A Brit on the Side (Castle Calder Book 1)

by Brenda St John Brown

  Truths We Tell

  Ella Ingraham almost falls for Josh Devereaux's easy charm and effortless smile. God knows, she wants to. He's made her feel more than anyone has in a long time, both in and out of bed.

  But one phone call changes everything. Especially when the truth about Josh is on the other end of that call.

  Now Ella isn’t sure which is worse – Josh lying to her about his past, or the fact she can’t stop thinking about him anyway. Not that he’s making it easy.

  Josh wants to make things right and he has a plan for stopping her ex's slander campaigns against her before her next big book release. Even Ella has to admit it's a better plan than she -- or her lawyer -- have come up with. For the plan to work, though, Ella has to not only rely on Josh but trust him. Implicitly.

  Ella knows she’d be a fool to trust him a second time. So why is her heart trying to convince her otherwise?

  Acknowledgments

  I wrote the outline for this book two years ago after a visit to a real castle-turned-hotel in the Lake District of the UK. I went at Christmas and it truly was magical – and a plot bunny was born. It took me awhile to find the time to write Bea and Jasper’s story, but once I started, I was CONSUMED. This story made me smile – a lot – so I really hope you smile, too.

  I have so many people to thank, starting with my excellent team of readers. Wende Dikec, Samatha Wicks and B – your feedback was priceless and you helped me to make Bea and Jasper the couple I wanted them to be. Angela Williams – thank you for checking my Britishisms and for your enthusiasm for my story. Allison Fretts – I always write with you in mind, at least a little bit, as I ask myself, “Is this an eye roll moment?”

  Stina Lindenblatt, I think we should write a course in Facebook marketing after our endless conversations about what does and doesn’t work. Thank you so much for sharing the results of all of your experimenting!

  Thank you, too, to the NA Hideaway. You ladies are my lifeline in this crazy world of publishing.

  Brianna Lebrecht, you always give my books the meticulous eye they need and your editing is second to none!

  Linda Russell of Sassy, Savvy, Fabulous PR, thank you for handling my neuroses! I’m still neurotic, but it helps knowing you’re in my corner.

  Sarah Hanson of Okay Creations, thank you for my cover and taking my very fuzzy vision and making it something fabulous.

  Finally, thank you to my husband for bringing me to the UK in the first place and for supporting me in this journey, through all of the ups and downs. I couldn’t do it without you!

  And to my son, who’s more British than all of us, and is still waiting for me to write a book without kissing. This isn’t it. Sorry, not sorry. :)

  About the Author

  Brenda is a displaced New Yorker living in the English countryside. She writes novels about teens and twenty-somethings kissing. Her characters do other things, too, but there's always kissing.

  When she's not writing, Brenda enjoys hiking, running and reading. In theory, she also enjoys cooking, but it's more that she enjoys eating and, try as she might, she can't live on Doritos alone.

  For more info about Brenda and her books, visit www.brendastjohnbrown.com.

  @bstjohnbrown

  BrendaStJohnBrownAuthorPage