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Available November 18, 2013

For Carmen Kincaid—the customer service manager at Castle Mountain Lodge—work has always come before love. There's never been room in her busy life for romance, despite what her family would have liked.

Dylan Harrison has always put business first. And with his new project—the Springs resort—only months away from becoming a reality, he needs to focus more than ever.

Spending time together as a minor distraction? Sure.

What neither of them counted on was falling so hard for the other. Especially when a relationship couldn't come at a worse time. But when it comes to love—sometimes there is no such thing as the perfect time.

A Castle Mountain Lodge Romance

138 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2013

66 people are currently reading
286 people want to read

About the author

Elena Aitken

237 books1,003 followers
Elena Aitken is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than forty romance and women’s fiction novels. Living a stone’s throw from the Rocky Mountains with her teenager twins, their two cats and a goofy rescue dog, Elena escapes into the mountains whenever life allows. She can often be found with her toes in the lake and a glass of wine in her hand, dreaming up her next book and working on her own happily ever after with her very own mountain man.

Read a free novella — https://dl.bookfunnel.com/vxuimdz0j8

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5 stars
121 (40%)
4 stars
102 (34%)
3 stars
59 (19%)
2 stars
14 (4%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for ☆☆Hannah☆☆.
3,182 reviews46 followers
February 4, 2021
This was a quick and enjoyable read. Carmen is asked by Dylan's brother to take him out. They hit it off right away. Things get complicated when Dylan finds out why she took him out. Of course he gets mad but things still work out for them.
Profile Image for Amanda.
222 reviews10 followers
January 6, 2014
I am so happy Carmen finally got her story! I have been waiting for this one.

Carmen is a work-a-holic and has always put her career before romance. She is happy with how her life is at the lodge, or that is how she portrays it to everyone else. When her boss Trent tells her that his brother is coming for a visit and needs to loosen up she knows she needs to stay away. She does not combine romance and work at all! Trent tells her though that she has a better chance at the promotion if she does as he asked and shows Dylan a nice time out around the town.

Dylan is also all about work. Growing up he was told that romance and love isn't anything but heartache and pain and to work work work. Dylan does not waste his time on love. When he meets Carmen though and she asks him out, what does he have to loose? Go out for a drink, relax a little on vacation and enjoy it. What he doesn't count on though is not being able to get her out of his head.

Dylan and Trent are trying to open up a Hot Springs Hotel and they have investors coming out to meet with them and discuss further options. The first meeting goes really well and the investors decide to stay at the lodge and relax a little themselves. With one more meeting to decide the fate of the new partnership, everyone is on edge.

Dylan and Carmen are undeniably drawn to one another even though they both claim not to date and to be married to their work. You will have to read this book to see if they can put work and their past aside and let love prevail!

I can't believe there is no more Castle Mountain Lodge books to read right now. Thrilled though to find out there is more to come for the series and a whole other series planned for The Springs! Woo Hoo!
90 reviews
July 26, 2016
I absolutely loved this story!! I really enjoyed reading all the stories in the Castle Mountain Lodge series but I have to admit that the story of Carmen & Dylan is on the top of my favorites list :-) Their chemistry was so undeniable and it was great to see how they figured things out for themselves.
I am looking forward to reading the Springs series that this author is writing. It will be fun to re visit some of the characters from the Lodge series and to meet new characters and read their stories.

I am so thrilled that I was introduced to this series but especially to this author.
Profile Image for Diane.
14 reviews1 follower
November 7, 2013
I just finished reading this book, I'm disappointed that it's the last in the series! I loved this book. The characters are so real and are easy to laugh with and cry with. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series. You will not want to put this book down. A definite great read!!!
Profile Image for Shirley Smith-aguirre.
28 reviews5 followers
November 26, 2013
What an awesome book! I bought it and waited 3 days to read it. Which was very hard to wait! Had to wait for our crazy rain storm to sit and read arizona is crazy when it rains so it was great to stay in and read! Sad to see the series end but excited to see others start!
Profile Image for Holly.
6 reviews2 followers
November 11, 2013
Probably my favorite book of the series. Sad to see it end. This book flew by in what seemed a blink. Looking forward to more books by Elena Aitken.
Profile Image for Korkoi.
7,059 reviews31 followers
December 14, 2024
When Love Changes Everything -
Even though Carmen had sworn off men, she agreed to her boss’s request to spend time with his brother, but she soon realised it was a mistake, as her attraction for him grew exponentially the more time they spent together. Dylan’s life was all about work, as that is what had been drilled into him growing up, but he felt an inexplicable pull towards Carmen from the moment they met. Agreeing to Carmen’s offer to show him around was a no brainer, but Dylan tried turning it into a date and the start of his pursuit of her.

Unfortunately, before they could acknowledge their feelings for each other, Dylan found out about the secret agreement between Carmen and his brother, which caused friction between them. However, after Dylan managed to calm down, he realised he couldn’t lose Carmen, so he decided to find a way that would allow him to have everything he wanted and also convince her to give them a chance at a future. I really enjoyed reading this clean and entertaining instalove romance and will be happy to recommend it to any avid romance reader.

I received a copy of this book free and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
512 reviews17 followers
October 25, 2021
This is a cute story set at Castle Mountain Lodge. Trent basically pushes his brother and his top employee together hoping for them to have some no-strings fun. I really enjoyed how his plan backfired! This is a fast read, both in length of story and the story’s timeline. Dylan and Carmen will surprise you, and probably steal you away.
Profile Image for Peggy Moore.
774 reviews31 followers
February 25, 2021
Carmen love story. She thought she would never leave the mountain and then she check in Dylan and everything changes. They both are workaholics and say they are happy tht way. But things are about to change.
Profile Image for Rosemary Hughes.
4,192 reviews23 followers
June 4, 2021
Carmen has been an integral part of the Castle Mountain Lodge, assisting to tie every part of the stories together.
She comes across as a very caring and sensitive person. So this is her journey to find love.
It's really is a wonderful tale.
Profile Image for Kirstie Ibrahim.
1,869 reviews21 followers
October 7, 2019
Two workaholics that aren't looking or interested in finding a relationship come together. Another great story to this series but it also leads into a new series....The Springs.
129 reviews
November 28, 2019
Even though this book is part of a series, I am confident it may make an excellent stand alone. It is one of the better stories so far.
375 reviews3 followers
November 3, 2021
Love the entire series!! Each character is well thought and relatable!
1,794 reviews11 followers
August 30, 2022
A sweet romance where two people who don't want romance find that when you meet the right person your views on love change quickly. This is a quick read but beautifully written.
Profile Image for Elaina.
162 reviews
December 13, 2015
Carmen and Dylan's Story

The mountains have worked their magic yet again. Carmen and Dylan's story is no exception to the theme of couples not looking for love, but their story is uniquely their own. Both are career-driven and think they don't need someone special in their life until they are practically forced together and began to realize that they can have both their careers and a love life.

Another well written story about the magical Castle Mountain Lodge. I love the way this series revisits at least one (sometimes more) of the previous couples so we get a bit of an update on them. This book, like all the others in the series, can be read as a standalone.
Profile Image for Coral Mitchell.
3,189 reviews
November 7, 2016
For Carmen Kincaid, working at the Lodge has always come before love. There’s never been time for more. Spending time with businessman Dylan Harrison is a welcome distraction, but when things become more serious than a simple distraction, Carmen must make a hard choice. Because sometimes falling in love means saying goodbye. Dylan and Trent are dissimilar, but they both do not believe in relationships. Their father drilled that in to them from a young age. Dylan finds Carmen fascinating and cannot stop think about her.
Profile Image for Constance.
57 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2015
We are introduced to Carmen in the first installment of the Castle Mountain series and fall in love with her throughout other installments. This is her love story and when she meets Dylan we know there is something special there. We find out a little about the Springs in this novel and it is a great lead in to Elena's other series The Springs. I love how her series tie into each other and the atmosphere she portrays with her words.
Profile Image for Melissa Addonizio.
58 reviews2 followers
May 12, 2014
I love this story Carmen works a lot just like me and glad she found someone and just so romantic novel I love the mountain lodge stories your a great author and can't not wait for more books to come out I've read them all
Profile Image for Melissa Addonizio.
58 reviews2 followers
February 2, 2015
Very hot and steamy indeed I love this version makes the story stand and and feel that
Love they share I really enjoyed all the castle lodge story I really reccomand her stories she great
At her work
Profile Image for Carrie.
898 reviews
July 20, 2015
Frustrating but good

I say frustrating because I always struggle with accepting deception like this in a relationship but the resolution was great and the couple was adorable. Great read!
Profile Image for Karry.
1,420 reviews21 followers
June 26, 2015
Much better, right back on track

This storyline was back up to par with the first couple books of the series. The flow was great. The characters were perfect and their coming together was equally so.
1,400 reviews7 followers
December 19, 2014
The relationship between Carmen and Dylan will have you on the edge of your seat. You wont be able to stop reading this book.
Profile Image for Mary.
635 reviews4 followers
January 9, 2015
Loved it

A great read and just as good as all the other Castle Mountain Lodge books. Lots of feelings involved in this one.
Profile Image for Dawn Trepczyk.
388 reviews4 followers
January 10, 2015
I gotta say that I am absolutely loving this series. Great job Elena!!! This is Dylan & Carmens story.
Profile Image for Shelley Lawrence.
2,050 reviews102 followers
June 2, 2016
3.75 stars pretty insta-lovey, but a sweet, cute story. I'm enjoying the continuation and interweaving of characters from book to book.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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