A Matter of Marriage

Can a marriage of convenience become a marriage of forever? After her father’s untimely death, grieving hotel heiress Julia Fairbanks is shocked by the stipulation in his last will and testament. She must marry within six months of his death or lose her livelihood and beloved home, the 400-room Hotel Grand Victoria on the shores of San Diego’s Coronado Island. Julia is determined to manage the hotel even though her bold choice raises eyebrows. Finding no way around the stipulation, she begins her search for a husband, unaware that someone in her midst wants her out of the hotel forever. Dead. Alex MacLean, an emotionally and physically scarred drifter with secrets, arrives at the storybook-style Hotel Grand Victoria in answer to an advertisement for carpenters. A job offer for the position of husband is not what he had in mind. However, he can’t resist appointing himself protector of the hotel’s beautiful owner when an attempt is made on her life. His attraction to Julia grows quickly, but Alex wants love and a family, not a marriage of convenience. Not only that, Julia doesn’t know about his past, and Alex wants to keep it that way. This sensual historical romance novel has approximately 76,000 words and is about 309 pages in length.About the AuthorAnn Collins enjoys bringing her hometown’s history to life for readers. She is from San Diego, California, where she works as a writer and photographer. Her first historical romance novel, "Protecting Jennie," a western set in the Arizona Territory, was published by Harlequin Enterprises, won the romance category of the San Diego Book Awards, and received four stars from Romantic Times Book Reviews. "Protecting Jennie" is available as an ebook. Ann loves the West and all its natural beauty and history. She enjoys traveling for her writing research and photography, her eyes and ears attuned to the next scene and story to capture her attention.