
Just for the Holidays …
by Adriana Herrera
Available October 26
Harlequin Desire
Blurb:
Sheโs snowed in at Christmasโฆ
with a man she must resist!
Casting director Perla Sambrano knows Gael Montez is the perfect actor for her new film project. As long as she forgets his oh-so-tempting allure and keeps her heart out of it. Because their chemistryโs no act and she needs to be carefulโฆ
The Montez men hurt the women they love. Or so Gael believes. Keeping things professional with Perla is the only way to protect her. Until a snowstorm strands them together, leading to an unplanned Christmas fling that lands them both on the naughty list!
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Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335735249_just-for-the-holidays.html
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Excerpt:
Gael leaned back, considering the information his sister had just given him. It was exciting to think about. A series about Francisco Rios, the leader of the Puerto Rican independence movement, was a dream project. The man had led an extraordinary life. Heโd graduated from Harvard Law School in 1921โthe first Puerto Rican to do so. While studying there heโd met Claudia Mieses, a Peruvian biochemistโand the first Latina to be accepted to Radcliffe Collegeโwho was remarkable in her own right. Gael had always thought their love story was a romance for the ages. And that Riosโs life story deserved to be told. Being a part of bringing something like this to the big screen was more than a dreamโฆit was the kind of opportunity that had drawn him to be an actor in the first place.
โI want it,โ he said with finality, feeling a buzz of excitement he hadnโt felt in months. โWho do we talk to?โ he asked. Hell, heโd probably be willing to do the part for free. But his sister frowned at his question, her expression almost reluctant. When he looked at Manolo, Gael noticed the man looked smug. Clearly, the other shoe was about to drop.
โThe studio producing the series is Sambrano,โ Gabi blurted out, as if trying to quiet their uncle before he could get the first word in. No wonder the older man was smiling. What felt like a ball of lead sank through Gael. The skin on his face felt hot. He shouldnโt be surprised that the mention of the Sambrano name still had this effect on him after all these years, but it did.
โTell him whoโs in charge of casting, Gabriela.โ His uncle sounded a little bit too pleased with himself for that nugget to be anything other than the person Gael suspected.
Gabi fidgeted, her eyes everywhere but on Gael. โPerla Sambranoโs doing the casting.โ Unsurprisingly, he felt the blood at his temples at the mere mention of his ex-girlfriend. Perla Sambrano was someone he took pains not to dwell on. โSheโs working for the studios now,โ Gabi added, pulling him from his thoughts. โSheโs their new VP of global casting and talent acquisitions.โ His sisterโs tone was sharp, laced with recrimination. Perla Sambrano had been the reason for the one and only time his twin had stopped speaking to him.
โI donโt know if this is the right project,โ he said, ruthlessly tamping down the pang of discomfort that flashed in his chest. He stared at his sister, expecting her to rehash old arguments. But she just stared at him, disappointment written all over her face. He knew enough not to take the bait. That conversation as over and done with. He would not apologize for making the choices that had them all sitting in a private jet heading to the ten-million-dollar mansion his money had bought.
โThis is not going to work, Gabi,โ he told his sister, before turning away from her withering glare. He looked at his uncle and felt a surge of irritation at the pleased little smirk on his face. He was not some damn toy for Manolo and Gabi to compete over. โThese arenโt going to work, either,โ Gael quickly added, gesturing to his uncleโs pile of scripts. โLetโs keep looking.โ That made Manoloโs smile flag, but he wasnโt here to save anyoneโs feelings. This was his career, and family or not, they worked for him.
Gabi nodded tersely. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then seemed to let it go. Gael focused on the book heโd been reading on his phone and tried very hard not to think about Perla or the project.
Dwelling on ancient history was not a habit he indulged in.
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Author Info:
Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last 15 years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.
Website: https://adrianaherreraromance.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.adriana.94801
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladrianaherrera
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladriana_herrera/
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