The Mistletoe Contract
by Jennifer Chastain
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GENRE: Contemporary Christian Romance
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BLURB:
He needs a wife. She needs money. Is their
modern-day marriage an answer to their prayers or a disaster waiting to happen?
Confirmed bachelor, Nathan Rutledge shut his heart
to romance when he was forced to break the heart of the only woman he ever
truly loved. Now, with his father’s retirement from the family conglomerate,
the torch has been passed to him. But there are two problems—first, he needs a
wife in order to take over the family business. Second, someone has been
embezzling company funds. With the pressure mounting, and time expiring to find
both a wife he can trust and the thief, Nate needs a Christmas miracle.
Forensic Accountant, Meredith Mitchell’s life is in
a shambles. Her mother needs a lifesaving transplant, Mom’s medical bills have
bankrupted Meredith’s meager savings, and she’s sold everything of value, but
it’s still not enough. To make matters worse, she’s now tasked with discovering
accounting errors for a new client—none other than Nathan Rutledge—the same man
who gave her a broken heart for Christmas eight years ago.
Meredith wants to run. Nate wants the chance to
right his wrongs. So, naturally, when he proposes a modern-day marriage of
convenience, she balks at the idea. But he desperately needs a wife, and she
really needs the money he offers. Is this the answer to her prayers? Or will
this mutually beneficial arrangement re-open old wounds that can’t be healed?
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EXCERPT:
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Meredith’s eyes popped open. “Nate! You scared me!” Facing off with her fiancé, she straightened her spine. “What’re you doing here?”
His back against the wall, he crossed his ankles. Even after working all day, Nate still appeared fresh. When she glanced at her gray dress pants, the red sauce stain from her rushed dinner glared at her. She was wrinkly… and frumpy.
Nate frowned, his gaze roving over her.
Meredith moved her purse from her shoulder and held it in front of the stain. “I’m sorry. That was unkind.”
“I didn’t mean to intrude.”
She pulled herself up to her full height. “You didn’t. It’s… I didn’t expect to see you.” At least, not until their wedding day, giving her a couple of days to steel her emotions against his all-American boy-next-door charm. Why did he have to ruin her well-thought-out plan? His nearness sent her pulse into overdrive.
Nate turned toward her and rested one hand on the wall above her head. He was so close she saw the golden flecks ringing his pupils. “Can’t a guy see his fiancée before the wedding?” The low timbre of Nate’s voice raised goose bumps on her arms, and her heart rate kicked up another notch.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she licked her dry lips before her gaze settled on his mouth. “Yeah, sure.”
Nate’s free hand came up and traced a line down her cheek. Meredith closed her eyes.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A hopeful romantic, Jennifer loves dark chocolate, Diet Coke, old movies and a good romantic movie. She loves to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen and when not cooking, she’s reading or conducting more research for her stories. Growing up in the snowy North, Christmas has always been her favorite holiday, with the scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and pine scenting the air.
She
and her husband have been married for over 25 years and they are permitted
to co-exist with their black rescue cat.
Author
Links:
Newsletter
Sign-up with Free Short Story: Jennifer Chastain Newsletter
The Mistletoe Contract – Amazon link
Website:
https://jenniferchastain.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JenniferChastain.writer
Instagram:
https://www.facebook.com/JenniferChastain.writer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferCwrites
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GIVEAWAY:
Jennifer
Chastain will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly
drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI love the cover, blurb and excerpt, this sounds like my kind of holiday read which, I must confess, that I read all throughout the year. Thank you for posting about this book
ReplyDeleteI’m always up for a good holiday read myself, no matter what time of year!
DeleteI like the excerpt and cover.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThanks for hosting me today!
ReplyDeleteDo you have a favorite genre you like to read?
ReplyDeleteI love the cover and the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a terrific contemporary marriage of convenience story.
ReplyDelete