(White Pine Island Novellas #1 & #2)
by Amie Denman & May Williams
by Amie Denman & May Williams
Adult Contemporary Romance, Christmas
ebook, 179 pages
October 1st 2016Welcome to White Pine Island! Just a few miles off the coast of Georgia, this island is accessible only by boat, plane, and your imagination. Many residents call the island home year-round, but day visitors and tourists bring plenty of excitement with them. Like other resort islands, there are quaint shops, cool restaurants, and friendly bars. There are several resorts on the island, but the queen of them all is the elegant Grand Hotel on a bluff with an ocean view. Owned by the extensive, multi-generational Phillips family, the Grand Hotel offers elegant service, five course dinners, and plenty of romance.
Ned & Bethany by May Williams
Sometimes the heart hits a hole in one…
Bethany Hinkle arrives at White Pine Island’s Grand Hotel for her sister’s wedding and to do a little environmental snooping. She snaps pictures of the hotel’s pristine golf course to ensure its compliance with EPA standards. Soon, she realizes that the course’s manager is as attractive as the course he so carefully protects.
Ned Phillips feels the weight of family expectations squarely on his broad shoulders. The Phillips Family has owned and operated the Grand Hotel for three generations. For now, he manages the hotel’s golf course and makes plans for its future—plans that could be destroyed by Bethany’s spying. He gets close to the lovely environmentalist to watch for her next move until he gets too close to let her go.
Ellen & Pete by Amie Denman
What happens when you fall in love with your best friend just when it’s too late?
All her life, Ellen Phillips has loved working for her family’s Grand Hotel on White Pine Island. Flying the hotel’s airplane and piloting the island ferryboat while knowing someday she will inherit the luxurious resort is a fairy tale existence she has no desire to change. She’s always loved Pete McCormack, too. After all, he’s her best friend, confidante, and playmate. Until she suddenly sees him in a different light just before Christmas.
Pete McCormack has made sacrifices for his family’s golf cart rental business on the island, choosing to stay home and run it instead of pursuing his dream of his own career on the mainland. When his parents announce their plans to sell the business so Pete can leave the island, he has to choose between the future he thought he always wanted and his newfound love for the woman he would be leaving behind.
Book Excerpt
White Pine Island: Novella Two: Ellen & Pete by Amie Denman
“Maybe this can work,” Ellen said to herself as she handed off the paperwork and the responsibility of running the island ferry to her partner. True to his word, Pete waited for her on the dock with a golf cart.
Ellen swung off the ferry, feeling lightness in every step. She took off her captain’s hat and freed her hair from the band holding it back. Stripped off her captain’s shirt to reveal a Grand Hotel t-shirt underneath with the signature logo of a green pine tree and a gold GH.
Pete stepped out of the golf cart. “If you’re going to strip on the dock, I’m going to have to fight off other men,” he said.
Ellen grinned, wadded up her shirt and hat and stowed them on the back seat of the golf cart. She noticed a blanket and several bags were already on the seat. “I don’t want other men,” she said. “I chose you to spend the day with.”
They sat next to each other on the white vinyl seat.
“Do I kiss you?” Pete asked.
“I’m still getting used to the idea,” Ellen said. Certainly he could hear her heart thudding with anticipation.
“Is that a yes?”
She kissed him on the lips, a quick kiss that promised more to come. Pete cleared his throat and put on his sunglasses. Although they’d known each other forever, this felt like a first date. As if they were treading carefully on sacred ground.
“We’ve got several hours of daylight left,” he said. “I have a rough plan.”
“Unless it requires special clothing, you can surprise me.”
Pete took off his sunglasses and turned to her. His eyes were like green fire and she’d never seen him look more serious. “It does not require clothing,” he said. And then he laughed and peeled out of the ferry parking lot.
With one hand draped over the top of the wheel, he drove them to a beach on the south side of the island that only the locals usually visited. They called it the “secret beach” because it had escaped being on the tourists’ radar, but it wasn’t necessarily a secret. It was just off the beaten path.
“Hungry?” Pete asked as he parked under a tree.
“Did you bring birthday cake?”
“No, but I brought your favorite chips and cookies from the market downtown. And cream soda.”
“A man after my heart,” she said.
“Of course I am.” He stroked her cheek with two fingers. “I’d like to think I may already have it.”
You certainly do, Ellen thought. But where do we go from here? Instead of speaking, she put her hand on his leg and gave his thigh a gentle squeeze. He slipped an arm around her and pulled her close. He kissed her neck and followed her jaw line to her lips.
“Can you believe I’ve never made out in a golf cart before?” he murmured.
Ellen pulled back and smiled. “We have a whole beach waiting for us.”
She kicked off her shoes and left them in the golf cart. Pete did the same and they crossed the white sand, hand in hand. They sat on a log by the ocean and Pete handed out snacks from the grocery bag.
Ellen balanced her can of soda on her knee. “Do you think this could work?” she asked.
Pete let out a long breath. “You mean us being more than friends?”
“Yes.”
“I hope so. Because if I have to go back to just friend status, it’ll take me a long time to forget the way you kiss.”
Ellen leaned closer and kissed him, a deep soft kiss that lasted long enough for a dozen waves to crash onto the shore near them.
“You mean like that?”
“Exactly like that.”
Amie Denman lives in Ohio with her husband, sons, cats, and dog. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys walking and playing outside. Born with an overdeveloped sense of curiosity, she's been known to chase fire trucks on her bicycle just to see what's going on. Amie believes that everything is fun: especially roller coasters, wedding cake, and falling in love.
May Williams is convinced that she read every book in the public library of her hometown as a kid. Today, her house sags under the weight of books. If she’s not reading or writing, May can be found pursuing her other two passions – sewing and running. May lives happily in a little town on the shores of Lake Erie with her husband, two children, three cats, and one oversized dog.
Tour Schedule
October 16th: Launch
October 17th: Katie's Clean Book Collection & Book Lover in Florida
October 18th: Nicole's Book Musings & The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
October 19th: Falling Leaves & Letters from Annie (Douglass) Lima
October 20th: underneath the covers & Beck Valley Books
October 21st: Brooke Blogs & Teatime and Books
October 23rd: Grand Finale
Tour Giveaway
1 winner will receive Under the Boardwalk and Carousel Nights by Amie Denman (US only)
1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally)
Ends October 28th
Our Disclosure Policy
Are you a book reviewer or book blogger? Join our book tours reviewers team - Apply Here x
Current book tours open for sign ups HERE
Sharon x
Are you a book reviewer or book blogger? Join our book tours reviewers team - Apply Here x
Current book tours open for sign ups HERE
Sharon x
 |
Sharon Martin
Blogger & Promoter at Beck Valley Books          |
This Ohio "pumpkinlady" is very curious and interested in reading more....sounds like a relaxing time to read more by these lovely authors, especially here on the windy shores of Lake Erie!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity!