Contemporary Romance & Women’s Fiction
Date Published: 3/30/2020
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
CAMELLIA HOLIDAY wants it all – love, family, and a career in fashion design. At twenty she snagged a dream job with one of the top designers in New York. However, scandal in the fashion world unravels her life when her boss is accused of stealing a famous fashion ingénue’s designs. Entangled in the sordid mess and with her fashion future in ruins, Camellia decides to return home to Serenity Island to start over and be with family. The downside? She must face her past, which include her ex-fiancé Noah and her longtime nemesis Trina who both seem determined to ruin any chance of reconstructing her life.
Old rivals, new love, and a needed do-over challenge Camellia to design a new, stronger self. It will take home, family and caring for a young boy to help her find the right path and make the right choices.
EXCERPT
“Ha. I’m a long way from thirty. Besides, hooking a guy and landing a marriage are not at the top of my to-do list.” Camellia stepped toward the closet. A sudden queasiness rippled through her stomach and she wasn’t feeling hungry any longer.
“Oh, I’ll agree to a certain extent. Careers are essential for either sex. Gotta make a living, but I hope for marriage and a family someday. Don’t you?” Freesia’s eyebrows puckered into a frown.
“Maybe.” Camellia lifted her bag out of the closet and straightened. She caught the concern on Freesia’s face. Pausing for a moment, she fished out her keys. “Of course, I think about those things. I imagine every woman does, but the situation doesn’t require a time table. Not nowadays. I do know one thing.” She slid her finger playfully along the bridge of Freesia’s nose. “If and when I decide to get married, you’ll be my maid of honor.”
“Nice.” Freesia’s grin spread from ear to ear. “Maybe I’ll be your matron of honor, if I beat you to the altar.”
Camellia shrugged. “I could take your words as a challenge, but I won’t. Because I don’t care. Thirty, forty, or whenever, I’ll wait until the time feels right. You’ll be wiser to think the same.” She squeezed Freesia’s shoulder. “Now, I’m off. I have tons of errands to run and things to do at my shop.” My shop. Those words sounded pleasing. Despite the tragic news of Gloria’s death, she grew more confident about her decision, her shop, and her fashion line. The idea was becoming her own possible reality.
About the Author
Kathryn Long is a retired teacher and novel-reading addict who loves weaving intricate details together into stories readers can’t help but enjoy. When writing and the creative muse take a break, this author loves to travel, especially to warm, sunny beaches, and to watch heart-wrenching movies with happy endings.
Kathryn lives in the City of Green located in northeast Ohio with her husband and little pooch Max. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers. Besides her contemporary romance WHEN I CHOOSE, Kathryn has several other published works, including romantic suspense A DEADLY DEED GROWS, and her more recent release, BURIED IN SIN, a murder mystery set in the rural Allegheny Forest of NW Pennsylvania.
