Day / September 3, 2011

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: A Just Deception by Adrienne Giordano

Format: E-bookajustdeception
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Private Protectors, Book 2
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Peter Jessup
Heroine: Isabelle DeRosa
Date of Publication: September 5, 2011
Started On:September 1, 2011
Finished On: September 3, 2011

A Just Deception by Adrienne Giordanno is her second book in the Private Protectors series. 32 year old Peter Jessup is former Navy SEAL and now works for Taylor Security. Forced into taking a vacation to get his act together, Peter is a restless soul that has no penchant for sitting around twiddling his thumbs. Coming from a family that is filthy rich, Peter is someone who feels comfortable being his own guy, away from all the rules that the ultra rich society adheres to.

Isabelle DeRosa is a defense lawyer who hides behind the effect her sultry and heartstopping good looks has on the opposite sex. A victim of sexual abuse during childhood, Isabelle has no qualms about what she is capable of emotionally and physically and arms herself with the necessary skills to defend herself if the need were to ever present itself.

When her cousin Kendrick with whom she shares her turbulent past with is murdered and fingers start pointing in her direction, Isabelle agrees to help the FBI uncover the reality behind the facade of a charity home that Kendrick has been keeping up as a business front on his home turf. When Peter Jessup enters the picture as her protector, a man who for the first time in her life has the ability to pierce through the iron clad armor that guards her fragile emotions and heart, Isabelle is in the battle of her life to overcome the fear that has ruled over her life up until now. As block by block the armor crumbles around her, Isabelle makes her way into the treachery and deceit that is Kendrick’s legacy.

This is my second book by Adrienne Giordanno and the one thing that constantly strikes a chord deep within me is Adrienne’s voice which rings with humor all throughout the story. Yes, she deals with a lot of emotional, dark and heavy subjects like the trauma of a woman getting over being abused sexually as a child to baby selling black markets to murder within this story. But somehow, all through this, Adrienne finds a way to keep true to her voice and deliver the reader with what I have come to identify essentially as her own style. And that is one main reason I would always constantly keep coming back for more of her books whenever a new one comes out.

When I encountered Vic Andrews in Man Law, the first book in the Private Protectors series, I thought to myself that no man could ever measure up to Vic. But I was proven completely and utterly wrong when Peter Jessup strolled in and swept me off my feet and tumbled me into his world where his character is everything and I mean everything you would want in the man by your side. He is however not without his own demons to fight but what makes him so appealing is the way he is so patient with Isabelle who has a lot of baggage of her own to get over from before Peter and Isabelle can find their own happily ever after.

The one thing that I can always count on when I pick up a book by Adrienne is the fact that she doesn’t waste time trying to portray the men in her stories the way that the opposite sex wants them moulded and shaped up as they want men to be. But rather, Adrienne brings the male characters in her books to life the way they should be, the way I see men in reality interact with one another and react to emotional upheavals in their lives. And that is one reason I just loved the 2nd book in the Private Protectors series as much as I did.

Isabelle’s character is one worthy of being mentioned because she is one tough chick with an inner vulnerability that just reaches into something deep inside of you until you cant help but empathize with what she has gone through at such a young age. Her coping mechanism when it kicks in is more than understandable and what appealed to me is the way Adrienne handles Isabelle’s emotional trauma in the book, giving her ample enough time and reason to get over it and even then there are no magical solutions to healing the scars that seems to be embedded deep inside of her.

The dialogues are wickedly hot at times and of the laugh out loud variety, the sexual tension between Isabelle and Peter insanely hot, sweet and emotional and the suspense factor that aligns nicely along with the romance aspect of the novel makes this an instant winner! Recommended for fans of the series and fans of Adrienne Giordano. Peter Jessup’s character alone makes this one worthy of being picked up!

Momentous Scenes:

  • The scene during which Peter’s mother walks in on Peter and Isabelle getting it on. Laugh out loud funny. Seriously! LOL
  • The car smexing scene. Insanely and wickedly hot and emotional as well!
  • Every.single.time Peter Jessup gives his Hollywood variety smile. Made me go weak at the knees every time I tell you!

Favorite Quotes

(Isabelle) “You can do whatever you’d like at my house.”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned.
“Within reason,” she added. “If I find you in my bed with a woman, you’re a dead man.”
He grinned bigger.
Her stomach knotted. “Did I say that?”
He continued to grin.
She had said it. Must be the fatigue. Three hours of sleep didn’t cut it.
He stepped closer. Oh, boy.
“Izzy, the only woman I want in that bed is you.”

Peter heard the lock tumble. She must have turned it with her free hand, because the door opened and the inside light she’d left on washed over them.
Izzy threw her arms around his neck, pressed against him and slammed her tongue into his mouth. Demanding and hot. His breath caught and he couldn’t release it. Thank you, Jesus. He’d never known anything better than this kiss.

After slipping the condom on, he rolled on top of her, shoved her hair out of her face and held it while he got lost in those sea green eyes that, in a darkened room, shined bright.
He wanted her. And it wasn’t just the sex. He wanted the whole nutty package.

by mvbookreviewer

Pick of the Month Reads – August 2011 & Giveaway!

Yep, its that time of the month again where I haul ass and choose my pick of the month read(s) for the previous month. Once again, I found myself wavering between two great books, both released by Carina Press I might add, that made for fantastic reads! And this time as well, both authors agreed to answer a few questions regarding their book, the heroes and the heroines. So without further ado, my peeps, a huge round of applause for the authors of my picks of the month for August 2011.

Pick 1: Deceiving the Protector by Dee Tenoriodeceivingtheprotector

MBR: I have read both books in the series and the one thing that continually amazes me is the world you have created for the series. How did you come up with the idea of creating the Resurrection series?

Dee: I’d have to say it’s a blend of the history I’ve learned from the people I grew up with. I’m a Native American—Chumash—and my mother worked for the Federal American Indian Council when I was a kid, so I was brought up being taught all about our history and what parts of the culture we have left. I’ve known from a very early age what extinction is about and how it can come about. Then, as a teen, she worked for a Jewish temple, where I met some of the most amazing people ever and they spoke very openly about the Holocaust how they survived it. Throw in my affection for animals and then my attraction to shifters and the whole world kind of came together rather organically.  I can’t really explain the Sibile, though. I guess I just have a fascination with women in power, lol.

MBR: Jensen Tate, he is my favorite hero from the series so far. The one thing I can always count on when I read your books is for me to fall in love, hard and fast with your heroes and Tate is no exception to that rule. How do you come up with such alpha heroes who makes us women go aflutter EVERY.SINGLE.TIME?

Dee: Aww, I’m so glad you loved Tate. He’s not an easy man but something about him just tugged at me. Like a tarnished soldier, he’d put the world on his shoulder and carry it if he could. LOL @ “EVERY SINGLE TIME”! Thank you, that’s such an incredible compliment! I guess it’s simply that I love good, strong men. Despite having four sisters, I find I understand guys a lot better. I was a lousy girl growing up, so I hung out with them and I love the more direct way a lot of men think. I mean, sure, you want to smack them with frying pans sometimes, but God love them, they do have a way of seeing the world in terms of “I’m gonna fix that!”

MBR: Lia Crawford is a heroine that continually surprised me at every turn. She is amazing, no two ways about it. Did her character materialize as you wanted her to, or did she surprise you and made her own way through the story?

Dee: Lia surprised me a lot too. Initially, there are parts of her that are my sister. That indomitable, break-for-no-one will comes from her, primarily. And the stubborn, too. I guess I wanted to give her the happy ending I felt my sister deserved. But there are parts of Lia that came to life and insisted she was her own person. I meant for her to have a soft side, but she’d keep shaking her head at me and reminding me having a heart wasn’t the same as being soft. So it’s a little bit of both, I have to say. :)

MBR: Which books are you currently working on in the series?

Dee:Yes, I’m working on Book 3. This one will step back from the Resurrection brothers and take you into the world of the Sibile. We’ve seen flashes of the Order and their rather ruthless tactics, but the Sibile as a whole are a complicated society and you’ll get to see that in this one. Favorites from the first book will make an appearance—in particular Jalla and Sage—but you’ll also see the dynamics of the people beneath the Order. And, if you know anything about the Sibile, you know that all the males are pretty much slaves. But what happens if you pair one who refuses to accept his place with a Scarlet heroine on the verge of discovering a secret that will change absolutely everything?

Hee hee, you’ll find out in Book 3!

MBR: OMG!! I absolutely cannot wait!!

Dee has very generously agreed to giveaway an e-copy of Deceiving the Protector to one lucky commenter on this post. This is one paranormal suspense romantic series that you ought to get your hands on ASAP!

Pick 2: Boomerang Bride by Fiona Loweboomerangbride

MBR: How did you come up with the idea of writing Boomerang Bride?

Fiona: It came in three parts.. The first was on a ski lift when an image of a bride standing in a wedding dress, holding a cake and staring into a shop window popped into my head and wouldn’t leave but I had no clue why she was there. Two weeks later, I  heard a song by The Waifs called, ‘Bridal Train’ and not long after that I read an article about an heiress being scammed out of a lot of her money. Suddenly, I had Tildy’s story.  

MBR: Matilda landed in my list of favorite heroines after reading Boomerang Bride. Is she based on anyone you know or is her character written down exactly as you imagined she would be?

Fiona: Matilda is her own person, and not based on anyone in particular, but that said, I grew up surrounded by strong women who have dealt with whatever comes their way with grace and determination, so perhaps a bit of that came out in Matilda. There was a risk some people might think her TSTL (too stupid to live) , but you know, grief really does mess with your head so it was important that Matilda took responsibility for her actions early on. She made a mistake – a BIG mistake- and from that moment on, she had to move forward.  As for the confusion about language, that came directly from my own experience living in Wisconsin.

MBR: Marc Olsen is a truly sexy and charming hero underneath all of which lies a man confused with his priorities in life. How did you come up with his character?

Fiona: I look around and see some men getting so focused on their career and making money that they can lose sight of what’s really important. This has happened to Marc, although at the start of the book he has no clue about this and is only aware of a restlessness that has him feeling slightly off center. I also think that men find it easier to walk away from the ties of family so I think Marc is a product of what I see in the world around me.

MBR: Are you planning on writing any more contemporary romances in this setting?

Fiona: I have written another small town contemporary book (Saved By The Bride) filled with brides, family and a small town that won’t take no for an answer.  I hope it will be a three part series, but it isn’t set in Hobin. Right now, I can’t tell you when it will be available except to say it will be one day :) Meanwhile, Career Girl in the Country is out now, my 15th Harlequin Medical romance, and it, along with my other 14 books are  all set in small towns with big hearts. So if you’re wanting another small town fix, I recommend you visit http://www.fionalowe.com for my back-list and where to buy the books.

MBR: Thank you so much for answering the questions which has shed light on many aspects of your fantastic book that I loved so much!

So guys, Fiona has very generously agreed to give away an e-copy of Boomerang Bride, a Boomerang magnet and a signed postcard as well! How cool is that?

So the giveaway rules ladies and gentlemen:

The rules are simple:

  1. Open a page of the current book that you are reading. (If you are not reading a book at the moment, open a page of the book that’s nearest to you.) And give me 3 sentences from the page you open up. Please mention the book title and author as well.
  2. If you do not mention which giveaway you are entering for, I will be entering you for both Dee and Fiona’s giveaways.
  3. Leave a valid email address for a way to contact you if you are the winner!
  4. Help spread the word about the giveaway. Tweet about it and gain 5 extra entries AND/OR like the post on Facebook and gain extra 5 more entries. In your tweet, use the tag #MBRpickofAug11giveaway. Let me know in your comment whether you have done either or both so you would get your extra entries into the contest.
  5. Giveaway ends on the 5th of September 2011, 00:00 hours Maldivian time!

You can  read my reviews for both books by clicking on the yellow headline before the beginning of the interview for each book.

Good luck and don’t forget to leave a comment behind!