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:
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:
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
I'm torn between CEO and tattooed rocker. Hmmmm, just can't choose.
ReplyDeletecburkhart.1980@gmail.com
I love a tattooed rocker my fav has to be one of the many men of Olivia Cunnings sinners series
ReplyDeleteI love a man in service, like a special ops man. =D
ReplyDeletekgagnon(at)donofrio.cc
I'm really liking the tattooed rocker right now :)
ReplyDeleteyadkny@hotmail.com