D. E. Malone for CLEAN ROMANCE FOR CHRISTMAS! #RomBks4Chris20

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

One stolen kiss. A little Christmas magic. And the snowy inn where love stands a chance.

Interior designer Layla Dean can’t believe her good fortune at snagging the holiday decorating gig at Blueberry Point Lodge. And even though her fledgling business has a growing list of happy clients, her personal life isn’t filled with the same Christmas magic. She needs a man in her life like she does coal in her stocking. But tell that to Brant Johnsson.

Brant is known as the Twin Cities’ Master of Lights and Luminaria for good reason. His company oversees most of the downtown’s outdoor displays every season. But when a professional snag sends him reeling, he’s ready to quit the business. Until he runs into Layla again. Forgetting their awkward mistletoe kiss last year just isn’t possible, but she doesn’t share the pleasant memory. Now that they’re decking the halls together for the newly opened inn’s first Christmas, Brant hopes for a replay of their first encounter. And something more.

When a misdirected text message pairs them together for a fundraising event, Brant and Layla find they have more in common than just a flare for holiday decorating and one mistaken kiss. If Layla can overcome her sour first impression, Brant might get his very merry second chance.

Excerpt

Frustrated, Layla unpacked while the sour details of their first meeting stirred.

It had been at a fundraiser for Friendship House, a social service organization in the Twin Cities, and had attracted the heads of companies and old-money philanthropists. The ballroom of the historic Rennselaer Hotel had been transformed to showcase Brant Johnsson’s famed lights displays. Its ballroom was all plaster moldings, ceiling frescos, and soaring balconies on four sides with polished pillars of red oak standing like silent sentinels overhead. Someone mentioned Brant had used more than 25,000 lights on the balconies alone.

The only reason Layla got an invite from Friendship House was because she helped decorate the hotel lobby for the event. She’d been excited to go—it was a networker’s dream. But once the day arrived, Layla dreaded the night ahead. Socializing didn’t come naturally. The beaded sheath she wore didn’t ease her discomfort either. She’d bought it online, and while it was stunning, she couldn’t forget that it cost more than her food bill for three months.

She’d found a semi-quiet corner so she could people-watch. Her gaze fell on Brant more than a few times that night, the first time being when he’d walked through the room’s double doors like he expected a standing ovation. He was nothing short of dashing.

Later the night, Layla had been deep in conversation with Chuck Hennessy, president of a regional bank, talking about decorating the bank’s five branches when she felt a hand on her upper arm. Layla spun around. Before she could register a single, coherent thought, a pair of lips met hers. Layla couldn’t find her voice; the shock stole her breath like a vacuum.

Her hand pressed against a large, muscular chest, and for one swoony moment, she went all lightheaded and weak-kneed and hated herself for it. Then the person pulled away and she really hated herself.

Brant Johnsson.

Egotistical, ridiculously handsome Brant Johnsson.

His eyes widened when he looked at her, his mouth gaping open like a beached fish. It would have been almost comical if the whole embarrassing incident hadn’t happened right in front of Chuck.

Brant mumbled something, including a hurried “sorry,” before his girlfriend showed up. Layla burned with humiliation, while Brant made a joke about it to the woman.

About the Author

D.E. Malone writes sweet contemporary romance and is the author of the Hearts in Hendricks and Blueberry Point Romance series. She also writes for middle-grade audiences as Dawn Malone. Her work has appeared in Highlights for Children, Pockets, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She loves traveling to places off the beaten path which inspire the small-town settings in her stories. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, and continuing her quest for the holy grail of bakeries.


Tour Giveaway


One winner will receive a $70 (USD) Amazon eGift Card

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Ends December 27, 2020