Monday, December 2, 2013

A Madaris Bride for Christmas by Brenda Jackson + Giveaway!

To kick off the holiday season, I am hosting New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Brenda Jackson and her latest novel, A Madaris Bride for Christmas! To brighten your day, Harlequin is giving away TWO paperback copies open for US or Canada residents. 
Brenda has included an excellent excerpt that I am sure will have you wishing to read more of this story. 

Synopsis:
One by one, Madaris men have surrendered to the matchmaking schemes of Felicia Laverne Madaris, matriarch of the family. But Lee Madaris isn't letting anyone else control his destiny. He'll bring a bride of his own choosing to the family's holiday gathering—if his hotel's gorgeous new chef will agree to a marriage of convenience.

It's not just the chance to work at the Strip's hottest hotel that brought Carly Briggs to Vegas. Witnessing a crime in Miami may have made her a mob target. Though she's reluctant to complicate their working relationship, Lee's tempting offer is so hard to resist. And soon, desire is clouding their no-strings arrangement.

The danger that made Carly flee Miami is about to land at their door. So Carly and Lee must decide who to trust, when to let go—and whether a love they never anticipated is strong enough to pass the ultimate test.
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Excerpt:
Lee Madaris glanced at the clock on his wall before rubbing away the tension forming in the back of his neck. Although it was nearing midnight, he was still in his office working. It was imperative that he do so.

Five potential investors would be arriving tomorrow and spending four days at the Grand MD Vegas hotel. He would be catering to them at a level that was unprecedented. The five men had enough cumulative capital to balance the national budget, if they'd chosen to do so. However, balancing the national budget wasn't Lee's goal. His objective was to get them to invest in his next hotel—the Grand MD Paris.

After the success of the Grand MD Dubai, as well as all the attention the hotel in Vegas had received since opening its doors four months ago, a number of investors were ready to provide funds for his next venture. But he didn't want just anyone; he wanted men willing to take a chance on a hotel that would be astonishingly different from its two predecessors. It would be a hotel of the future.

Both Grand MD hotels had been Madaris-Di Meglio joint ventures—highly successful and breaking sales records. But the third hotel, the one planned for Paris, France, would use state-of-the-art technology while maintaining the rich architectural design Paris was known for.

Lee's cousin and the architect in the family, Slade Madaris, had designed the first two Grand MDs and would likewise design the one proposed for Paris. Slade's design was nothing short of a masterpiece and would be unveiled at one of the meetings this week. Slade's twin brother, Blade, would be the structural engineer. No two Grand MD hotels would look the same. Each would have its own unique architecture and appeal.

Pulling in a deep breath, Lee returned his attention to the documents in front of him—bios on the five men. The name that topped the list was that of his grand-uncle Jake Madaris. Lee didn't need to read his uncle's bio.

The man was a walking genius when it came to playing the stock market, and as far back as Lee could remember, Jake had been financial adviser to the entire Madaris family. If it hadn't been for his uncle's smart move of establishing a trust fund for all his nieces and nephews when they were still in high school, Lee would not have had the money to partner with his good friend DeAngelo Di Meglio to build their first two hotels.

Jake and another family friend, Mitch Farrell, had been the hotels' financial backers. Mitch—the second man on the list—and Jake had already confirmed they were on board for the Paris hotel since the last two hotels had been a successful venture for them.

However, the price tag for a Paris hotel was higher than the price of the other two combined, and Jake had suggested bringing in other investors. All were good friends of Jake's, but his uncle had warned Lee that convincing them to invest would be Lee's responsibility.

He was ready.

The third person on the list was Kyle Garwood, a multimillionaire who made his primary home in Atlanta. Kyle was married, the father of six. Lee liked Kyle and highly respected him.

The last two men were sheikhs from the Middle East. Sheikh Rasheed Valdemon of Mowaiti had such a close relationship with the Madaris family that he had been named an honorary family member and occasionally went by the name of Monty Madaris when he did business in the United States.


Finally, there was Rasheed's brother-in-law, Sheikh Jamal Ari Yasir of Tahran. Lee had never met Sheikh Yasir but had heard he was a shrewd businessman, always looking for a good investment. He was married to an American woman, the former Delaney Westmoreland.


Lee would be wining and dining the five men in the Grand MD style. Everything was in place and would be set in motion as soon as they arrived tomorrow morning.


***GIVEAWAY TIME***
Harlequin is giving away TWO paperback copies of A Madaris Bride for Christmas to two lucky commenters. Open to US and Canada residence. 
To enter, please leave a comment on this post with either your email address or Twitter handle. 
Contest ends Sunday, December 8th. 
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Connect with Brenda Jackson

Read It Now!
Kindle | Nook

7 comments:

  1. This definitly leaves me wanting to read more about Carly and Lee! Going right on my wishlist! I wonder what they´ll say when they discover who the other is ;).

    I´m NOT entering - you know where I live, Jakki ;).

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    1. Wish it were international, Katrin! It does sound like something you would enjoy. Actually, the whole series sounds good. Will be adding these to my TBR list myself. :) Thanks for commenting, Katrin. :)

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  2. Sounds intriguing; cannot wait to read more about Carly and Lee!!! I've read a couple of the other Madaris books, so I know that I will enjoy this one too!!

    Thanks,
    Liz
    Csuexc@aol.com

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    1. Thanks, Liz! The Madaris books do sound interesting, and I love a great holiday read.

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  3. Ooh, what a sizzly way to meet! I like it. (My luck I'd just be completely startled and fall right off the balcony! lol)

    Thanks for the giveaway - I've not read any of the Madaris books before.

    @jaffobsession

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    1. I haven't read any either, Monica, but this excerpt sure has me wanting to read this book and more about the Madarises.
      Good luck in the giveaway! :)

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  4. I like the ring on the cover!

    catbooks72@gmail.com

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