Steamy Holidays 4
A carefree young florist is living the dream— sexy beach play with a cool surfer dude and backseat bingo with a leather jacket-wearing hotrodder, and running the cutest flower shop in town.
But an eviction notice pops that balloon.
An enamored town clerk tries to help her—but too much could cost him his job.
Her friends? Caught in the snare of a slick property developer and his shady lawyer.
And Annette? She's being seduced by the one man she really shouldn’t fall for… the property owner himself.
Can she save her flower shop—and find her man before it’s too late?
When she hears the bell, she takes a deep breath and fakes another smile.
It’s Frankie. The sight of this clean-cut guy in his oversized dorky jacket is the last thing she expected. Tears stream from her eyes. She pushes into his open arms.
Frankie’s eyes get moist when Annette shakes against his chest. His arms reach all the way around her. He caresses her auburn hair. Her tears trickle through his shirt.
After a few minutes, there’s less shaking and more sniffing. She looks up at him. Even like this, she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. He smiles.
“Hey, buy you a cup of coffee?”
She smiles back, but tears start streaming again. She pushes her face into his chest. After a moment, Annette looks up again.
“Sorry. Your shirt’s all wet… And I think there’s some mascara smudges there as well.”
“I have another shirt.”
READ MORE“Really?”
“Yeah. But just the one.”
“Don’t tell me: you alternate them every day.”
“Hey! No one notices.”
“That’s what you think. Women notice everything.”
“My mother lives in Sacramento.”
“No lady friends, huh?”
“How can you tell?”
“You have two shirts that you alternate. And you wear your father’s jacket.”
“My big bother’s…”
COLLAPSELiam Ashford on Goodreads wrote:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ With a playful wink to the 1950s "beach movie" era, J. Tiffany Noore brings a story steeped in pop culture references but has modern emotional core. Annette owns a small business and she’s about to be evicted. Add hot-rodding(!) and surfing boyfriends, a jealous high school girlfriend, a crooked developer and there’s a lot going on. There’s a wonderful scene when love interest Frankie takes Annette to a family diner after a harrowing experience. It’s exactly what Annette needs. nnette’s Flower Shop is a sensual, empowering, beautifully read about love, resilience, and starting over. Noore’s ensemble signature is present but the female protagonist is different from her usual haremlit.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A surprise move: J. Tiffany Noore gives us a female protagonist. Annette Fanicello owns a flower shop she’s about to lose, in 1950s Malibu, with surfboards, hot-rodders, scheming developers, and—yes, decent politicians. There are jealousies, new friendships, even a municipal council meeting. Noore can take any genre and turn it into a wild, sexy, unforgettable ride. Malibu’s sun-drenched coast has never looked so inviting—or so complicated.
Characters in this story:
Annette Fanicello from Annette’s Flower Shop
Annette Fanicello
