Interview with Contemporary Romance Author Jennifer Wilck / New Release Learning to Love

Happy Wednesday, Readers and Writers! Contemporary Romance Author Jennifer Wilck joins me today. She's sharing an excerpt from her New Release, Learning to Love. Welcome, Jennifer!

Tell us a little about yourself.  When and how did you decide you wanted to become a writer?

I think I’ve always entertained the possibility of being a writer in the back of my mind. There have been several writers in my family, so I grew up around the excitement of published books and name recognition. I’ve always loved writing but didn’t consider seriously pursuing it as a career until I joined the New Jersey Romance Writers of America and saw that it was indeed possible. My kids were young then, so I wrote when they were sleeping. And I haven’t stopped since!

Tell us about Learning To Love.  What inspired your story?

This was such a fun book to write. It’s part of my Serendipity series, but can be read without knowing about the other books. The characters are Jewish, and the hero briefly visited in the other books, but he was more of an antagonist or best friend. I wanted the chance to redeem him and make him hero material. In the previous books, he’s a pretty shallow guy and I searched long and hard to find his soul.

How do you create your characters?

They tend to pop into my head in some form. Dina, the heroine of Learning to Love, was inspired by the character of Spencer Reid of Criminal Minds. He’s a genius with a photographic memory, and I loved the idea of taking some of his attributes and giving them to her.

Do you work with a critique partner?  What is a typical writing day like for you?

I have several critique partners without whom I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. One is a huge help with plot. She and I talk about the big picture and how to get our stories from A to B to C. My other three meet with me once a month and we critique about 25 pages at a time of each other’s work. We approach the work like a reader would, so we don’t know what’s going to happen. They find things that I’d never find on my own, and they all make me a stronger writer. As for my typical writing day, I usually start with marketing and editing in the morning, and writing in the afternoon. Of course, that can change depending on other things going on in my life, but in a perfect world, that’s my schedule.

What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned (thus far!) as a published author?

I think the most surprising thing is the highs and the lows that can come from the smallest incidents. A great review can put a smile on my face all day. A rejection from an editor can make me doubt myself, even while I’m looking at all the things I’ve done and still plan to do. So I’ve learned that I have to find a way to be happy with what I’m doing regardless of external forces.

Have any authors or friends influenced you in helping you become a writer?

Again, I’d say my critique partners have been invaluable.

Where do you write?  Is there anything you need or like to keep handy when you’re writing?

I have a desk, but I tend to write at the dining table or on the sofa, depending on what other things I’m doing (like eating). I write on my laptop, so I can move around when I want. I enjoy looking out the window and in the nice weather, I like to write out on my deck.

I’ve always considered Contemporary Romance a difficult genre to write in, as it is a task to make seem extraordinary what we might observe around us in everyday life.  What draws you to this particular sub-genre, and how do you tackle its challenges?

I agree with you. It’s the genre I find easier to write in, as I don’t think I’d be able to tackle all of the research required for something like historical romance, and I’m unable to create worlds for paranormal. But I like tackling issues from everyday life and giving them the solutions I often wish for.

Beside writing, what other interests do you have?

I spend a lot of time with my family, and I love to read and watch TV and movies. I also enjoy photography.

What do you like to read?  What is the best story(ies) you’ve read in 2018?

I love reading historical romance and military romance, as well as some women’s fiction. I just finished Sonali Dev’s A Bollywood Affair and I think it might be my new favorite book. Her descriptions were so vivid, I felt like I was there and the characters have stayed with me long after I put it down.

What is the best advice you’ve been given along your writers’ journey?  What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are just starting out?

Don’t give up. Keep writing what you love. Study the craft and don’t be afraid to try something new.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on a four-part series about wealthy philanthropists and the women who bring them to their knees.

That sounds exciting! I'll definitely be on the lookout for your next series! In the meantime, keep reading for an excerpt from Jennifer's latest release, Learning to Love!

Jennifer's Bio

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.

In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. When she’s not writing, she loves to laugh with her family and friends, is a pro at finding whatever her kids lost in plain sight, and spends way too much time closing doors that should never have been left open in the first place. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.

She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters. She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Learning to Love Blurb

Dina Jacobs is a single librarian who has never fit in due to her off-the-charts intelligence, frizzy hair and rounder-than-socially-acceptable figure. She left her past behind until she receives an invitation to her ten-year high school reunion, and all her insecurities return.

Adam Mandel is a single corporate attorney who just missed his third deadline at his father's law firm, the law firm where he is up for junior partner. With his reputation on the line, Adam needs all the help he can get to convince his father that he deserves the promotion.

When Dina and Adam run into each other on a deserted road, Dina thinks Mr. Flashypants can't possibly be interested in someone like her. Adam thinks Dina is just the person to help him improve his reputation. Lies and insecurities force them to take a look at themselves. Can they trust each other to look beyond the surface?

Learning to Love Excerpt

What the hell just happened? She wanted to be friends. The only kind of “friend” he wanted to be with her had “boy” attached to it. No, that wasn’t true. He enjoyed her friendship because he loved talking to her, hearing her opinions, sharing himself with her.

But he was becoming more attracted to her. So far, they’d only kissed, but that one kiss, that unbelievable kiss, haunted him. His lips still burned where they’d touched hers, his insides still turned to jelly when he thought about it. In fact, he’d been hoping there would have been more kissing in her apartment once he’d apologized for his gaffe.

But she’d focused on their arrangement and her overreaction, and here he was pulling away from the curb into rush hour traffic.

She thought he was dating her only to impress his father. If he were one hundred percent honest with himself, he’d acknowledge the partial truth in that statement. But the more time he spent time with her, when he wasn’t royally screwing things up with her, the more he wanted to move beyond their arrangement.

His head was another matter. It was still focused on not making a fool of himself, on maintaining the right reputation, on spinning the right message.

But listening to his head was probably what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. As unbelievable as it might sound, it was time to follow his heart.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Love-Serendipity-Book-3-ebook/dp/B07J49V5SP

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/learning-to-love/id1437725668?_bbid=10834501&mt=11

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/learning-to-love-jennifer-wilck/1129734280?ean=2940161918258

Author Links:

Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/

Facebook Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2055470311366345/

Newsletter: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/contact.html#newsletter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjenniferwilck/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-wilck

Joy of Dancing / Happy Release Day, A Sultry Performance!

When I was in college, I spent some of my free time working as a swim instructor. To clock in for my shift, I had to leave the pool area and go upstairs, to the main office, where the time cards were located. I'd pass through the gymnasium along the way. Going to clock in one Saturday morning, I noticed that the gym had been transformed into a beautiful, romantic vision. Men were dressed in formal wear, women in gowns--the ballroom dancing team was having a competition. Never having been a dancer myself, I had not yet before had the pleasure of seeing, or being a part of such an inspiring vision. As dances are no longer the norm for our society, such events are reserved exclusively for those few who seek them out. I stood, watching in awe of something I hadn't before realized I'd wanted to be a part of. Anything where lavish gowns played a role was an instant draw for me but it was the grace by which the dancers moved that had me longing to be a part of their world. It was enlivening. It was romantic!

Shortly after my chance happening in the gymnasium, I found myself romantically involved with someone who was a member of the team. Though this occurred purely by coincidence, perhaps I'd willed it into being as the man I was then dating encouraged me to join the team as well. We competed in one competition together, and though we did get call-backs in a couple of dances, I soon decided that without formal training, (or any training, for that matter) I didn't possess the skills it took to make it in the world of dance, and so I locked my passion in a box and stuck it on the shelf. In fact, I didn't take it out again until years later, when I was writing the Rabourn Theater Series. Like myself, Victoria Morrow, heroine in A Sultry Performance, possesses a great passion for dancing. But unlike me, Victoria learns to dance at a very young age and through the hardships she endures during her very challenging life, dancing is the thing that keeps her grounded. The people around her may come from more privileged backgrounds, but Victoria knows who she is. Dancing plays a large part in that. Though she is forced to work as an exotic dancer to support herself, she also dances on the stage of Rabourn Theater, and through a tremendous amount of work and dedication, she makes her dreams come true.

Staying inspired and motivated can be challenging for anyone. Though my own dreams of being a dancer were long ago abandoned, I've since adopted new dreams, namely with regard to my writing. I found Victoria to be a great inspiration to me as I developed her character--though she possesses incredible talent, she is the victim of 2 very manipulative men, and though the odds are stacked against her, she holds her head up high. Seeing the way that this character who has been forced into a life of poverty and servitude manages, with the aid of her determination and good-hearted nature, to achieve her dreams and find love along the way, I am encouraged to believe that those of us reading her story have a lot more power than we might realize. Completing A Sultry Performance in the midst of an unexpected career change, I am reminded that I too have the ability to beat the odds. I honestly wasn't sure if I had the time to continue writing at all at this point in my life. But if there will ever come a time when I must put writing to the side, that time is not today!  

Shortly after I completed A Sultry Performance, I found true love of my own. And irony to end all ironies, the man I fell in love with is a dancer as well! In his own words, Bill told me, "You dance so you can have someone to share it with." And that is exactly what we're doing!

Drama has returned to Rabourn Theater!

A SULTRY PERFOMANCE is now available!

Chris Gordon will do anything to avenge his wife's murder, but falling in love with her killer's fiancee wasn't part of the plan...

Available at:

Amazon Kindle: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KFM63QW

Amazon Paperback:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1729182046

Barnes & Noble:

https://barnesandnoble.com/w/a-sultry-performance-jessica-lauryn/1129855288?ean=2940161924068

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from 

A Sultry Performance:

www.jessicalauryn.com/book/a-sultry-performance/

      

A Sultry Performance Available for Pre-Order! / Trends in Romance Novels: Conform or Dare to be Different?

When I was in junior high, a number of the kids in my class went out and purchased the same Tommy Hilfiger jacket, all in different colors. With billions of fashion items available for sale in the market, their statement had obviously been a planned one, and one thing was clear. A trend had been born, one that others would take notice of and ultimately, emulate. It's hard to say what makes something catch on with people and something else not but when my parents bought me that same jacket in yet another color I felt as though I had conformed somehow. The popular kids in my school might believe I'd gotten the memo somehow, but there was nothing unique about my style. I'd lost my originality, become a follower, if you will.

Much like athletic attire marketed to adolescents, romance novels too, go through waves of trend. We've seen billionaire romances reign as the "it" thing, as well as stories about vampires. I hear cowboy romances have made something of a comeback, too (Which is great to hear! Though I do believe many of these stories being published today are contemporaries. I love a great, Historical Western!). As was the case with my classmates though, it isn't always clear where these trends begin--with movies, perhaps, or a bestselling novel by a well-known author? Once a trend is born however, many of us are surely tempted to follow it. As authors, we are hardly an exception to this temptation. We know there's a built-in audience for a particular niche or sub-genre, so we, or our publisher, encourages us to write this type of story. There isn't anything wrong with conforming a bit.  Brilliant works can be born this way. As long as they are the stories of your heart, that is.

"Write the story that's in your heart." I've heard this advice given many times and though I believe the good-hearted authors who give it are as well-meaning as anyone, I also feel that at times it is said tongue-in-cheek, as, let's face it, we're all trying to make a name for ourselves in this business. And though few of us may be able to afford to write full time, the rest of us are probably striving to get there. Can we really afford to look a gift horse in the mouth, particularly in a world where said gifts are few and far between?

I've been a published author for 7 years. I consider myself to be at the early stages of my career and though I've never been personally tempted to write to a trend, I have been told on a couple of occasions by caring fellow authors that stories about dancers, like the characters in my Rabourn Theater Series, are not the hot item right now. I considered that advice a bit. But the truth is that I fell in love with this series before I started writing it! Two powerful families battling for control of the artistic world they've dreamed into life--it isn't all that unlike the world we live in, when you think about it. Except at Rabourn Theater, characters often act on the passion many of us hold inside. And though battle hard, fighting powerful adversaries and facing plenty of danger along the way, all those good-intentioned heroes and heroines will find love AND achieve their happily ever after!

There is hardly shame in writing a story based around a popular romantic trope--we are strengthened as writers when we perform outside our comfort zone, and as readers, when we sample a sub-genre we weren't planning to, and a new love is born. But if you've got a story inside you that must be told, be bold enough to take the risk to write it, even if the odds of success are stacked against you. The only "bad" story is the one that is never written at all!     

Drama has returned to Rabourn Theater!

A Sultry Performance is now available for Pre-Order!

Chris Gordon will do anything to avenge his wife's murder, but falling in love with her killer's fiancee wasn't part of the plan...

Available for Pre-Order:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KFM63QW

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-sultry-performance-jessica-lauryn/1129855288?ean=2940161924068

Enjoy an exclusive Excerpt from A Sultry Performance:

http://jessicalauryn.com/book/a-sultry-performance/

     

Romance is Happiness, A Sultry Performance Releases December 4th and My Review of When Lightning Strikes by Brenda Novak

As an author, one of my favorite questions to be asked in an interview or panel discussion is "Would you ever write in any other genre besides romance?" Though I rarely say never to anything, my answer to this particular question is always a resounding, "No!" Why? Because romance is what drives me to write the words I do, romance excites me in ways nothing else does. I'm a writer second, a romantic first. It's love, passion and happily ever after that are running through my veins. I didn't realize it at first but romance was what got me into writing in the first place and what made me the author I am today.

Recently, I had to take a long hiatus from writing. I was juggling a million different priorities in my life and though I swore to myself that I would always make the time for writing, for a while there I simply couldn't do it. Recently however, I began making a transition to slowly incorporate writing back into my day and what a positive impact it has made! More so than any sort of work I might be doing, I look forward to my writing time. I cherish it. I think about it when I'm not doing it and I dream about my characters when I'm asleep. Yes, my mind is working overtime to fill in plot holes, to make sense of where my story is going, to get to know my characters at the core of who they are. But more so, I simply can't get enough romance in my day. Romance, particularly romance which contains some element of suspense, excites me in a way that nothing else does. I love when two unlikely characters realize they're in love with the worst possible person that they could be in love with. I love when there is a villain, not an absolute monster necessarily, but an antagonist just evil enough to drive the heroine straight into the arms of her waiting hero.  I love to see that same villain reform later on, not a necessary ingredient in a good romance, but one I especially like to explore in my own novels. After all, what could be more romantic than seeing a man whom everyone else saw as nonredeemable, turn his life around in a major way and get his own happily ever after?

No offense to other genres, because all forms of fiction are fantabulous in my book! But if the book I'm reading doesn't contain some element of romance, I'm likely to put it down. I need a dashing hero to sweep me off my feet and I want to experience every moment leading up to him doing it. I know I'm not alone in this. It's been said a million times but a really good love story never gets old!          

Drama has returned to Rabourn Theater...

A Sultry Performance Releases 

December 4, 2018!

Chris Gordon will do anything to avenge his wife's murder, but falling in love with her killer's fiancee wasn't part of the plan...

Preview an exclusive excerpt from A Sultry Performance:

http://jessicalauryn.com/book/coming-soon/

My Review of 

When Lightning Strikes by Brenda Novak:

I actually purchased this story by accident. I'm a fan of Brenda Novak's romantic suspense novels, but contemporary romance isn't typically my sub-genre of choice. I'm not one to stop reading a story once I've started it, however, so I read on. I'm so glad I did! When Lightning Strikes is an enjoyable read with a satisfying ending and a number of surprises along the way. Simon is a well-known actor who's made a number of mistakes, but the thing he regrets most is losing custody of his son, Ty. Gail is a journalist who's written a number of articles about the playboy actor and is almost as stubborn as he is. The two are like oil and water, and when they find themselves in the middle of a PR nightmare, they decide the best option is to marry one another, an elaborate stunt intended to save Simon's reputation along with Gail's career. What they actually do however is save one another on a much deeper level as the two fall unexpectedly, head-over-heels in love. Their story was a little slow at times but what absolutely amazed me was the way that Ms. Novak took an unlikely hero and heroine--who really hate each other as the story begins--and make them fall in love. Watching this happen was highly enjoyable and though I generally prefer a bit more suspense and danger, there are a couple of big twists that made my jaw drop, one in particular. Well written, and I love that a good bit of the story is set in Whiskey Creek--small town romances are always fun!  

Power of Creativity and A Sultry Performance Cover Reveal

Sitting at breakfast at the New Jersey Romance Writers Conference several years back, I remember being especially moved.  Conferences are designed to motivate us as writers, to bring together a community of people who share a similar passion so that we can all learn, motivate and inspire one another.  But this particular speaker blew my mind.  I'm embarrassed to say that I can't even remember who our breakfast speaker was at this particular conference but she had me walking away from the table feeling like I was going to change the entire world by writing romance novels. I don't believe I've done that as of yet, but give me a little time! I started writing very young, and have been motivated to do it ever since. I was, at least, until one day, I wasn't.

Like most people, I have many friends for whom, writing is not their passion. I'll break that down even further and say that writing FICTION is not their passion--it is a rather tight knit community of people who would rather make up their own stories, versus living in the "real world" every minute of every day. I've also heard writers who once loved writing say that writing no longer brought them joy. My heart broke for those writers and I thought that will never be me. I'll live my entire life through, have a career, a family but writing romance will always be my passion, my purpose. Then, things began to change, like a torrent I couldn't control. The web designer I'd been using since the beginning of my writing career shut down. Changes occurred at my publishing house. And in the midst of all of it, I fell in love. The most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me affected my inspiration in a major way because what I had been searching for in my heart was found. I had my other half. And I lost my inner muse in the process.

I've been reading articles in RWA's Romance Writers Report, written by authors who share my feelings about our modern day world. It's tough out there right now and as if the negativity that is rampant in our day-to-day lives and our internet isn't enough to dry up inspiration, the money isn't always there. Lines are cut by publishers, sale numbers aren't always what we expect them to be and authors who had a lot of success just a few years ago don't necessarily have that success today. That's enough to make any writer feel as though they're on a fool's errand, only, we're not fools. We're wonderfully talented, uniquely gifted individuals with the power to entertain.  We evoke laughter and tears and happiness and with that ability, we hold the power to reshape this cynical world we live in for better or for worse. Don't ever forget that, guys! 

We all have ups and downs in our writing careers, and in our lives. I experienced plenty of both this past year and having come through it a stronger person, I've remembered that I have a responsibility to my creative mind. I may not always have the time to write as much as I might like to, but writing is a part of my soul. It is as much a part of who I am as the body I reside in and I plan on making the most of it. I begin today by doing something I've been looking forward to for some time, revealing the cover of my 8th novel, A Sultry Performance. This story was even more fun to write than the two before it, though as with all of my stories, you need not read the other titles in the series to enjoy. Chris Gordon, stage manager at Rabourn Theater will do anything to avenge his wife's murder, but falling in love with her fiancee's killer wasn't part of the plan! Fasten your seatbelts cause this one's gonna be a bumpy ride! Release date will follow shortly!

Thank you so very much my dear readers and friends, for your support, encouragement and love! This story, and the final 2 titles in the Rabourn Theater Series are for you!

I'm thrilled to reveal the cover of 

A Sultry Performance! 

Click on the cover to preview an exclusive excerpt from the story! 

Chris Gordon, stage manager at Rabourn Theater, suspects his late wife's hit-and-run was never an accident. He believes the man she was having an affair with, Oakley Sutherland, was responsible and he vows to get Evelyn justice, igniting a plot to ensnare Oakley, working through Oakley's fiancee, Victoria.

A well-known exotic dancer by night, Victoria Morrow has been fighting to make a better life for herself, and she won't be taken advantage of. But when the most handsome man at Rabourn Theater takes an interest in her, she finds herself spiraling down a path she never expected to. Can Victoria resist Chris's charms? Or will both of them fall prey to the danger that lurks in the wings?

  

The Digital Age - Delightful or Dangerous?

I recently received a letter from fellow author Jel Jones.  Though Jel and I have never met in person, we have a great deal in common, and we bonded over our similar interests in books and tranquil imagery, on Facebook.  It's ironic that we met through social media because it was Jel's instinct to send me an "old-fashioned" snail mail letter, which got me thinking about how much our world, and more specifically the world of books, has changed in such a short period of time. I am rather new to the world of publishing, as I have only been a published author since 2011. But things have changed rapidly in our industry in the last seven years and I wonder, as I observe social media outlets constantly updating and making "improvements" to their sites, where this is all going. Where is the world of fiction headed?

It wasn't all that long ago that the internet did not exist. Paper newspapers, the kind that got ink on your hands as you read them, were a primary source of news for most people. Magazines (actual paper magazines) were poolside reading and paperback novels were the way fiction was delivered to eager readers. I know many readers who still prefer reading a paperback novel over a digital one (myself included!) but the dawning of digital publishing changed things exponentially. Traditional publishing was the only form of publishing once upon a time, meaning the authors were at the mercy of the gatekeepers, so to speak. On the other hand, there were a number of traditional publishers then that no longer exist today, which equated to many more lines through which authors could have their work exposed to existing readers. Contests, such as Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Contest, might have played a critical role in launching an author's career, as it meant getting your work in front of agents and editors who played a key role in making one's dreams come true. Once this happened, your traditional publisher did something that is becoming rarer and rarer today - they helped authors market their books. For instance, publishers sometimes advertised a book club, something a reader could join through which the publisher would send them a select number of titles in a month. As there was no internet of course, these clubs were advertised on an old fashioned postcard, inserted into a book in such a way that the reader could tear the card out, complete it and mail it into the publisher. It sounds as though I'm talking about something that must have occurred a hundred years ago! But as older millenials such as myself, or certainly anyone older than us could tell you, it really wasn't that long ago.

What's so bad about progress, you ask. After all, the dawning of new technology has given authors the opportunity to take control of their own destinies, and as one who has never considered herself a team player, I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. But, as I recently observed that my eyes felt quite strained after yet another long day at a computer I realized just how much that our world really has changed. It's almost unheard of these days not to have a smart phone, not to drive past a bus stop and see the kids who are waiting for the school bus not engaging in conversations but instead scrolling through their phones.  They might be reading a digital book. Though, my gut instinct tells me that is probably not the case.

I've attended many workshops in which authors are told that it is absolutely essential to an author's career today, to have a social media presence. Workshop moderators insist that even if author's aren't necessarily into the idea, it's still good to be present on at least one or two social media outlets, just to let readers know you're alive. I agree with this thinking to a degree, but I see the harm in it as well. First of all, no matter how much we may tell ourselves that we're going to limit our time on social media, we almost always wind up spending more. We're curious about what our friends have recently posted, and it's critical, of course, that we do our own posting as well. Replying to comments has become more important than reading the mail. And don't even get me started on political posts. Authors who once got together on Facebook to share pictures of their dogs and grandchildren are being torn apart by a political war exacerbated by the ease with which messages are sent back and forth across the web within the blink of an eye. Is this really benefiting our writing careers? How about our human relations in general?

I miss the days of sitting in my mother's yard, with a glass of lemonade in one hand and a paperback book in the other. I miss the feeling of being able to truly shut out the world around me when reading or writing a good book because in essence the world is NOT all around me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Naturally, I write this message as a blog post which I will later share with my reader and writer friends through social media. But I do hope those who agree with my thinking will somehow find a way to step back from it all and strive to simplify our lives once again, and to remember what used to make the world of fiction and romance so great. Books are still the greatest source of relaxation. I only hope that by the time that it is finally my turn to take my own kids to the library to pick out books to read, there will still be a library to take them to! 

My review of Four Brothers in Love by Jel Jones:

   

I greatly enjoyed Four Brothers in Love, as it is not your every day, run-of-the-mill romance novel. Where another author might have broken the stories of each of these four brothers out into individual books as part of a series, Jel Jones combines their stories, alternating scenes between brothers Rome, Paris, Britain and Sydney and their respective partners, making for a colorful, dynamic read.

Veronica Franklin, mother to the story's heroes, is a force to be reckoned with. As her late husband Ryan made a name for himself in the acting world, Veronica believes her sons should do the same, and nothing less will do, least of all careers at Franklin Gas, the family business, as it happens. Veronica believes her sons should fall in love with and be married to women whom she sees as worthy of them, namely, rich women, and she manipulates numerous situations in order to get her sons together with the women she deems their best prospects, their next-door neighbors, the Taylors. I kept waiting to see when Veronica would get hers, but there are many twists and turns in this story as this well-meaning widow is hiding dark secrets which gave me reason to pause and sympathize with her character.

Brothers Sydney and Paris quickly fall in love with the Taylor sisters, but there is much complication in the works for the eldest brother, Rome, and his younger brother Britain. Courtney, a young woman who works for Franklin Gas quickly replaces feelings she believed she had for Rome, for his younger brother, as the two share lunch together. Her crush spirals out of control and when Britain rejects her, Courtney finds herself once again entangled with the eldest Franklin brother, and the drama only intensifies from there. Meanwhile, Paris is caught up in his own real-life drama, but you'll have to read the story to see it all unfold!

Another element that distinguishes this story from your everyday romance novel is the ending - the book ends on a suspenseful cliffhanger I never saw coming!

This book is the first I've read of Jel Jones's titles and it was a real treat! I enjoyed getting caught up in the drama surrounding the Franklin brothers and I can't wait to read Four Brothers in Darkness!

My Review of Four Brothers in Darkness by Jel Jones:

I greatly enjoyed Four Brothers in Love, the first title in this series, and was very much looking forward to Four Brothers in Darkness. Definitely worth the wait! This book lives up to its title as nearly every character is dealing with some sort of darkness, a tragic loss or an unexpected occurrence, namely a very suspenseful one.

The story begins where Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger, where Sydney Franklin, one of the four brothers, has been abducted by their later father's former agent, Jack Coleman. Jack appears to be unhinged, as he confesses to having been in love with Ryan Franklin and intends for Sydney to serve in his father's place, as his partner. Sydney assures Jack he isn't gay, and upon coming to regret his actions, Jack starts a fire and appears to take his own life. Did Jack really die in the fire? Meanwhile, Sydney has his own theories that Mr. Coleman mistook feelings of friendship toward his father to be more, and doesn't hate the man who abducted him the way others around him believe he should.

Rome Franklin, the oldest brother, is dealing with problems of his own. Finally married to the woman he loves, Rome believes he has everything a man could ask for until a tragic plane accident takes the lives of his new wife Amber's children. Amber goes into shock, threatening their marriage, and very existence.

But perhaps the person to suffer the most in this story is the Franklin brothers' Aunt Catherine. Catherine's ex-husband comes back into her life, hoping to make amends and start anew. But he's keeping a big secret, and when things go awry and Antonio is shot, a chain of events ignites, prompting Catherine to confess to his murder.

There are twists and turns aplenty in this page-turning story. Get ready for another cliffhanger and fasten your seatbelts! Four Brothers in Darkness will remain in your mind long after you've turned the last page!