Title: Christmas in Tahoe
Author: Martha O’Sullivan
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book Blurb:
Laurel Reynolds is a romance novelist with a rock and roll pedigree who returns to her Lake Tahoe roots in search of a fresh start. Falling in love was not on the agenda. McGovern Scott is all in favor of her plan to start over—as long as it’s with him. But has Laurel fallen for Tahoe’s favorite son or the sexy hero she created? And can she trust her heart enough to let Christmas in Tahoe turn into forever?
Excerpt:
Christmas in Tahoe (Chapter Three Excerpt)
Laurel hadn’t so much lied to her mother as answered on the fly. But once she’d said the words out loud, she had no choice but to sit down with her laptop and get to business. She’d decided after reading the notes from Ronnie’s unfinished song that all roads led to Tahoe for the setting. The backyard of the rental house was wooded and she could sit on the deck, listen to the birds declare spring had sprung and write to her heart’s content. The decade she’d spent in the trenches at L.A. Digital had left very little time for personal creativity, but now she had no excuse.
She enjoyed reading women’s fiction, specifically romance novels with a modern twist, characters to whom she could relate and a happily ever after ending that was earned rather than guaranteed. Love, commitment and fidelity in the midst of heartache, disappointment and anything else life might throw your way. That narrative hit a little close to home, so she decided to start by creating the hero and heroine. Anything was better than a blank page, so she’d start with the hero. Laurel knew her mom had been half-joking when she suggested that he be the complete opposite of her ex-husband. But maybe him being the antithesis of Grant would be therapeutic.
Grant Hurley was the quintessential Southern California stereotype; a blond, blue-eyed surfer with a man bun who’d been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Laurel had met him on the beach in Santa Monica the summer before her senior year at UCLA and had fallen for him instantly. Grant was also a student at UCLA, but they had never crossed paths. He was a fifth-year senior and already had the position of his choice in his family’s publishing empire waiting for him upon graduation.
Laurel was convinced he was the love of her life. She slept with him on their second date and he gave her her first orgasm. And many more after that. Even thinking about it now sent a shiver of desire through her. Grant had a phenomenal body and was an incredible lover. And he knew it.
Since he came from money and stature himself, he was not at all intimidated by Ronnie’s fame or their home in Beverly Hills. Grant was used to a wide berth, an inexhaustible bank account and the luxury to indulge in whatever struck his fancy. And to Laurel’s surprise and delight, for a time at least, that had been her. He proposed on New Year’s Eve on a yacht docked off Catalina Island. They married in a small ceremony later that year with the Pacific as their backdrop.
Then Grant got bored. He might have been bored before, but Laurel liked to think this was the first time he’d acted on it. Grant had the kind of sex appeal that constantly attracted women. But Laurel trusted him. Then one day a work friend pulled her aside. She’d come to L.A. Digital from the publishing house where Grant worked. An editor there claimed she was pregnant with Grant’s baby. Grant denied it, so Laurel went to his office to see for herself. The woman tearfully admitted they had been sleeping together on and off for years. Backed into a corner, Grant was regretful at best, claiming he loved her and her only. He just wasn’t a one-woman man. Take it or leave it.
Laurel left it.
But a walk down memory lane does not a writer make, so Laurel forced her mind back to her hero. He would be tall, dark and handsome, with a slightly asymmetrical face and a perpetual five-o’clock shadow. And he’d work with his hands. Grant had been small in stature everywhere but below the belt, so this guy would have big, strong hands, callused from a lifetime of work. His muscular build would be the result of an active lifestyle, not hours in the gym. And he came from a hardworking, middle-class family. He’d put himself through college and was better off for it.
His eyes would be a rich brown, the color of aged whiskey, with a touch of smokiness around the rims. His hair would be a shade darker and short but with enough texture for a woman to run her fingers through it. He’d wear boots and sport a tan, no matter the season. He’d smell like the outdoors with a hint of spice. Comfortable in his own skin, he’d carry himself with confidence and pride with no need for arrogance. He’d loved many, but was still looking for the one. And once he found her, he’d love her and only her. She would know this deep in her soul, not because of the things he said, or the gifts he gave, or the places he took her, but by the way he loved her. By the way he held her eyes across a crowded room. By the way his hand rested at the small of her back, in reassurance and protection, not possessiveness or control. By the way he reached for her in the night and pulled her close. He’d want everyone to know she was his and he hers, most importantly her. He was an accomplished lover, generous and patient, more interested in her pleasure than his own. And when it was his turn, she took him to heights he’d never imagined, let alone reached before. Once he gave himself to her, it was for forever. He saw no one else, longed for no one else.
Laurel stopped typing and let out a jagged breath. Her heart was racing, her hands were shaking, her stomach reeling. She was taking a few restorative pants, striving for calm, when she heard someone clear their throat. With a jolt she looked up, and standing there in front of her was her hero.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Grab your e-copy on sale for the month of July for only 99 cents!
What I love most about the holiday season:
Being home with my girls and carrying on the traditions we’re enjoyed for many years.
Why is your featured book a must-read to get you in the holiday mood?
Christmas in Tahoe is about family, faith and new beginnings. Throw in Lake Tahoe’s breathtaking scenery and a happily ever after ending and you’ve got the perfect holiday book!
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs July 1 – 31, 2024
Drawing will be held on August 1, 2024.
Author Biography:
Martha O'Sullivan has loved reading romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing her own books is the realization of a lifelong dream. She is a graduate of Illinois State University where she wrote for the school newspaper and was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha. She is also a former Acquisitions Editor at MacMillan Computer Publishing. Martha writes contemporary romances with male/female couples and happy endings. Her Chances Trilogy—Second Chance, Chance Encounter and Last Chance—and fourth novel Christmas in Tahoe, are available in print and digital formats at online retailers everywhere. Her new book, Sierra Fall, will be released in October 2024. A native Chicagoan, she lives her own happy ending in Florida with her husband and daughters.
Social Media Links:
I like spending time with my family. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. Commenting under Michael Law
I love spending time with my family the most.
Thank you, Martha, for sharing your book sale in our Christmas in July Fete!