There are few places more romantic than the beautiful Indonesian island of Bali. No wonder it was where I chose to celebrate our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary last year. Just me and my husband in our own private villa at a gorgeous hotel in Seminyak, on the west coast. A week of utter bliss!
A private pool just for two – so romantic!
It was one of those vacations that I couldn’t fault. The weather was perfect, the resort* divine and the Balinese people as charming and hospitable as we remembered from our first visit to the tropical island fourteen years previously.
Lush tropical growth everywhere
No wonder I chose Bali as the setting for my fourth book for Harlequin Romance, From Paradise to…Pregnant!— released in print and e-book on June 02 in North America, the UK and Australia and New Zealand. How could I resist such a perfect place for a romance?
Sunset on the beach at Seminyak is spectacular
My heroine Zoe and hero Mitch knew each other at high school—he the jock, she the nerd—but their friendship didn’t end well. When an earth tremor hits Bali, they meet again as they’re both staying at the same hotel. (Yes, I was inspired by the area where we stayed. No, we didn’t experience an earth tremor when we were in Bali!)
The frangipani tree in Zoe’s hotel courtyard is significent
And the sweetly scented frangipani flowers…
As they comfort each other after the shock of the earthquake, a private villa with its own pool became the perfect place for Zoe and Mitch to make amends for the past and become aware of their intense attraction to each other.
Afternoon tea – Balinese style. Beware the fiery green chili hiding in that pastry!
We loved the food in Bali, so of course I had to have the newly reunited couple share a meal. I wish I could recreate some of the delicious dishes we had there. I’ve looked up recipes online but they don’t taste the same. Next time I go to Bali, I’ll do a cooking course!
Fresh pineapple juice by the pool – perfect!
Of course, as is the way of romance novels, a lot happens between Zoe and Mitch’s reunion and the end of the book where they have a happy-ever-after ending. They leave Bali behind them as they travel home to different ends of the world — but the memories stay with them.
The memories have stayed with me too — I can’t wait to go back to Bali.
From Paradise to…Pregnant! has two covers, one for the North American market with the same image used for the Australian cover, and one for the UK. I think both reflect the feel of falling in love in a tropical paradise. The first one could be in that very pool in the villa in Bali and the second one on the beach.
North American cover
UK cover
From Paradise to…Pregnant! is available where Harlequin books are sold and at onlinebook retailers.
*We stayed at The Elysian in Seminyak and can highly recommend it.
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