My Christmas novella came out today! A Holiday Hideaway was released by Rebel Ink Press and is available as an eBook on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and AllRomance. This is my first Christmas romance and is set in beautiful Brown County, IN which is not far from where I live.

**Here’s the blurb:**

Sara Freeman is a high-powered attorney who’s just been made partner in the firm she works for. Cade Rollins is the attorney she was competing with for the position. Vowing never to get involved with a co-worker, Sara’s been dubbed “The Ice Princess” by the guys in her office.

 But there’s one guy she can’t quite get out of her head, Cade Rollins. Good-looking, with rock hard abs, perfect dark hair, and dark chocolate brown eyes, he’s also an arrogant ass. Or so Sara thinks.

 When they run into each other at the mall days before Christmas and he begins to tease her good-naturedly, she doesn’t know what to think. And at the firm’s Christmas party, when he asks her to dance, she’s even more confused.

 Deciding not to accompany her family to California for the holidays, she rents a room in a lodge in scenic Brown County, Indiana for the week. Planning to spend the week relaxing, before returning to work on a case with Cade, she’s surprised to run into him at the same lodge her first night there.

 He convinces her to have dinner with him and she begins to see a whole new side of the man she has always thought arrogant. Will they have a holiday hook-up, or will it go much further, as the two discover more about each other in their holiday hideaway that fateful Christmas?

**How about an excerpt now?**

After a fitful night of sleep filled with erotic dreams about Cade, Sara finally gave up and got out of bed. She brewed a pot of coffee in her room and sat down by the window. She watched the beautiful winter snowfall as she tried to clear her muddled head. It was still dark outside and the scene was breathtaking. Why was he in her head? A few days of bantering back and forth, a dance at the party, and one dinner shouldn’t change her opinion of him so drastically, should it?

And he was planning to go shopping with her today.

Her cell pinged and she picked it up. It was probably Sean or her mother letting her know they were in California. As she looked at the face on the phone, she smiled. It was a message from Sean. Unlocking her phone to read it, she learned they had landed safely, and were just getting ready for bed. The time difference was going to take some getting used to. He figured about the time they got used to the three hour difference, it would be time to come home. He also rubbed it in about the nice weather.

She replied that she’d gotten up early and was watching the snowfall with a cup of steaming hot coffee in front of her window. She wished him a happy holiday and told him to give her love to Annie’s family.

Looking out the window as she set her phone down, she saw that the sun was peeking out. The phone in her room rang. She jumped, startled. Who could be calling at this hour?

“Hello,” she said warily.

“Are you awake?” a husky, male voice asked.

“Cade, is that you?” she asked.

“Who were you expecting?” he asked in reply.

“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you this early.”

“I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been up for hours, drinking coffee and watching the snow from my window.”

She giggled. “I’ve been doing the same thing.”

“Maybe we should be doing it together. Your room or mine?” he asked suggestively.

“Very funny,” she replied.

“Since we’re both awake, would you like to get dressed and go down to the dining room for breakfast? They open in a little while.”

“I can be ready in a half an hour. Will they be open then?” she asked, in a slightly breathless voice.

“I’ll meet you in the lobby. They should be open by then.”

“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.” She hung up the phone and hopped in the shower, allowing the warm steamy water to cascade over her body. Revived afterward, she dressed in jeans and a blue sweater. As she pulled on a pair of stylish boots over her jeans, she smiled. Who would have ever thought she’d be getting up at the crack of dawn to have breakfast with Cade Rollins? Certainly not her, she thought with a grin. She was almost looking forward to seeing him again. Almost, until she remembered her dreams from the night before. How could she look him in the face without thinking of the way he’d held her, and loved her, all night long in her dreams?

Shaking her pretty blonde head to rid her mind of the erotic thoughts, she took a deep breath and left her room. By the time she reached the lobby, he was there waiting for her, smiling at her as she walked toward him.

“You look chipper for an early Monday morning,” he said as he walked beside her to the dining room.

“I’m on vacation, remember?”

“If down time does this for you, you should take it more often. You look…so different,” he said in a low voice.

She blushed as they entered the room. It was empty. Apparently none of the other holiday guests had gotten out of bed this early. They sat down, ordered their breakfast, and as they enjoyed another cup of coffee, she said, “Are you still planning to shop with me today?”

“Of course, if you still want me to tag along. I can show you some of the sights, take you to the most unique shops,” he replied as he sipped his coffee.

“I’d like that,” she said shamelessly. What was she doing?

“Sara, I’m seeing a whole new side of you these past few days and I have to say, I like it. Gone is the harsh, all-business ice princess who wears her business suits and wears her hair up. I like your hair down, by the way. It’s too pretty to wear up.”

“I wear it up for work mainly for convenience. I also need to look like I know my stuff. Clients don’t care if I have long, blonde hair. They care if I can win their case for them.”

“I understand that, but you’re a very beautiful girl. You tend to hide behind the suits, the hairdo, and those reading glasses you wear at work. You look like a different person, soft, happy, sweet,” he said, again treating her to his sexy, crooked grin.

“Is that how you like your women? Soft, happy, and sweet?” she asked, venturing where she knew she shouldn’t go.

He nearly choked on his coffee. Regaining his composure, he said, “I like a woman who is smart, yet soft, so yes, I guess so. I like you, Sara Freeman. I’ve known that from the day I met you, but now I know it even more.”

“What kind of game are you playing?”

“I’m not sure I understand that question. This isn’t a game. I’m genuinely enjoying our time together. I’ve always liked bantering with you, but somehow, the past few days have been different. Like I said, I’m seeing you in a whole new light. And I like what I see.”

“I don’t know what to say.” The waitress brought their food. She took a bite of her bacon, wiped her mouth with her napkin, and went on. “I’m enjoying this too, but we both know when this week is over, we’ll go back to Evansville, and back to the office. And we’ll be working together on a big case. A case in which the outcome will determine whether or not you make partner, so maybe this isn’t a good idea, the two of us becoming friends.”

“Friends?” he asked. “Oh, baby, I think we’re moving past the friendship stage. You surely can’t deny it.”

Well, there you have it…the ice princess and the arrogant ass…are they headed for disaster…or the love of a lifetime?

Here are the buy links for A Holiday Hideaway:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H2NAOZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_awdl_qZGNsb07K9DNX

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-holiday-hideaway-anna-kristell/1117543826?ean=2940148948582

AllRomance:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-aholidayhideaway-1366154-149.html#.Up39GT8STh0.facebook

I’m also running a giveaway on my Facebook author page. If you purchase the book, take a picture of the first page of the book and post it in the comments under the pinned post about the contest. I’m giving away a “Road to Romance” tote bag and some other swag to the lucky winner!

Here’s the link to the page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Kristell-Romance-Author/267879939980573?ref=hl

And here’s the book trailer which was put together by Anne Welch:

In other news, my other publisher, LazyDay Publishing, is running a holiday special on the the first three books of my popular Fab Five series. If you haven’t started the journey yet, this would be a great time to pick up the first three at .99 each. The sale is for a limited time only so act quickly!