Meme

Waiting on Wednesday: Queer Romance Month

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Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

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I'm cheating slightly with this Waiting On Wednesday post it's not about a book but about a literary online event. I followed closely Queer Romance Month last year and it was a wonderful experience. I learned so much about gender, romance, life in general and met some amazing people that I became great online friends with. I loved some of the personal stories told during the month, some of the original art created for the event - fiction, illustrations, ect.



Here is what I wrote as my personal take on QRM shortly after it ended last year - http://elliereadsfiction.blogspot.bg/2014/11/my-take-on-queer-romance-month.html 


Here is briefly what QRM is all about and the ways you can join / help /participate or just enjoy all the awesomeness. It starts tomorrow and I'm excited about all the awesomeness that is coming our way!


Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Queer Romance 
& Weren’t Particularly Afraid to Ask


What it is
Queer Romance Month is a month long celebration of romance across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Every day in October, we publish three to four posts from a variety of readers, writers, bloggers and other brilliant people. Our contributors come from all corners of Romancelandia, united by our belief that love is love, romance is romance, and sexuality is not a sub-genre.


On the website, we’ll be showcasing essays, think pieces, flash fiction, and other good things inspired by this year’s theme: We All Need Stories.

You’ll also find us around the blogosphere all month long, bringing you exclusive interviews, audio clips and video readings from our wonderful contributors.

Why it’s awesome
Because everyone involved in Queer Romance Month is terribly brilliant and sexy.

More seriously, it’s a chance to talk about books you love or discover books you’re going to love in an exciting, diverse and enthusiastic community.

There’ll be actual, legit, brand new content from a wide range of writers who we hope you’ll already think are fabulous or will decide are fabulous after you read them.

We hope you’ll laugh and cry and think and find something that speaks to you.

Also we give away free stuff.

How to get involved
You can visit us daily at www.queerromancemonth.com. Subscribe by email or add our RSS to your feed-reader of choice. Err, assuming people still do that. You can also follow us on Twitter at @QueerRomance, which will alert you when new posts go up.

You can also snag one of our gorgeous badges to display on your own site or use temporarily as a Facebook or Twitter icon to show your support of Queer Romance Month.

Tweet to us, leave us comments, enter our giveaways – we’re here to share our stories and we love hearing from people.


Contemporary Romance

Review: A Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev

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Title: The Bollywood Bride
Author: Sonali Dev
Date of publication: 29 Oct 2015
Genre/themes: Contemporary romance, India/USA
Author's links: Goodreads / Website / Facebook
Add to Goodreads

My rating: 4.5 Stars


Synopsis

Ria Parkar is Bollywood's favorite Ice Princess--beautiful, poised, and scandal-proof--until one impulsive act threatens to expose her destructive past. Traveling home to Chicago for her cousin's wedding offers a chance to diffuse the coming media storm and find solace in family, food, and outsized celebrations that are like one of her vibrant movies come to life. But it also means confronting Vikram Jathar. 

Ria and Vikram spent childhood summers together, a world away from Ria's exclusive boarding school in Mumbai. Their friendship grew seamlessly into love--until Ria made a shattering decision. As far as Vikram is concerned, Ria sold her soul for stardom and it's taken him years to rebuild his life. But beneath his pent-up anger, their bond remains unchanged. And now, among those who know her best, Ria may find the courage to face the secrets she's been guarding for everyone else's benefit--and a chance to stop acting and start living. 

Rich with details of modern Indian-American life, here is a warm, sexy, and witty story of love, family, and the difficult choices that arise in the name of both.


Review


I loved this story even more than the Ms Dev's debut novel, A Bollywood Affair which made my best reads last year. It's a second chance romance story, with darker undertones and more on the serious side than book but written in the same wonderful, engaging style. Ms Dev takes on an emotional journey at the background of an Indian wedding with in all its glory and colour and symbolism and above all - Love. 

The heroine is a successful Indian actress who hides a terrible secret. Ria was an amazing character - strong and fragile, broken and hopeful. I loved everything about her. I understood her pain, her fear and her hope and this made me forgive even the mistakes she made. 

Told from her POV this is mostly Ria's story. And it's an intense emotional journey, full of self-reflection. All her actions that seemed cruel and heartless on the surface were actually done because of her love for the others - Vikram and her family - and her loyalty to them and fierce determination to protect them. 

The secrets Ria kept and the personal issues she was silently battling on her own were not artificial made-up drama but serious problem treated in a respectful and caring manned by the author. 

Vikram was a complex and intriguing hero on his own. At first we see lot of lashing out and negative emotions from him. Given what had happened between Ria and him it's understandable, yet I was angry at him for being so cruel and vicious. I had a moment of doubt about him (because of the whole girl-friend situation) but I think it was well handle eventually and it added to richness of his portrayal.

The coming back together of Ria and Vikram happens at the background of his cousins wedding which became a central metaphor in the story, a character of its own. I loved the detailed insight we got into the Indian traditions and lifestyle. The Indian wedding ceremonies were beautifully done, creating a sense of magic and touch of reality. I also appreciate how it was balanced out with the fears and anxieties of modern-day life the characters felt. 

The writing it beautiful, Ms Dev creates a story with rich texture and makes reading it an experience for the sense - touch, smell, sight, sound. I said it my review of A Bollywood Affair and it hold true for this story as well, it's like a Bollywood movie - colourful, vibrant, full of emotion, even the romance  was a true, meant-to-be-together-forever kind of love. 

My only minor quibble has to do with the ending. The issues between Ria and Vikram were resolved in a rather realistic, mature level but I would have loved to see more of them as couple. There were so many obstacles for them still to overcome, a whole new life to build for themselves. Now, on the other hand, I can hope for a short (or longer) sequel. 

It's a wonderfully diverse and passionate romance with a touch of darkness and some serious modern-day issues examined. A recommended read for those looking for an authentic romantic stories well told. 

Purchase links: Amazon

Author Spotlight

Friday Favourites #14: Sonali Dev

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After a short break I'm back with my Friday Favourites posts. This week please welcome Ms Sonali Dev, author of the absolutely fabulous A Bollywood Affair (review) - contemporary Indian romance, set in India and the US. Her second novel, The Bollywood Bride, which I already read and loved so much, is releasing on 29 September 2015. Read on the learn more about Ms Dev's love for travelling and 1990s sci-fi miovies, together with old Bollywood claasics.



Friday Favourites

1.    Favourite place
It’s impossible for me to answer this question because one of my favorite things to do is to travel. It’s almost as though the husband and I work primarily to support our wanderlust (food, shelter, clothing and raising children war for second place). And I don’t remember a single place I’ve travelled to that isn’t a favorite is some way. But if I had to pick a few I’d say Mackinac Island in Northern Michigan for its combination of idyllic charm (no motor vehicles are allowed on the island and those large hoofed horses are straight out of a fairy tale plus there’s the perpetual smell of fudge being cooked) and the pristine blue of Lake Michigan edged by white rock and sand. Then there’s the Hanging Bridges of Arenal in Costa Rica where you’re literally walking over the rainforest and there’s thirty layers of plant life living on top of plant life. And for some crazy strange reason the incredibly touristy Covent Garden in London because every single time I’ve been there some sort of silly, wonderful memory had been made.

2. Favourite food and drink 
Gosh, did you pick these questions to torture me? Anything that’s well crafted. A perfectly balanced marinara is just as much a thing of beauty as the most complex biriyani. Having said that, the rose flavored macaroon from LaDuree in Paris might be the most magical thing I’ve ever eaten. The only thing that beats it is this steamed rice flour dumpling stuffed with sweet coconut that my mother makes called Modak. Drink is easier: Moscow Mule is my current favorite.

3. Favourite music/genre/artist/song
Classic Bollywood film songs from the seventies.
Breakfast in America by Supertramp might be a song that’s been a favorite the longest and I’ll listen to Hotel California hundred times a day and not tire of it.

4. Favourite movie/TV series
Movies: I love nineties sci-fi movies. Minority Report, Fifth Element, Gataca. I love the metaphors about love and free choice and discrimination.
TV series: Big Bang Theory and I’m still kinda hung up on Friends and Seinfeld.

5. Favourite hobby besides writing, if you consider writing a hobby
This one’s easy. Reading. Hands down. I’d rather read than do anything else.

Favourite books 

The Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
Vikram Seth’s prose is pure poetry to me, incredibly smooth and perfectly pitched. This story set in newly independent India is a perfect snapshot of an infant nation with all its cultural complexities and characters who’ve stayed with me twenty years after the last time I read the book.

A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
The way Mistry brings this multi layered, incredibly complex story together is nothing short of genius. And you can smell and taste this book, you feel it in your marrow, it’s crazy powerful writing.

The Bronze Horseman, Paulina Simmons
This love story set during the siege of Leningrad in WW2 is everything a love story should be. You fall madly and entirely in love with Tatiana and Alexander, you live their love. I suggest you expect to be entirely useless for at least a week after you read this book.

Bridgette Jones Diary, Helen Fielding
The perfect neurosis of being a woman is unapologetically captured in this delightful, hilarious retelling of Pride and Prejudice. There are lines I laugh out loud to even after having read them a hundred times.

I also have to mention the last three books I’ve read because they’ve been incredible treats.

Kristan Higgins’ If You Only Knew. At once ugly-cry poignant and shriek with laughter funny, Higgin’s foray into Women’s Fiction epitomizes everything that’s beautiful about her writing.

Molly O’Keefe’s Everything I Left Unsaid is a classic romance that turns the genre on it’s head. Superbly damaged characters who are beautifully pure of spirit and writing that made my breath catch while making me smile.

Kate Meader’s Playing With Fire is a delicious romance but I’ve never seen a heroine quite like this one. I've read 'plus size' heroines before (and they often make me cringe) but Alex is big and strong and utterly comfortable in her skin. Not just comfortable but proud of her strength. She's a firefighter, and her body and her spirit are not just an asset to her job but the essence of an identity she embraces with pride and passion. Not one single negative thought about her body. The world needs more heroines like this.


Author Bio and Links

Award winning author, Sonali Dev, writes Bollywood-style love stories that let her explore issues faced by women around the world while still indulging her faith in a happily ever after. 

Sonali’s debut novel, A Bollywood Affair, was one of Library Journal and NPR’s Best Books of 2014. It won the American Library Association’s award for best romance, is a RITA Finalist, RT Reviewer Choice Award Nominee, and winner of the RT Seal of Excellence. Sonali lives in the Chicago suburbs with her very patient and often amused husband and two teens who demand both patience and humor, and the world’s most perfect dog. 



I loved Ms Dev's debut novel, A Bollywood Affair, which made the list of my favourite books of 2014. I just finished her second book, The Bollywood Bride, and it's even better - an intense, somewhat dark, somewhat hopeful and happy contemporary romance.
Synopsis


Ria Parkar is Bollywood's favorite Ice Princess--beautiful, poised, and scandal-proof--until one impulsive act threatens to expose her destructive past. Traveling home to Chicago for her cousin's wedding offers a chance to diffuse the coming media storm and find solace in family, food, and outsized celebrations that are like one of her vibrant movies come to life. But it also means confronting Vikram Jathar.

Ria and Vikram spent childhood summers together, a world away from Ria's exclusive boarding school in Mumbai. Their friendship grew seamlessly into love--until Ria made a shattering decision. As far as Vikram is concerned, Ria sold her soul for stardom and it's taken him years to rebuild his life. But beneath his pent-up anger, their bond remains unchanged. And now, among those who know her best, Ria may find the courage to face the secrets she's been guarding for everyone else's benefit--and a chance to stop acting and start living.

Rich with details of modern Indian-American life, here is a warm, sexy, and witty story of love, family, and the difficult choices that arise in the name of both.

Alice Clayton

Waiting on Wednesday: Nuts by Alice Clayton

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Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Title: Nuts (Hudson Valley #1)
Author: Alice Clayton
Genre/Themes: Romantic comedy
Release Date: 20 Oct 2015
Add on Goodreads

Pre-order links: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Simon & Schuster




Synopsis

After losing almost all of her clients in one fell swoop following an accident involving whipped cream, private chef to Hollywood’s elite Roxie Callahan gets a call from her flighty mother, saying she’s needed home in upstate New York to run the family diner. Once she's back in the Hudson Valley, local organic farmer Leo delivers Roxie a lovely bunch of walnuts, and soon sparks—and clothing—begin to fly. Leo believes that everything worth doing is worth doing slowly…and how! But will Roxie stay upstate, or will the lure of West Coast redemption tempt her back to Tinseltown?

Why am I waiting for this? - I haven't read any Alice Clayton before but I love a good romantic comedy from time to time and I have her great thing about her previous series. And the blurb is right up my alley - small-town setting, a chef, some organic farming - sounds too good to pass it up. Finally, look at that COVER!

Contemporary Romance

Review: All I Want by Jill Shalvis

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Title: All I Want (Animal Magnetism #7)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Date of publication: 6 Oct 2015
Genre / Themes: Romance / Small town / Animals

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Add to Goodreads

My rating: 3.5 Stars




Synopsis 

Pilot-for-hire Zoe Stone is happy to call Sunshine, Idaho, her home base. But her quiet life is thrown for a loop when her brother’s friend Parker comes to stay with her for a week. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife special agent is a handsome flirt with a gift for getting under her skin. And the situation only escalates when Parker hires her to fly him around the area while he collects evidence on a suspected smuggler.

Now she has to live and work with the guy. But when they’re in the air, she sees another side of him. He’s driven, focused, and sharp. And while he enjoys giving commentary on her blind dates, she quickly realizes with a shock that it’s Parker who gets her engines going… 

Review


This was the perfect comfort read for me - sweet and sexy. I generally enjoy Ms Shalvis romances and the Animal Magnetism series is one of my favourites. 

The story follows a familiar route for Ms Shalvis - an alpha hero who is hiding a tender heart falls (against his will and his better judgement) for a lovable, strong heroine who is good at her profession but unlucky in her love life. 

Some these stories work better for me, some have minor things that annoy me and make them not so perfect. This one falls in the first category. 

I liked both Zoe and Parker, enjoyed their roommates romance and the crime plotline was intriguing enough without overshadowing the love story. I enjoyed the easy flow of the story, the lack of artificial drama or angst. The concerns and misgiving both Zoe and Parker had when it came to them being together rang true and believable. I understood Zoe's desire to move on with her life but I could also relate to her fears. She took the temporary nature of their arrangement, yet she couldn't help want more and when the time came, she was open and upfront about it. 

Parker is obsessed with his job and falling for Zoe came as a total surprise for me. His confusion about what to do felt natural to me. He made some bad decisions but in the end he found the right path ahead. He had to make big decisions about his life and his future and this is never an easy thing to do. 

Two elements of this story stand out in particular for me - Zoe is a pilot, she takes Parker as a client on different assignments and I really, really appreciate her being strong and independent and professional. I loved that she had this job that is still considered mostly suited for men, yet no one made a fuss about it. At the same time she was still vulnerable and feminine - couldn't bake and fix various repairs around the house despite being able to take care of her plane. On the other hand, Parker had this police/investigator job and he was all manly and strong and physically fit, yet he was totally adorable with the two baby kittens and he was most patient and considerate with his sister who had Dawn syndrome. 

Both had the added pressure of complex family situations. Their parents and sibling made a create supporting cast in the story - supportive and funny and frustrating. The family dynamics are one the elements in Ms Shalvis' books that I particularly enjoy. They maybe somewhat idealised (brothers and sisters bickering but mostly being supporting and loving) but work well within the stories. 

Fans of Jill Shalvis won't be disappointed with Zoe and Parker story. 

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks 

My reviews of other books by Jill Shalvis - HERE

Alexi Lawless

Review: Goddess Rising by Alexi Lawless

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Title: Goddess Rising (Complicated Creatures #0.5)
Author: Alexi Lawless
Date of publication: 22 September 2015
Genre: Romantic suspense, New Adult

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Add to Goodreads

My rating: 3 Stars




Synopsis


She’s a bad-ass. 
He’s a bad-boy. 
One photograph changes everything.

Samantha’s been living in the shadow of her father all her life. But now she’s got plans of her own… and they don’t involve the university’s hottest walking one-night stand. 

When Samantha Wyatt finally gets out from under her father’s thumb, she sets her mind on one thing: making a name for herself that has absolutely nothing to do with him. But when she meets the incredibly distracting and utterly relentless Wesley Elliott, she realizes there may be more to life than a good reputation.

Wesley’s the undisputed king of easy-come, easy-go—until a beautiful, mysterious girl walks right past his camera… and his photograph of her becomes an obsession.

But Samantha’s no easy lay, and she’s definitely not a typical college girl. She’s fierce, driven, and completely focused on winning the Ranger Challenge, one of the toughest military competitions ever created. Wes now finds himself in unfamiliar territory—busting his ass to keep up with her and discovering the extent of his own talents in the process. 

Goddess Rising is a coming-of-age novel unlike any you've ever read, and it will leave you asking: Who says you have to do what you’re told?


Review


This is a prequel to the Complicated Creatures romantic suspense series. It tells the story of Samantha during her college years when she meets Wes and how she came to be the amazing and fearless lady we meet in Complicated Creatures.

This is a New Adult full length novel and I liked the overall idea of reading about Sam's journey towards adulthood. The writing was just as strong and as addictive as in the rest of the series but there was something missing for me.

It's told from dual POV - Sam and Wes, though other characters spoke up occasionally. The romance was the best element of the story, together with Sam's military training. I liked seeing a younger Sam, more vulnerable, inexperienced, yet strong and determined. We see a lot of Wes as well and though Jack is my favourite in the series, now I have better understanding of Wes and why he did the things he did. 

That said, here is the main issue I had with this prequel. The characters really didn't read like college kids - 19/20 year-olds. I understand the unique and privileged position Sam comes from but Wes and she and all the other college kids acted far too mature/knowing for their age. In a way I felt we met the same Sam from Complicate Creatures with just some shyness and inexperience added.

As much as I like Sam's character as this amazing, determined girl growing up, literally fighting her way to be an awesome, strong, independent lady we meet in the later books, I strongly disliked how every man she met fell for her. I 'm not really a fan of the trope of a beautiful girl who is a bit of Tom-boy and  who is not aware of her beauty and has every male who meets fall in love with her.

I was also expecting more of the ending. I felt an important part connecting the prequel with the next book was missing. I still want to finish these series, the intrigue just gest more and more complex and exciting. I hope the final book will clear all uncertainties and Sam will get her much deserved HEA.

Purchase links: Amazon 



Historical Romance

Review: A Fashionable Indulgence by K. J. Charles

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Titlle: A Fashionable Indulgence (Society of Gentlemen #1)
Author: K. J. Charles 
Genre/Themes: Historical, MM romance
Release Date: 11 Aug 2015

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook Group / Goodreads
Add on Goodreads

My rating: 5 Stars


Synopsis

When he learns that he could be the heir to an unexpected fortune, Harry Vane rejects his past as a Radical fighting for government reform and sets about wooing his lovely cousin. But his heart is captured instead by the most beautiful, chic man he’s ever met: the dandy tasked with instructing him in the manners and style of the ton. Harry’s new station demands conformity—and yet the one thing he desires is a taste of the wrong pair of lips.

After witnessing firsthand the horrors of Waterloo, Julius Norreys sought refuge behind the luxurious facade of the upper crust. Now he concerns himself exclusively with the cut of his coat and the quality of his boots. And yet his protégé is so unblemished by cynicism that he inspires the first flare of genuine desire Julius has felt in years. He cannot protect Harry from the worst excesses of society. But together they can withstand the high price of passion.

Review

This is my first historical mm and my second book by KJ Charles and I can honestly say I was just blown away by the exquisite beauty this story is.

It's a beautifully written, rich and very well research, detailed-oriented story about love and social customs and fashions and politics and intimacies of Regency London.

I loved, loved, loved everything about it. The romance was tender and clever and captivating. Harry and Julius were quite interesting and fascinating on their own but as a couple they were just a joy to read. Theywere total opposites but they fitted so well together and each gave the other of he desperately needed. Ms Charles plays with stereotypes and reader's expectation while developing Harry and Julius' romance - one has all the knowledge of social customs and fashion and war and being a gentleman, yet he is yet a novice when it comes to feelings and matters of the heart. The other is all about openness and sincerity and spontaneity, lacking in socail manners and grace, yet much more experienced in all wordly things. 

I'm all team Harry here with his strong passion, love and loyalty, even sense of social justice. And Norrey was the perfect antidote to all that - darker, somehwat disillusioned, resigned and determined to forsake all adn any feelings. Harry restored his passion, his desire to live, to love, to experience life to the fullest.

The strong political aspect was not a burden as it could so easily be in romance. It complemented the love story adding depth and making it real. The reader felt an immediate participant in the events not just a casual observant.

The social background was essential to understand the conflict and all the tensions in the story and was very convincingly presented -  being gay was not easy at the time; it was just as dangerous as being a seditionist.

Throughout the story Ms Charles skillfully played with the myth of Galatea and Pygmalion and this made it even more enjoyable fr me. 

Recommended read for fans of historical romance! Next book in the Sosciety of Gentlemen series, A Seditious Affair, comes out in December. 

Purchase Links: Amazon / ARe / Publisher

M/M romance

Waiting on Wednesday: Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North

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Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.


Title: Blueberry Boys
Author: Vanessa North
Genre/Themes: MM romance
Release Date: 30 Nov 2015
Add on Goodreads

Pre-order links: Amazon / Riptide





Synopsis


Connor Graham is a city boy—a celebrated fashion photographer in New York. When his uncle’s death drags him back to the family blueberry farm, all he wants to do is sell it as quickly as he can. Until he meets his uncle’s tenant farmer.

Jed Jones, shy and stammering, devout and dedicated, has always yearned for land of his own and a man to share it with. Kept in the closet by his church, family, and disastrous first love, he longs to be accepted for who he is. But now, with his farm and his future in Connor’s careless hands, he stands to lose even the little he has.

Neither man expects the connection between them. Jed sees Connor—appreciates his art and passion like no one else in this godforsaken town ever has. Connor hears Jed—looks past his stutter to listen to the man inside. The time they share is idyllic, but with the farm sale pending, even their sanctuary is a source of tension. As work, family, and their town’s old-fashioned attitudes pull them apart, they must find a way to reconcile commitments to their careers and to each other.

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Why am I waiting for this? - The blurb sounds sounds so good - tender and cosy, just the type of read I'm in the mood for. I've read two other books by Ms North - Double Up - review (mm sports romance which is quite good) and The Lonely Drop (available for free). Overall I enjoy her writing and I can't wait to read more of her stories. 



Contemporary Romance

Review: A Wish Upon Jasmine by Laura Florand

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Title: A Wish Upon Jasmine (La Vie en Roses #2)
Author: Laura Florand
Genre/Themes: Contemproary romance
Release Date: 1 August 2015

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
My rating: 4 Stars

Add on Goodreads
Synopsis

Ruthless. That was what they said about Damien Rosier. Handsome. Wealthy. Powerful. Merciless. No one messed with his family, because to do so they would have to get through him. No one thought he had a heart. Not even the woman he gave his to.

Cynical. That was what they said about Jasmin Bianchi. A top perfumer of her generation, Jess had achieved commercial success by growing a protective shell over a tender heart. The one time she cracked it open to let Damien in, he crushed it—after a night of unbelievable passion.

Lovers. That one magical night couldn’t survive the harsh light of dawn. When Jess woke up to discover the man in bed beside her had stolen her company, she fled.

Enemies. Now she’s come to the south of France with a threat to his family heritage. If he wants to reclaim both it and the woman who walked away from him, he’s going to have to fight as dirty as only Damien can.

But Jess knows how to fight dirty, too. And these days, she has nothing left to lose.

Certainly not her heart.

Review 

Laura Florand is one my favourite authors and I find her Amour et Chocolate series just delicious! This is book 2 in her new series, La Vie en Rose which take us in the world of high French perfemury. Book 1 was the perfect romance - a fairytale story of love, trust - very sensuos, very beautifully written

This is the story of one of the five cousins in the Rosier family - Damien - the business shark, the ruthless one who always achieves his goals. And the somewhat lonely and lost, perfume maker Jasmine (Jess). On the surface their story was very much similar to Matt and Layla's story from book 1 and it bothered me a lot initially. It felt like we have already been there, we have seen how this develops and comes to a HEA. But then Ms Florand turned things in a new direction.

I loved the cahracter of Damien and how he developed through the story. His internal cononflict was so strong and I could understand him so well. He was constantly battling expectations of everyone in his family had of him and his vision of himself. He felt obliged to perform a certain role in the family and he did it because this was his forte and he loved his family and wanted to care for them. Yet (he thought) they all saw him as ruthless, heartless and in fact he just felt too much, was as emotional and vulnerable as anyone else. He was a romantic at heart trying to do the right thing for everybody no matter what it cost him. There was so much going on with him.

Damien and Jasmine had had an affair/one-night stand before that ended in a lot of hurt and misunderstanding. I was not a big fan of basing the conflict of the story on miscommuniation though it was fitting to the characters, at least for Damien. Jasmine family situaiton aslo very much explained her distrust and jumping to conclusions. None of them had an easy time opening up about their true emotions, both were scared of revealing too much.

The process of perfume making had an improtant role in the story and I loved how the author used this metaphore to explore the characters' inner worlds.

Overall, this is another additon to a fabulous new series by a favourite author. A recommended read for fans of romance - sensual, powerful, life-changing!

Purchase Links: Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Kobo

Blog Tour

Excerpt Tour for Dirty Talking by Megan Erickson

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Synopsis


When the one you shouldn't want is the one you can't resist...


Brent Payton works hard, plays hard, and has earned his ladies’ man reputation. But he’s more than just a good time, even though no one seems to see it. Until a gorgeous brunette with knockout curves and big, thoughtful eyes walks into his family’s garage and makes Brent want more.
Ivy Dawn and her sister are done with men, all of them. They’ve uprooted their lives too many times on account of the opposite sex, but that’s over now. The plan seems easy until a sexy, dirty-taking mechanic bursts in Ivy’s life and shakes everything up.
Brent can’t resist the one person who sees past his devil-may-care façade, and Ivy finds it harder and harder to deny how happy he makes her. But she has secrets of her own and when the truth comes out, she must decide if she’ll run again or if she’ll take a chance on forever.



Author Bio and Links:

Megan worked as a journalist covering real-life dramas before she decided she liked writing her own endings better and switched to fiction. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. When she's not tapping away on her laptop, she's probably listening to the characters in her head who won't stop talking.
Brent leaned back in his chair, feet up on the table and crossed at the ankle. He held a packet of peanuts and tipped it so a couple fell into his mouth. He chewed, steel eyes on her.


Excerpt


She clenched her jaw shut.
He swallowed. “You looked like you were going to say something.”
“Sure I was. To Alex. But you’re not Alex.”
“No, I’m not. But I’m a great listener.”
“I’m sure,” she said drily.
His lips quirked. “Want to hear about what other things I’m good at?”
“Not particularly.”
“Because I can do this thing with my tongue—”
Good God. “I don’t do this.”
“Don’t do what?”
She waved a hand between them. “This. Flirting.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Babe, I haven’t even begun to flirt.”
She took a deep breath to calm her rising blood pressure. “Don’t do that either.”
“Jesus! Now what?” His exasperation might have been cute if she still had a heart.
“Nicknames.”
“Babe?”
“My name is Ivy. I-V-Y. Three letters. Two syllables.” Even she wanted to cringe at how much of a bitch she was being.
He was studying her now, his face a little less amused and more . . . thoughtful. She didn’t like thoughtful Brent. Amused, flirting Brent? Harmless. Thoughtful Brent, who tried to look deeper? Dangerous as hell.
He ran two fingers over his lips and then dropped his hand to the table, cocking his head. “You’re just thorns everywhere I touch, aren’t you?”
She froze at his words, like a deer in headlights because yes—yes, she was a whole lot of thorns because she’d learned long ago they were necessary to protect all her soft parts.
Brent wasn’t done, though; his voice was softer when he spoke again. “You born that way, or something make you that way, Ivy?”
She swallowed. Yep, Brent Payton was dangerous in a sexy-as-hell package. His words were seeping past those thorns, hitting all the spots where she was weak. So she gathered herself and clenched her fists at her sides. “You’re just acting like this because I’m the first woman who hasn’t fallen at your feet.”
He laughed at that. “Fallen at my feet? Nah, there are plenty of women who’ve told me to go to hell. My percentage is good, though. Maybe eighty-twenty.” He grinned that shit-eating grin. “But you got me curious now. I wanna keeping prodding until I find a place that isn’t a thorn. How long do you think that’ll take me?”
Shit, no; that’s exactly what she didn’t want. With those eyes that were smart and trouble at the same time.
She swallowed and straightened her spine. “You’ll never get close enough.”
He cocked his head. “No?”
“No.”
He hummed a little and leaned back in his chair again. He threw a peanut in the air and caught it in his mouth. Then he chewed, with those steel eyes daring her to look away. “Guess I gotta plan my attack better next time, huh? You better work on those defenses.”
She heard Alex’s voice as her sister made her way back to the lunchroom. Ivy smiled and lifted her chin. “Who says I’ll be the one who needs defense?”
He laughed sharply, like he was surprised. “Oh, babe, bring it.”
She gritted her teeth. “Ivy.”
“Babe. I call it as I see it, and you’re definitely babe.”



Giveaway


Dystopia

Waiting on Wednesday for Claimed by Elle Kennedy

03:25


Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Title: Claimed (Outlaws #1)
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre/Themes: Dystopia, erotic romance
Release Date: 6 Oct 2015
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Pre-order links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks





Synopsis


After a devastating war decimated most of the world, Hudson Lane has only known the oppressive life under her own father’s tyranny. She finally escapes, branding herself an outlaw and hunted by the Enforcers. Her best chance at survival is Connor Mackenzie, an aggressively sensual fugitive who opens her eyes to the wicked possibilities of a world without rules.

As the leader of a band of outlaw fighters, Connor can’t resist the beautiful stranger who asks for his protection. Despite his reservations, he agrees to introduce her to a whole new way of life. But when Connor discovers Hudson’s connection to the enemies of liberty, he wonders how far he can trust the woman who has abandoned all inhibitions to challenge every forbidden desire.

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Why am I waiting for this? - I've only read the Off Campus series by Ms Kennedy which is contemporary NA college sports romances but I liked her writing and would like to try more of it. This is book 1 in new dystopian erotic romance series and I haven't read anything like that before and find the blurb rather intriguing. Plus that cover, who can resist a cover like that? :)


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