Winter Angel
by Mia Hoddell
Genre: YA Romance
Length: Novella
Blurb:
She was on
holiday. He was tricked into returning.
Neither of them wanted to be there, but neither could avoid it.
Amy wants to be back under the sun in Portugal. However, when her suggestion is overruled in favour of a skiing holiday, even she can't turn it down. What she couldn't have predicted is that the holiday could make her break the one, and only, rule she has: not to get into a serious relationship again.
When Amy first sees Luke, she knows something is wrong. He's struggling to cope with everything and her need to help people makes him the perfect distraction from the cold. He hasn't been to the Alps in five years and he swore to never ski again. But as his defences are broken by Amy's persistence, the winter paradise begins to reawaken his desires.
However, with constant flashbacks triggering his anxiety, he's torn, battling conflicting emotions as he becomes increasingly captivated by Amy. She has a rule though. She didn't go on holiday to fall for someone and the last thing she needs is to ignore her own advice. Whether or not she can move past her insecurities will depend on whether Luke can face his biggest fear.
Neither of them wanted to be there, but neither could avoid it.
Amy wants to be back under the sun in Portugal. However, when her suggestion is overruled in favour of a skiing holiday, even she can't turn it down. What she couldn't have predicted is that the holiday could make her break the one, and only, rule she has: not to get into a serious relationship again.
When Amy first sees Luke, she knows something is wrong. He's struggling to cope with everything and her need to help people makes him the perfect distraction from the cold. He hasn't been to the Alps in five years and he swore to never ski again. But as his defences are broken by Amy's persistence, the winter paradise begins to reawaken his desires.
However, with constant flashbacks triggering his anxiety, he's torn, battling conflicting emotions as he becomes increasingly captivated by Amy. She has a rule though. She didn't go on holiday to fall for someone and the last thing she needs is to ignore her own advice. Whether or not she can move past her insecurities will depend on whether Luke can face his biggest fear.
Winter Angel is a standalone,
young adult romance novella, but is the second book in the Seasons of Change
series.
Download in now for FREE!
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You can also download Summer Demons: the first, bestselling, standalone novella in the Seasons of
Change series for 99c / 77p.
Excerpt
White. Gazing out of the small,
circular window, it was the only colour he could see surrounding him. The
bursts of light—which had broken through the heavy, grey clouds—were reflected
back as the ground grew closer with each passing second. Not too long ago he
had been blissfully unaware of the location his sister was dragging him to for
a holiday. A bubble of excitement had surrounded him throughout the early
morning as he got up, and stayed with him through travelling to the airport and
catching the flight. However, it had burst as soon as the icy tips of the
mountains appeared and the plane began its descent. Until that moment, he had
hoped his guesses had been wrong.
His sister had carefully planned the
trip, making sure to hide all clues as to where they were heading, and as she
glanced across at him, it seemed as if she had been successful. Luke’s knuckles
were white on the arm rests. He had claimed both of them, gripping them so hard
they looked like they would snap under the force, or at least be moulded to the
shape of his hands when he removed them.
Ellie watched as he took in a shaky
breath, but she heard no exhale.
“Luke?”
The silence that filled the space around
them was icier than the Alps they had just flown over. Her brother’s gaze
remained fixed on the window, watching as the ground, and his fate, drew ever
closer. Deep, ragged breaths steamed up the window, which was almost touching
his nose. Desperately, he tried to control the tremors shaking his body, and
his pounding heart, from the fear that washed over him in waves.
“Luke, please, say something.” Worry
had crept into Ellie’s tone. She had thought her idea would do him good, that
forcing him to face everything would turn him back into his old self. Ellie
missed the brother she had grown up with and wanted him back. However, seeing
his eyes wide with fear, his jaw clenched in anger, and his arms tense with
both, suddenly she wasn’t so sure about her plan.
“You promised, Ellie. You swore you
wouldn’t pressure me, and I trusted you with that. You know how I feel about
this.” His voice was sharp and curt as he spoke through clenched teeth, trying
to keep a hold on his emotions.
The urge to flee surged within him. He
wanted to go home, to get off the plane and board the next flight straight back
to England, but he couldn’t. Not only was the plane still minutes from
landing—trapping him in the confines of economy class, which felt even smaller
as realisation forced him to understand Ellie’s plans—but he also refused to
waste more money on the pointless trip Ellie had conned him into taking. If he
was going to use the money he had earned from before everything changed, it
would be on his own terms.
“You’ll enjoy it when you’re there,”
Ellie stated, brushing off his comments like they meant nothing to her.
“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t
have to live with, or through, what I have.” Luke was trying hard to control
his voice. Had they been in private, he would have already been shouting. The
cramped environment meant that Ellie was getting off lightly, but he swore that
when they reached their chalet, he would not hold back. She had no right to
interfere with his life.
“Never tell me I didn’t live through
it, Luke. I was there when it happened, in the hospital, and when you got home.
I was there through it all. It may not have been me, but it wasn’t like it had
no effect on my life,” Ellie hissed. It was the only way she could convey her
anger without disturbing other passengers.
“Why though, Ellie? Why is this such a
big deal to you?” Luke’s eyes were full of sorrow as he turned to face his
sister for the first time, begging to understand her reasoning for putting him
through something she knew would hurt him.
About the Author
Mia Hoddell
lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time
writing or reading, loves anything paranormal and has an overactive imagination
that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.
With three
poems published before the age of sixteen, Mia moved on to short stories but
finding she had too much to tell with too little space, Mia progressed to
novels. She started her first series (The Wanderer Trilogy) at the age
of fourteen and since then hasn’t stopped writing. Elemental
Killers is her second series
and with an ever growing list of ideas, Mia is trying to keep up with the speed
at which her imagination generates them.
Connect with Mia:
ARCs, giveaways and new releases
