Hi there! Today I’m sharing one of four newly released contemporary romances all having a bit of a Christmas theme. Tracy Solheim’s novella, HOLIDAYS AT AMGNOLIA BAY seemed like the right starting point for me, as it has little to do with Christmas (it’s not yet Halloween!) and it’s about a hunky ex-soldier finding a true love in the place he least expected.

About the book:

After a mission goes terribly wrong, ending in the death of a teammate, Navy Seal Drew Lanham, is forced to take a leave from active-duty. Retreating to his godmother’s beach house in coastal Magnolia Bay, Drew plans to spend the three weeks R&R licking his wounds and catching some rays while the nightmares from his failed op fade. The last thing he wants to do is mingle with the locals. What he doesn’t count on is an early morning encounter with a goddess rising from the sea. His interest is piqued and his body put on alert when he finds out that same woman may or may not be after his godmother’s money.

 Marine biologist, Jenna Huntley, has been searching her whole life for a place to call home and Magnolia Bay is that place. Unfortunately, she’s underutilizing her education giving tours at the town’s turtle rescue center. With the help of an octogenarian patroness, she maps out a proposal to develop a turtle hatchery on-site. Everything is going as planned until the older woman’s godson arrives. Suddenly, nothing is as it seems and Jenna’s future is hanging in the balance, with a sexy warrior pulling all the strings. Her natural tendency is to help the damaged hero, but she’s sworn off letting military men in her life ever again.

 Will Drew and Jenna be able to put their pasts behind them and learn to trust their hearts long enough to enjoy their Holiday at Magnolia Bay?

My Review:
I really found this to be a good read. Jenna is a gal with too many man problems. Her last BF was a loser more apt to sit on her sofa, using her wifi to gamble online than to notice her sexy lingerie. And, her newest guy–a colleague from Australia who is helping to set up a turtle hatchery project–turns out to be, well, engaged. Yeah, Jenna sure can pick ’em, which is why she wants nothing to do with the strapping military man she meets on the beach. She’s sworn off military men–ever since her father, an Admiral, has ceased talking to her.

Drew Lanham is looking for anything that will distract from his memories of leaving a fallen man behind enemy lines. He strived hard to bring his comrade’s body home for a funeral, but fell short and it’s killing Drew from the inside out. Vacationing in Magnolia Bay, he meets Jenna and feels, for the first time, something other than gut-twisting guilt–he feels attraction.

Jenna and Drew do not fall into bed on the first encounter. They spend a bit of quiet time together, mostly so Drew can ascertain if Jenna and her colleagues are planning to swindle his elderly godmother. (Spoiler: Jenna isn’t) Still, this reconnection to civilian life is difficult for Drew. He struggles in silence, but Jenna continues to meet Drew and an arrangement is made for no-strings sex. As it turns out, both Jenna and Drew get deeply connected, for a bit. Drew gets a bit gun-shy…but still, HEA in more ways than one.

Some good steamy scenes, and a lot of heart packed into this novella.

Interested? You can find HOLIDAYS AT MAGNOLIA BAY on Goodreads and Amazon.

About the Author:

Tracy Solheim is the international bestselling author of the Out of Bound Series for Penguin.  Her books feature members of the fictitious Baltimore Blaze football team and the women who love them.  In a previous life, Tracy wrote best sellers for Congress and was a freelance journalist for regional and national magazines.  She’s a military brat who now makes her home in Johns Creek, Georgia, with her husband, their two children, a pesky Labrador retriever puppy and a horse named after her first novel. Her fifth book for Berkley, Back To Before, will be released in January.

Connect with Tracy online on her blog, twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon.

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