Series: A Gamble of Love Mom-Com #3
Publication date: October 28th, 2022
Synopsis:
Christmas is a time for hate...
Maisy Moore is not looking forward to the holiday season. As owner of the only hair salon in Gamble, Alaska, she'll be run off her feet helping her clients get dolled up for Christmas and New Years Eve parties. Parties she'll never be invited to.
But that's not the worst of it. As a single mom, she knows she still won't be able to give her seven-year-old son, Jack, the kind of magical Christmas his classmates get. Telling him how much she loves him will only get a kid that age so far. If only she could give him what he really wants--to know who his dad is.
The last thing Maisy needs is for NHL star Chase Evans to come waltzing back into town like he's God's gift to women. But that's exactly what Chase does.
After taking a crosscheck from behind, Chase's season is over. Instead of scoring goals, he's recovering from shoulder surgery, and according to his mother, there's no better place to recover than home. Because let's face it, basking in the glow of local adoration won't be too bad. There are no fans quite like hometown fans.
The last thing Chase expects is to find Maisy Moore still single. He decides to see if maybe they could rekindle their brief romance that occurred the night of their ten-year high school reunion. But when he tries to talk to her, he discovers Maisy's feelings of lust have turned to loathing. And he's determined to find out why.
Will Maisy manage to keep the identity of her son a secret? Will there be a holiday miracle that will reunite two hard-headed lovers? Will the BOGO special on shampoo and conditioner be a hit?
Find out in the deliciously funny and ridiculously romantic final installment of the Love is a Gamble Mom-Com Series.
Available at:
Excerpt
Gamble isn't exactly a metropolis, but we have quite a tourist trade here that keeps the price of real estate high. Long story short, I can no longer afford to own a home here. Which means I'll have to rent.
So now I have three weeks to pack up and find somewhere new. Add to that, it's almost holiday party season -- which means work is about to get busier than ever -- and I have no time to go house hunting.
It's nearly midnight, so I'm doing the one thing I can do at this hour -- packing and purging because, like it or not, it has to be done.
Pulling out a stack of yearbooks from my childhood bedroom closet, I try to decide whether to pack them or burn them. I kick them off to the side and open my first journal that I started in the seventh grade.
Dear Diary,
That's such a dumb thing to write, I'm going to change your name.
Dear Chase,
I hate your stupid guts. You're the nastiest, most conceited, stuck-up son of a corn dog that ever had the misfortune to be born. You suck monkey butts!
There is no reason you can't walk past me in the hallway and pretend I don't exist. Yet every, single time you see me, your stupid eyes light up and you scream (!!!), "Maisy Swayzeeeeee, wassup?" I hate you with every fiber of my being.
I know I wear a body brace, you loser. Scoliosis is no joke. But you don't have to grab a hold of it and pull me around by it. I swear, if my spine refuses to set straight, I'm going to sue you for everything you have.
Why do you waste your time taunting me? You have everything that I don't: two parents, good looks, and athletic ability, to name a few. Why bother being a jerk to me? Just let me live my pathetic life in peace.
Maisy Moore
Oh, my god, I totally forgot that I used to write letters to people in lieu of actual journal entries. I want to read more but I'm suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to either scream or throw up.
Flipping through, I stop at a random entry toward the end of eighth grade.
Dear Chase,
This is the craziest idea in the whole world, but I think you should ask me to the spring dance. I know I'm not popular or pretty like Jessica Farmer. I'm not a cheerleader and I've never even done one cartwheel, thank you, scoliosis. But I'm getting my brace off this week, and I think you'll be surprised how cute I am without it.
I'm also getting contacts and my mom promised to let me highlight my hair. I feel a real transformation coming on, and I think you should ask me out before there's a line down the street from my house.
I've thought long and hard and have decided that I'll even let you kiss me. With tongue and all.
Think about it and let me know,
Maisy
I'm full of shame and embarrassment for my younger self. I was so desperate to be liked, I would have done just about anything to feel like I belonged.
I never sent any of the stupid letters I wrote, and surprise, surprise, Chase Evans never asked me out. Instead, I finished high school, went to beauty school, and continued to live the boring small-town life I always had.
Chase, on the other hand, got drafted by the Vancouver Ice Dogs straight out of high school and went on to become one of the biggest hockey stars in the league. Or maybe the world. I'm not sure. I don't follow hockey on account of hating him. And even though he lives thousands of miles from me. I have never been able to get out from under his shadow.
Every time a People magazine comes into the salon, there he is. If he's not on the cover, he's between the pages on the arm of some supermodel or movie star. He even got a small role in the latest Marvel movie, if you can believe that.
How he and I ever hooked up is a story as old as time. Too much tequila -- on both of our parts -- and years of pent-up frustration on mine. I will never drink tequila again and God knows, I've seen my last high school reunion.
WHITNEY DINEEN loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries -- not always in that order.
Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.
She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.
Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2017.
Silver medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.
Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.
Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.
Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017.
Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017.
MELANIE SUMMERS also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.
Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.
In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).
Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the light off.
She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International.
.png)
