by: Shanna Hatfield
Series: Winter Wishes
Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Release Date: January 24, 2024
Publisher: Wholesome Hearts Publishing
She never wanted to return to her hometown.
He needed an escape from his family.
When a chance meeting brings them together, will their attraction keep them from drifting apart?
Doctor Olivia Burton never intended to return to her hometown of Pinehill. After graduating high school, she set off on a new path, eager to leave her past behind. However, years later, an unexpected phone call from her mentor pulls her back to Pinehill to take over a thriving medical practice as the town’s primary physician. Determined to avoid the local gossip mill, Olivia attempts to keep a low profile as she settles back into the community.
Alex Adams is desperate for an escape from his well-meaning but suffocating family. After a life-altering explosion ended his military career, he finds himself plagued with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Surrounded by his loud and overbearing family only intensifies his struggles. Seeking respite, he retreats to his aunt’s mountain cabin in Pinehill, desperate for peace and quiet.
When a chance encounter brings Alex and Olivia together, the sparks begin to fly. Olivia, cautious and hesitant to let anyone into her guarded heart, begins to question if it’s time to leave her past behind and embrace the possibility of a winter wonderland romance. Alex, yearning for connection and understanding, finds himself drawn to Olivia’s warmth and kindness.
As they spend more time together, will Olivia and Alex discover that love, much like freshly fallen snow, has a way of blanketing everything in a layer of beauty?
Uncover the joys that come with new beginnings, the transformative power of love, and the magic that can be found in the simplest moments in this sweet, wholesome, and tender romance.
“Have you been in Pinehill before?” Olivia asked as she drove through town. Thank goodness, it was fairly quiet, being a weekday evening. There were some tourists in town, just not the hordes that descended each weekend.
“Once. I spent the summer with my aunt and uncle and cousins at the cabin when I was eleven. It was one of the best summers I ever had.” Alex looked out the window, and Olivia wondered what he saw. A small town with big dreams? A place he could get lost in the crowds?
Hundreds of lights graced storefronts, businesses, and homes, twinkling against the snow and making Pinehill look like a magical winter wonderland. Despite how much she detested the cold and snow, she loved seeing the town with all the lights aglow. She always found something so hopeful and cheerful in the soft glow they created against the twilight.
“Do you have many cousins? Or siblings?” Olivia asked, trying to keep the conversation going. She really wasn’t great at small talk.
Alex emitted a sound that could have been a laugh or a scoff. She wasn’t sure which.
“Two older sisters who think they know everything. And I do have a lot of cousins. My mom has four sisters, and my dad has two brothers. So I have six aunts, six uncles, three great-aunts, one great-uncle, and forty-seven cousins if I count my cousins’ spouses and their offspring.”
Olivia grinned. “That’s a lot of relatives.”
“It is. Sometimes I’d like to share them with someone who doesn’t have any.” Alex smiled, and Olivia thought he should do it more often. It transformed his face from stoic to incredibly attractive. “How about you?”
“How about me, what?” she asked, slowing as she neared the edge of town, ready to make the turn onto the road Alex indicated.
“Do you have many cousins? Aunts? Uncles? Husbands?”
Olivia tossed him a disparaging glance. “Husbands? Now that was smooth, Mr. Adams. Thought you’d just work that right into the conversation, did you?”
“I’m not one who likes to beat around the bush.” He shrugged. “So are you? Married, I mean?”
“Only to my work.” Olivia sighed.
“Once. I spent the summer with my aunt and uncle and cousins at the cabin when I was eleven. It was one of the best summers I ever had.” Alex looked out the window, and Olivia wondered what he saw. A small town with big dreams? A place he could get lost in the crowds?
Hundreds of lights graced storefronts, businesses, and homes, twinkling against the snow and making Pinehill look like a magical winter wonderland. Despite how much she detested the cold and snow, she loved seeing the town with all the lights aglow. She always found something so hopeful and cheerful in the soft glow they created against the twilight.
“Do you have many cousins? Or siblings?” Olivia asked, trying to keep the conversation going. She really wasn’t great at small talk.
Alex emitted a sound that could have been a laugh or a scoff. She wasn’t sure which.
“Two older sisters who think they know everything. And I do have a lot of cousins. My mom has four sisters, and my dad has two brothers. So I have six aunts, six uncles, three great-aunts, one great-uncle, and forty-seven cousins if I count my cousins’ spouses and their offspring.”
Olivia grinned. “That’s a lot of relatives.”
“It is. Sometimes I’d like to share them with someone who doesn’t have any.” Alex smiled, and Olivia thought he should do it more often. It transformed his face from stoic to incredibly attractive. “How about you?”
“How about me, what?” she asked, slowing as she neared the edge of town, ready to make the turn onto the road Alex indicated.
“Do you have many cousins? Aunts? Uncles? Husbands?”
Olivia tossed him a disparaging glance. “Husbands? Now that was smooth, Mr. Adams. Thought you’d just work that right into the conversation, did you?”
“I’m not one who likes to beat around the bush.” He shrugged. “So are you? Married, I mean?”
“Only to my work.” Olivia sighed.
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Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.
Places to find Shanna Hatfield:
Sounds like a great holiday romance story. I enjoyed the blurb and excerpt.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a book I will enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful cover. I love Shanna's books.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a favorite winter memory?
ReplyDeleteA good clean holiday romance - thanks so much for sharing this!
ReplyDelete