Today I have an extract for you from Julie Stock's third book in her Domaine des Montagnes series, A Leap of Faith at the Vineyard in Alsace. I also have a great giveaway with the chance for you to win a signed copy of the book along with some festive goodies. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. First, here's a little about the story.
It’s winter at The Vineyard in Alsace, and wedding bells are
in the air
How do you know when you’re ready for love?
Ellie Robinson has spent her life running from commitment
following the breakdown of her parents’ marriage when she was young. She
doesn’t believe in happy ever afters and the last thing she wants is to settle
down in one place when she could be travelling the world.
Having moved from place to place throughout his childhood,
Henri Weiss now calls the vineyard in Alsace home, and he loves the stability
the vineyard and the people on it give him. While he enjoys travelling, it’s
always good to come home again.
Following an extended travelling trip together, Ellie and
Henri find their differences more marked than before, despite their love for
each other being even stronger. Then a series of shocks in Ellie’s personal
life throws things into turmoil, leaving Ellie unsure as to how to get
everything she wants. And Henri facing the loss of the future he has dreamed
of.
Can Ellie and Henri reconcile their very different desires
and take a leap of faith on their love for each other? Will they get the happy
ever after they’ve both been longing for?
Escape to The Vineyard in Alsace once again for this
uplifting, romantic read and enjoy Christmas at Domaine des Montagnes.
Extract
This extract is from the opening of Chapter 1 of A Leap of
Faith at the Vineyard in Alsace. When we last saw Ellie and Henri at the end of
book 2 in the series, Starting Over at the Vineyard in Alsace, they were going
off on their travels. Henri had been reluctant to go but Ellie couldn’t wait.
Now it’s time for them to go back to the vineyard and they have very different
feelings about going home.
Sunday, 25 November 2018
Ellie
Ellie woke early that morning and slipped out of bed,
leaving Henri snoring gently behind her. She put a jumper over her pyjamas,
pulled on some warm socks and, careful not to make any noise, padded out of the
bedroom, through the living area and out onto the balcony. They’d been in Crete
for almost a month, but this was only the second morning she’d got up in time
to see the sunrise. There hadn’t been too many seven o’clock starts on this
whole trip, thank goodness.
Wrapping her arms around her against the late November
chill, she gazed out across the inky sea. The salty tang filled the air even
from this far away, so strong she could almost taste it. She could just about
make out the mountains in the distance – they already had a sprinkling of snow
on them – and the sky was changing colour from black to navy, and shades of
lighter blue, as well as hints of orange and yellow. This sunrise was as
stunning as the last one they’d watched together just after they’d arrived.
She’d already made up her mind to return to Crete when the
weather was a bit warmer. They’d loved the island so much, they’d stayed longer
than the two weeks they’d originally planned. They’d meant to go on to Athens
to finish their trip, but that would also have to wait until another day. She
sighed as she thought about this being the final day of their trip. If it was
up to her, they would keep on travelling and never return to ‘normal’ life.
But there was also the not-so-small matter of money. Hers
had pretty much run out, so even if she didn’t have the dreaded
responsibilities to return to, she would still need to work to pay for more
travelling. But she was determined to do it. The little voice in her head that
had been nagging her whenever she had such thoughts immediately started up again.
What are you going to do about Henri? Could you bring yourself to leave him
behind for a life of travel? Isn’t it time you put down roots and stayed in one
place for the rest of your life?
She still had no answers to these questions. Henri wouldn’t
want to keep travelling; he’d been clear about that. Ever since she’d first met
him back at the vineyard in Alsace, she’d found herself falling for him, so
much so that when her friend Fran offered her a job, she hadn’t had to think
twice about accepting it. It had been so much fun working with her best friend,
but now things had changed, and she had no idea how she and Henri could both
get what they wanted in the future.
The sky was now a mixture of glorious oranges, yellows and
blues, and she could make out some tiny boats dotted about on the sea, as well
as the unusual churches with their rounded rooftops on the hillside leading
down to the nearby village. She would miss Crete so much – the people, the
food, the countryside, the sights. She longed to return to Italy, Croatia and
the South of France, as well, after the wonderful times they’d had there.
From behind her, Henri emerged blinking into the daylight.
‘Bonjour, chérie. Tu as bien dormi?’ he asked, bending down
to give her a kiss.
‘I did sleep well. I just woke up early,’ she said with a
smile. ‘At least I was able to catch the sunrise.’
Henri glanced out at the now pale blue sky and shrugged.
‘I’d better jump in the shower. We’re going to need to get going soon.’ He
rubbed his hands together. ‘I can’t wait to go home.’
Ellie’s face fell. ‘Aren’t you going to miss all this? Not
even a little bit?’
‘I’ve had a wonderful time, you know I have, but I love my
home and we’ve been away for five months now. I know it’s not as long as we
planned, but I do want to get back to the vineyard, my job and our friends. I
miss all of that more, even though travelling with you has been fabulous.’
She smiled again, remembering how reluctant Henri had been
to travel at first. She was pleased that he’d enjoyed himself, despite all his
fears, but travelling wasn’t in his blood like it was in hers. ‘I’m sorry but I
can’t say I feel the same about going home, going back to normal. I’ve loved
not being tied down, being free to go where we want and when we want. I’m
looking forward to seeing Fran and everyone else, of course, but apart from
that, all that’s waiting for us at home is the same old routine, day after day
until we die.’
Henri pulled a face. ‘I love my routine. I’m sure you’ll get
back into it in no time.’ He ruffled her hair and kissed her cheek lightly
before going off to have his shower.
About the Author
Julie Stock writes contemporary feel-good romance from
around the world: novels, novellas and short stories. She published her debut
novel, From Here to Nashville, in 2015, after starting to write as an escape
from the demands of her day job as a teacher. A Leap of Faith at the Vineyard
in Alsace is her eleventh book, and the third in the Domaine des Montagnes
series set on a vineyard.
Julie is now a full-time author, and loves every minute of
her writing life. When not writing, she can be found reading, her favourite
past-time, running, a new hobby, or cooking up a storm in the kitchen, glass of
wine in hand.
Julie is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and
The Society of Authors. She is married and lives with her family in
Cambridgeshire in the UK.
You can read my review on the 2nd in the series, Starting Over at the Vineyard in Alsace here
You can connect with Julie via her Website, on Twitter, via her Facebook Author Page, and on Instagram.
Catch up with the rest of the tour!
Giveaway to win a signed copy of A Leap of Faith at the
Vineyard in Alsace plus some festive goodies (Open to UK Only)
Prize contains the following:
• a signed
paperback copy of A Leap of Faith at the Vineyard in Alsace
• a sachet
of Galaxy instant hot chocolate
• a tin of
RHS stem ginger cookies
• a RHS
Christmas bauble with a snowdrop decoration on it.
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box
below. The winner will be selected at
random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random
Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all
entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal
data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and
will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’
information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for
fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete
the data. I am not responsible for
despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog today, Pam. I really appreciate it :)
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