Book 3: A New Beginning in a Small Town
Love in Harmony Valley Series
On this page, you’ll find the story blurb, an excerpt, the story behind the story, and bonus content.
"Reading Slade and Christine's story reminded me of why I enjoy romance. (This book) has found a place on my keeper shelf!" Brenda Novak, NYT & USA Today Bestselling author
She’s moving forward with a clean slate.
Christine Alexander wants to prove herself as a top-notch winemaker, and in small town Harmony Valley she's got a chance to build something legitimate and lasting. If only part-owner Slade Jennings would quit poking his attractive nose in her cabernet.
He can’t move on without shedding the baggage of his past.
Brooding, numbers guy Slade doesn’t want to return to his small hometown, the place where his life fell apart, much less start a business or raise his young twin girls there. In Harmony Valley, the painful mistakes from his past are at risk of being revealed to his friends, the community, and the attractive winemaker who works for him.
Sometimes, the only way forward is the rocky journey through the tough parts.
Fans of movies like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Manchester by the Sea will love this gripping, emotional, redemption romance with a happily-ever-after.
Readers love A New Beginning in a Small Town:
“This book is my favorite in this series! From the beginning (of the series), I was wondering what is Slade hiding…? … There were some secrets, which are not mine to tell, but they … contained regrets and sadness.” Goodreads Reviewer, 5 Stars
“…hard to put down.” Goodreads Reviewer, 5 Stars
“The entire series is well-written and I eagerly await the next book in the series.” Goodreads Reviewer, 5 Stars
Note: This book discusses a past suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, someone cares and is ready to listen on the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (dial 988).
Excerpt:
Day One on the job and Christine Alexander was late.
That didn’t mean she expected to show up for work and see a glamorous-looking woman doing the tiptoe run around a black SUV in skyscraper heels, or a pair of identical little Goth girls. Not this far away from civilization. Not outside an anime film. Not at her place of employment.
Christine had thought she was escaping the high-drama, high-fashion, high-ego circus that was Napa wine making for the more laid back Sonoma County scene.
The queen bee in high heels gunned the SUV around the circular driveway. A relief.
Although the Goth girls were still a caution.
Christine parked her old bucket with its deceased air conditioner next to the big black truck that remained, turned off the ignition, and received a very brutal, vibrating massage as the engine fought and coughed and hiccuped trying to stay alive. It wasn’t until it wheezed its last breath that Christine risked getting out.
Her boss, Slade, did a double take. The well-worn car. Christine in her red Keds, faded blue jean shorts, and black Useless Snobbery band T-shirt. Never mind that winemaking was a hands-on, messy job. Her new boss didn’t seem to understand that.
The little optimistic light inside her that had placed such high hopes on this position—for loyalty, for legitimacy, and a nest egg for her future—faded.
She tossed her long blond ponytail over a shoulder, wishing she’d at least taken the time to put it in a French braid. The fancier hairstyle made her look more serious and kept her hair off her neck, which was now hot and sweaty. It had to be ninety-five degrees today, if not pushing one hundred.
“Hey,” she said to the two girls.
They didn’t move or quit staring, which was kind of creepy. Goth mini-mannequins.
“Slade, good to see you again.” Christine closed the distance between them and shook her boss’s hand.
His handshake was perfect—not bone-crushing hard, not limp. Just the right amount of grip and shake. But then again, Slade was perfectly put together. He could have modeled for a living. He was tall and lean, with a hard chin, sculpted cheekbones, and black hair that was always tamed, always controlled. Seriously, the guy was so perfect, he almost didn’t have a personality.
She wouldn’t have fought for this job if she was only working for Slade. He was everything she was leaving behind—name-brand posturing and excess. It had been Flynn, one of Slade’s business partners, who convinced Christine to accept the job. He’d taken one look at her suit and high heels the day of the interview and said, “You look nice, but if we hire you, I don’t ever want to see you in a suit again. We’re beyond casual around here.”
Such was the joy of working for two millionaires who’d made their fortunes in the tech world. Will and Flynn didn’t stand on ceremony like those in the wine industry. They shunned hosting black-tie, sequined events. And then there was her third millionaire boss—Slade.
“I’m sorry I didn’t dress for the office.” She gestured in the region of his fabulous tie. “I was trying to move the last of my things to town.”
“That’s all right.” His accepting tone contradicted his disapproving expression. “Did you feel the earthquake a few minutes ago?”
“I’m assuming you’re not talking about my car’s unique way of shutting off.” She gave him her best smile-and-laugh-with-me one-two combo, scoring a point when he smiled back, even though the Goth girls blanked her. “I may have felt something coming down Main. I thought it was bad gas knocking.” Not hardly. She’d thought her old beater would suffice and had given up her lease on the Audi. She was in penny-pinching mode, living here with her grandmother, saving for a down payment on her own vineyard. She wouldn’t have given up the Audi if she’d known her college car was in desperate need of a tune-up or a new engine or a trip to the scrapyard.
“It’s a toss-up whether it was your car or the tremor,” Slade deadpanned. He turned to the girls. “These are my daughters—”
His? Get out of town!
“Grace—” Slade gestured from one girl to the other “—and Faith.”
“So that was your wife leaving?”
“Ex,” he said curtly.
Immediately, Christine wished she could take the question back. Slade probably thought she was digging for information to see if he was single. What she really wanted was reassurance that tie-wearing Slade was more interested in the substance of the wine she made than the image he presented to the outside world. The wine industry attracted almost as many grandstanders as Hollywood. She didn’t care if Slade wore a parka in this heat, as long as their vision for their wine meshed.
Slade smoothed his tangerine-colored, paisley tie.
…If not for the tie, Slade would have been personality free.
The Story Behind the Story
When I began writing the Love in Harmony Valley series, I created three men - Will (Dandelion Wishes), Flynn (A Small Town Second Chance), and Slade (this book). Slade was the stuffed shirt. Literally. He walked onto the page in Dandelion Wishes wearing a tie and he refused to dress down. It wasn’t until I was 100 pages into his story that I realized why that tie was important to him.
Like Dandelion Wishes, this book is very emotional and deals with issues of healing and forgiveness. Slade and Christine both deserved their happy ending. It’s the kind of ending I wish for anyone with the backstory that Slade has. I hope you agree.
Bonus Content
If you read the book, make sure you download the free Bonus Epilogue.
This book was originally published by Harlequin and updated when I received the rights back. Here’s a look at the cover history of this title:
(coming soon)
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