Deacon
Starkis
Family
Book
1
Cheryl
Douglas
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Date of Publication: June 15th,
2015
Number of pages: 158
Word Count: 74k
Cover Artist: Fantasia Frog
Designs
Book Description:
When Deacon Sarkis sets his
sights on the gorgeous young model gracing the pages of his glossy catalogue,
he knows he has to have her. One problem. She’s not available. But that won’t
stop Deacon. He’s a man used to getting what he wants and he wants Mia.
Mia is stunned when she receives
an email from the elusive billionaire who owns the lingerie company she models
for. He tells her he’s intrigued. He’s not the only one. But she knows she’d be
a fool to throw away an eight year relationship for a brief affair with the head
honcho. He doesn’t do relationships and she doesn’t do casual sex. It seems
they’re at an impasse.
Who will come out on top in this
battle of wills? The dominant one or the woman intent on teaching him the
meaning of submission?
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/QxVASAZvtqQ
Excerpt
I
stared at my reflection. “I don’t understand, Barbara. I thought Eleni was
supposed to be
modeling
the bridal collection.”
She
pinned the white bustier until my full breasts spilled over the top. Then she
artfully
arranged
the white sheer robe so it revealed just enough of her handiwork to be enticing
without
looking
trashy. “What the boss wants, the boss gets. Even if it means we have to lose
sleep to get
these
damn alterations done on time.”
“Remind
me to give you a raise, Barbara.”
I
turned so fast that the pin Barbara was holding jabbed me in the thigh, but I
barely noticed.
It was him. Oh God. I couldn’t breathe. I was going to pass out right
there.
“Mr.
Starkis,” Barbara said, a blush stealing over her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I
didn’t hear you
come
in.”
“I’d
like a moment alone with Miss Barnes, Barbara.” He gave her a pointed stare
before he
said,
“I’ll try not to keep her too long. I understand you’re on a tight schedule.”
She
lowered her head before gathering her measuring tape and pins. “No problem,
take all
the
time you need.”
He
waited until Barbara had closed the door and we were alone before he whispered,
“Theia,
you
look breathtaking.”
I
still didn’t know what theia
meant, and I was beyond irritated to be
meeting him under
these
circumstances, especially armed with the knowledge about his penchant for young
models.
Closing
the gap in the sheer robe, I tried to stare him down, but it wasn’t easy. Even
standing
on a pedestal and wearing four-inch heels, I was still slightly shorter than he
was.
“We
meet at last.” He stepped closer and ran a fingertip over my cheek. “You’re
even more
beautiful
in person than I imagined you would be.”
His
accent was more pronounced than it had been over the phone and sent delicious
chills up
my
spine in spite of my annoyance at my body’s betrayal.
His
bright blue eyes flashed with irritation. “You are annoyed with me. Again?”
“I’m
not having this conversation here.” I looked around, wondering if he’d seduced
other
women
in that very room. “I’m working. Kindly leave.”
His
irritation blossomed into anger. “I own this goddamn building. No one tells me
when to
leave.”
Oh. Feeling properly chastised, I did the only thing I could. I
turned away from him and
fixed
all my attention on the mirror in front of me.
He
walked around me in a slow circle, his hand rubbing the dark stubble on his
square jaw.
“Mmmm,
this looks even better than I imagined it would. It’s so easy to imagine
unwrapping
you on our
wedding night.”
About
the Author:
When one door closes, another one
opens. I closed the door to my business for the last time in 2011, which left
me with a decision. What now? Find another location and move my nutrition
business, go to work for someone else, or take a chance on my dream? I chose
the latter and I’ve never looked back!
I’ve always loved reading and
writing, but it wasn’t until I jumped in with both feet and decided writing
would be my career, instead of just a hobby, that my muse woke up from her deep
slumber.
It was like someone flipped a
switch inside my head and stories just came pouring out. At the end of the day,
I would often look at the keyboard and wonder, ‘Who the heck wrote that? ‘Cause
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me!’
I don’t write books. I tell
stories, or rather, I allow my characters to tell their stories through me. I’m
not a plotter, never have been, never will be. Why? Because I have no idea how
the story will evolve and it’s not my place to manipulate it. My job is to get
to know these characters, figure out what makes them tick, then follow their
journey wherever it takes me.
When I’m not writing, I’m
daydreaming. Thankfully, I have an understanding husband and son who know I’ll
re-join the land of the living just as soon as my muse decides it’s quitting
time. I don’t work for myself. I work for her. She’s the boss. And I’m okay
with that.
Website: http://cheryldouglasbooks.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cheryldouglasbooks
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CherylDouglasNN
This was an interesting book, I enjoyed it but there were times I got frustrated with the characters and their behavior. The chemistry between Mia and Deacon is great, plenty of heat and plenty of sexual tension, although I found some of Deacon's actions to be creepy, bordering on stalker. It's one thing to be intense, but not to the point of taking it upon yourself to dress your mate without giving them a choice in the matter.
Another thing that bothered me is the fact that Deacon felt it was just fine and dandy to carry on the way he did with his employees; that would have led to a lawsuit in the real world lol. I did like the fact that even though Mia is younger than Deacon, she wasn't afraid to stand up to him and let her opinion be known. I enjoyed how Mia held her own when it came to meeting Deacon's family, especially his father.
The only drawbacks to this story are the incidents at the beginning of the book that involve Mia's then boyfriend Drew. When she came home, he slammed the laptop shut and got all weird and defensive. What the hell was he looking at? I'm pretty sure it was porn, but we never find out. And when Drew shows up again toward the end of the book, how did he know the person who gave him the information about Deacon? From the way Drew is portrayed in the book, he's not supportive of Mia, so would he have been hanging out with her at events? And last, when Deacon confirms that a lot of deep-seated issues contributed to what he was dealing with, but again, we never find out what those issues were and how they contributed to the path Deacon ended up on.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this story and I'm really looking forward to reading the stories for Damon and Eleni, and hopefully for Tiana and Blake in the future.
Another thing that bothered me is the fact that Deacon felt it was just fine and dandy to carry on the way he did with his employees; that would have led to a lawsuit in the real world lol. I did like the fact that even though Mia is younger than Deacon, she wasn't afraid to stand up to him and let her opinion be known. I enjoyed how Mia held her own when it came to meeting Deacon's family, especially his father.
The only drawbacks to this story are the incidents at the beginning of the book that involve Mia's then boyfriend Drew. When she came home, he slammed the laptop shut and got all weird and defensive. What the hell was he looking at? I'm pretty sure it was porn, but we never find out. And when Drew shows up again toward the end of the book, how did he know the person who gave him the information about Deacon? From the way Drew is portrayed in the book, he's not supportive of Mia, so would he have been hanging out with her at events? And last, when Deacon confirms that a lot of deep-seated issues contributed to what he was dealing with, but again, we never find out what those issues were and how they contributed to the path Deacon ended up on.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this story and I'm really looking forward to reading the stories for Damon and Eleni, and hopefully for Tiana and Blake in the future.
ARC provided in exchange for honest review.
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