Christmas Ever After

‘A gorgeously sparkly romance’

—Julia Williams

‘The perfect book to curl up with’

—Heat

‘Full of romance and sparkle.’

—Lovereading

“I’ve found an author I adore - must hunt down everything she’s published.”

—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

“Morgan is a magician with words.”

—RT Book Reviews

“Dear Ms Morgan, I’m always on the lookout for a new book by you …”

—Dear Author blog

SARAH MORGAN is the bestselling author of Sleigh Bells in the Snow. As a child Sarah dreamed of being a writer, and although she took a few interesting detours on the way she is now living that dream. With her writing career she has successfully combined business with pleasure, and she firmly believes that reading romance is one of the most satisfying and fat-free escapist pleasures available. Her stories are unashamedly optimistic, and she is always pleased when she receives letters from readers saying that her books have helped them through hard times.

Sarah lives near London with her husband and two children, who innocently provide an endless supply of authentic dialogue. When she isn’t writing or reading Sarah enjoys music, movies, and any activity that takes her outdoors.

Readers can find out more about Sarah and her books from her website: www.sarahmorgan.com She can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Welcome back to Puffin Island!

Plenty of us have dreams. Mine was to be a writer, and I have been lucky enough to have the support of those I love as I follow that dream. Skylar, the heroine of this story, hasn’t been so lucky. She’s a free spirit, an artist and jewellery maker with big dreams, but her family don’t approve of her choices and living her dream has come at a price. When her world comes crashing down one winter’s night she receives help from an unexpected source.

I’m sure most of us have, at one time or another, discovered we were wrong about someone. That is true for Alec and Sky. With a difficult divorce behind him, Alec isn’t looking for love. He certainly isn’t looking for it with Sky. Their relationship has always bordered on the adversarial, but when he sees her in trouble he can’t walk away. These two people didn’t expect to be spending the holidays together, and they certainly didn’t expect to enjoy each other’s company. Which proves two things; that people can surprise you and that sometimes you find love when, and where, you least expect it.

Writing this book was so much fun. I loved putting these two characters together and watching them slowly discover how wrong they were about each other and it was a treat to explore the charms of Puffin Island in winter after two summer visits (First Time in Forever and Some Kind of Wonderful)

You’ll find more information on the series and extracts from all three books on my website www.sarahmorgan.com and don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter to receive news of new releases straight to your inbox. I love hearing from readers and you can email me at [email protected] or join me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahMorgan)

Happy reading!

Love Sarah

xxxx

To Jill Shalvis, who is kind, warm, generous and funny and also writes brilliant books.

Cover

Praise for Sarah Morgan

About the Author

Title Page

Dear Reader

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Acknowledgements

Extract

Endpage

Copyright

SKYLAR TEMPEST STEPPED out of her hotel and lifted her face to the sky. Soft, thick flakes of snow drifted down from a sky of midnight blue, dusting her hair and blending with the wool of her white coat. It was like standing in a snow globe.

She reached out and caught a snowflake in her palm, watching as it slowly dissolved, its beauty fleeting and ephemeral.

London was experiencing a cold spell and bets were on for the first white Christmas in years. The snow had been falling for a couple of hours and the streets were frosted white. It was easy on the eye and lethal underfoot, which was why she’d decided to take a cab rather than walk the glittering length of Knightsbridge to the gallery.

She didn’t want to arrive at the most important night of her life with a black eye.

Smiling at the doorman, she stepped into the waiting cab.

Cocooned in the warmth, she watched as people bustled along the crowded streets. They walked, heads down, snuggled in layers of wool to keep out the cold. Stores with elaborately decorated windows shone bright with fairy lights, beaming shimmering silver across the snow.

Drinking in the light and color, she fought the temptation to reach for the sketch pad she always carried. In a world that often presented its ugly side, Skylar looked for the beauty and captured it in her art. She worked in a variety of mediums, dabbled in ceramics, but her first love was jewelry.