The Odor of Violet by Ju Ephraime review and giveaway!

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?”

My Review:

I needed a good love story, and that is what this is. Damien is blind. He feels like he is always someones else's responsibility. First his friend Jake and then Lisa. Every day tasks became a burden. He needed help to shower and shave. He was a broken man and he thought no woman could ever love him, especially after what his previous girlfriend did.

Lisa also knows what it is like to be mistreated, and that is why she left her job at the Hospital to care for older men as a live in nurse. After all she will do her job, and older men were not her type, so she would be safe.

Little did Lisa know that as soon as Damien smelled her and touched her hand that he was utterly smitten with her. Her smell put him in a sexual daze that only Lisa could fix. Lisa also started to come undone when she was around Damien. He was so strong and manly, he made up for his loss of sight in other areas. It takes two hearts becoming one to mend their broken hearts. Are both Damien and Lisa willing to open up and trust again? Can Lisa become a care giver wife rather than a nurse? What happens when Damien's ex comes to visit? These are all questions that you will need to read the book to find out! Does Damien get partial sight back? Let's not forget Jake. What happens to him, once Lisa and Damien are an item? How far of an item do they get?

How far are two people in love willing to honor in sickness and in health?

I really liked the way the writer had the characters banter back and forth. I found myself laughing with them! This was an easy and fast read. This book was really a great read and it left me smiling and happy.I can not wait for more from this great author. She has a way with characters, and she reminded me not to take life for granted.

 

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. So don't forget to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-tour-odor-of-violet-by-ju.html.

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...

LINKS:

http://www.juliaeantoine.com/default.html

http://www.facebook.com/juephraimeauthor?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/EditorJulia

http://juephraime.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazons/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=ju+ephraime&sprefix=ju+ephra%2Cstripbooks%2C240

http://shop.envisionschoolpublishing.com/

I was given a copy to review, but all opinions are my own.