The Reluctant Santa
by Sylvia McDaniel
Published by Virtual Bookseller
Genres: Paranormal
Romance
Heat Level: Sensual
Length: 200 pages/80,000 words
Available at:
Blurb:
Colin McDermott has one last chance to
get Christmas right. Since his mother abandoned him on Christmas Eve never to
return, Colin McDermott has hated Christmas and sworn never to have children.
But this year two angels are giving him everything he didn't want. A Santa
suit, a child and a chance at love again. This is his last chance to learn the
true meaning of Christmas.
EXCERPT
“His soul is mine,” Devon , the devil's angel, said. He watched the humans,
who were oblivious to his presence, gathered in the sales office. One of the
best things about being an angel was his ability to pop into just about
anywhere and spy on his subjects without their knowledge. He could observe the
humans as if were watching a play and even occasionally act as director.
A chill wind howled
outside the downtown Denver Devon
studied his next soul, a brown-haired young man with expressive brows and a
quirky grin. Unbeknownst to him, the salesman's life meter was about to expire
unless he made drastic changes.
“Devon ,"
a voice echoed into the atmosphere before the being that irritated him the most
shimmered into his vision. “Doing a soul count before he's yours?”
Slowly, an angel
materialized, clad from head to toe in a white leather jacket and white
knee-high boots fit snug over white leather pants. A gold belt around her
waist, held a cross that signified sergeant, angel, first class. Her halo was
tilted at a rakish angle. In earth terms, Gabriella looked hot.
“Whoever is in charge
of your wardrobe, I like the changes they’ve made,” Devon
said, letting his eyes rake her until a searing heat reminded him he was
crossing boundaries. "Please tell me they ditched the boring robes."
With a toss of her
blonde hair, her blue eyes flashed, glinting silver as her brows rose.
“My robes are hardly
boring, but no, one of my cases is a motorcyclist. I'm riding shotgun today,
trying to keep him from splattering all over the highway. The robes kept
blowing up in my face, so I found a solution.”
"Nice!" Devon shook his head and forced his eyes back to the
human whose life he'd soon influence. “I thought your promotion at Easter took
you out of the saving souls division.”
Gabriella smiled as
the air around her shimmered. Why didn’t the angels from purgatory patrol get
that shimmery essence?
“Devon ,
we work so…well together” she said, drawing out the word until he wanted to
snap at her. He held onto his temper.
“We're all looking
for ways to make quota this time of year. Only the strongest stay out of the
pit, and every time I come up against you, I lose. But not this time. This one
belongs to me,” he announced, staring at the man whose only interest in life
was making money. No family, no girlfriends, no friends— just work and money.
Gabriella tsked. “Now
why would you want to send this poor man to hell for eternity? He just needs a
little coaxing to choose the right path.”
“Maybe,” she said.
“Unless, I can give him some guidance and save him from evil.”
“Not this time.
Heavenly angels may not be able to play dirty, but I can,” he said, smiling at
Gabriella. “And I intend to win this one.” Gabriella laughed.
"Always so
arrogant, Devon ." She glanced at their
human. “His case is challenging, but I'm certain I can help him.”
She turned toward Devon , her brows rising. “Playing dirty landed you where
you are now. Why should I expect anything less?”
“How I got here
doesn’t matter. I need this soul,” he snapped. "You make your soul count
or the big man sends you back to the pit to fight and claw your way back for
another chance."
“And Colin McDermott
needs to be saved,” Gabriella said, swirling back to their subject. “I mean,
look at the poor man. He has no idea his priorities are in the wrong place.
He's a selfish, greedy man because he's unloved."
“Love!" Devon exclaimed. "You heavenly angels think loving
someone solves everything.”
Gabriella shook her
head at Devon , her blue eyes darkening with
some sort of power. “Even you deserved love, Devon .
In fact, if I had been your angel, I would found someone to show you love. Hopefully,
you'd have been smart enough to grab the lifeline."
“Well, you weren't my
angel, and now I'm the big man's soul catcher.”
“It's simple, Devon . Why would you want to lure more men into the
darkness you already face?” she asked.
"I already
was." She contemplated Colin McDermott. “He's quite handsome with those
long, sandy lashes and sparkling honey eyes. If I were human, one look and he’d
melt my heart.”
“Women on earth know
he's not a good risk. I could wrap this case up before Christmas, if you
weren't here."
“Too bad. I'm here to
keep you from destroying him,” she said, giving him a stern frown. “The poor
soul has no idea of what he's about to face. I'm sure you’ve got some nasty
surprises in store for him, some hard to resist temptations. But hopefully,
with my guidance, he'll make the changes his life needs.”
About the Author
Sylvia
McDaniel and her very supportive husband Don, the love of her life, live in Texas
The weekends are
spent working out in the garden until the temperature climbs above ninety
degrees. Recently, with the help of her husband, she learned to make homemade
blueberry and blackberry jam. Cooking is not her favorite past-time and she
prefers Don’s cooking any day of the week.
Currently, she’s
written fourteen novels. In the last
year, she’s been a finalist in six writing contests and was a 1996 Romance
Writers of America Golden Heart finalist. Sylvia is very involved with the
Dallas Area Romance Authors.
She can be
reached by email at Sylvia.McDaniel@verizon.net.
Visit Sylvia
online at:
Website - http://www.sylviamcdaniel.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SylviaMcDanielAuthor
Prize is 2 eBook copies of "The Reluctant Santa" (1 each to 2 winners). Contest is tour-wide and open internationally. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Ends Dec 4.a Rafflecopter giveaway
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