by
Jennifer Wilck
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GENRE: Contemporary romance
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BLURB:
Naomi's life has been
destroyed…
When Naomi Adelman’s crooked politician husband was
arrested, her life, and that of her daughters, was destroyed. Divorced and
rebuilding her life, Naomi is wiser, stronger, and determined not to let anyone
hurt her or her family again. Her new life doesn’t include falling for her
charming and good-looking neighbor.
Max bet everything and lost...
Max Bruder bet his entire career on the Adelman
story and lost everything. So, he figures that karma has smiled down on him
when Naomi moves in next door. This is his chance to revitalize his career.
Except the closer he gets to her, the deeper he falls for her. And soon, the
line between interview subject and lover blurs.
If they fall for each other, they may jeopardize
their chance at a future.
When Max’s true motive is revealed, will Naomi be
able to forgive him? And will Max be able to stop the whispers to protect her
before it’s too late?
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EXCERPT
Max shut his apartment door and leaned against it, eyes closed, heart pounding. The sweetness of Naomi’s lips, mixed with the flavors of cumin and cinnamon, and the spice of the wine, was a potent aphrodisiac. Her body had been warm and supple against his, and he’d reacted before he could stop himself. Her humor and personality were an added bonus.
What he wouldn’t give to race next door, throw her onto her bed—or the sofa or hell, the floor—and make love to her all night long. He gripped the keys in his hand hard enough to cause the edges to make imprints in his palm. He took deep breaths to try to slow his heart rate and rein in his desire.
No matter how attracted to her he was, sex wasn’t happening.
She was drunk, and he never took advantage of anyone if they weren’t in complete control of themselves.
And she was the subject of his story. While he would do almost anything for his job, sleeping with her was a line he wouldn’t cross. Bile churned in his stomach. She was exactly the woman he wanted, he’d searched for, and she was off limits.
Plus, she was vulnerable. No matter how confident she might act, hints of old wounds escaped whenever she talked about her past or her family. There was a flicker of discomfort in those amazing blue eyes of hers, a slight twitch of a beautifully arched eyebrow, a hitch of her breath. Someone that exposed needed to be treated with care, especially when it came to matters of the heart.
The heart? He wasn’t in love with her. He was in lust. There was a difference.
Lust was what made it impossible for him not to kiss her. But he wouldn’t go any further. He wouldn’t make her regret anything later on. Because she would regret it and pull away. And he’d never get his story. And if he did succeed, she’d hate him.
Buy Links:
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.
In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.
She writes contemporary romance, many of which feature Jewish characters in non-religious settings (#ownvoices). She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Author Links:
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The tour dates can be found here
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My review:
4 stars
Whispers in Washington by Jennifer Wilck is part of the ‘Ticket to True Love’ series and centers around Naomi Adelman nee Reuben, who has returned to Washington, D.C. after having taken time to recover from her husband’s betrayal and the scandal surrounding his illegal activities. Her new start may include a relationship with her helpful and sexy neighbor, Max Bruder, if they can get past the secrets he also harbors.
This contemporary romance gives insight into the challenges faced by those caught up in scandals, particularly the innocent family left behind to face the media and judgement after the guilty party is apprehended. The story does a great job of presenting multi-layered characters, and although some situations were inevitable and predictable, I had no problem understanding the conflict each main character needed to work through and sympathizing with them.
I liked getting glimpses of the elements of their shared faith and how that was integrated into Naomi’s life, and the author did a great job of portraying how Naomi’s daughters were growing up but staying true to their roots, even though they were away from home. Although I was disappointed at Max’s duplicity, I could understand how he was conflicted, and I enjoyed watching the romance progress. Some of Naomi’s decisions were a little illogical to me, but obviously necessary to move the story along. This is an enjoyable and sweet romance, and I look forward to reading other stories by this author.
A copy of this title was provided for review
