Book excerpt: The last thing Lars Svensson wanted was a 'holiday romance' at a skiing chalet in Verbier, Switzerland. After all, he was just an American ex-pat moving around the United Kingdom, working as a site engineer and struggling in a relationship with his English girlfriend. Feeling the need to get away and encouraged by his workmates, Lars sets off across the English Channel hell-bent on making up for lost time on the slopes. That was to be expected. What was not expected was his falling for a fellow chalet guest. Annabel is the kind of girl you'd bring to a dinner party after bagging her on safaris in Africa. Author Kurt Larson uses a stream-of-consciousness technique to take you through the mind of a man torn between his love of women and his taste for skiing. Or maybe it's the other way around. You'll find his characters enjoying life on the pistes, in the powder, on the road, in the bedroom-and dealing with tragedy in true British style as observed through the eyes of an American.