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It’s impossible to forget…
Matilda ‘Tilly’ Carter has had the week from hell – and now, with all trains cancelled, it looks like Christmas will be too! With a mascara-streaked face, a broken heel and nowhere to go, there’s never been a worse time to run into the man who once broke her heart. Especially when he looks better than ever.
The one that got away…
For Dean, Christmas has always been hard. The Tilly standing before him is no longer the firecracker of his memories—even if the way she makes his heart race hasn’t changed at all. He is determined to uphold the promise that kept them apart nine years ago. But spending a cosy Christmas with Tilly would break a better man and each accidental touch, heated look and stolen kiss is taking its toll on Dean.
After all this time, can the magic of Christmas bring Tilly and Dean together at last?
Also available by Aurelia B. Rowl:
Popping the Cherry
A Girl Called Malice
Christmas is Cancelled
Aurelia B. Rowl
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2014
Copyright © Aurelia B. Rowl 2014
Aurelia B. Rowl asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © June 2014 ISBN: 9781474008440
Version date: 2018-07-23
AURAURELIA B. ROWL
lives on the edge of the Peak District in the UK with her very understanding husband, their two fantastic children, and their mad rescue mutt who doesn’t mind being used as a sounding post and source of inspiration. She regularly wows them all with her curious, hastily thrown together meals when she gets too caught up with her latest writing project… or five!… and she has developed the fine art of ignoring the housework.
Aurelia writes young adult, new adult and contemporary romance. To find out more about Aurelia, or to check out her latest news, you can visit her website: www.aureliabrowl.com
This book has had quite a journey.
In October 2011, I decided to try my hand at writing. In spring 2012, I saw a call-out for Christmas stories and set about writing Tilly’s story. Despite being the first story I ever completed, Christmas is Cancelled was snapped up and released back in December 2012, receiving wonderful feedback. During 2014, my debut story found a new home with Carina UK and I had the enviable task of being able to make improvements and put the text back into my native British English, ready to be re-launched.
The acknowledgements from that early edition still ring true today:
“Although they are unlikely to ever read this, I dedicate this book to my husband and my two incredible children; without their love, support, and understanding, it would never have been possible. Huge thanks must also go to my ‘ABCs’ – you know who you are, and you’d better read it! – for keeping me on track, for supporting me, and for never failing to answer my call. Thank you to everyone who believed in me… I did it!”
I would now like to add to this though, and offer my thanks to my editor, Anna Baggaley, for helping to enhance my debut story and make it shine even brighter. I would also like to thank Carina UK for accepting a previously published story and giving it a new lease of life.
It’s been a crazy two years, during which I have been fortunate enough to meet (in the virtual sense) some wonderful readers and book bloggers, many of whom have since joined my merry troupe of ‘Antics’ along with those ‘ABCs’ that have been with me since day one. Thank you for seeing something in my stories and my writing and for sticking with me, I truly appreciate it.
For my family…
Contents
Book List
Copyright
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
Visitors’ Book
About the Publisher
‘You have got to be kidding me?’
Out of breath, Matilda Carter hunched over and panted, yet kept her gaze glued to the departures screen. There had to be some mistake. She read the screen for the third time, willing the word to change, but it continued to flash at her…