Is there really such a thing as a perfect proposal?
‘Over the next hundred days I intend to find out. I will find one hundred ways to propose to our Chief Proposer Suzie McKenzie and post the results here for your enjoyment. One thing’s for sure, not one of my proposals will be on top of the Eiffel Tower with a dozen red roses.’
Best friends Suzie and Harry are partners in romance. That is, they run the.PerfectProposal.com, coming to the aid of would-be grooms to create the ultimate marriage proposal.
But when Harry decides to catapult the business into the big leagues with a PR stunt all Suzie can see is a hundred days of heartbreak stretching ahead of her. But however exotic the location, or breath-takingly romantic the setting, Suzie has to keep remembering that ‘Marry Me?’ is the one question she can’t say yes to.
This business proposal should come with one hundred broken heart warnings... One hundred proposals, one hundred chances to say yes.
The Guestbook
HOLLY MARTIN
I live in sunny Bedfordshire in a house with round windows. I studied media at university, which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist, followed by an even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of my colleagues received the much-coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when I knew I had to escape. I quit my job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, I emerged wide-eyed and terrified that I now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. I taught for four years before History Off The Page came to my school to do a Tudor day. I now drive round the country in my little white van, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next.
I love to write. The characters do exactly what I want them to do, most of the time. Sometimes they do seem to go off and do their own thing without my permission. It is complete escapism into a world where I have full control.
I’ve been writing for four years now – every spare second I have, I’m scribbling ideas in a notebook or typing a scene on my laptop. I have written three romantic fiction books. Changing Casanova and The Chainsaw Masquerade were shortlisted for the Festival of Romance New Talent Award in 2012
My short story won the Belinda Jones Travel Club short story competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology, alongside some of my favourite authors – Belinda Jones, Miranda Dickinson and Rosie Blake.
I won the Carina Valentine’s Competition at the Festival of Romance in 2013 and my first novel The Guestbook was published on Valentine’s Day.
You can follow me at http://hollymartinwriter.wordpress.com and on Twitter @hollymartin00
Huge thanks to my lovely friend Belinda Jones and my agent Madeleine Milburn who encouraged me to write this story, it quite simply wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for you. You both have been my rock through all of this and I feel very fortunate to have you both fighting my corner.
To Kirsty Maclennan and Verity Forbes who read the first half of the book when I was losing faith in it and demanded that I finish it.
For my mom, my biggest fan, who reads every word I have written a hundred times over and loves it every single time.
To my family, my dad, my brother Lee and my sister-in-law Julie, for your support, love, encouragement and endless excitement for my stories.
To Victoria Stone, who read the finished piece first, for falling in love with it and then screaming very loudly across Twitter and Facebook how much she loved it.
To my best friends Gareth and Mandie, for your endless support, patience and enthusiasm.
The other half of the Gosling Girls, Megan Wood and Laura Lovelock. I love my Gosling Girls so much and I couldn’t do it without you all. For the endless promotion, tweets, the blog tour, the videos, the excitement, the gushing and the love. You are amazing.
For my twinnie, the gorgeous Aven Ellis for just being my wonderful friend, for your support, for cheering me on and for keeping me entertained with wonderful stories and pictures of hot men. Thank you for lending me the beautiful Harrison Flynn for my Ice Hockey game in Toronto.
For Sharon Sant for listening to me moan and stress and panic with endless patience and for all your support and friendship.
And some other gorgeous people who have encouraged, supported, promoted, got excited or just listened; Erin McEwan, Lisa Dickenson, Jaimie Admans, Jack Croxall, Dan Thompson, Sharon Wilden, Kelly Rufus, Pernille Hughes, Rosie Blake, Simona Elena, Katey Beeden, Maryline, Jo Hurst, Dawn Crooks, Jenny Marston, Kim Nash, Laura Delve, Janet Emson, Pat Elliott, Agi, Becca, Alba, Ana, Jess Bickerton, Kate Gordon, Kiri Mills, Louise Wykes, Stacey Hargreaves, Maggie Woodward, Trish H, Jac and Mark Rumsey, Jodie and James Brown, Arron Davenport and Keith Barrow (for your brilliant proposal video).
To all those involved in the blog tour and cover reveal. To anyone who has read my book and taken the time to tell me you’ve enjoyed it or wrote a review, thank you so much.
To the wonderful supportive HQ Digital authors, you guys are the very best.
And finally to all at HQ Digital who have helped to bring this book to publication, my wonderful editor Lucy Gilmour, for making the book so much better, the digital team, Anna and the design team for this incredible cover and anyone else there who has helped to make this book a reality.
Thank you, I love you all.
For my Mom
For the gorgeous Gosling Girls
One Hundred Proposals
Holly Martin
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
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First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2014
Copyright © Holly Martin 2014
Holly Martin asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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E-book Edition © June 2014 ISBN: 9781472097927
Version date: 2018-09-17