Samantha Tonge - How to Get Hitched in Ten Days - A Novella

How not to get the girl…

Meet Mikey, every girl’s best friend – he bakes the creamiest cheesecake, loves movie nights and gives amazing advice.

For Jasmine, Mikey is the perfect flatmate– he owns a 50s diner that turns out the best food around, gives the best bear hugs and amazing romance advice – after all they’re scoping out the same hot guys! So when her boyfriend proposes in the worst possible way, Jazz knows Mikey will be there to pick up the pieces with gourmet popcorn, Pinot sleepovers and a shoulder to lean on.

But Mikey isn’t about to let Jasmine give up on love, and he’s ready to do whatever it takes to mend her broken heart, even if it means helping the one person who sees him as the enemy…

Because at the end of the day, all’s fair in the pursuit of true love… right?

Also by Samantha Tonge Book List Title Page Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgement Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Excerpt Endpages About the Publisher

Doubting Abbey

From Paris with Love

Mistletoe Mansion

Game of Scones

My Big Fat Christmas Wedding

How to Get Hitched in Ten Days

Samantha Tonge

Copyright Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgement Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Excerpt Endpages About the Publisher

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2016

Copyright © Samantha Tonge 2016

Samantha Tonge 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.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © February 2016 ISBN: 9780008182663

Version date: 2018-06-12

SAMANTHA TONGE

lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and a cat who thinks it’s a dog. Along with writing, her days are spent cycling, willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. A love of fiction developed as a child, when she was known for reading Enid Blyton books in the bath. A desire to write bubbled away in the background whilst she pursued other careers, including a fun stint working at Disneyland Paris. Formally trained as a linguist, Samantha now likes nothing more than holing herself up in the spare room, in front of the keyboard. Writing romantic comedy novels is her passion. Her summer 2015 novel, Game of Scones, reached #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic eBook category.

http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor

Thanks first and foremost to my lovely editor, Victoria Oundjian, for making me see sense when my plot ideas venture into cray cray land. Thanks Victoria, for your wise words – even if they do send me running into a dark room, for a few hours!

I’m also grateful to the whole Carina team, for their expertise and support.

Thanks to my supportive agent, the lovely Clare Wallace. And, as always, to my fellow Carina authors – you are the best – and my writing, reading and blogging friends within the literary community. Your interest, generosity and camaraderie are so appreciated. A big thank you to the fab Jenny in Neverland for her support.

Martin, Immy and Jay, I couldn’t do any of this without the back-up of Team Tonge. There are not enough words to describe how much I love you.

A big thank you to the very lovely and talented Daniel Riding - writer, blogger and artist. Thanks for putting up with my questions, Dan, and always having the time to share your knowledge or a joke.

And thanks, Frank de Jong. Without you, this story wouldn’t exist.

For Jay, a very special, kind, loyal, funny young man. Thanks for your teenage perspective. Love you Four- ever…

Contents

Cover

Blurb How not to get the girl… Meet Mikey, every girl’s best friend – he bakes the creamiest cheesecake, loves movie nights and gives amazing advice. For Jasmine, Mikey is the perfect flatmate– he owns a 50s diner that turns out the best food around, gives the best bear hugs and amazing romance advice – after all they’re scoping out the same hot guys! So when her boyfriend proposes in the worst possible way, Jazz knows Mikey will be there to pick up the pieces with gourmet popcorn, Pinot sleepovers and a shoulder to lean on. But Mikey isn’t about to let Jasmine give up on love, and he’s ready to do whatever it takes to mend her broken heart, even if it means helping the one person who sees him as the enemy… Because at the end of the day, all’s fair in the pursuit of true love… right?

Book List Also by Samantha Tonge Book List Title Page Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgement Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Excerpt Endpages About the Publisher Doubting Abbey From Paris with Love Mistletoe Mansion Game of Scones My Big Fat Christmas Wedding

Title Page How to Get Hitched in Ten Days Samantha Tonge

Copyright Copyright Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgement Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Excerpt Endpages About the Publisher HQ An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2016 Copyright © Samantha Tonge 2016 Samantha Tonge 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. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. E-book Edition © February 2016 ISBN: 9780008182663 Version date: 2018-06-12