Wednesday, February 27, 2013

'The Odor of Violet' by Ju Ephraime Book Tour & Review

THE ODOR OF VIOLET
By
Ju Ephraime

BLURB:

STEP INTO THE SIGHTLESS WORLD OF DAMIEN FALCONER, AS HE STRUGGLES TO COME TO GRIPS WITH THE BLISTERING ATTRACTION HE FEELS FOR HIS NEW PERSONAL ASSISTANT, LISA ANDREWS.

Full of self-doubt as he struggled to regain his independence, the last thing Damien was looking for when he hired his new assistant, was to fall in love. So, he fought it for as long as he could, until the feelings he had for Lisa kept chipping away at him. Exposing a heart he had thought encased in stone, never to love again.

Lisa, a gentle, caring individual, a professional nurse, and inexperienced in matters of the heart, was ill-equipped to deal with the emotional and physical attraction she felt for her boss, Damien Falconer. Fully cognizant of the pitfalls that exist in such a relationship, Lisa fought equally hard to resist the powerful lure of Damien.

The blistering attraction between Damien and Lisa was searing in its intensity. Both were trying desperately to do the right thing, but the fates had other plans for them. Can two hearts that were broken be made whole again?…..



EXCERPT:
Ms. Andrews walked into the room, and Damien felt the air leave his lungs. He could not see her, but he felt Jake’s reaction also. He was not certain if he was mirroring Jake’s reaction to the candidate or his own overactive imagination. Whatever the reason, he had a physical reaction to whomever it was that walked into his library. She was polite and calm, and he sensed she had a smile on her face because Jake had an answering smile in his voice when he greeted her. Poor Damien, he couldn’t see a thing, but boy, was he aware of her. He could smell the fragrance she was wearing, and it was doing strange things to his body.

There was a hint of jasmine, mixed with a bit of musk, but the overwhelming scent was of violet. He recognized the scent because of the perfusion of violet plants that grew in the garden surrounding his house.

It was his favorite flower. He was never tired of sitting on the porch just inhaling its heady fragrance.

On Ms. Andrews, the fragrance was positively intoxicating. The mixture of violet with her unique scent was overpowering. Damien was almost in pain from the strength of his physical reaction to her. He was uncomfortable in his seat and kept fidgeting and moving to get a more comfortable position. He did not want either Jake or the young woman to notice his discomfort. He desperately wanted to see the woman who was in his library, but he had to be content with just listening to her responses to Jake’s questions.

She sounded a bit flustered because she would begin each response with a slight nervous laugh, and Jake would respond in kind. This exchange between the two infuriated Damien, who wanted to participate in the conversation. He interrupted one of Jake’s questions to her with one of his own.

“Tell me, Ms. Andrews, how long have you been out of school?”

**My thoughts**

 Damien and Lisa are two lost souls who come across each other when Lisa interviews for a job as his aide. Both of them have been burned in love. Lisa was taken advantage of and humiliated. Damien was abandoned by the woman he thought would be his forever, simply because he was no longer "perfect" in her eyes. An accident left him blind a couple of years earlier. 

Lisa comes on board to help Damien conduct his daily life and business while his friend and helper Jake prepares to go out of town. Her scent, which overwhelmingly is like violets, appeals to Damien, awakening a sexual passion in him that he hasn't known in years. He has no idea what she looks like, but is completely attracted to her.

Lisa is also attracted to Damien because of his male scent. But because she can see, she is also extremely drawn to his physical prowess. They predictably succumb to their desires, but not without a few rocks thrown in their way to cause them to stumble a bit. Damien also has a big secret that he isn't ready to share with Lisa.

This book is hot and heavy in the sex department, but not in a way that makes it seem dirty. If blatant sexual scenes bother you, then this book is not for you. If you like it hotter, you will enjoy this book.   

Buy links: Paperback \ Kindle 


About the Author:

I can’t recall a time in my life when I wasn’t writing. I know I started a long, long, time ago. I began writing short stories for the local radio station in my home town, which were read on the air at story time. After I had my children, I went back to school to further my education. I have since earned several degrees, including two Masters and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University in Boston. During the course of my schooling, I wrote and published a working curriculum for a career school, as well as, other literary works. A couple years ago, I revisited my first love, writing for fun and enjoyment.

I live in a small town in Connecticut, where the closest thing to a mall is a shopping strip, so nothing exciting happens there. I’m a mother of three and a grandmother of five. My dog Bondine is my favorite companion when I take up pen and paper to write.

Many of my stories are set in the places I've visited. The children I encounter during my travels determine the theme of the book.  I love to write stories about talented, inquisitive, and curious children who are thirsty for knowledge.

When I’m not writing my children books, I write romance novels under a pen name. Oftentimes, I take the time to visit the places in which my stories are set, which is the icing on the cake. My second love is traveling, and those times when I can combine writing with traveling, I’m usually in writers' heaven because I’m doing my two most favorite things...


LINKS:


Ju will be awarding a $50.00 Gift Certificate, winner's choice,to Amazon, Kobo, B&N, or ENVISION to one randomly chosen commenter and one randomly chosen host during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

21 comments:

  1. I like big secrets. I'm rather curious.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Andrea for hosting my book tour. This is my first book tour and so far, I’m having lots of fun and loving it. The Odor of Violet is my fifth romance novel and my favorite so far. Although my newest release, White Magic Woman, is giving it a run for the money. I hope your readers will have a chance to reader Damien and Lisa’s story; they are in for a treat. Good luck to everyone!

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  3. Because of how so much of the dialogue and scene work in a romance novel is about vision and sight, I bet this makes for an interesting read when one of the characters is blind. Thanks for the review!

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I admit that I am giggling right now. I read the review here that the book is "hot and heavy in the sex department." Then I moved to the bio about you where it says: "The children I encounter during my travels determine the theme of the book. I love to write stories about talented, inquisitive, and curious children who are thirsty for knowledge." Those 2 things seem very incongruous. THEN I went on to read that you write children's books. I should have read that line first! Now it's clear to me. I feel much better knowing that there's nothing "hot and heavy" going on in the children's books. That would just be wrong!

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  5. Thank you for the review. I would love to know what the big secret is.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now, Ingeborg, that would be telling. You'll have to read the book to find out. :)

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  6. What do you like about writing?

    moonsurfer123(AT)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What don't I like--NOTHING. I love everything about it. I have a very vivid imagination and writing provides me with an outlet.

      Delete
  7. Did you have someone in mind while creating your characters?

    shadowrunner1987 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, no. Just the one I created in my mind's eye.

      Delete
  8. This book sounds great, is there an audio book version of it as well?

    emiliana25(at)web(dot)de

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  9. I love the steamy cover with the tie in of violets

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds very intriguing!

    vitajex(at)Aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are funny, Catherine. I don't even write my hot and heavy books under my own name. I go to a different place to write those. :)

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  12. thanks for the chance to win
    hense1kk AT cmich DOT edu

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cant wait to read this one. Sounds very yummy! :)
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hotter is fine by me! ;-)

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I enjoyed the excerpt.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

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