Amulet (Heart’s True Desire 1) by Kathryn Amurra-review & excerpt
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 3, 2024
Intelligent, charismatic, and successful, Val Nikolov has achieved everything he’s ever wanted, thanks to a wish made on his grandmother’s magical amulet.
Alex Weaver, however, can’t seem to get her life in order. As a temp-agency lawyer helping Val’s company prepare to be acquired, Alex has no hope that she will ever land a full-time job as an attorney (or convince her boyfriend to marry her).
When one of Val’s key engineers abruptly departs, the acquisition is suddenly at risk. Hoping to salvage the deal, Val asks Alex to travel with him to Israel for a meeting with the decision-makers. The more time Val and Alex spend together, however, the more they question the things they thought were most important in their lives. Soon, they find themselves at a crossroads, having to choose between the lives they’ve always wished for and their hearts’ true desire.
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REVIEW:Amulet is the first book in the Heart’s True Desire series.
Slow burn romance, but with lots of character and really well written.
Alex who is a contract lawyer, and Val who runs a tech company. Both are good at their jobs.
Val runs his company firm but fair. He’s about to sell his company and start on a new venture, which he’s really excited about, but his love life is a different matter! He needs to say goodbye to his girlfriend and fast!
Alex is new to the company. Brought in to make sure all legal aspects are correct. She likes her work and she good at it. Shame she couldn’t say the same thing about her boyfriend! (Can you see a pattern? 😉) hoping she will get an offer to stay on, Alex puts all her time and energy into the work she’s asked to do….
It is a little slow for the first quarter of the book. But once the path is clear (no boyfriend/girlfriend to get in the way) then the attraction and the fun can begin….
He definitely falls first, and it’s fun to watch him pursue and try to convince Alex it’s more than an office fling.
A trip away gives Val the opportunity to tell Alex just how he feels. But can Alex jump at the chance of happiness, or will those feet stay firmly on the ground?
I really liked both of the characters. Val had a sense of duty and purpose. Alex made me smile with her incredible brain and her social skills (she really didn’t mix well with others, preferring work to play)
But where is the magic I hear you ask? Well, that comes in the form of a locket that has been passed down through the generations. It grants the wearer what they truly desire. Val has heard about the locket and the prophecy surrounding it all his life. Does he believe in the magic? And what happens when he gives Alex the locket as a token of his affection?
There are a few stories that go on in the book, and I’m hoping these play out in other books.
I can’t wait to see what the author has planned for the next book.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Julie B🦋
Val opened the passenger side door for her, silently grateful for having just cleaned the interior.
Thanking him, Alex got into the front seat. He couldn’t help noticing as Alex’s coat parted at the bottom and her skirt slid a couple of inches up her thighs in the process.
He shut the door before she could realize where his eyes and thoughts had been and went around to the driver’s side.
“I’ll try not to breathe too much on the short ride over to your parking lot,” he said, starting the car. “I’d hate it if I got you sick.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve got a pretty robust immune system. Plus, if I’m choosing between catching a cold and dying in a fiery car crash because you held your breath and passed out, I think I’d choose the former.”
Val laughed. “It’s always good to put things into perspective.”
He reached over to the stick shift and put the car in reverse. It was only after grasping the shifter that he sensed how close his hand was to Alex’s left knee. Indulging himself, Val glanced at her face in profile as he turned his body to look behind them and backed out of the parking spot. She was looking down at her lap and trying to adjust her coat.
Val shifted again, driving toward the exit. Alex was quiet, and he hoped she wasn’t uncomfortable sitting next to him. After their dinner and a pleasant conversation, she couldn’t possibly be worried that he was trying to put the moves on her, could she?
“We’ll have to see about getting you a parking spot in the building. I’ll talk to Judy about it tomorrow.”
Alex looked over at him. “That’s really nice of you, but I can’t afford to park here. It’s more than twice as expensive as the lot I’m in right now, and I can hardly afford that.”
Val knew that contract attorneys made less than in-house counsel or attorneys in big law firms, but he was curious how much less. “What are they paying you at Advance Legal?”
“Thirty dollars an hour.”
He was quiet for a moment. “They’re making a killing on you, you know. I should have hired you directly—you could have made more money, and I could have spent less money. Anyway, don’t worry about the cost. The company will pay for your parking.”
The unexpected offer had her eyes widening in surprise. “I can’t ask you to do that!”
“You’re not. It’s a business decision that I’m making. Look, it’s going to be crazy the next few weeks with this deal. I might need you to come in extra early on some days and stay late on others. And the days are short this time of year. I can’t be worrying about the seven-block walk you have to make to your car in the dark every night.”
Alex pressed her lips into a straight line, and even relying only on peripheral vision, Val could tell she was skeptical. “So, you’re saying I’d be doing you a favor by allowing the company to pay exorbitant amounts of money for me to park in the building.”
He could hear the smile in her voice as she said the words, and he wished he could take his eyes off the road for more than just a moment to see it.
“Yes, that’s exactly right.”
Sighing, Alex relented. “All right, then. I’ll do it. For the company.”
He laughed. “You might just get employee of the month at this rate.”
Kathryn Amurra is the author of sweet and sensual love stories. Her debut series, Soothsayer’s Path, is a historical romance series of standalone books set in Ancient Rome around 115 CE. Her new series, Heart’s True Desire, is a paranormal romance series of standalone books published through The Wild Rose Press. Kathryn has been making up stories for as long as she can remember and writing since grade school. Against the advice of her 12th grade English teacher, she studied Mechanical Engineering in college, then worked as an Engineer for a few years. After finding and marrying her own hero, she and her hubby went to law school together. They currently live in North Carolina with their three girls.
Email – kathrynamurra@gmail.com
Website – https://www.kathrynamurra.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kathrynamurra/
Twitter – @AmurraKathryn
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20280375.Kathryn_Amurra
