Thursday, January 31, 2013

VBT: Review & Giveaway ~ Vanilla on Top by C.J. Ellisson



Discover your inner bad girl, and set her free…

Heather Pierce is done being a wallflower, both personally and professionally. Desperate to live a different life for one night, she attends a speed dating event. Maybe here, anonymous unless she chooses otherwise, she can become someone new. When a man way out of her league sits across from her, Heather gathers her courage and takes charge of what she wants, secretly fearing he won’t desire the real person she’s desperate to hide.

Top acquisitions officer and international playboy Tony Carmine is about to close the biggest deal of his career. But then he meets Heather at a speed dating event…and discovers losing control may be exactly what he needs. Her blossoming sensuality occupies his every thought, consuming him with the need to possess the most intriguing lover he’s ever encountered—until he walks into the boardroom and sees Heather on the other side of the negotiating table.



Want a taste?

His eyes glide over me, a slight spark of what I hope is interest in their depths. A flare of awareness ignites in my chest. The man’s charming grin remains in place. A good sign so far. Right as he opens his kissable mouth to speak, his phone rings. His relaxed expression turns into a grimace as he digs in his pocket to retrieve the offending device.

“Sorry,” he mumbles my way before answering. He turns slightly in his seat, angling himself away. “Yes?” He barks into the phone. “No, I won’t be back in tonight. The instructions are in the email I sent.”
At least I had the decency to turn off my phone before I came in. Hell, unless you’re a doctor on call, I doubt there’s anything that important requiring your phone to stay on for two hours. He looks into the distance and I feel a twinge of annoyance.

“No,” his tone grinds out, authoritative and powerful. “You need to listen to me, Brian. The directions are in the email. You follow them precisely and the deal will close. Call me again and I’m going to be really pissed.”

He clicks his phone shut and closes his eyes. Tension spills off him and I hesitate to break the silence. What could be so important that he feels the weight of the world on his shoulders? He takes a deep breath and opens them again, staring straight into my eyes.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me.” He angles toward me. I nod my reassurance that it’s okay, but inside I can’t help but think I’ve lost even more of my precious allotted time with this desirable stranger. He really is way out of my league.

“You know what I want more than anything?” he says with a touch of longing. “I want someone else to take control for a while. I’m really sick of being the guy in charge all the time.”

I smile, not particularly sure I can relate, but willing to appear understanding. His phone rings again and sharp anger stabs my gut.

“Turn it off,” I say, with a challenge in my tone. I sit up straighter and stare into the depths of his caramel eyes. “You want someone to tell you what to do?” He nods, his calculating gaze on me as the phone continues to ring. “Turn off that damn phone,” I bite out, pretending I’m issuing a command. “Now.”

Shock registers across his expression, but he hides it quickly. I raise an eyebrow and feel the sparks fly across the table between us. He returns my stare and smiles, the first real one I’ve seen on him since he came into the restaurant. It’s kind of lopsided and lazy, curling my toes at the devilment it promises. The phone rings a third time and I break our standoff and glance away, tilting my chin an inch higher, showing my displeasure in his lack of action. He fumbles for the phone on the table between us and shuts it off.


About the Author:  

C.J. Ellisson writes erotica and urban fantasy. Her vampire series, The V V Inn, mixes a heavy dose of erotic elements with suspense, action, a little bit of mystery and some light humor. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband, two children, two dogs, and a fluffy black cat who makes her sneeze.

To learn more about C.J.'s books (where you can read half of the novels for free), please visit her Website or Facebook page.

CJ is offering a signed swag pack awarded for every ten commenters on this post! To be eligible, please leave your email addy in your comment and encourage others to comment. :-)

My Thoughts:

This book is meant for Adults only!

Hot! Hot! Hot! Vanilla On Top was smokin hot pretty much from the beginning till the end. ;-)

I loved the uniqueness of the story and the characters too.

We start the story with a  speed dating session. Heather finds herself in control and she likes it a lot. Come to think of it, Tony does too! She leaves him wondering if he'll see her again. He doesn't know what her phone number is or even her last name. But he swears to find her one way or the other. ;-) 

Heather was totally relateable with her self doubts and her hidden inner sex vixen. I had fun watching her become more confident! And Tony was sooooo sexy! 

I really like Fifty Shades and The Crossfire series. If you like these books, I'm sure that you'll want to read this one too. Don't worry it isn't more of the same. The scenarios are completely different! lol!

I recommend this to everyone who wants an awesome super steamy read.

I received a copy of this book from Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion. I honestly thought it was fantastically sexy and I loved it!


Do you like Vanilla?




Thank you for commenting! Don't forget to enter the Comment Incentive Giveaway. The link can be found at the top of the page! 

47 comments:

  1. The book sounds really good and the excerpt was just the tiniest of teasers to get me intrigued. Wonderful, Thank you for sharing this one!

    uilani25(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. You're welcome.The book was a delicious read that I devoured. I enjoyed sharing this tasty tidbit with you!

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  2. +JMJ+

    Is this a trick question? LOL! ;-)

    Vanilla is actually my favourite flavour of ice cream! There was one time I was on holiday and decided to be more adventurous about ice cream, so I let the nice lady at the counter give me samples of all the other flavours. There were some really good ones, but at the end of that sampling session, I said . . . "Vanilla, please." =)

    That's a really intriguing excerpt, by the way. Although I'd say that the genres C.J. Ellisson writes are not for me, I still really want to know what happens next!

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    1. Yes, I suppose it could be a bit of a trick question. lol!

      Well I can tell you that there is a HEA. :-) Other than that, you'll have to try it if you want to know what happens. **Insert evil cackle hear** ;-)

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    2. ^^ well the HEA is a good argument for me too^^

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  3. Thank you Cj for this generous giveaway ^^ i hope we will be a lot to comment then ( and that international aren't excluded)so we could be more to enjoy this prize

    So To answer... vanilla is one of my favorite flavour of ice cream ( with strawberry and also pistach ( without stuck!!!! only taste or i'm allergic^^;;) but it's the flavour i eat most often.

    The blurb was interesting ^^ seeing both characters trying to be something different that what they are in normal life when they seem to be so complementary ^^;; without having to change. And the shock they must have when they seeeach other in the board room^^ Not sure it's a book for me but this tempted me to try it ( who knows^^)

    thank you a lot

    isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Oh Miki, it was very good in a bad bad way! ;-) You may find that you like it after all.

      The first time I tried this type of book, I was convinced that I wouldn't like it. I was literally dragging my feet about reading it but after I tried it, I was addicted. I can't seem to devour enough of them now!

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  4. Loved the book and your review was spot on! Steamy book! Cant wait for the rest in the series

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    1. I didn't realize there would be a series. I'll definitely be reading them!

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  5. very nice review. I loved this book and like you, wasn't sure if I really wanted to read this genre. But it was C.j. and I love her style of writing. I've read this book more than once and each time end up enjoying my bowl of vanilla ice cream (with chocolate)that much more. ;)

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  6. Sounds like a good read. Love vanilla coke! (:
    Great Post.have a great weekend.
    edibenedetto64atgmaildotcom

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    1. Hey Elizabeth,

      It is a great read!

      I've never had vanilla coke. Maybe I'll have to give it a try.

      You a have a great weekend as well! :D

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    2. I definitely suggest trying it (:
      Thanks.

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  7. Super steamy, with great character development to boot. Love C. J.'s writing style. I really can't wait to read the next book in this series.

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    1. I'm eager as well Katrina! Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. OO I'll have to add this one to my wishlist! It sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing! I totally love vanilla! :)
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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    1. You may want to put it near the top!

      You're welcome. ;-)

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  9. Vanilla ice cream, vanilla coffee creamer, vanilla coffee, perfume that smells like vanilla, vanilla body wash- yup I got vanilla covered :-)
    luvs2read4fun(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. You missed Vanilla Coke. lol! According to Elizabeth, it is quite good. :D

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  10. The review was intriguing enough to make me want to read this one. Thanks for sharing.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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    1. You're welcome Debby. ;-) I know you'll enjoy it!

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  11. Great book!!! You are gonna love it!!!! I have this book so don't enter me in the contest.

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  12. I LOVE stories where the characters meet unknowingly before they have to meet as professionals (or something else of the sort). It is always super interesting to see how they handle it

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    1. I do too and I agree it is. This is no exception veRONIca!

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    2. That's great to hear! Also I forgot my email last time (oops!) xo_veronica16[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  13. Vanilla can be fun, but sometimes, it's nice to be a little kinky :)

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  14. this book sounds really good, on tbr list
    vera28546 at yahoo dot com

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  15. I saw this book on another blog, and it definitely has gained my interest and has been added to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing another perspective on your blog.

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    1. Oh you're most welcome Josette. It's really good!

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  16. I can't wait to read this book. I normally read male Dom stories but this female Domme story sounds great, especially since it is new to her :) Congrats on the release!
    manning_J2004 at yahoo dot com

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    1. Hey June,

      This book was great fun to read. I'm sure you'll like it! ;-)

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  17. This book sounds great. I like that it isn't just the same story done over again. On my TBR list!

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    1. Yeah I seem to like books that have things in common and sometimes if I didn't know better I'd think they were copied from each other.

      Change is Gooood!

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  18. I loved this book! Can't wait to see what else CJ has in store for us with this series!

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    1. I agree! I will anxiously wait for the next book. :-)

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  19. This book is amazing and everyone should read it. Tony is a hot guy that everyone should meet. Another book is coming soon and i personally cant wait.

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    1. I can't wait either! I loved this book and I am eagerly awaiting another taste of CJ's writing.

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  20. I love how Heather is just so relateable both in and out of her head. Who doesn't want to take control? ;)

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    1. Yes! We all need to feel like we're in control sometimes. ;-)

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  21. This book sounds great. She is a new to me author which is great. I am more of a chocolate fan than vanilla, but every now and then I like it.

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  22. Are we talking flavor or vanilla sex? I prefer chocolate and little toppings to my sex!

    mestith@gmail.com

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    1. We are talking either or. It's all in hoew you perceive it! ;-)

      I prefer chocolate or strawberry to vanilla most days!

      But every once in a while, vanilla can be really good!

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