ACHE FOR YOU (Slow Burn #3) by JT Geissinger-Review and Excerpt Tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 6, 2018
In this fairy tale with a sexy twist, she’s a penniless San Francisco seamstress. He’s the king of Italian couture. Who’s got designs on whom?
Boutique owner Kimber DiSanto has seen better days. She’s been dumped at the altar by Prince Charmless, her business went up in flames (literally), and now she’s stuck in Florence, Italy, with an ice-queen stepmother, to try to save her late father’s failing dress shop. Only one thing could make it worse: another man in her life. The arrogant Italian fashion tycoon offering to buy her father’s shop is as rich as he is sexy, and their attraction is off the charts. But Kimber’s not about to get burned again.
Women don’t say no to Matteo Moretti—and certainly not with Kimber’s stinging precision. With all the heat and fury sparking between them, Matteo can’t resist baiting the gorgeous American. His plan? Win her over one scorching kiss at a time.
Kimber tells herself it’s all just a game. That her broken heart isn’t in danger, and that Matteo’s touch does not make her Lady Land dance with joy. But sometimes it takes the fieriest of enemies to turn a fantasy into a real-life romance
•••••••••
REVIEW: ACHE FOR YOU is the third instalment in JT Geissinger’s contemporary, adult SLOW BURN erotic, romance series. This is Italian Marchese Matteo Moretti, and boutique owner/designer Kimber DiSanto’s story line. ACHE FOR YOU can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Kimber and Matteo) ACHE FOR YOU is a Cinderella-esque / forbidden romance story line focusing on Italian Marchese Matteo Moretti, and boutique owner/designer Kimber DiSanto. Kimber DiSanto’s life is spiralling out of control: dumped at the altar, the death of her father, blindsided by a step-mother she never knew, and a fire that destroyed her designer boutique, our heroine finds herself in Florence, Italy in an effort to ensure her father’s dress shop remains a viable operation. But Kimber’s run of bad luck continues to grow when a gorgeous Italian male makes Kimber an offer she cannot refuse. Enter Marchese Matteo Moretti, Kimber’s ex step-brother, and the man with whom Kimber will fall in love. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship between Kimber and Matteo, and the potential fall-out as Kimber struggles with issues of trust, when betrayal is but a design sketch away.
Kimber DiSanto’s father was dying and our heroine was desperate to catch a flight overseas but Kimber was bumped, and her only option was to reluctantly give her latest designs to the handsome stranger in exchange for a first class ticket to Florence, Italy. Judgemental but wary Kimber doesn’t do herself any favors as she endeavors to take control of her father’s fashion line in an effort to prevent the competition from gaining control. Matteo Moretti was drawn in by the beautiful designer from the first time they met but offering her his ticket in exchange for her designs was all kinds of betrayal for a woman he would come to love. Hoping to make things right, nothing ever goes according to plans and the fall-out threatens the woman he loves.
The relationship between Matteo and Kimber is one of immediate attraction but Kimber was in no position for a rebound romance including a romance with a man she believes is out to destroy the DiSanto family business. As Matteo attempts to seduce our story line heroine, Kimber is conflicted by rumors and warnings about the man (and family) with whom she is falling in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text but I struggled with a perceived lack of palpable sexual energy. Matteo is the epitome of an Italian lover while Kimber is a brash, mouthy and slightly hysterical American of Italian descent.
The secondary and supporting characters are colorful and charismatic. We are introduced to Kimber’s best friends: fashion model Jenner, and Danielle, as well as her ex-fiance Brad Wingate; Matteo’s mother, the Marchesa Lady Moretti, and her major-domo Lorenzo, and her father’s best friend Dominic.
ACHE FOR YOU is a captivating, multi-troped story line: enemies to lover, reimagined fairy tale, left at the altar, and forbidden romance. The premise is entertaining and enjoyable; the romance is seductive and sexy; the characters are spirited and animated.
There are some issues of repetition including the use and application of the word ‘uterus’ (and derivatives) sixteen times as our heroine’s inner monologue focuses on her attraction to a man she believes is the ultimate betrayal. I am a big fan of JT Geissinger’s style of writing but I had a difficult time connecting to her latest couple.
Reading Order and Previous reviews
Burn For You
Melt For You
Ache For You
NOTE: ebook BURN FOR YOU (Slow Burn #1) is only $1.99
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Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
The door instantly swings back open.
Shit. No lock.
“You know, hate and love aren’t so different, bella.”
He’s being philosophical now, pursing his pretty mouth and gazing at the ceiling, as if viewing the stars.
I could kill him.
“Why do you enjoy torturing me? Are you some kind of sadist?”
He ignores me, naturally, and continues his little Socratic speech. “They’re two sides of the same coin, really. Passion, obsession, sweaty palms, and a racing heart. Lost sleep.” He slides his gaze over to the cheese and salami on the dresser. “A poor appetite.”
“You want a poor appetite? I’ll give you a poor appetite. I’ll take that salami and wedge it so far down your throat you won’t be able to eat ever again.”
Amused by my fury, he smiles. “Passion,” he reminds me, smug as shit.
I look around for something to throw at him.
“Let’s call a truce.” He strolls forward, hands in his pockets.
As if I’ll feel safer that way.
“No truce. No way. And you’re the one who started this war, remember?”
He makes a face, like he’s doubtful.
“Yes, you. Wait, why am I even talking to you? You fake kissed me!”
“Did I?”
“Yes! You admitted you did!”
“Hmm. I don’t recall that.”
“So we’ll add dementia to your long list of problems.”
By now he’s trapped me at the edge of the bed, advancing so stealthily I hardly noticed it, which was probably his dastardly plan all along.
I stand my ground and flatten my hand in the center of his chest, bracing my arm so he can’t move forward. “I’m not a joke,” I say, my voice raw. “I’m not a plaything.”
“I never said you were.”
Under my palm, his heart is a jackhammer. We do the hate breathing at each other again, which apparently is becoming our thing. Then we do the hate eye fucking again, which is definitely becoming our thing.
He says softly, “You’re giving me grief about how I look at you? You should see your eyes right now.” His voice drops an octave. “So dirty, bella. So very, very dirty.”
“I’m not selling the company, no matter how much you try to sex it out of me.”
He quirks an eyebrow. “Sex it out of you?” As I watch with ragged breath, he sinks his teeth into his full lower lip. “Now that sounds interesting. Let’s discuss.”
“You’re a pig.”
“And yet you want me.”
“You’re unbelievable!”
“Yes, women have told me that before. Usually right after they come.”
I can’t even with this guy!
Then it’s like he remembers something. He looks around, frowning. “What are you doing in here?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? Trying to get rid of you!”
He looks at the wad of sheets in the corner. He looks at the freshly made bed. Then he looks back at me. The smile that breaks over his face is breathtaking.
“My darling ex-stepsister. Are you moving in?”
Very deliberately, I slide my hand up his chest until I reach his neck. Then I grasp his throat—lightly, but enough to let him know I mean it.
His skin is hot to the touch, and his throat is strong. Thick. It makes me think of other hot, thick body parts.
I officially hate myself.
He lifts his brows, obviously amused. “You have the most interesting internal conversations. Are you going to choke me?”
I growl. It sounds silly, like a kitten trying to be scary.
Matteo leans forward. My arm is still locked at the elbow, so it puts more pressure around his throat. Holding my gaze, he says softly, “Go ahead. I know you want to.”
Boy, do I. I curl my other hand around his neck so now I’ve got him good and surrounded. I feel his pulse, beating hard against my palms. It’s weirdly arousing.
Intently watching my face, he whispers, “Those eyes.”
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A former headhunter, J.T. Geissinger is the author of more than a dozen novels in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.
She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.
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