Brenna Keating is on her way to spend Christmas with her grandmother when treacherous roads and a skittish deer put her car in a ditch. Riding to the rescue—literally—is Dillon Craig, a reclusive doctor who insists she weather the storm in his cabin.
Since returning from Afghanistan where he treated wounded soldiers on the front lines, Dillon’s made it a point to avoid any emotional involvement. But his unexpected guest has him dangerously close to breaking his own rules.
Brenna has a plan for her life – until she’s stranded for three days with Dillon. Soon, the chemistry sizzling between them forces her to re-examine her priorities. The man is gorgeous, if taciturn, and a true hero in every sense of the word. No woman in her right mind could resist him, and so Brenna doesn’t – even though she can’t stay…
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
He came with a Stetson, a gruff voice and an even gruffer manner, but he was their only chance for survival in the snowbound car. He led them to a temporary refuge, then offered her permanent security. It was everything she needed, but would it leave her wanting more?
That is part of the back cover copy for Barbara Delinksy’s MONTANA MAN, one of my favorite Harlequin Temptations ever. In fact, Barbara Delinksy is one of the reasons I wanted to write for Temptation. Her books had the most amazing sexual tension, leaving me breathless as I rushed to the end. But there was something about MONTANA MAN that stuck with me. I couldn’t shake off the wonderfulness of having two strangers stranded together.
THIS TIME NEXT YEAR is my homage to that book. MONTANA MAN convinced me how sexy a story could be when the characters found themselves with no place to run, no place to hide. With that forced intimacy, the characters have to talk, and talking means digging up a lot of things buried and facing them, and I love love LOVE that slow discovery. (Kinda like the ABC show ONCE UPON A TIME where the viewer learns just enough in each episode, no info dump, no overload of backstory.)
Since these novellas for Carina Press were to have a winter or holiday theme, being stranded at Christmas made for the best sort of tension and conflict – especially since my heroine was desperate to get to her grandmother’s and my hero was not going to let her out in the storm. A doctor back from the front lines of Afghanistan, he’d lost too many people he’d been responsible for, and he was not going to let this woman out of his sight.
I loved exploring the dynamic between these two characters who have chosen to devote their lives to serving others. Dillon’s a doctor. Brenna’s a nurse. So both have an innate understanding of what drives the other as well as an empathy another partner might not have. In other words, they were meant for each other, and just needed a push from Mother Nature (and a bit from Brenna’s gran) to figure it out!
I’ll give away a Kindle copy of THIS TIME NEXT YEAR to a random commenter! Hope everyone enjoys the story!
Honorary Mention of Book Sluts 'R' Us Blogger Awards by 
I love the story behind the story
thank you! And yes I love it when the relationship gets build slowly, and strangers don’t dive into bed the first day/night they meet. Looking forward to reading this one.
The book sounds good. Love a “get to know” you book.
I love the sound of this book, would really love to read it.
I’d love to win this… and get to know a new author with a Christmas novella. Thanks for the giveaway!
I really want to read this book. It sounds very good. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
This sounds wonderful…can’t wait to read it! Thank you.
Janice
I can feel Dillon’s resistance melting as he’s forced to get to know Brenna. I do like the stranded/rescue/recluse theme.
Thanks for the background info Alison. I’ve enjoyed so many of your books and Barbara Delinsky’s books over the years! Happy Holidays
Thanks for the chance to win THIS TIME NEXT YEAR!!
johnslake at usa dot com
I do like the idea of two people being stranded and having to work together.
Sounds like a great tale. Would love to win!
Hi, all! I hope everyone gets a chance to read this novella. I honestly think it has the most romantic ending I’ve ever written!
I love when the hero and heroine are “stuck” somewhere and are forced to be together. The fact that they are so perfect for each other makes the story even more interesting.
Please don’t enter me in the giveaway. I won the novella from Alison on Twitter. Good luck everyone!
This sounds like a good one. Thanks for the giveaway.
Sounds really good. Thanks for sharing!
Happy Holidays! This sounds like an emotional story and I’m glad it is holiday-themed.
I can just picture being snowbound in an isolated cabin with a roaring fire, plenty of hot chocolate, and a hot guy. This sounds like a great story.
Congrats to Alison on the new release. Can’t wait to read “This Time Next Year.”
This Time Next Year sounds like a fantastic story and I’m looking forward to reading it. Having a man rescue a damsel in distress on horseback sounds very romantic.
I love forced intimacy stories where the hero and heroine must rely on each other for survival. Those situations bring out strong emotions in the characters, and I find myself more drawn into the story. I am looking forward to reading This Time Next Year!
This sounds fabulous, Alison–thanks for a great holiday story for this time of year!
I loved Barbara Delinsky’s Montana Man – so if you’ve written This Time Next Year along the same lines, count me in for the comp.
Thanks for the chance!
Oh, Mountain Man – I just ran to the bookshelves dug through and found it to read again. Your story sounds wonderful – I look forward to it.
This sounds really good. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.