Today I’m joining the Books On Tour for A Christmas Romance In The Scottish Highlands. I’m sharing an extract from the book with thanks to the team at Bookouture for inviting me on the tour and for providing the extract.

Blurb:

Watch the snowflakes fall and take a magical carriage ride to watch the panto in the little town of Mistletoe, where Christmas wishes really do come true. Can Ella and her unlikely Prince Charming put aside their differences to live happily ever after?

Thirty-two-year-old Ella’s life is busy enough running her evil stepmother’s cleaning business, without adding Christmas into the mix. She doesn’t have time to play Cinderella in her local festive pantomime, but she recently lost her father, who loved the show and helped out every year, so she finds herself being fitted for glass slippers anyway. Her life may be falling apart, but she won’t let his memory down.

Then Ella meets brooding and handsome stranger, Alexander, who is playing Prince Charming, and her heart skips a beat. Might this knight-in-shining-armour inspire Mistletoe’s best show yet? But Alexander quickly makes it clear that he doesn’t want anything to do with her or their town’s traditions. And as the night of the show draws near, it’s one disaster after another, with the ugly stepbrothers falling suspiciously ill, and Alexander rolling his eyes at every chance he gets. Ella is exhausted and can’t help but feel she’s letting everyone – including her father – down.

But when an on-stage kiss gets a little too heated between Ella and Alexander, she’s surprised when he offers his muscled shoulder to lean on. Under the spotlight, Alex’s gentle encouragement of the child performers and his adorable pre-show nerves make Ella wonder if there may be more to her prince than she thought. As props go missing and scenery falls flat, can Ella and Alex bring the town to together for one last showstopper? And as the curtain falls on the performance of her life, will Ella find her fairytale ending?

Filled to the brim with Christmas magic, this utterly unputdownable festive read is perfect for cosy nights by the fire. If you love Cathy Bramley, Trisha Ashley and Debbie Macomber then you will love this addictive romance!

Extract:

1ELLA
Ella McNally took in a deep breath of cold air. Fighting a wave of tiredness, she perused the pretty row of thatched cottages framed by the Mistletoe mountain range, which was glittering after hours of non-stop snowfall. She pulled on her dog’s leash as her tenacious bloodhound, Wyatt, ground to a halt and dropped to his haunches. The dog usually enjoyed their twice-daily walks, but the wind was glacial, and he was irritated that Ella hadn’t let him run free. Mostly because the last few times she had, he’d vanished until she’d been forced to tempt him back with handfuls of treats.‘Come on,’ she pleaded as Wyatt refused to budge and she tugged at the lead again. A car revved somewhere in the distance and her pet growled, seemingly echoing its refrain, before sinking lower onto the snowy pavement.
‘Please, Wyatt. It’s cold. I’ll feed you when we get to my stepmother’s house,’ Ella promised and sighed in relief when his dark eyes twitched with interest. ‘Good boy,’ she soothed as he suddenly shot to his feet, his long limbs ramrod straight and his droopy ears fluttering like festive bunting in a breeze.
He woofed hungrily, glaring to his left, and Ella glanced across the road and immediately spotted a cat on the pavement.‘No!’ she yelled just as Wyatt barked again and bolted forward, making her drop her handbag and dragging her along with him. Ella tugged at the lead so fiercely that it slipped through her gloved hands and the forward momentum made her trip and face-plant in the snow. ‘Or!!’ she exclaimed as frigid ice stabbed her cheeks.
Wyatt must have heard her yell, because he forgot the cat and spun around just as Ella looked up, swiping snow flakes from her eyes as a silver Volvo did a fast wheel-spin onto the top of the road.

‘Wyatt, run!’ Ella screamed, her heart thumping wildly as the car appeared to speed up. Her whole body stiffened, and she watched dumbstruck as it headed straight for her pet. The bloodhound barked, his eyes widening as he spotted the car – Ella assumed he’d move, but he stood mesmerised as if frozen in place by the glare of its headlights…

***

A Christmas Romance In The Scottish Highlands is available from Amazon.

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