Avalon

by Angela Lain

Jenna Mason had lost all trust in men after what amounted to a date rape.
Months after the event she visited Avalon Stud farm while seeking a stallion to breed her mare. Here she met undeniably attractive Jay Armistead, who looked like Hercules and behaved like a bad tempered hermit. Their first meeting ended in near violence after a misunderstanding, which led Jenna to return the following week to apologise for her actions.
She wasn’t looking to get involved, but he was so obviously in need of help that she stayed around.
Jay might have needed the help but he certainly didn’t want it! He’d very nearly lost his livelihood and his sanity when he’d lost his wife, he didn’t want to take that risk again.
But he discovered her horrible little secret, and from there things exploded into a passionate affair that neither could control.
Could they finally help each other come to terms with their traumatic pasts?

139 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 17, 2014

About the author

My name is Angela and I live in the countryside in Norfolk, UK, with my husband (who is an engineer and always busy) and my horse. My two children have left home, but I help my daughter with her horses and her whippets. I tend both house and garden rather reluctantly and I write and read. For years I had woven stories in my head, when travelling and watching the world go by, when lying in bed trying to sleep, or just when I was transported by a place or an event. I finally started to put the stories on paper while I sat through several endless nights when my young daughter was ill. The result was several handwritten manuscripts, hard labour over a typewriter and eventually a single romance novel accepted and published back in 1990. Then I gave up, too much family life and a business to run. Finally both children have left home and I am less busy, and now the revolution has happened. Computers. The internet. Self-publishing. I felt able to inflict my creations on the world once again. I write both historical and contemporary romance, although I personally prefer the historical; I enjoy the research. The stories are not erotica, but they are (as one of my lovely reviewers said) a little bit naughty. I don’t leave at the bedroom door. My stories are plot driven, they might get it on, but sex is part of the characters’ lives, not the main purpose. I like a bit of adventure, excitement and danger. My characters have been involved on the Oregon trail, in Indian raids in the west, and in the Crimean war. They have been variously stranded in snow storms, caught in tornadoes and kidnapped by ruffians (one of the young ladies, that is, the heroes are too tough). One thing they always get is their happy ending. I don’t like a book without a happy ending, so I really cannot write one.

Reviews

[Harriette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable contemporary romance novel with broken people coming together. I found it entertaining and interesting, and a different take on a tired story. The author has a different style, which I appreciate. Healing happens when you're open to it, and between the fact that Jay is someone who, to quote the author "looked like Hercules and behaved like a bad tempered hermit"and Jenna is oft guarded, they make an interesting pair on the ranch. An enjoyable story that will make you feel for the characters.