You can now get all four Amazon best-selling novellas in the
Seasons of Change series,
plus two exclusive short stories, in one box set.
Title: Seasons Of Change Box Set
Series: Seasons Of Change
Author: Mia Hoddell
Release Date: 27th November 2014
BLURB supplied by the author
These feel-good contemporary romances follow the seasons as characters change
for the better, find themselves, and overcome fears.
All of
the novellas are standalone reads, but can be enjoyed as a series because
characters overlap. This box set includes:
Summer Demons: Jenna Shaw jumped on a plane and flew to Portugal to try and forget her past. However, forced to deal with her memories due to an ill-timed joke, Jenna’s holiday is derailed by the charismatic Ethan Brooks. She sees him as an annoyance; he sees her as a challenge. And when all of his usual tricks only serve to push her away, Ethan has to work harder than ever if he wants to win over and help his mysterious girl.
Summer Demons: Jenna Shaw jumped on a plane and flew to Portugal to try and forget her past. However, forced to deal with her memories due to an ill-timed joke, Jenna’s holiday is derailed by the charismatic Ethan Brooks. She sees him as an annoyance; he sees her as a challenge. And when all of his usual tricks only serve to push her away, Ethan has to work harder than ever if he wants to win over and help his mysterious girl.
Winter Angel: When Amy’s suggestion of a beach holiday is
overruled in favour of skiing she couldn’t have predicted it might make her
break the one, and only, rule she has: not to commit to a serious relationship
again. The minute she sees Luke, she knows something’s wrong, and her desire to
fix people means she wants to be the one to help him. However, she didn’t go on
holiday to fall for someone, and whether or not she can move past her
insecurities will depend on whether Luke can face his biggest fear.
Autumn Ghosts: Only one person knows what truly lies in
Ellie Jeffords’ heart, and that’s herself. Hating the course she is studying,
Ellie is failing and when a friend’s cousin, Justin, offers to tutor her, she
jumps at the chance. However, as the pressure of exams starts to break Ellie,
Justin wants her to confide in him. The only problem is that he can’t persuade
her to talk without revealing his own dark secret, and forcing Ellie to choose
between her parents’ dreams and her own will cost her something she loves.
Spring Knight: Kayleigh Barrow is most comfortable on stage
where she can pretend she’s someone else, but when auditions for the latest
production are opened up to the entire university, the lines between fantasy
and reality start to blur. Thrown together with renowned player, Aiden Hanson,
she can’t longer hide her feelings for him. However, he’s never had a serious
relationship and Kayleigh refuses to be another conquest. When her acting
starts to become real and she can no longer hide behind her character, Kayleigh
must decide whether Aiden’s worth the risk, or if he will end up breaking her
heart.
Plus 2 exclusive short stories:
Summer Revenge: Jenna promised she’d get Ethan back for his prank, and it’s time to cash in. Read about what happened after the couple left Portugal.
Season of Love: There’s beach fun, flirting, and mischief as all of the Seasons of Change couples take part in a beach competition.
Summer Revenge: Jenna promised she’d get Ethan back for his prank, and it’s time to cash in. Read about what happened after the couple left Portugal.
Season of Love: There’s beach fun, flirting, and mischief as all of the Seasons of Change couples take part in a beach competition.
PURCHASE LINKS
EXCERPTS
Spring Knight
Black. It was the only colour she could see as she
stood on top of the platform. Her vision had tunnelled with the waves of
vertigo that hit her body, allowing only the dark colour into her eye line.
With the strength of a gale force wind, it pounded on her chest, causing her to
stumble back as its icy hold sent a shiver along her spine. The break from
seeing the ground wasn’t enough, though. She couldn’t go far enough to feel
safe. If she moved more than one step in any direction she would fall.
She felt dizzy ...
lightheaded.
It was the worst
possible time to find out she was scared of heights, but maybe it was the
thought of jumping rather than the actual distance. Not only did she feel
faint, but also sick. Kayleigh didn’t even know how those two actions could
combine, but she let out a nervous giggle and hoped another type of blackness
would capture her mind before she made a complete fool of herself. It probably
made her sound insane, but she couldn’t stop the sound.
No longer could she
find the answer to why she was on a platform, willing herself to fall. It had
seemed logical and easy on the climb up, but now she suddenly felt as if she
was standing on top of a building, rather than a few metres in the air. Her
heart was pounding in her chest; the rhythm frantic as she urged herself to
peer over the edge once more. Palms slick with sweat, her fingers slipping over
each other, she twitched nervously as she strained her neck to catch a glimpse
of the floor.
“I can do this. Just
lean back and it will all be over,” she muttered to herself, only adding to the
crazy image she had going on.
People were
shuffling anxiously on the ground, unsettled by her actions. “Block them out,
Kayleigh. You can do this,” she chanted ritually under her breath before she
inhaled sharply. Slowly counting, she exhaled with a deep sigh when she reached
twenty. Her whole body relaxed with the action and Kayleigh closed her eyes,
trying to find a sense of peace and stillness. Unfortunately, all it did was
make her knees weaker. Reopening her eyes, Kayleigh kept her head up and her
chin parallel with the floor. If she didn’t look down, what she was about to do
couldn’t scare her … at least that’s what she told herself.
Block it out.
Everything. Focus on your breathing. It’ll be over in seconds.
Taking one last deep
breath, her gaze hardened and she picked a spot across the room to focus on.
She shuffled to the edge, her bare toes skimming the lip of the platform.
She was just about
to turn around when something interrupted her focus. A door slammed hard, and
into the room walked the last person she expected to see. His cool, blue eyes
found hers instantly, holding multiple questions as to why she was doing what
she was. Yet Kayleigh didn’t stop to think any further. The last thing she
needed was to appear weak in front of him, and she’d only just calmed herself
down.
Turning, Kayleigh
edged back so that only her toes were balanced on the edge, her heels hanging
off. She felt like a diver, but with worse balance since her legs had started
to shake.
She couldn’t hold
the position long.
“Ready!” she
shouted, loud enough to silence the room. Normally she hated being the centre
of attention, and wanted to shrink into the darkest corner possible. However,
today she would kill anyone who wasn’t focused on her. Today she needed all
eyes to be on her or everything was going to end badly.
She heard counting
below. “Three ... Two ... One ...” As they reached the final number Kayleigh
pushed all thoughts from her mind and leaned back, her arms crossed over her
chest tightly.
Displacing her
weight, her body fell.
*******************************************
Autumn Ghosts
Ellie’s plan to
wallow in self-pity alone didn’t last as long as she’d wished for. She had
gotten through two beers and was halfway through a third when Aiden marched
over to her.
“Don’t you think
you’ve had enough, Elles?” he asked, looking pointedly at her bottle, which
caused her to let out an exaggerated breath. The flirting from Aiden was
annoying, but it irritated her more when he took on a brotherly role in Luke’s
absence.
“I’m fine,” she
huffed. “You’ve probably had more than me anyway.”
“But I can handle it
better.” She could hear the smile in his words, but she refused to look up at
him. Her hair had fallen forward, creating a physical wall between them, and
she was thankful that it obscured her face from view.
“What’s up, Elles?
You’re not yourself.”
“I’m fine, why do
people keep asking me that?”
Aiden reached
forward, pulling her hair back and tucking it behind her ear. It gained him a
glare, but he was persistent. “Come on, Elles. It’s obvious you’re not. I’ve
known you over twenty years.”
Ellie sighed, not
wanting to reveal anything, especially to Aiden. “I’m fine.”
“Then why are you
over here by yourself?”
“She’s not by
herself. We’re here,” Jess called, and the tightness in Ellie’s chest eased at
her friend’s rescue. “You are being no fun, though.”
Ellie wanted to
head-butt the bar as she groaned. Instead, she downed the rest of her beer and
turned to signal the bartender.
“No, she’s good.
She’s had enough,” Aiden stated, interrupting before she could place her order.
“Seriously? You’re
cutting me off? I’ve only had three.”
“That’s enough. I’m
not getting my ass kicked by Luke because you came home drunk and miserable.”
“I’m not drunk,”
Ellie protested, not bothering to deny his other accusation.
“Really?”
“Yup”
“Prove it then,”
Aiden challenged, a sly smile and silent laugh shining in his eyes.
“How?” Ellie couldn’t
help but be drawn in. She never backed down from a bet.
“Beat me in a game of
pool.”
“You don’t think I
can?”
“No, I know you
can normally. You’re one of the few people who are better than me.
But … I don’t think you will today.”
Ellie’s face hardened
in concentration, studying the table. “You’re on, but if I win I get all of
your winnings from tonight.”
“That’s my girl. If I
win, you go home.”
“I’m not your girl,”
Ellie stated, her voice devoid of all emotion as she took the cue he offered
and walked past him.
*****************************************
Summer Demons
She saw red. Seeping
into the crystal clear water it spread, bleeding and merging as the ripples
around her pushed it closer towards her feet. The deep crimson only grew darker
as it surrounded her.
She could feel her
breathing quicken, coming in short, sharp rasps as she started to panic. Her
chest constricted, an unbearable pressure tightening like a boa constrictor
refusing to release her from its clutches. Her throat felt dry, her increased
breathing doing nothing to help the situation as she forced herself to swallow
in the hope of dislodging the lump that had formed there.
This isn’t happening.
This isn’t real. I came here to escape this, she told herself repeatedly as she laid there, her turquoise
bikini embellished with golden sequins shining in the sun as her back tanned
slowly. Bringing up an arm to adjust her chestnut-brown hair that was dangling in
the water, she tried to pull away before the colour reached her and tainted the
beautiful locks. The damage done would be irreparable if it touched her.
Moving it just in
time, she threw it over her shoulder so it rested between her shoulder blades,
the damp tips feeling nice as they cooled her back by trailing droplets of
water down either side. She tried not to flinch as her gaze returned to the
bloodied water that lapped at the li-lo beneath her chin. With every wave it
seemed to grow closer, making its way further up the yellow plastic to try and
touch her. The tapping that was normally so soothing tormented her now, like a
crowd clapping and cheering her sanity on as it fled for safety.
Rather than listen to
the logical side of her brain, her body had other ideas. Shuffling back, she
put a bigger distance between her face and the abnormal pool beneath her. As
her toes dipped into the cool water behind her though, she flinched,
automatically drawing herself up so that no part of her body was near the edge.
No matter how disgusted she was, she couldn’t stop staring; her eyes were
hypnotised by the gentle movements that swirled the colour into the water even
more. The red had become so thick that not one tile beneath the surface was
visible.
The more she stared,
the more she remembered.
The more she
remembered, the more she was pulled into her memory.
It might not have
been real at that moment in time, but it had been, and Jenna was once again
pulled into the unbearable memory.
Winter Angel
Excerpt
Taking Liam’s silence
as it was meant—an end to the conversation—Amy turned back to Jenna, whose head
was leaning on Ethan’s shoulder, their hands linked on his lap. They were never
not touching.
“So what do you
think?”
“About what?” Jenna
replied. Her eyes flicked over to Amy, but her head did not move.
“Bus guy. What did
you think of him?”
“He’s okay I guess. I
wasn’t really paying attention. He didn’t look that pleased to be here,
though.”
“He was hot, right?”
Jenna lifted her head
to look at Ethan, who was watching and waiting for her response. Smiling
mischievously at him, Jenna replied, “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind hooking up with
him.”
She glanced at Ethan
to see his reaction, but he just rolled his eyes. “Nice try, but I’m not
biting.”
Jenna sighed, but
returned her attention back to Amy. “Just don’t do anything stupid, yeah? You
don’t know anything about him.”
“Yeah, yeah, I hear
you … nothing stupid.” Amy brushed off the comment. Jenna had always been a
worrier, but Amy preferred to just throw herself into things head first, the
consequences be damned.
“Amy ...” Jenna’s
tone was low in warning, knowing that the callous way in which she was brushed
off did not bode well.
“I’m not going to go
knocking on his door or anything, don’t worry. I just might happen to bump into
him a few times around here. You know I don’t do serious relationships anymore.
I’m not stupid enough to fall for that trick again.”
Jenna shook her head
in despair, knowing it was futile to argue. “Whatever, just don’t cause
trouble.”
“Me? Trouble? I’m an
angel.”
Everyone on the
minibus rolled their eyes.
“Sure you are, Amy,
and I’m the tooth fairy.”
They laughed at her
disgruntled face as the driver pulled up in front of their home for the week.
******************************
Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends
most of her time writing or reading, loves anything paranormal and has an
overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.
With three poems published before the age of sixteen, Mia moved on to
short stories but finding she had too much to tell with too little space, Mia
progressed to novels. She started her first series (The Wanderer Trilogy)
at the age of fourteen and since then hasn’t stopped writing. Seasons
of Change is her third series and with an ever growing list of ideas,
Mia is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates
them.
Connect with Mia
***GIVEAWAY***
3 x copies of Summer Demons and
Winter Angel (ebooks)
