A Review of THE SATYR'S CURSE II - THE RECKONING by Alexandrea Weis

I love anything to do with the supernatural…within reason of course, I don’t play with Ouija boards. But I do love to read stories based in the supernatural. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed THE SATYR’S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis, I knew I had to read the sequel—THE SATYR’S CURSE II – THE RECKONING. Especially since the third book in the series, THE SATYR’S CURSE III – REDEMPTION is releasing October 24^th. Sweeet!

***purchased for my own personal reading but sharing an honest and unscripted review

Blurb for THE SATYR’S CURSE II – THE RECKONING:

Jazzmyn Livaudais is struggling to hold it together. With a continuously cranky baby, a rocky relationship with her fiancé, Kyle, and money getting tight at her restaurant, she’s having trouble staying focused. But when the strange nightmares begin, Jazzmyn knows it can only mean one thing: Julian Devereau is back.

In order to protect her daughter and Kyle, Jazzmyn must keep Julian from his moment of reckoning. Will the satyr’s curse be lifted, or will Jazzmyn find the strength to destroy Julian Devereau once and for all?

Some curses are never meant to be broken, and some desires are never meant to be undone.

Beware The Satyr’s Curse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Having hoped she’d freed herself from the unseemly bond that the Satyr man, Julian Devereau had connected with her since childhood, Jazzmyn Livaudais was trying to make a life for herself with her daughter, Jackie and her fiancé, Kyle but things weren’t going well. Kyle was pushing to get married but he’d begun drinking again even after promising her not to, especially at the restaurant. Then there were the strange dreams…sexy disturbing dreams of Julian and the sexual energy that always existed between them. Jackie seemed at odds as well, acting as if she didn’t like Kyle even though he was the only father her baby daughter had ever known. But then there were strange feelings of being watched, toys appearing out of nowhere and other things that kept her on edge. Jazzmyn was beginning to worry that Julian had returned and if he had, what he would do. He had not been happy when she and Ms. Helen sent him away in the cemetery that bizarre night.

A trip to one of the strongest voodoo witches tells her Julian Devereau is not done with her and it’s up to her to banish him forever before he stays forever, trapping her in his world—but can she do it?

I will warn you up front, THE SATYR’S CURSE series is a continuing story. To understand the second book, you must read the first and to find out what finally happens in the end, we’ll have to read the third book, which I’m looking forward to immensely.

Alexandrea Weis writes the most amazing stories set in New Orleans. She creates such an atmosphere around her characters that you want desperately to visit the city even before finishing reading the book. Whereas, this series is not a true romance in that there is not a happily-ever-after…at least, not yet…it’s a remarkable unique and suspenseful example of extraordinary women’s fiction and the relationship between men and women. She has many other series, which are equally good and I highly advise you perusing her book list. There seriously is something for everyone.

For me, I love her supernatural stories with voodoo, ghosts, and dark secrets lurking in the background, which keep you wondering about the characters and what’s really happening. This is exactly the setting for THE SATYR’S CURSE II – THE RECKONING. Julian Devereau is not a nice man. He’s selfish, self-centered, and highly egotistical but he’s also man from the past living in a modern age with antiquated ideals. He’s the man you wish you could truly despise but somehow you know there’s a good soul lurking within all the darkness and he's sexy as hell. I won’t tell you what happens but we get a glimpse of that light within the dark this time around.

Alexandrea takes us on a ride that keeps you changing your mind about Julian and Jazzmyn, and what she should do. What I love most about THE RECKONING is that it proves once again that the greatest gift is love and that love can conquer all things when it’s needed.

I highly recommend THE SATYR’S CURSE II – THE RECKONING by Alexandrea Weis if you love the unusual, the mysterious, and a story with such a dark core but in the end, you might just find yourself smiling.

Happy Reading Everyone!

THE SATYR’S CURSE II – THE RECKONING by Alexandrea Weis, World Castle Publishing, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

Unwrapping a Review for COVER TO COVERS by Alexandrea Weis

Being fortunate enough to discover the talented writings of Alexandrea Weis, I’ve become one of her most consistent fans. She never ceases to amaze me with her unique stories and writing styles. COVER TO COVERS by Alexandrea Weis is not your usual contemporary romance, and I can’t be more thrilled.

Blurb for COVER TO COVERS:

A man driven by his desires

Tyler Moore is considered cold, ruthless, and determined to get everything he wants. CEO of a flourishing oil company, he thrives on order and never gives up control to anyone.

The woman from his past 

Monique Delome has left her unhappy past behind to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. Love is something she believes is better suited to the pages of her novels and not meant for real life.

Whether in the boardroom or the bedroom, Tyler Moore is always in charge. But when Monique Delome walks back into his life, everything changes. A successful romance author, all the sexy leading men Monique writes about strangely remind everyone of Tyler. Intrigued, Tyler sets out to seduce the one woman he could never forget. Soon Tyler gets more than he bargained for, and his grip on his well-ordered life is turned upside down.

Tyler Moore is about to find out what happens when a romantic tale jumps from the pages and comes to life between the sheets.

*                  *                 *                 *                 * 

Tyler Moore is a man of wealth, power, and respect at least among his business associates – the women in his life might wholly disagree – but he’s missing the one thing that would complete his life. He’s missing the woman that he let get away some twenty years earlier and never pursued – until now.

When Tyler comes face to face with Monique Delome, the woman from his past that he was never able to seduce but was also never able to forget, he sets out to discover the answer to a question he’s been asking himself for the past twenty-one years. What if she hadn’t left him or he’d gone after her? He even goes so far as to read five of her books and discover that he is the hero in all of them. When he confronts her with this, she tells him that he’s the only man who could wrap a woman around his finger. He's the only man who always got everything he wanted from every woman he ever met. But, the real reason was because when her marriage went sour and when she escaped into her imagination, he was there.

Tyler follows Monique, or rather Moe, as he calls her, to New Orleans. There, he attempts to make her think about the, what if, possibilities that he hopes may exist between them. He tolerates a lot to make his point, including the hostile interruptions from her manager, Chris Donovan, and even her little ugly dog, Bart. But Moe isn’t easily swayed by his charms, in or out of bed, and soon he begins to feel that it’s his heart that is going to be broken in the end.

COVER TO COVERS by Alexandrea Weis is an amazing journey through a second chance romance between two mature characters, who carry a past not filled with memories of sexual experiences, but one of respect and heartache caused by regret. What makes this romance so exceptional, and bound to be one of this year’s favorites for me, is that it is written completely in Tyler’s point of view. Yes, we are treated to experiencing this romance experience from a man’s point of view, through his insecurities, fears, and heartbreak. It is fabulous. Oh, and the best line ever is on the cover - I would rather fail a thousand times with you than never take the chance. *sigh*

I highly, highly recommend COVER TO COVERS by Alexandrea Weis to anyone, and I mean anyone, who truly enjoys a second chance romance that will keep you glued to the pages. A story that will have you opening your heart to Tyler and wishing you could bring him home to heal his heart and make him forget Moe, especially when it appears she isn’t going to accept him for the man he is, and for how much he loves her.

Happy Reading Everyone!

COVER TO COVERS by Alexandrea Weis, World Castle Publishing, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

***click on links or cover below for purchasing information

   

Unwrapping: Review of THE GHOSTS OF RUE DUMAINE by Alexandrea Weis

I do love a good ghost story, but make it a ghostly romance and I’m in 7^th Heaven! That’s exactly what you get with THE GHOSTS OF RUE DUMAINE by Alexandrea Weis – that and the sensation that you’ve been magically transported smack dab into the middle of the New Orleans’ famed French Quarter.

***eCopy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for THE GHOSTS OF RUE DUMAINE:

Ready to get her life back on track after ending a painful marriage, Danica Giles returns to the Creole cottage where she grew up in the New Orleans French Quarter. Danica is anxious to rekindle her friendship with a former resident from her old neighborhood, the seductive Gaston Deslonde. But Gaston isn’t exactly a normal guy. The charming man has been dead for over a hundred and fifty years, and the childish crush Danica once had on her ghostly playmate quickly turns into something much deeper. When a handsome new man enters Danica’s life, Gaston vows to do whatever he can to hold on to her. Danica soon discovers that the most forbidden of all desires cannot be satisfied without paying a grave price. Love can blur the lines between life and death when you are living among the ghosts of Rue Dumaine.

*                 *                 *                  *                  * 

Danica Giles grew up in a small Creole cottage located in the French Quarter of the thrilling and mysterious city of New Orleans. While living in that home, she fell in love with her best friend – a ghost named Gaston Deslonde. After her mother died, her father took Danica and they moved away. Now, having grown up and survived a disastrous marriage, she’s returned to her home, her cottage, and her best friend, Gaston.

Danica believes she loves the ethereal man who was her comfort and dearest friend as a little girl and even now seems so real to her. So much so that she's compared every man to him so she thinks herself happy when Gaston tells her that he knew she would return and now that she’s back, he’ll not allow anyone to harm her or cause her unhappiness. But when Danica meets a new man, Paul Gaudette, the son of her neighbor and is attracted to him, Gaston doesn’t like the idea of a budding relationship. He goes to desperate extremes to convince Danica that they can and will have a relationship worthy of their love. But at what cost?

THE GHOSTS OF RUE DUMAINE by Alexandrea Weis is exceptional, spellbinding, a little bit scary, and yet romantically sweet. It leaves us truly believing that we carry the love experienced in this life on into the next. Danica is fortunate to fall in love with two men who give back as much love as she gives to them. They just do it differently. Without giving away too much, I will say that Gaston, albeit a bit overbearing at times, truly loves Danica and there’s more than Danica's and Paul's happily-ever-after at stake.

I highly, highly recommend this amazing story about how love transcends the planes of being and that love can be a savior on many levels. THE GHOSTS OF RUE DUMAINE by Alexandrea Weis is a must read if you’re a fan of dreamy love stories with a twist, a few bumps in the night, and wonderful satisfying happily-ever-afters. Get this one to read during some quiet moments and be whisked away to the magic of the New Orleans’ French Quarter – even better, read it because it’s almost Halloween!

Happy Reading Everyone!

THE GHOSTS OF RUE DUMAINE by Alexandrea Weis, World Castle Publishing, available in print and ebook formats at Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

***click on links or cover below for purchasing information

   

Unwrapping: Review of THE SATYR'S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis

Alexandrea Weis never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think I know what kind of writer she is, she goes in a completely different direction. I love it. This is exactly what she did with THE SATYR’S CURSE and as usual, I’m so glad she did.

***eCopy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for THE SATYR’S CURSE:

Gruesome murders are rocking New Orleans. 

But Jazzmyn Livaudais is too busy running her restaurant to pay attention to the sensational headlines. And when the charismatic Julian Devereau enters Jazzmyn’s life, she becomes even more distracted by the handsome stranger. 

Seduced by Julian’s charm, Jazzmyn is swept up in a passionate romance. Then she learns the horrific truth about Julian and the murders. Cursed to an unending life where no woman can satisfy his lust and no wine can quench his thirst, Julian needs Jazzmyn’s love to free him from his torment. 

But Jazzmyn is in love with someone else. And Julian isn’t very happy about it. 

He vows to keep on killing until Jazzmyn submits to his will. 

For Jazzmyn Livaudais the nightmare is just beginning. 

No one can ever break The Satyr’s Curse.

*                  *                   *                  *                     *

Jazzmyn Livaudais has her hands full with running a restaurant and keeping her employees out of trouble, especially her chef, Kyle Baker. She and Kyle have a past that she’d rather have left there but Kyle won’t let it go, especially now that the intriguing and handsome stranger, Julian Devereau has made it a habit to spend his evenings at the bar drinking fine wine and admiring Jazzmyn.

Julian has a secret that will change Jazzmyn’s life forever, if she survives it. Kyle isn’t willing to relinquish Jazzmyn to the dark stranger who he cannot trust and refuses to like. Each man works to seduce Jazzmyn and get her to bend to his will, but Jazzmyn is her own woman. When she begins to look for answers in Julian’s past, it’s Kyle she turns to with the truth. Faced with a decision that may keep her from the man she truly loves but will save some lives, Jazzmyn does what she needs to do and hopes for the best.

THE SATYR’S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis is amazing, thrilling, creepy, and spellbinding. This story has so many levels, so many twists and turns, that I couldn’t put it down. Just when you think things are going well and in one direction, wham! - Alexandrea takes us in a completely different direction. In THE SATYR’S CURSE, Alexandrea journeys us into the world of New Orleans’ mystery and voodoo. We look to its past and its present, while her writing engages us in a love story that, at first, you’ll find yourself eager to experience, but then slowly dreading and becoming fearful. Then another shift and you're cheering as the real love is recognized and fulfilled, and finally praying that good can overcome evil as danger threatens to destroy it all. THE SATYR’S CURSE is a paranormal romance sensation woven into the modern world of New Orleans with curses, murders, and an inexplicable attraction for a man that even we succumb to - until we learn the truth.

I highly recommend THE SATYR’S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis to anyone who has a penchant for paranormal, mythology, magic, history, and undeniably thrilling romance with a heavy dose of creepy. This suspenseful romance will have you cheering for the underdog and wishing to drive a stake through the heart of the competition.

Happy Reading Everyone!

THE SATYR’S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis, World Castle Publishing, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. 

***click links or cover below for purchasing information.

 

Wacky Wednesday: A Visit With The Talented Alexandrea Weis, author of ACADIAN WALTZ

Alexandrea with her baby,
Rodney the Racoon

On Monday, I reviewed ACADIAN WALTZ by Alexandrea Weis and truly, I did my best to express my enjoyment of this book but still don’t feel I really did it justice. I hope you’ll read my review of ACADIAN WALTZ if you haven’t already – you can click on the title to do so, but please do hurry back, because I’m so excited that the talented author of this fabulous contemporary romance is going to be joining me today. Last week, I was honored to be a guest at GraveTells Reviews and News where I was asked if I had come across any new or lesser-known authors that had truly caught my eye. Well, I do have a long list and certainly couldn’t take up everyone’s time by naming them all but I do have to say that Alexandrea Weis is one that I wanted to include in the list but ran out of time – she was a new author to me last year even though she was not a new author to the publishing world. I’m truly a fan now.

Please join me in welcoming Alexandrea Weis, the author of the fabulous new release, ACADIAN WALTZ, to Unwrapping Romance …

Amy:  Welcome Alexandrea, it's an absolute delight to have you with us today, and thank you for taking the time. Perhaps you'd like to tell us a little bit about yourself for those who don't know you yet.

Alexandrea:  Thanks so much for having me, Amy. I am a nurse from New Orleans who is also a certified/permitted wildlife rehabber with the La. Wildlife and Fisheries, so my house is a zoo. I take in orphaned and injured wildlife, care for them and re-release them back into the wild. I love it. I began writing at the age of eight, but did not finish my first book until I was in my mid-thirties. I have written many books since To My Senses, and Acadian Waltz is my seventh published novel with many more coming in the future.

Amy:  Thank you so much for being such a wonderful caretaker of animals. Being a nurse certainly gives you insight into human emotions that definitely show in your writing. You are an author who has written a variety of things from screenplays to romance, what or who first inspired you to write and what was your first published work?

Alexandrea:  I guess I would have to blame my upbringing for turning me into a writer. I was an only child who always had a very active imagination and grew up in the motion picture business. My father had an independent production company in the French Quarter. For me, such Bohemian influences allowed for my imagination to take flight. In addition, both my parents were very supportive of my storytelling and encouraged me to write. But the individual who prompted me to write my first novel, TO MY SENSES, was the man after whom the character of David was molded. It was for my David that I summoned the fortitude to sit down and write my first book.

Amy:  He must’ve been quite inspiring.  : )
ACADIAN WALTZ is an exceptionally visual story. I felt like I was actually in the swamps, mosquitos buzzing in my ears, and the feel of the humidity settling on my skin. I know you live in Louisiana - outside New Orleans - do you attribute your skill at creating such an intensely realistic setting to mimicking what's around you or do you draw inspiration from elsewhere?

Alexandrea:  Living in Southeast Louisiana, one cannot help but be influenced by your surroundings. The city of New Orleans is culturally rich, the people vividly eccentric, and the setting rife with sights and sounds that excite the imagination. I believe where you are from has a great deal to do with what you become. Being raised in such an eclectic city, and among such wonderful characters, has influenced my writing more than anything. You are always told to write about what you know, I know New Orleans and the surrounding area, and that is why I write about it as I do. It’s just a part of me.

Amy:  New Orleans is one city I have yet to visit but hope to someday. I thank you so much for a peek at the city that a tourist might not actually see. I kept thinking as I read ACADIAN WALTZ, how fabulous this would be on screen. The way the story leads the reader's imagination in many directions, at least mine, and the incredible setting, itself, it would make a great movie. Would you ever consider turning it, or any of your romance works, into a screenplay?

Alexandrea:  Cringe! Having grown-up in the motion picture business, and having written a few screenplays, I am painfully aware of how movies work. In many ways I would love to see my characters up on the big screen, but then again, I would dread it. Another’s interpretation of your work is a sure fire way to find frustration as a writer. Perhaps if I had total control over the screenplay and production, to make sure the movie was true to the book, I might consider it. But then again, I recall all of my experiences on movie sets as a child, and how directors, actors, and even cameramen reinterpreted what was written in the script to cater to their production needs, and I think, hell no. I guess it would depend on who would want to take on such a task, and the way they would try to stay true to the characters in the book. We shall see.

Amy:  I have to admit that I never thought about it that way. I would want complete control over everything if it was my story – ACADIAN WALTZ would not be as good if its emotions were lost. My mind whirled with the underlying mystery in this story, and I kept seeing things going in ways that eventually became clear, was that your intent - misdirection? I know it was in the end but we won't talk about that because that would be a major spoiler.  *wink*

Alexandrea:  I like to keep the reader second-guessing the intentions of the characters. Isn’t that how we see people in real life? You never completely trust a new acquaintance, so why should a character in a book be any different? I think it adds to the mystery and the lure of a story to keep some things hidden until the end.

Amy:  Well, I can tell my dear readers this – the ending will grab you so hard you’ll want to scream – or throw the book. I just started to cry! Where do you see your writing going next? Perhaps more mystery? Have you ever thought of another genre - something otherworldly, for example?

Alexandrea:  My next novel is a bit of a departure from contemporary romance. It is more paranormal but without the werewolves, vampires or other well-written creatures lurking on the shelves of bookstores today. THE SATYR’S CURSE is a romantic suspense novel with a supernatural twist. Voodoo curses, murder, mystery, and passion are the foundations of the plot. Set in New Orleans - where else - it has to do with the mysterious curse surrounding the last female heir of an Old New Orleans family, Jazzmyn Livaudais. She becomes involved with a man, Julian Devereau, who seems too good to be true. Her romantic adventure takes a turn for the worse when Julian turns out to be more than she could have ever imagined. THE SATYR’S CURSE will be released in May of this year.

Amy:  How exciting! Well, I’m going to be looking for that ARC as soon as it’s available for sure. Voodoo, curses, murder, mystery and passion – oh my! LOL!
Authors write a lot, but as we know, in order to write well, a writer must also read. Who are your favorite authors and have they had any influence on your writing?

Alexandrea:  I love reading about ancient history, so any novel, fiction or non-fiction, that deals with characters from ancient times enthralls me. Mary Renault is a favorite - but I also love to read modern suspense novels. Ian Fleming is another author who I love to read and reread. His character presentation for James Bond is very detailed and inspiring.

Amy:  Amazingly good reading and I’m sure it all inspires you – including the amazing history that surrounds New Orleans and the mysterious bayous. My final question and my favorite:  If you could be ANY character in ANY book, not just your own, who would it be and why?

Alexandrea:  I would probably love to be Nicci Beauvoir from my first series. The men she got to play with in TO MY SENSES, RECOVERY, and SACRIFICE were some of my favorites. David Alexander and Dallas August are not only sexy, vulnerable, strong, and smart, they were a lot of fun to write. I have always said heaven to a writer is where you get to finally meet all of the characters you have written. Heaven on earth is where I get to write about them.

Amy:  Looks like I’ve got some catch up reading to do – now you’ve intrigued me to add those three to my TBR list. I agree with you about Heaven on Earth being where we get to write about our characters – the imagination is the best show in town – reading your stories is the second best show in town. Alexandrea, thank you so very much for sharing some of your precious time today. We really do appreciate it since you're such a very busy lady. Congratulations on your new release, and may 2013 bring you much success. I’ll be eagerly awaiting SATYR’S CURSE this Spring!

Alexandrea:  Thank you, Amy, for this opportunity to connect with your readers!

Amy:  If you’d like to learn more about Alexandrea and her fabulous books, please feel free to visit her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and follow her blog, RANTINGS OF A FRUSTRATED WRITER where you can read excerpts and learn about her wonderful animals.

Alexandrea has graciously decided to offer up a Cajun Basket of Goodies to which I will add a digital copy of ACADIAN WALTZ as a fabulous Giveaway. All you, my dear readers, have to do is tell Alexandrea and me where you think your inspiration for creative endeavors comes from – any creative endeavor will suffice, baking, drawing, sewing, or even writing. I know there are a lot of quiet writers out there – we’ve all been one. So –

WHEN YOU’RE FEELING CREATIVE, WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

GIVEAWAY PRIZE – A Digital Copy of ACADIAN WALTZ & a Cajun Basket of Goodies.

Blurb for ACADIAN WALTZ:

 

At thirty, Nora Kehoe is feeling pressured to settle down. On a blind date, Nora unexpectedly ends up in the emergency room where she meets Dr. John Blessing. She hopes the pragmatic Dr. Blessing can make her life complete. Then, a passionate encounter with a childhood friend changes everything.

The charismatic Jean Marc Gaspard manages the family business, Gaspard Fisheries. But rumors abound that Jean Marc is running more than seafood through the waters around Manchac Louisiana. When a family crisis sends Nora to Manchac, she is thrown headlong into the dangerous world of smugglers and swindlers. And as Jean Marc tries to protect Nora from his past, he realizes he may lose her because of it.

The dark bayou waters run deep with secrets in Louisiana, and every Cajun knows how to dance the fine line between the right and wrong side of the law. But for strangers, learning the steps to staying alive in the swamps can be tricky. Life, and love, will be dependent on how well one can master the … Acadian Waltz.

 

GIVEAWAY RULES:

 

***This Giveaway is OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY (void where prohibited)

 

***For VALID ENTRY, commenter must leave a VALID EMAIL ADDRESS. Remember the Magic Formula for Entry:

 

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR VISITING!

 

 

***This Giveaway will run until 11:30PM EST, Friday, February 22, 2013 at which time one lucky valid entry will be chosen by randomizer to win a digital copy of ACADIAN WALTZ by Alexandrea Weis and a Cajun Basket of Goodies. The winner will be notified by email and will have until end of day Thursday, February 28, 2013 to contact me or I will have no choice but to run the randomizer again using the remaining valid entries to choose a new winner. Good Luck and …

 

Happy Reading Everyone!

 

ACADIAN WALTZ by Alexandrea Weis, World Castle Publishing, available in print and ebook formats.

                                                                     

 

Unwrapping: Review of ACADIAN WALTZ by Alexandrea Weis

I am continually blown away by the talent that can tell a story from first person point of view and keep me spellbound the entire time. Alexandrea Weis has done just this in ACADIAN WALTZ, an extraordinary contemporary romance (true romance this time) that holds us  captivated and in suspense right up to the end.

***eARC provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for ACADIAN WALTZ:

At thirty, Nora Kehoe is feeling pressured to settle down. On a blind date, Nora unexpectedly ends up in the emergency room where she meets Dr. John Blessing. She hopes the pragmatic Dr. Blessing can make her life complete. Then, a passionate encounter with a childhood friend changes everything.

The charismatic Jean Marc Gaspard manages the family business, Gaspard Fisheries. But rumors abound that Jean Marc is running more than seafood through the waters around Manchac Louisiana. When a family crisis sends Nora to Manchac, she is thrown headlong into the dangerous world of smugglers and swindlers. And as Jean Marc tries to protect Nora from his past, he realizes he may lose her because of it.

The dark bayou waters run deep with secrets in Louisiana, and every Cajun knows how to dance the fine line between the right and wrong side of the law. But for strangers, learning the steps to staying alive in the swamps can be tricky. Life, and love, will be dependent on how well one can master the … Acadian Waltz.

                                          *                          *                            *                         *                         *

Nora Kehoe is happy with her life but her mother keeps pressuring her to settle down, to get married, and start a family - as if that's the only way a woman can be content in life. When she least expects to, Nora meets a handsome doctor - just the kind of man her mother would want her to spend the rest of her life with in wedded bliss. Dr. John Blessing seems to be a good man, albeit a bit dull, but Nora feels he's got potential as a husband so when he proposes, she accepts. Her mother is thrilled, but is Nora - really?

Not overly eager to have the wedding her mother always dreamed of, Nora tries to stall. Her career is on track but now John wants her to cut her hours and concentrate on planning the wedding. Always the one to please, Nora is willing to make changes for John's sake because she believes her life is going in the direction that fated her, at least until her Uncle Jack has a health issue and needs her to come out to Manchac to take care of him. It's there she runs into the one man who both enthralls her senses and irritates her to anger, Jean Marc Gaspard. Once a childhood friend, once the friend she dreamed of marrying, once the fellow who taught her to dance ... to dance the Acadian Waltz.

Trouble brews and mysteries abound as Nora feels herself being tugged back to the world along the bayou in Manchac. Her desire to ignore Jean Marc begins to wane as she discovers how caring he is to Uncle Jack and how he wants to help. Nora struggles to figure out how to stretch herself between caring for an old man who needs her but won't admit it, planning a wedding, and keeping herself true to John when all she wants is Jean Marc Gaspard.

Danger rears its ugly head when she witnesses Jean Marc's twin brother, Henri, nearly die from a voodoo scam that causes seizures that leave him paralyzed. Now she's agreed to tend to Henri as a private therapist in the home where the twins grew up. It's here that Nora makes many discoveries, not only about herself, her wants and desires, but truths about Jean Marc, Henri, and her own family's past. All of which put her life in danger and those of everyone around her.

ACADIAN WALTZ by Alexandrea Weis grabbed me right from the start and held me captivated clear through to the almost end when I feared the worst. I loved this story, I loved the characters, I loved the setting. I have to say there was nothing about this book that I didn't love. Nora is a woman on the edge, she's torn between one world and another, between one man and another. I will say that I did not like John Blessing but then I doubt I was supposed to. I silently pleaded with Nora as we journeyed through this story to leave him, give him back his ring, and tell him to hit the road. He was controlling, self-centered, and a selfish lover. He was everything that Jean Marc wasn't. I wanted Nora to be with Jean Marc so badly that I found myself pleading with her to just kiss him already!

Alexandrea writes this story with such intensity that there were times when I thought I felt the stickiness of the bayou humidity, heard the buzz of mosquitoes, and smelled the warm peatiness of the swamps. ACADIAN WALTZ is an adventure into the smuggling world that slinks through the bayou like a snake, it's a dance between two people fated to be together since childhood, and the secrets that have been left to fester which cut through families leaving wounds that never seem to heal.

I highly recommend ACADIAN WALTZ by Alexandrea Weis to anyone who truly loves a romance that sizzles, sparks, grabs a hold on and then drops your heart only to make you swoon in the end. It's like the last lines of this extraordinary tale say about the Acadian waltz - Every Cajun knows that you can only dance the waltz with your true love. Because you can never master the steps, until someone touches your heart. This contemporary romance will stay with you long after you finish reading these lines. This is one that I didn't want to see end. Ever.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Please, come back on Wednesday, when this lovely author will be joining me for an interview and a fabulous Cajun style giveaway!

ACADIAN WALTZ by Alexandrea Weis, World Castle Publishing, available now in print and ebook formats.

                                                                                                  

Now For Something Different: Review of DIARY OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND by Alexandrea Weis

Recently, Alexandrea Weis asked me to read her newest release, DIARY OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND. Now normally I wouldn't accept this challenge for UNWRAPPING ROMANCE because Chick-Lit isn't really considered romance even though it can contain elements of romance and sometimes, even a happy ending. Well, when I read the description, I was intrigued. I was fascinated by the concept of a fortyish woman, wife and mother, embarking on an adventure that could destroy her life as she knows it. I just had to find out what happens in the aftermath. Once I did, I thought - yes, my readers might like this one. So, Alexandrea, thank you for the opportunity to read this wonderful story and as promised, I will present an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for DIARY OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND:

Resilient and practical, Kara Barton has continually strived to live a respectable life. She went to college, embarked on a promising career as an attorney, married a great guy, and always appeared to be the perfect wife and mother. But all is not what it seems, and the troubling past Kara has been running from her entire life is about to catch up with her. Urged on by her insecurities about growing older, and desperately wanting to feel one more night of passion, Kara agrees to share a tryst in a hotel room with a sexy business associate, Scott Ellsworth. But Scott wants more than one night together, and Kara quickly discovers it is impossible to resist him. Soon Kara finds herself transformed into the kind of woman she vowed never to become, and the secure world she has struggled all her life to build begins to fall apart. Kara Barton is about to find out how a one-night stand can change everything.

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Kara Barton is an attractive, intelligent forty-something lawyer who has been married for 12 years and has a spirited and precocious ten year old daughter. She also has a very unhappy marriage with her husband, Cal. Feeling as if her youth is slipping away and that she is no longer sexually attractive, Kara succumbs to the flirtations of a handsome older man who invites her to join him in a night of unbridled passion. With the promise that this will only be a one time thing, she gets what she wants - passion, excitement but perhaps more.

Scott Ellsworth is a man with a reputation. He has a reputation for chasing married women and for causing more than one divorce in the process but he, himself, has no desire to be tied down or even in a relationship. Yet when Kara Barton comes into his life, things change. He cannot resist her after their one-night stand and when her husband becomes violent, he comes to her rescue giving her and her daughter a place to stay even as he continues to romance her, seduce her, and claim her.

DIARY OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND by Alexandrea Weis surprised and delighted me. It's a story of wishing for what was, what can be and discovering that it was there all along.  This story takes the reader through many ups and downs. It's full of passion, heartache, anger, and resentment but most of all it's filled with a sense of wanting what once was and discovering that it had never gone away but merely changed over the years.

I'm not one to usually quote a book in a review but there is one line from the book that summed up this experience that Kara Barton and many other women are faced with sometimes - the guy left holdin' your hand when life turns to shit is the man you should give your heart to.

DIARY OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND by Alexandrea Weis may be labeled a Chick-Lit but it's a romance. It has everything in it that makes you smile, wipe away a tear, and cheer for the heroine when she finally stands up for herself. It even has a happily-ever-after ending.

I do sincerely recommend DIARY OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND by Alexandrea Weis to anyone who is looking for a grown up story about a grown up woman that is living a life that can change on a dime not once but twice. And when her search for a real life ends, discovers it's brought her full circle.

Happy Reading Everyone!

DIARY OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND by Alexandrea Weis, World Castle Publishing, available now in print and ebook format.