Genre
Steamy Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance
Blurb
Following her divorce, Amber leaves everything she knows and loves behind to take a job in Finland. But will her Arctic adventure heal her, or break her?
Amber Lowe has had enough. Her divorce might have been amicable, but the aftermath certainly hasn’t been. The stares and sympathy from the other residents in her small Derbyshire town are driving Amber crazy. Her ex, Jesse, moving on at the speed of light hasn’t helped – and the final nail in the coffin is discovering his new partner is pregnant.
Taking matters into her own hands, Amber hits up job websites and discovers something that’s perfect for her, but so far out of her comfort zone it’s ridiculous. She soon finds herself deep inside the Arctic Circle with a new job, a new home, new bosses, and a bunch of new colleagues.
Amber’s not looking for romantic entanglements – casual or otherwise. But it seems the universe has other ideas. Has she got what it takes to embrace new possibilities, or is her adventure over before it’s barely begun?
Polar Night is a standalone contemporary reverse harem/why choose romance.
Word count: 75,149
You Can Buy Polar Night From:
eBook (in Kindle Unlimited for 90 days following release, before coming out of KU and going onto other retailers):
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon AU
Amazon CA
Amazon DE
Apple Books UK
Apple Books US
Barnes & Noble
Google Books
Kobo
Everand (was Scribd)
Smashwords
24Symbols
PayHip
Paperback:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon AU
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
My Direct Store (option to be signed)
Excerpt:
Prologue
Amber Lowe tilted her head back to enjoy the sun’s rays on her face as she walked arm in arm with her mother down the pedestrianised high street of their pretty Derbyshire market town. It was a busy Saturday afternoon in early September, and the two women had been shopping for cards and presents for Amber’s father, Nigel, and her brother, David, who both had birthdays in October. It had been a successful trip, punctuated by a leisurely and very enjoyable lunch stop in their favourite cafe, and now they were headed home. Amber let out a contented sigh.
Her mother, Elaine, tensed, squeezing Amber’s arm into her side as she did so. “You all right, love?”
She righted her head and looked to her mother with a smile. “I’m fine, Mum. Just enjoying the warm sun on my face. Soaking up some vitamin D. Who knows how much more of this glorious weather we’ll get? It’s almost October, remember?”
“How could I forget?” Elaine replied, lifting the hand carrying the shopping bags and giving it a jiggle, before rolling her eyes. “The curse of the two most important men in your life having birthdays within days of each other. Inconsiderate of them, if you ask me.”
Amber raised her eyebrows. “I don’t mean to be indelicate, Mum, but while you had nothing whatsoever to do with when Dad’s birthday is, you are at least fifty percent responsible for when David’s is.”
“I resent that comment,” Elaine said with a sniff and a toss of her head. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m only about twenty percent responsible. The other thirty I lay firmly at the door of the bottle of white wine your dad and I quaffed on our date night while you were staying with your gran and grandad. The first one we’d shared since you were born, I might add. I’m just glad I can remember what happened afterwards. It was glorious.” Her eyes lost focus, and a dreamy expression took over her face.
“Ugh, Mum!” Amber pulled her arm out from her mother’s, wrinkling her nose. “Too much information. Way too much. I do not want to know about yours and Dad’s sex life, and my brother’s conception.”
Elaine snickered and slipped her arm back into Amber’s. “Oh, don’t be such a prude. You’re a grown woman. Anyway, you’re the one who started being ‘indelicate’, as you put it. You know perfectly well how babies are m—” She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as something behind Amber caught her attention. “Oh!” she said, so loudly and exaggeratedly that Amber immediately smelt a rat. “Come on, love, I just remembered—”
“What is it, Mum?” She tried to turn around to see what had prompted such an extreme reaction, but Elaine clamped her arm fiercely and all but dragged her down the street. “Ow! Hey, what the—? Mum! What are you doing, you crazy woman? Let go!” She stood her ground, despite being aware they were probably making a bit of a scene.
“No.” Her mother held on and continued trying to propel Amber in the direction of the car park, succeeding only in moving the two of them a handful of steps. People were beginning to stare, and understandably so. “Trust me, you don’t need to see this.”
“See what?” she asked, but even as the words exited her mouth, her brain cottoned on to the likely culprit of her mother’s sudden panic and resultant hurry to leave. She groaned, and her stomach lurched uncomfortably. “Oh, for Christ’s sake. It’s him, isn’t it?”
Elaine didn’t need to say a word. Her flushed cheeks and the way she’d pinched her bottom lip between her teeth told Amber everything she needed to know.
Amber swallowed and pushed out her next words with considerable effort, her entire body starting to go lax as defeat seeped through her. “A-and her?”
Her mother nodded. The fact her daughter now knew the thing she’d been trying to hide didn’t seem to have lessened her concern any. Anxiety was etched deeply into the features so similar to her own. “Afraid so, love. Come on, we’re almost at the car park. Let’s go back to mine and we’ll have a nice cup of tea. I’ve got some lovely lemon drizzle cake, too.”
Amber didn’t move. “Ugh, I hate this, Mum. I’m twenty-eight years old, and being protected from seeing my ex-husband in our local town.” She sighed, most definitely not contentedly this time, her heart rate increasing as defeat turned to irritation. “It’s ridiculous. We split up so amicably to begin with, it wouldn’t have been that much of a problem to bump into him, especially once we got all the uncomfortable legalities out of the way. But the moment he shacked up with her, despite insisting there was no one else involved in his reasons for wanting to separate, everything changed.”
Elaine’s eyes swum with empathy, even as she continued to edge them along the road. “I know, love. It’s awful.”
“People went from sympathetic to full-on pitying. Like I was an idiot for not realising there was someone else.”
“We don’t know there was,” her mother put in, shaking her head. “Not at the time.”
“No, not for sure. But come on, it was so quick. How do you make the transition from a long-term relationship and marriage to meeting someone new and getting into another relationship just like that?” She snapped her fingers on the ‘that’. “Either way, it makes me look like a complete moron. A doormat. I’m so sick of the sad faces, the stares, the questions. We’ve been separated for well over a year, officially divorced for however many months. I bet they don’t ask him about me. He’s allowed to move on, so why aren’t I? Why do I have to keep being reminded of my failed marriage, as though it’s the only thing that defines me as a person? Is it because I don’t have anyone else—not that I want anyone—or because I’m a woman? Bloody double standards.”
Elaine’s gaze darted over Amber’s shoulder, then back to her face. The earlier flush in the older woman’s cheeks had all but leached away, and she was now looking decidedly pale.
The cold hand of dread took Amber’s stomach in its grip. Oh God. That can’t be good. “W-what is it, Mum?” She stumbled, warring with the urge to look behind her and see precisely what was causing her mother’s reaction.
Elaine swallowed hard, closed her eyes for a second, then said, “It gets worse.”
Amber’s heart skipped a beat. “Worse? How the hell does it get worse?”
The words came out on a pained whisper. “She’s pregnant.”
What Others Have Said About Polar Night:
“How can a book set in the wilds of Finland be so hot? Amber leaves her hometown after finding out her ex hubby is now an expectant father. Having that rubbed in you face every day is not her idea of fun. Taking a new job in Finland in the depth of winter? Easy, compared to what she left behind. It doesn’t take long for the sexy shenanigans to warm Amber up!” 5 out of 5, Maud Mama, Amazon
“…a deliciously escapist why‑choose romance set in the frozen beauty of the Finnish Arctic. Amber’s journey from heartbreak to self‑rediscovery is heartfelt, empowering, and impossible to put down — and yes, it comes with some very hot, very satisfying moments that absolutely deliver. If you love emotional healing, found‑family warmth, and romance that blends cosy vibes with serious spice, this one deserves a place on your TBR.” 5 out of 5, Drewcydoo, Amazon
“This story is full of heat, ice, passion and a stunning setting. Lots of surprises kept me on my toes and I was captivated by all the characters. I love the character dynamics, expanding interactions and chemistry. I definitely recommend this book and author.” 5 out of 5, Joe K, Amazon