Wednesday, February 20, 2013

VBT: Giveaway and 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:

The Odor of Violet

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?”


AUTHOR INFORMATION: 

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...

Blog / Ju's Page / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon / Envision School Publishing


***Ju will be awarding a $50.00 Gift Certificate, winner's choice, to Amazon, Kobo, B&N, or ENVISION to one randomly chosen commenter during the tour. *** 

To have a better chance of winning, follow the tour and leave lots of comments!  The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here.


My Thoughts:

I liked The Odor of Violet. The characters were believable and the story was steamy!

Damien had an accident that left him blind. Although the Doctors felt that he'd get his sight back, it had been a few years and he was still sightless. He felt like his life was just a shell of what it had been. His friends treated him differently and his fiance left him because he was suddenly handicapped. His accountant and good friend Jake was the only one who stood by him and tried to help. Jake has to leave and so a search for a personal assistant ensues. This is where Lisa comes into the story.

Damien and Lisa both struggle to contain the urges they feel toward each other until eventually they can no longer fight it. They give in and the story goes on from there.

I really liked Lisa. She was kind and caring. I liked Damien for the most part except for when he hurt Lisa. I didn't like that part but what good is a romance without some angst?

If you like romance, give this one a try. It was fun to watch the characters dance around the elephant in the room (the mutual attraction between Damien and Lisa).

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I enjoyed it immensely!


What is your favorite floral scent?




I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please leave a comment!

41 comments:

  1. Wow, This book sounds amazing. I've seen some of Ju's books before but haven't had a chance to read any of them myself. It's good to know that you enjoyed the book. Will be going on my TBR list. Thanks

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  2. hum i guess magnolia because it remind me a perfum my mother has or lilas

    ^^ i also like the smell of the herbs after the rain^^;;

    i'm also sad to read or know people who leaves their other half just because soemthing happened to make them different... for me it's not what love should be. after all it sad dfuring hardship and illness too... not only when things are good and easy)

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    1. I agree but it was a good thing that she left. Damien would have never met Lisa otherwise. :D

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  3. Sounds like a great read. I am not fond of most scents as I have lots of allergies.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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  4. Very good review, I'm looking forward to reading the book.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  5. Freesias in everyday life, jasmine and orange blossoms in perfume...

    vitajex(At)aol(Dot)com

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  6. This one sounds awesome! My fav scent at the moment is Japanese Cherry Blossom.
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  7. My favorite scent is lilacs since they remind me of my childhood and are always in bloom on my birthday. Thanks for the review

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

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  8. My favorites scents are Lilac, Lavender, and Sweetpeas as far as candles and perfumes go. Bath & Body Works also has one with Tulips that is quite nice. Due to my allergies, really strong smells are hard for me to take (no fun have sinus issues every time you smell something ;))

    Sounds like a good story. Thanks for the review.

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    Replies
    1. I like Sweetpeas too! It was a good story Josette. :-)

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  9. A tender and sensitive love story

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  10. Thanks for the wonderful review, Brenda, and for all the wonderful comments from your readers. I had lots of fun writing Damien and Lisa's story.

    Good luck to everyone!

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    1. You're welcome. I'm glad to spread the word about The Odor of Violet. :-)

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    2. Good luck with the book. I look forward to getting to it on my TBR.

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  11. I actually can't smell :( so no favorite floral scent for me. I've definately added this to my TBR list. This sounds really good! Thanks for the great giveaway as well. lcminer at windstream dot net

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    1. Oh Leslie,

      I'm sorry to hear that you can't smell. I can't imagine what that must be like for you.

      It is a good story. I hope you get to read it. Good luck with the giveaway! :D

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    2. Oh, that's too bad Leslie. I have a friend that can't smell either. Works really well for her when there are things none of us want to smell ;) But, she does miss out on the good ones as well.

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  12. I love the smell of roses....but the commercial, cut roses don't smell near as nice as they used to! I also love the smell of wisteria. When it's in bloom in the neighborhood, it smells incredible.
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. I have never smelled wisteria. :-(

      I do agree that the commercial flowers do not smell as good as they used to.

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    2. I wonder if that is because of all the chemicals they use now a days?

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  13. +JMJ+

    I don't wear scents very often; I'm happy just to smell "clean." ;-) But if I had to choose between floral scents and fruity scents, the fruits would win hands down! I also prefer using body butter rather than cologne or perfume. That way, the "scent medium" can do double duty. LOL!

    This story does sound very sweet. Damien sounds vulnerable, but not needy; and it's easy to see why Lisa falls in love with him. In this glut of "kick-ass heroines," it's also very nice to read about a nurturing heroine for a change. =)

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    1. Lisa is very nuturing and it was a nice change of pace. :D

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  14. Did you have to do a lot of research for this book?

    galaschick78 at gmail dot com

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    1. Hi Gala, not more than the usual. I had no problem writing Damien and developing his character because I am familiar with most of the difficulties he would have encountered as a handicapped person. And Lisa was a peach. She loved so strongly, without reservations. :)

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  15. It's certainly an interesting concept for a romance!

    shadowrunner1987ATgmailDOTcom

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  16. Thank you for your thoughts. "Immensely" is impressive.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    Replies
    1. I only say what I think. Read it and see what you think!

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  17. Sounds fascinating! Though I have a weird dislike of the word "odor" so I think that might have turned me off initially lol...but your review has me second guessing my first thoughts!

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

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  18. This sounds fantastic, I'm going to put it on my tbr list!

    lyra.lucky7 at gmail dot com

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  19. Ooo, that's tough. I'm going to go with rose and jasmine, they are two of my favorite scents and flowers.

    tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  20. I like fresh mixtures, most of my favourites include tangerines or something similar.

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