Seaside Haven - Hardcover

Burch, Sandra W

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1329015789 ISBN 13: 9781329015784

Publisher: Revival Waves of Glory Ministries, 2015

Synopsis

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Thunder rolled overhead as rain spat like gunfire on Seaside's sandy beachfront. Mother Nature's fury, however, was no match for the emotions churning inside Sierra Ramstad. Unmindful of the storm, she continued to walk. In the pocket of the red raincoat she wore, she fisted her slender hand around the crumpled piece of paper and recalled its content.
Miss Ramstad:
I will be arriving home tomorrow for an extended stay. Please have my room ready.
- Phoenix Chamberlain
Two curt sentences that had her blood boiling.
Phoenix Chamberlain, III, heir to the Chamberlain fortune, was coming home, as he'd put it, to recuperate after the car accident he'd been involved in three months earlier. 
If the news reports she'd read about his accident was even remotely accurate, then Sierra supposed she should feel sorry for him. Along with a concussion and a dislocated shoulder, he'd broken his ankle and shattered the femur in his left leg. Three months out and the man was in the midst of a long and painful recovery. Even so she didn't want him mending here, and possibly meddling in the day-to-day operations of Seaside Haven Resort. 
Phoenix's family had a large home outside of Atlanta, Georgia, as well as an assortment of plush real estate sprinkled around Europe. Why hadn't he picked one of those places to recuperate? Surely they would be more accommodating to Phoenix's entourage who enabled his larger-than-life existence.
Why choose Seaside Haven? This wasn't his home. It was hers! While Phoenix had spent the past few years jet setting around Europe, living off a sizable trust fund and enjoying the life of the rich and famous, Sierra had been working to turn an old and nearly forgotten inn into a resort that offered five-star accommodations, panoramic views, and above all, excellent service. 
Now Phoenix was returning and he wanted his room readied. It was Sierra's understanding that he hadn't visited the resort since his childhood. So she'd made the owner's private room on the main floor her own, and turned the adjacent apartment into a luxury suite that commanded a substantial sum of money to occupy it.
Muttering words that were muffled by the wind, she stopped and looked back in the direction she had come. The cedar shingled resort stood four stories tall, given the pilings that raised it above sea level to protect it from flooding. Her gaze skimmed the balconies that stretched out from each room to maximize the view. Even though it was early afternoon, the lights burned brightly in the windows of guests waiting out the storm.
Home.
Phoenix might refer to it as such, but for Sierra it truly was her home. It was here she'd come after her nasty divorce. The warm sunshine and the sense of purpose had ushered her back from the brink of despair.
With a reluctant sigh, Sierra headed back. Other guests would be arriving soon and that meant she had a job to do. Right now, her priority was to see that all new arrivals were settled in their rooms. Once that task was completed, she'd figure out her own accommodations for the duration of Phoenix's stay.
By the time she reached the resort, any part of her body that wasn't covered by the raincoat was drenched. She had hoped to have enough time to change into dry clothes and do something with her hair before any guests arrived, but a pearl white Cadillac Escalade with dark tinted windows was pulling up at the main entrance as she came around the sand dune.
The driver hopped out, as did another man who came around from the passenger side. Both were big and robust. It wasn't a surprise to see bodyguards as a lot of the resort's guests were Hollywood A-listers or business moguls. Before either man could reach the handle, the rear driver side door swung open.
Sierra covered her mouth with the palm of her hand, but a gasp still escaped.
Phoenix Chamberlain, III. --This text refers to a Paperback edition.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

After being injured in a paparazzi induced car accident, playboy Phoenix Chamberlain returns to the resort previously owned and operated by his grandfather to recuperate. There he meets resort manager, Sierra Ramstad, who is used to being the boss and not keen on taking orders from others, especially Phoenix. Not only did the accident change Phoenix physically, it also broke his spirit. His disgruntled attitude is a reflection of the unbearable pain he endures daily. But with the help of Sierra and his therapist, he decides he can overcome the doctor's grim prognosis and learn to enjoy life again. But to Sierra's surprise, Phoenix had his attorney draw up a severance package for her, with the thought that he would manage the day-to-day operations of the resort. Sierra realizes that the severance package was in place before her and Phoenix developed a personal relationship. She finds a way to forgive Phoenix and the two of them are finally in agreement about something. They will not be happy apart or away from the life they have made at Seaside Haven.

About the Author:

Sandra Widner Burch is a short story author and award-winning poet. She has work appearing or forthcoming in over a dozen venues, including Piker Press, Torrid Literature Journal, Best New Poems, Page and Spine and Room magazine. She is a member of Tallahassee Writer's Association and Austin Poets International. Seaside Haven is her first novel. You can visit her at sandrawburch.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Revival Waves of Glory Ministries
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1329015789
• ISBN 13: 9781329015784
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 114