shifting passions.” —Kirkus Reviews


"A heart-wrenching tale of two people destined to be together. Even those who are not fans of romance will enjoy the relationships, scenery, and beautiful prose of this book. Five stars!" —San Francisco Book Review

From the Publisher