Unlikely Venture
by Kristen Luciani
The Venture Series
Publication Date: November 10, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis
After learning Jessica's been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, her fiancé bolted out of her life as if he was on fire. She finds solace in her career--no distractions or romantic entanglements there!
But the universe has its own agenda.
Three thousand miles away from home and in the most unlikely of circumstances, Jessica meets Silicon Valley rising star James Callahan and her world is instantly turned upside down. Things go further awry when she encounters a ghost from the past. That one night of reckless abandon is back to haunt her and the control she fought so hard to regain is now in the hands of another.
Plagued by betrayal and guilt over his dad’s untimely death, James left Cambridge in search of a new beginning. With laser-focus, he built a cutting edge technology company now on the brink of financial success. Romance is the last thing on his mind…until he meets Jessica.
Fate brought them together, awakening their dormant emotions. But Jessica’s scandalous secret consumes her and threatens the very happiness she feared she’d never find with another man. Can James handle the truth about her past? Or did she pick the wrong guy yet again?
Review by Mazzy Boss Lady
Read in November, 2014
♦♦♦♦ I received an arc in exchange for an honest review ♦♦♦♦
A book that is a romantic read, with hot, steamy sizzles in all the right places.
I like the fact that real life issues are dealt with here.
A well written read, with characters that you could easily relate to.
After reading this you wouldn't believe that this is a new author.
A recommended read
EXCERPTS: UNLIKELY VENTURE by: Kristen Luciani
Excerpt
1:
JESSICA’S IPHONE CHIRPED with the dreaded
fifteen-minute warning. She groaned, berating herself for stopping at Starbucks
with so little time to spare. But a double shot of something caffeinated was an
absolute must for this meeting.
The all-too-perky barista called her name and she grabbed the cup,
hoping to find a taxi outside the café. It was an optimistic yet unrealistic
expectation since she was in Palo Alto, not Manhattan.
Cars raced up and down El Camino Real and Jessica released an
impatient sigh. Not one taxi in sight. Seriously?
She headed toward the intersection, just in case one magically materialized out
of thin air.
Her heart pounded as she concocted potential excuses for her
jackass boss Charlie. If she missed the meeting—No, it just wasn’t an option.
This client was too important to their consulting practice and she was a key
presenter. This is my big chance. If I
land the client, he’ll have to put me up for that promotion. I need to get there in time. Dammit, are
there any taxis in this town?
Jessica sprinted to the corner in five-inch Louboutins, wincing at
the uncomfortable tingling sensation in her toes. Just ignore the pain, Jess. It became her mantra over the past
several months but she was only resisting the inevitable. Sure, they’re manageable now but who knows how much worse these symptoms will get? It was a question
that plagued her every day since she received the diagnosis. My career is all I have left and this
promotion represents everything I’ve been working toward. I refuse to let this
disease derail me.
Walking across town to the client site was out of the question. In
fact, surviving another few blocks would be nothing short of a miracle. A taxi
rolled up to the red traffic light and she waved her arms to get the cabbie’s
attention. The timing was perfect; it would only take about ten minutes to get
down to—
“Aahhhh!” Jessica lurched forward as the unexpected impact sent
her phone flying into the air. Searing coffee splashed over the side of the
cup, soaking her blouse and pants. She recoiled, her hand bright red and
throbbing. “What the fu—?”
A strong hand gripped her shoulder and she snapped her head around
to get a good look at her assailant.
“Are you okay?”
Excerpt
2:
The
enormous skybox spilled over with A-listers, and it was decorated with a glitzy
Vegas lounge motif. Lisa was in her element, pointing out celebrity after
celebrity, drooling over each and every one.
“Holy
cow! Jessie, look at Ashley Marshall! Those boobs are totally fake—I don’t care what she said in that interview! Do
you see Jordan Priestly over there? He is so much hotter in person, don’t you
think? Should I go and talk to him? He just broke up with Melissa Travers, I
read about it in US
Weekly on
the flight out here!”
Laughing,
Jessica’s eyes traveled around the crowded skybox, marveling at how many stars
showed up to Oak- land that night. I guess Dezzie is one hot ticket after all.
Her
smile faded when her eyes locked on Paul Emerson. Oh please, not again ...
“Lisa!”
She nudged her friend.
“What?”
Lisa snapped to attention. “Do you see someone else? Is Dezzie in here?”
“No,
not Dezzie. Paul Emerson.” Jessica nodded to where he stood.
“Whoa,” Lisa breathed. “He’s
gorgeous, Jessie, you crazy ass fool. Remind me again why you’re not interested in
bedding that perfect specimen of a man over and over and over?”
Jessica
rolled her eyes. “That’s just the wrapping, Li. I'm much more into what’s inside
the box, you know?”
“Look,
sweetie, you’ve already unwrapped the
pack- age and acknowledged how unbelievable it was. How much better do you
think it’s going to get?”
“That’s
not what I meant,” Jessica groaned. She was fighting a losing battle. Lisa
didn’t care about substance.
“Uh,
don’t look now, but I guess Emerson spotted you too, Jessie.” Lisa poked her
with a long red fingernail.
“Whaa?”
Jessica turned to see Paul walking towards them. Oh crap. “Don’t leave, okay, Li? I’m
telling you, something makes me really uncom—”
Lisa
snorted. “Spare me, Jess. If some rich foxy guy had me in his sights, uncomfortable is the last thing I’d
feel. Loosen up a little and have some fun with it. You’re young, hot and based
on that smoldering look he’s giving you, I’d say you’re pretty damn good in the
sack.”
Excerpt
3:
“Life’s
too short. I get it now, after all this time. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching
lately and I don’t want to miss out on living anymore. I want to enjoy as much
as I can without having to be bogged down with worries. You never know when
your time’s up.” He snapped his fingers. “It can happen just like that.”
“You’re
right, the small stuff really isn’t that important.” She hesitated, not knowing
what to say next.
He
stroked her hand. “I decided I’d rather take a chance on something ... or someone ... then wonder if
things might have been different if I wasn’t afraid to try.”
Jessica’s
heart pounded as he stared at her. She saw the hope alive in his eyes. He says that now. But will he
still feel that strongly once he finds out I’m sick? Will he still want me
then? I don’t want to find out, it’s better if we keep this light. But she couldn’t
ignore the unmistakable connection between them. It was almost strong enough to
trump her fears and insecurities, at least for the short-term.
Excerpt
4:
This
was it. There was no turning back. Once we do this, everything changes ... but it feels so right with him.
How did I go so long without this? I’ve never experienced anything like it
before. Maybe I’ve never really been in love. Oh my God, am I now? Is it even
possible?
Jessica
fumbled with his belt buckle for what seemed like hours. It was dark and she
couldn’t see well. Argh,
why do they have to be button fly? She cringed and bit her lip.
Pain shot through her finger as a corner of her nail tore off. Dammit! I’m really trying hard to
be seductive here! Why am I so spastic? He’s going to think I’m a complete
amateur! Squeezing
her injured finger, she freed the last button without incident. Finally! She slid off his
pants then reached into his boxer briefs, eager to find out what was waiting
for her. A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it. Irish curse? Um, that
would be a big, fat swollen no.
She wrapped her fingers around him, her pulse racing with delight. Oh. My. God.
“What’s
wrong?” He looked down at her.
She
grinned. “Absolutely nothing.
Now kiss me.”
Excerpt
5:
“Maybe
this will clear things up.” He thrust the phone at her. “If memory serves, I
introduced you to Paul Emerson last night. This picture was taken two nights ago. Pretty cozy for two
people who supposedly didn’t know each other less than twenty-four hours ago.
Care to explain?”
She
looked at the screen and gasped. “Where did this come from?”
“That’s
all you can say? Really? You’ve got nothing else?”
Jessica’s
eyes filled with tears. “Listen, I know it looks bad but—”
“Looks bad? Are you fucking
kidding me? How long has this even been going on, Jessica? Is he the real reason why you’ve been
trying to stay out here? You pretended not to know each other last night!
What’s the end game here? You knew all along that we were working with his
company and now ... I get this picture. Tell me, did you screw him after you
blew me off? I didn’t get a picture of that, so I’m just curious if you were
doing him when you told me you
had to be up early for work. What an asshole I am!” James paused, his breathing
heavy and fists clenched at his sides.
“James,
you have to let me explain! It isn’t what you think at all. I mean, yes, I do
know him and he’s the one who invited me to the cocktail party, but it was
strictly professional—”
“Professional?
Seriously? With his tongue
down your throat and his hand on your ass? Is that the new definition of professional?”
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