CHRISTMAS BABY FOR THE PRINCESS
Faced with a royal scandal, pregnant princess Arianna fled to New York. But when a pickpocket leaves her penniless, she must turn to handsome restauranteur Max Brown for help…
Max can’t resist rescuing this enchanting stranger, even if her mysterious past makes him wary. But as his newest (and worst!) waitress brings festive sparkle into his solitary life, can he hope Arianna is here for life…not just for Christmas?
Full of Christmas magic and vintage film glamour, it’s the perfect way to kick off your holiday season.
Since winning RWA's prestigious Golden Heart Award in 2007, BARBARA WALLACE has gone on to sell over 12 titles with Harlequin Romance and Entangled Publishing. Her books have appeared in nearly a half dozen languages and close to a dozen countries around the world. She's a multiple Romantic Times award nominee, a Golden Leaf finalist, and wnner of the New England Bean Pot award. Most recently, her book THE COURAGE TO SAY YES was named Best Traditional Romance at the GDRWA Booksellers Best Awards.
Barbara Wallace is the award-winning, best-selling author of 20 novels, including Weekend Agreement and The Courage to Say Yes. The proud mother of a 22-year-old National Guard Lieutenant, she lives in New England with her husband and their menagerie of rescue cats.
Barbara Wallace is the award-winning, best-selling author of 20 novels, including Weekend Agreement and The Courage to Say Yes. The proud mother of a 22-year-old National Guard Lieutenant, she lives in New England with her husband and their menagerie of rescue cats.
Ho ho ho!
But don’t take my word for it. Let Princess Arianna tell you about Christmas in Corinthia in her own words:
“…..once you move to the outskirts, things look the same as they have for centuries……there are no outside lights. Instead, the houses decorate their window boxes with boughs of green. Then they place a single candle in the center of each window. The green is supposed to represent life, and the candles the blessings that are to come in the future …. “If you drive to the top of Mount Cornier and look out, all you can see are single white lights for miles and miles. ”
Christmas Baby for the Princess
THE ROYAL HOUSE OF CORINTHIA
No one represents Corinthia’s old world spirit better than its royal family: the widower King Carlos and his children, Crown Prince Armando and Princess Arianna. They embody the commitment to tradition, honor and duty synonymous with being a Corinthian.
ROYAL SCANDAL! MISSING ROYAL!
Recently, however, the royal family suffered a scandal. Princess Arianna has run away to New York City. She needs the time away while she ponders whether she should marry the father of her unborn child as her duty and position dictates, or choose personal happiness, thus bringing potential shame to a country known for being extremely conservative, religious, and old-fashioned. It’s not an easy choice for someone who’s spent her adult life trying to be the perfect princess.
A NEW YORK KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR
New York restaurateur has a thing for hard-luck cases. Thus, when an incognito Arianna walks through his door looking for help, of course he says yes. To him, she’s no different than any of the other “lost puppies” he’s helped over the years. Except for the fact that he’s falling in love with her. What’s he going to do when he discovers his latest rescue project is really a runaway princess?
~ ~ ~
If she were back home, she’d be curled up in her big comfortable bed right now waiting for a servant to bring her a cup of lavender mint tea.
Instead, her feet hurt, her back hurt and her stomach wouldn’t stop lurching from the constant food smells passing by her nose. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep for the next twenty-four hours straight.
Worse, after three days, she was no closer to deciding what she should do.
As if on cue, a wave of nausea hit her, forcing her to press a fist to her lips. If she didn’t know better, she’d say the child inside her was voicing its opinion. Too bad she did not know what side the bambino was on. Then again, how could an embryo know what to do when she herself didn’t?
If only she had not seen Manolo’s true colors. Then perhaps the idea of spending a lifetime with him would not seem so...daunting. Her father, of course, was thoroughly impressed by the man and had been thrilled when she and the industrialist began dating. A wedding and grandchild would send him over the moon.
But “wasn’t wanting to please Father what had gotten her into this dilemma? Knowing how happy the relationship made her father, she’d ignored the questions whispering in her ear. If Manolo’s kisses failed to make her head spin, or if there were times when she thought he loved being with the king more than with her, it was her imagination. After all, no relationship was perfect one hundred percent of the time. Perhaps if they were intimate her doubts would disappear...
Finding another woman’s underwear in his apartment had shown her how wrong that idea was. Unfortunately, the shutters were pulled from her eyes a little too late.
“You’re doing that wrong,” a voice said from behind her.
Max. A quiver struck low in her stomach. The bambino seemed to have an opinion about him as well. Since that first day, her stomach insisted on wobbling every time she and the owner crossed paths.
He reached over her shoulder to take the setting from her hand. “The ends have to be tucked tightly or else the silverware will slide out. See?”
Arianna could feel his breath on the back of her bare neck. In “Corinthia, it was considered disrespectful to stand so close to a member of the royal family. A deferential distance had to be maintained at all times. Max’s arms were nearly wrapped around her. She could feel the edge of his jacket brushing her spine as he leaned forward, the feathery touch causing goose bumps.
“Now you try.”
She tried to repeat the steps she’d done dozens of times throughout the night, but her fingers had grown clumsy. Instead of stacking the silverware, she fumbled and knocked them over. “It would be easier if you weren’t breathing down my neck,” she told him.
“Sorry.” The space behind her cooled as he took a spot at the bar next to her chair. Better, but not by much. Arianna could still feel his slate-colored eyes watching her every move. Taking a deep breath, she rolled the napkin into the tightest cylinder humanly possible.
“Good,” Max said. “Although next time, you might want to include a spoon.”
Her shoulders sagged. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Darius slide a drink across the bar. Max wrapped his hand around it without looking, and settled back against the bar rail to survey the restaurant. Unable to help herself, Arianna stole a look.
The man had the most effortless grace about him. You could see it in the way the glass dangled from his long fingertips and in the way he moved. Yet for all his smoothness, he wasn’t overly soft. Just like how the scar on the bridge of his nose kept his face from movie-star perfection, there was strength beneath the elegance. A toughness that said he wasn’t a man to be trifled with. In a way he reminded her of the ancestral portraits lining the halls of Corinthia Castle, with their impenetrable gazes that followed her every step.
They always left her feeling very exposed, those paintings. Max’s stare did as well. ”
UP NEXT for BARBARA
WINTER WEDDING FOR THE PRINCE
Royal House of Corinthia, book #2
Read a little, Buy the book
Crown Prince under the mistletoe…
Crown Prince Armando's belief in love died along with his wife, but duty dictates he must remarry! He enlists royal assistant Rosa Lamberti to help him find a suitable candidate, but a sizzling kiss under the mistletoe with Rosa awakens feelings Armando thought long buried…
After a difficult divorce, Rosa had sworn off men, so she's shocked to realize she yearns to be Armando's bride! This Christmas, will Rosa get the best gift of all—a second chance at love, with Armando?
PREVIOUS RELEASES by BARBARA
SAVED BY THE CEO
The Vineyards of Calanetti
Read a little, Buy the book
BEAUTY AND THE BILLIONAIRE BOSS
In Love With The Boss, #2
A MILLIONAIRE FOR CINDERELLA
In Love With The Boss, #1
ANGI'S back next Monday with
UP NEXT ON GLIAS: AVA BLCKSTONE
or @GetLostInAStory #GetLostStories
In the spirit of Christmas, I’m giving away a free set of my Corinthian duet, Christmas Baby for the Princess and Winter Wedding for the Prince.
BARBARA WANTS TO KNOW: It’s my hope the spirit of Christmas will keep your fall bright and magical. When do you get into the "Christmas" mood?
Christmas starts after Thanksgiving weekend.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Barbara.
ReplyDeleteI'm always ready for Christmas after Macy's parade. I refuse to buy anything Christmas in the store...except this year. There were some things (like lights) that I grabbed as soon as they went into the stores. I didn't want to "miss" them this year. It seems like stores quit restocking after Black Friday.
We always wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but this year is different. Since I lost my husband of 42 years in April, I knew this Christmas would be harder. So for the last week, I've been watching Hallmark Christmas movies every day to get over the "sad" part of Christmas and smile at the good memories while celebrating Christmas with my family and friends.
ReplyDeleteFor me, Christmas begins when I start playing Christmas music... this year I started earlier than normal.
ReplyDeleteWhen the snow falls! And that is going to happen this weekend - even though we have had the most awesome fall here in the upper midwest! I was wearing shorts 2 weeks ago!
ReplyDeleteI get in the mood while decorating our tree after Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteGenerally Thanksgiving weekend, but I'll admit, I did already watch one Christmas movie on Hallmark a couple of weeks ago. :)
ReplyDeleteI'd Like to start at The Beginning of December so we can enjoy it all month but It usually really happens The 1st or 2nd week of December Thanks
ReplyDeleteGosh i guess i start when i read my first christmas themed book then its kind of after Thanksgiving since moving to ia from ca and leaving my adult kids and grandkids i have kind of lost the spirit as i haven't seen them in several years and a new one came a month ago. I do talk to them every week and when i get their presents sent to them i always put a sticker of a heart as my heart goes every time
ReplyDelete