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Sunday, September 22, 2013

***Blog Tour Stop and Giveaway*** Gloria's Secret by Nelle L'Amour




SYNOPSIS:

Gloria Long is the beautiful, self-made CEO of Gloria’s Secret, the world’s largest retailer of lingerie. While her global emporium is famed for selling erotic fantasies, Gloria’s emotional scars inhibit her own sexual desires. Her powerful defenses melt when she meets Jaime Zander, the devastatingly gorgeous advertising guru, who is determined to win not only her account but also her heart by awakening her sexuality.

A man who has never heard the word “no,” Jaime takes his creativity to the limit to make Gloria fall apart and fall for him. But major obstacles stand in the way--Gloria’s Secret’s ruthless Chairman, who covets Gloria and is out to destroy Jaime, as well as his manipulative sexpot daughter, who wants both Gloria’s job and her hot, new love. Complicating matters further, Gloria harbors a dark, horrific secret, that when exposed, will shatter both her empire and her life. Will she be able to have it all or will the walls come tumbling down?

This approximately 225-page novel will be followed by the suspenseful and steamy sequel, Gloria’s Revenge, in October 2013

Excerpt:

Composing myself, I began by telling him that I was seeking an outside agency to bring my company, Gloria’s Secret, to a new level of sales and sensuality.
He folded one long, muscled leg over the other and relaxed back in his chair with his sculpted forearms casually crossed over his crotch--I mean, lap. “Gloria’s Secret. The #1 lingerie retailer in the world. 2,045 stores worldwide. Estimated annual sales revenue: 6.2 billion dollars.”
He had indeed done his homework. But there was no way in hell that I was going to let him know that I was impressed. My expression remained impassive while I responded.
“Yes. We’ve enjoyed phenomenal success. But we can’t stop here. Imitators are springing up. We’ve got to stay on the cutting edge, ahead of the competition.”  I paused. Okay, now the test. “Did you read Fifty Shades of Grey?”
He grinned. “Of course.”
Ha! I didn’t believe him. He was bullshitting me. I could tell by the wry look on his face.
“Okay, then what’s the full name of Christian Grey’s adoptive mother?”
“Are you testing me, Gloria?”
“It’s Ms. Long, and yes, I am…Well?”
Without wasting a second, he said, “Grace Trevelyn Grey. And she’s a pediatrician.”
Dammit. Score one for him. Except for one feminist copywriter who pooh-poohed the book for demeaning women, none of the Madison Avenue suits had read it. I had to hand it to him. But exam time wasn’t over yet. “Mr. Zander--”
“Please call me Jaime.”
“Okay, then, Jai-me, tell me, what, in your opinion, has made the book so popular with women?”
He leaned into me, looking straight into my eyes. His gaze was mesmerizing. As much as I wanted to divert my eyes, they stayed on him.
“Truthfully, while the sex is hot, I believe women fall for the romance.”
“What do you mean?” I was all ears.
“Well, Ms. Long, wouldn’t you like me to scoop you up in my arms… tell you that ‘I want you, body and soul, forever’ and make insane love to you on the couch?”
 Inwardly, I gasped. He had actually quoted Christian Grey. My eyes took in his mountainous biceps, jumped to the couch, and then back to his crotch. My temperature had just risen ten degrees. Confession: I had the burning urge to shrug off more than just my suit jacket.
He leaned in closer and growled into my ear. “Or would you prefer me to throw you over my desk… or perhaps carry you away and devour you on the conference room table down the hall?”
I squeezed my inner thighs together and could not stop my crossed leg from swinging like a pendulum--a behavior that was so not in my repertoire. I jerked away from him and found my voice. “You seem to know women rather well.”
 He sat back in the chair. “Yes, I do.” His tone was confident, almost cocky.
“In my experience, the only men who understand women are gay. Are you, by chance, gay, Jaime?”
He let out a deep, sexy chortle. “Hardly. I could have several hundred stunning women give you a stellar recommendation.”
“Oh, so you have them review you like you’re a book on Amazon?” My deadpan sarcasm camouflaged my shock at the number of women he’d likely fucked.
He laughed again. “You’re quite witty, Ms. Long. I like that in a woman.”
Again, I was speechless. Damn him!
He moved in again uncomfortably close to me and snagged my braid, coiling it around his lithe long-fingered hand. “So, Ms. Long, what will it take to win your account?”
The hair play was angsting me out. And so was his proximity. I promptly removed his hand from my tresses and composed myself once more. “I’ve asked every agency I’ve met with to come up with a pitch by Friday. Do you think your agency could do that?”
“Not a problem. I’ll put my best person on the job right away.”
“And who might that be?” I asked, my voice dripping with a mix of curiosity and sarcasm.

He grinned wickedly. “Yours truly.” 


Jenn's Review:
It isn’t often that I start a book and love it right from the start. I knew that I was going to enjoy this story but I didn’t know that I was going to love it! 1) Nelle has a new book coming out? Heck yes, I want to read it! 2) Awesome female lead? You bet your ass, she is! 3) HOT male lead? Mmm hmm! 4) Memorable secondary characters? Yep and then some!
Gloria’s Secret started with a bang and I knew I was going to be up late reading. Other than having to fix supper and getting the kids to bed, I didn’t stop until I was finished. I loved how Gloria fought against getting involved with Jaime. She may be a strong, independent woman but, one can deny him for only so long. Hot d*mn! He is protective, caring and a fierce lover. In fact, I can officially say, I am jealous of a character in a book. There! I said it, now I can move on.
Madame Paulette is absolutely wonderful and I wish we’d been able to see her more. Since we couldn’t, I loved how Nelle put Madame’s teachings in Gloria’s unspoken thoughts throughout the book. She gave Gloria her start at a young age and mentored her. Madame’s knowledge and Gloria’s ambition is what made Gloria’s Secret the lingerie company that it is today. Gloria barely had 2 pennies to rub together when Madame Paulette gave her a job.
Kevin is Gloria’s fabulous bff and business partner. He saved her life many years ago and they haven’t left each other’s side. I seriously hope we see more of him later.
We have a couple nasty little characters in Victor and his daughter Vivian. He needs a knee to the balls and I wanted to reach into my kindle and b*tchslap Vivian so bad that my teeth hurt from clenching my jaw! Those 2 are something else!
This book moved at a great pace. Not once did I feel it drag and I did not find myself skimming. In fact, several parts I liked so much, I went back and read them again. It was the only thing I could do to slow myself down! There is an air of mystery throughout the entire book. You will know what I mean just by reading the prologue. I was scared to death that Gloria was going to turn a corner and the enemy would be there. Unfortunately, one of those times it was Victor. UGH!!!
I highly recommend Gloria’s Secret. To me, it had it all. I give it 5 Steamy, bound in satin and lace stars!!!
Book 2, Gloria’s Revenge releases in October. 

AUTHOR BIO:

Nelle L’Amour is a former executive in the entertainment and toy industries. While she gave up playing with Barbies a long time ago, she still enjoys playing with toys with her two children… and her husband. She aspires to write juicy stories with characters that will make you both laugh and cry and stay in your heart forever.

Writing under another pen name, she is also the author of the highly rated fantasy romance series, DEWITCHED: The Untold Story of the Evil Queen.

Nelle loves to hear from her readers. Connect to her at:

nellelamour@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/public/nelle-lamour
www.facebook.com/nelle.lamour
www.twitter.com/nellelamour

GOODREAD LINK FOR GLORIA’S SECRET:


GOODREAD AUTHOR LINK:


LINK TO AUTHOR’S FACEBOOK:


LINK TO TWITTER:

PURCHASE LINKS:

Want to win an Ebook of Gloria's Secret?
Comment below: What is your favorite book boyfriend? 
CEO, tattooed rocker, cowboy... Sock it to me! 
Add your email address as well.
random.org will pick the winner!
Kindle copy only







4 comments:

  1. I'm torn between CEO and tattooed rocker. Hmmmm, just can't choose.
    cburkhart.1980@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love a tattooed rocker my fav has to be one of the many men of Olivia Cunnings sinners series

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love a man in service, like a special ops man. =D
    kgagnon(at)donofrio.cc

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm really liking the tattooed rocker right now :)

    yadkny@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete