Tag Archives: Jennifer Blackwood

Burning Up (Flirting with Fire #1) by Jennifer Blackwood-a review

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BURNING UP (Flirting with Fire #1) by Jennifer Blackwood-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / Chapters Indigo

ABOUT THE BOOK: May 8, 2018

Unemployed schoolteacher Erin Jenkins is back in Portland, the town she hasn’t called home for more than a decade. It’s not the way she wants to spend her last days of summer: in between jobs and avoiding her mother’s snooping by escaping to the ice-cream aisle. But when the opportunity arises for her to accompany her brother’s best friend—her lifetime crush—to a wedding, summer gets a whole lot more interesting.

Firefighter and single dad Jake Bennett has built a nice, safe wall around his heart—no romance, no getting burned. That doesn’t mean he’s ruling out a fling. Considering Erin’s visit is temporary, they’re the perfect fit for a scorching no-strings one-night stand. Or two. Or five. Until the worst thing happens: Erin and Jake are feeling more. Damn that four-letter word.

Now their hearts are on the line, and when their smoldering summer comes to a close, it’s going to be harder than ever to put out the fire.

•••••

REVIEW: BURNING UP is the first instalment in Jennifer Blackwood’s contemporary, adult FLIRTING WITH FIRE romance series. This is middle-school teacher Erin Jenkins, and fire fighter/ single dad Jake Bennett’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Jake and Erin) BURNING UP follows the building relationship between middle-school teacher Erin Jenkins, and fire fighter/ single dad Jake Bennett. Erin Jenkins is home for the summer holidays having lost her teaching position in California to attrition and a lack of school board funding. Hoping to find something quick, Erin heads home to Portland in an effort to reconnect with family and friends, never thinking about the potential of falling in love. Enter her brother’s best friend and fellow fire fighter Jake Bennett. An offer of Jake’s plus-one for his sister’s wedding slowly begins to blur the lines between friendship and more. What ensues is the building romance and love between Jake and Erin, and the potential fall-out as Erin’s time in Portland comes to an end.

Erin Jenkins has no plans to stay in her hometown of Portland Oregon. Her life and friends are back in California but her heart will soon belong to a man whose just as lost as our story line heroine. Jake Bennett has been a single father for close to thirteen years, and has never crossed the line by bringing home a woman or fallen in love. Reconnecting with his best friend’s sister found our hero losing his heart to a reluctant Erin Jenkins.

Erin has lusted after Jake Bennett for most of her life but Jake was off limits in more ways than one. With her time in Portland coming to an end Erin hopes to find a new teaching position far from her family and the man with whom she has fallen in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text although the palpable sexual energy is more or less absent between our leading couple.

We are introduced to Jake’s fellow fire fighters: Erin’s brother Reese Jenkins, and rookie Cole ‘Hollywood’ Gibson; Erin’s sister Andie and their eccentric mother; as well as Jake’s daughter Bailey, and Erin’s best friends Madison and Sloan.

BURNING UP is a sweet story that introduces the players in the author’s FLIRTING WITH FIRE series. The best friend’s little sister conflict was limited-more of a worry than anything else. There are some funny moments in the hotel at Jake’s sister’s wedding including a family of raccoons who have taken up residence in our heroine’s room. The premise is fun and spicy but predictable; the romance is captivating and emotional; the characters are sassy and energetic.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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The Rule Maker (The Rule Breakers 2) by Jennifer Blackwood-dual review

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The Rule Maker (The Rule Breakers 2) by Jennifer Blackwood-dual reviews

 

THE RULE MAKER
(The Rule Breakers #2)
by Jennifer Blackwood
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance
Release Date: January 16, 2017

The Rule Maker

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 16, 2017

Ten Steps to Surviving a New Job:

1. Don’t sleep with the client. It’ll get you fired. (Sounds easy enough.)

2. Don’t blink when new client turns out to be former one-night stand.

3. Don’t call same client a jerk for never texting you back.

4. Don’t believe client when he says he really, really wanted to call.

5. Remember, the client is always right—so you can’t junk punch him when he demands new design after new design.

6. Ignore accelerated heartbeat every time sexy client walks into room.

7. Definitely ignore client’s large hands. They just mean he wears big gloves.

8. Don’t let client’s charm wear you down. Be strong.

9. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the client. You’ll lose more than your job—maybe even your heart.

10. If all else fails, see rule number one again.

••••••

Erin’s Review: The Rule Maker is book two in The Rule Breaker series by Jennifer Blackwood. Zoey Reynolds is an up and coming interior designer.  When she is contacted by former client, Jason Covington, to renovate a ski lodge she has quite a bit of reservation.  The last time she did a renovation for him she ended up having a one night stand with his brother, Ryder.  The last thing she needed was to run into him again. He left her hanging after the last time, in fact – he ended up leaving her in the middle of the night – high and dry without so much as a goodbye.  So she had no desire to even see him again – ever.

But when Jason Covington requests only her, from her design firm,  to remodel his ski lodge she realizes she has no choice in the matter.  She must do the best she can and hope and pray that she doesn’t run into Ryder again.  But her hopes are soon dashed.  When Jason is unavailable he sends his brother to oversee the ski lodge remodel. The moment she sees him Zoey knows that she just doesn’t stand a chance being around Ryder Covington.  Would she risk her job for another moment in time with Ryder?  Will she be able to work along side of him, in close proximity, and still complete the job at task?

Zoey Reynolds is a determined young woman, and she is determined to move up the ranks in her design firm.  One of the five commandments at her work is “Don’t sleep with the Client.”  She has always obeyed all of the rules.  Not mixing business with pleasure.  That was until she met Ryder.  When she is around him her body does one thing while her mind does another.  She knows that it’s wrong to get close to him, he is a professional snowboarder and will be leaving soon to return to training.  She knows not to get inolved.  But Ryder isn’t someone she can forget about so easily.

Ryder Covington is a handsome, built,  professional snowboarder who is home helping his brother who was paralyzed from the waist down in a snowboarding accident.  Ryder is also home to rehab his broken leg.  Helping his brother and doing therapy he hopes to return to his snowboarding as soon as his leg is completely healed.  Always one comfortable with one night stands, his one night with Zoey was different.  He didn’t want to leave her without saying goodbye. But when he got the phone call of his brothers accident he had no choice.  He felt like a jerk for leaving without a word and he was bound and determined to make it up to her. Helping his brother get the ski lodge remodeled and working along side Zoey – he felt he was right where he was supposed to be.  But when his leg has healed enough for him to return to training – will he really go?  Will he leave the one woman who has change his life forever?

I love the relationship between Ryder and Zoey. What started out as Zoey being upset with Ryder over a previous encounter. Soon turns into a fun and flirty relationship.  I love how Ryder opened up and became an almost different person when he was around Zoey.
Zoey slowly lets down her guard and opens her heart and soul to Ryder.  And I loved how the story still follows along with Brogan and Lainey from the first Rule Breakers story.  The characters are wonderfully written and it leaves you wanting more.  I am hoping to read Jason’s story in the near future.  A fun, quick, quirky read with a beautiful, meaningful ending.

 

Sandy’s Review: THE RULE MAKER is the second installment in Jennifer Blackwood’s contemporary, adult THE RULE BREAKERS romance series. This is twenty fie year old professional snowboarder Ryder Covington , and interior designer Zoey Reynolds’s story line. THE RULE MAKER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Some of the event run parallel to the events of book one –THE RULE BOOK.

Told from dual first person points of view (Zoey and Ryder) THE RULE MAKER is a second chance (of sorts) romance between professional snowboarder Ryder Covington, and interior designer Zoey Reynolds. Months earlier Ryder and Zoey had a one-night stand wherein Ryder walker away the next morning without a backwards glance. Fast forward to present day and Zoey has been contracted to redecorate a once-glamorous ski chalet for Ryder’s brother Jason Covington-a man who has all but become a recluse since a horrific snowboard accident months before. Enter Ryder Covington-Jason’s brother-and the man who has been tasked with working alongside Zoey Reynold’s on the rehab of the former chalet. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Zoey and Ryder, and the behind the scenes negotiations that will send our couple in opposite directions.

The relationship between Zoey and Ryder is acrimonious at best. Zoey’s embarrassment over the one-night stand finds our hero trying desperately to make up for his actions months before. Working together places our couple in a precarious position leading to palpable sexual energy and brooding attraction. The $ex scenes are seductive without the over the top sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Ryder’s brother Jason Covington-a man whose life was destroyed following a snowboarding accident that left him a former shell of his previous self. Ryder and Jason’s grandparents are the requisite evil-a couple who believe that Jason and Ryder are wasting their lives and futures on nonsense and fun. Billionaire businessman Brogan Starr, and PR specialist Lainey Taylor (The Rule Book-book 1) plays secondary and supporting roles.

THE RULE MAKER is an enjoyable, second chance story line with laughter, humor, heartbreak and romance. The premise is light-hearted with a little bit of angst and conflict; the characters are colorful and animated; the romance is sexy. I am looking forward to Jason’s story line.

 

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Rule Book by Jennifer Blackwood – a Review

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The Rule Book by Jennifer Blackwood – a Review

 

the rule bookAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
Starr Media Second-Assistant Survival Guide

1. Don’t call your hot boss the antichrist to his face.
2. Don’t stare at hot boss’s, um, package or his full sleeve of tattoos. (No. Really. Stop!)
3. Don’t get on the malicious first assistant’s bad side.
4. Don’t forget to memorize the 300-page employee manual.
5. If you value your cashmere, steer clear of boss’s dog.
6. Boss’s dimples are lust-inducing. Do. Not. Give. In.
7. “The elevator ate your clothes” is not a valid excuse for showing up to important meetings half dressed.
8. Don’t break seven of the rules within the first week of employment if you, ya know, are in dire need of money to support your sick mom.
9. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the boss. See rule eight about sick mom.
10. Never forget the rules.

 

Review:

I assumed that the use of “Antichrist”, as in what not to refer to your boss, when reading the Top Ten rules for how to survive at Starr Media, was offensive in the ways of the supernatural.  Duh, Carmen, this is not PNR (nor the fantasy world of Darynda Jones).  The moniker, nevertheless, wasn’t so farfetched, let me tell you.  The Rule Book by Jennifer Blackwood traverses the minefield of workplace romance, but aggravating coworkers and a devious twist builds up the tension for a complete story.  Better the devil you know…

As entertaining as this was, I believe my interpretation conflicts with the author’s intention.  Brogan Starr, CEO, maintains a certain standard at work that could be construed as “exacting”.  He’s quite young to be so successful, but that power comes with hard lessons and limits.  Add to that ethic a gorgeous, tattooed exterior and Lainey is one smitten gal.  While Brogan might be occasionally charming, he is also snappish and condescending towards Lainey, his second assistant.  It’s not a one-time exchange, either.  Lainey’s learning the ropes from the not so helpful “first”, yet Brogan reprimands Lainey for simple mistakes.  While that’s not unusual within a boss and employee dynamic, Lainey suddenly/inexplicably voices a compliment of Brogan’s personality?  I get that Ms. Blackwood was developing Brogan and Lainey’s relationship, a clearly stated, forbidden rule, but the attraction wasn’t organic.  It was entangled in do’s and don’ts.  

Only when the story took a personal angle, when the story demonstrated the ebbs and flow of any relationship worth saving, did I find the heart in her storytelling.  Ms. Blackwood gives Brogan’s rules purpose (and Lainey a spine), but she also depicts the risks one faces when you’re unable to yield on occasion.  

I enjoyed The Rule Book, but I can’t help feel it could have been more thoroughly fleshed out.  Self-aggrandizing characters revealed a dark side, but it was too brief.  I would have explored such nefarious plotting and presented precise restorative justice to both Brogan and Lainey.  Maybe I ask for too much, lol?

Rules become ineffective when they break spirits; leniency is key to sustaining happiness.  Can Brogan and Lainey run the rule book through the shredder?  Pick this up for a light summer read.      

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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Foolproof (Drexler University #2) by Jennifer Blackwood-a review

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FOOLPROOF (Drexler University #2) by Jennifer Blackwood- a review

Foolproof

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 26, 2015

A summer of seduction…

Jules Carmichael needs to get her life together. Pronto. School’s been hell, there was that tiny stint in rehab, and worst of all, she’s lost her cushy summer job. The only available work is at Office Jax, home of horrid 90s music and the biggest jerk on this side of the galaxy…

Recovering from a brutal break-up and taking a hiatus from college, Ryan DeShane has just discovered the “6 Ultimate Steps to the Perfect Summer Fling.” It’s a brilliant distraction, and Jules is a tantalizing target. But the “steps” work a little too well, because he and Jules are definitely, uh, flinging. And it’s only a matter of time before Ryan’s foolproof plan starts to seriously unravel.

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW: FOOLPROOF is the second installment in Jennifer Blackwood’s new adult, contemporary Drexler University erotic romance series. This is former business student Ryan DeShane and pre med student Jules Carmichael. Although FOOLPROOF is the second installment in the series, it can be read as a stand alone.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Jules and Ryan) FOOLPROOF follows the building relationship between two twenty something university students Jules and Ryan. Off for the summer break, Jules and Ryan will find themselves as co-workers at Ryan’s father’s retail office supply store-Office Jax. What follows is a nasty introduction between two people whose immaturity and indecisions play a major role in their respective dysfunctional family visits, work habits, and previous relationships. When Jules tries to befriend the boss’s son, she gets snarky attitude and a cold shoulder in return. This is going to be a long summer!

The relationship between our couple begins combatively but their attraction to one another is immediate. Ryan is unhappy; his life is a mess; his girlfriend cheated on him with his roommate: and he has to spend the summer working for his dad. Enter Juliette (Jules) Carmichael-a feisty pre med student who doesn’t take any crap from the boss’s son. With her future all but planned out by her parents, Jules is on the verge of self-destruction and walking away without a backward glance. The $ex scenes are erotic, spontaneous and little bit risky! When Ryan uncovers an article about the ‘6 Ultimate Steps to the Perfect Summer Fling’, he will use this to his advantage only to have Jules discover that perhaps everything about their relationship has been based on a lie and a magazine article.

There is a playful banter between Jules and Ryan throughout the storyline-one using 90s music as the basis for many a comment or text. Ryan’s father likes to play 90s music in the store and our couple use this for fun and mutual enjoyment.

The secondary and supporting characters include Ryan’s father and uncle who battle one another over Ryan’s future; Jule’s mother whose need to control her child’s future pits mother against daughter; and Blake and Payton (the couple from book one UNETHICAL)-Ryan and Jule’s best friends. The world building focuses on the friendship between our couples; family disappointment and support; as well as a summer spent falling in love. In the end, Jules and Ryan’s future plans will have changed and we watch as our couple learns that if you want something, go for it, because in the end, ‘you are the key to your own happiness.’

FOOLPROOF is an imaginative and realistic storyline with a little bit of humor, romance, sex and fun. There are moments of heartbreak for two adult children whose parents see failure and disappointment; blended with a building romance between two lost souls who have found one another when they needed it the most.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Unethical by Jennifer Blackwood-a review

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UNETHICAL by Jennifer Blackwood-a review

Unethical

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 20, 2014

Love burns hotter the second time around…

Two years ago, the medical world was shaken by scandal, and Payton Daniels’s family was at the center of it. The second she graduated, Payton left everything behind―her high school sweetheart, her family, and the controversy surrounding her mother’s death—and hid within the anonymity of college. But Payton’s ex, Blake Hiller, hasn’t forgiven her for leaving, and when he enrolls in the same medical ethics class, she panics. She can’t run the risk of him telling everyone who she really is.

As if being at the same university isn’t enough, both Blake and Payton land the same internship. Forced together, their passion for each other reignites, but when Payton is asked to testify in her father’s high-profile trial, she must choose between risking her acceptance into medical school to help her father, and losing every connection to her past—including the only guy she’s ever loved.

•••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: UNETHICAL is a contemporary, new adult storyline written by Jennifer Blackwood that focuses on Payton Daniels and Blake Hiller. Told from alternating first person points of view (Payton and Blake) the storyline follows the first few months of medical school where the one-time lovers will find themselves forced together in an ethics project that hits too close to home.

When her family made headlines two years earlier, Payton knew it was time to start a new life. But returning to her home state was not without some heartbreaking memories and sleep shattering nightmares for a young woman whose entire life was destroyed by the controversy surrounding her mother’s death. As the family circumstances continue to make headlines, Payton changes her last name and enters university on her fist step towards a new life.

Blake Hiller is Payton’s ex boyfriend and a young man struggling with financial problems and the loss of the only woman he has ever loved. Discovering Payton has enrolled in the same college, he will go out of his way to find out why she ran and never looked back. Two years without any contact has resulted in festering wounds of the heart that have yet to heal.

The relationship is one of second chances between Blake and Payton. When Payton’s life fell apart and she thought Blake had walked away, she ran. Blake’s unexplained absence had nothing to do with the fall out from her family’s controversy but from a series of questionable decisions and miscommunication on both of their parts.

The secondary characters, especially Blake’s roommate Andrew, add color and create conflict when Payton’s secret is accidentally revealed. Payton’s life was devastated when not one but both of her parents were ripped from her life and the circumstances continue to make headlines two years later.

Jennifer Blackwood presents a storyline of controversy that today, is still argued in many legal and medical ethics courts. Who has the right to make end of life decisions and if so, who will be held responsible when said life no longer exists? UNETHICAL is a compelling look at end of life decisions and the affects on more than one family.

Congratulations to Jennifer Blackwood on the release of her debut novel-quite a controversial subject to tackle for a first time author!

Copy supplied by the publisher.

Reviewed by Sandy

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