Thursday, January 26, 2012

Book Tour for Lust on the Rocks by Dianne Venetta (Guest Blog & GIVEAWAY)


It's an exciting day here on the blog courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions who have let me bring Dianne Venetta here who will be talking about her sexy new read and the appeal of younger men with older women.  So let's get right to it......

What’s the allure of older women & younger men?

Okay. Let's be honest. What isn’t sexy about an older woman and younger man? Forget cougar, I'm talking feline, feminine, hums and purrs, twists and rolls...  My heroine Samantha Rawlings is all this and doesn’t mind sharing.  And she's not shy.  Of course, neither are most cats I know!

In fact, they're independent souls that know what they want and know how to get it. Resourceful yet finicky, most cats can work any situation into their favor and Sam is no exception. When she spots a sexy young man? She takes possession—usually without complaint. But of course, what man would complain when an attractive woman seeks him out?

But a beautiful body will only take you so far.  One of the sexiest things about this relationship is the combination of youthful stamina and the touch of experience.  Older women know how to please and younger men can go the distance (if you what I mean) which heightens the pleasure for both. When a woman knows how to please herself—she will find herself at the top of every man's wish list. Odd concept, save the old adage: know thyself and you know your neighbor.

Never heard of that one?  Well, I did just pull it from my back pocket, but the point remains:  with an older woman, a man knows he won't be disappointed. If she knows her way around the human anatomy, he’s in for a thrill.  And the knowledgeable older woman? What it's in it for her?

Complete and utter adoration. Much like a cat, a woman who is adored is a woman in full purr mode. Stroke her, rub her and send her straight to heaven. When she's had her fill?  No problem.  She’ll bolt like a flash of lightning, not to be seen or heard from again until she's good and ready.

Much like the older woman. Uninterested in making children or engaging in long term commitment (been there done that perhaps?), she's working off the pleasure principle.  When it's good she's in—when it's not, she's out. The older woman has no use for the relationship that doesn't please her. Does it get any more liberating?

Not in my book, it doesn’t!  How about you? Would you agree with my premise or do you have even more scintillating reasons these two make a sizzling combination? Do share—I’d love to know!

LUST ON THE ROCKS by Dianne Venetta

She has what he needs, and he won't stop until he gets it.  Trouble is, what begins as a matter of death, becomes a matter of life.

One case away from partnership, Samantha Rawlings is forced to share her high-profile case with a sexy younger man, whose eyes are on a different prize.  In the best interests of her client, Sam opens the door to his strategy.  Turns out, a little too far...

Victor Marin has ulterior motives.  The defendant in her case holds the key to his revenge, and his last chance for justice.  But as he chases old demons, he uncovers a powerful woman with no inhibitions, one he wants to possess for himself.  But decidedly single, Sam wants no part.

Until Vic walks away. 


EXCERPT:

“You did well today, Vic.  You didn’t win your argument, your performance was a little overpowering, but you did well.”  She slid a hand across the table.  He would have sworn she was about to touch his, but instead, her fingers curled around the stem of her water glass.  “Chavez was out of line.  It’s his MO.  Whenever there’s a new attorney in his courtroom, he parades power like a peacock.  Don’t take it personal.”

No longer sparring, Vic noted her removal of armor.

“You’re good.  Really good.  You have phenomenal energy in the courtroom—I mean you had the jury.”  A smile crept onto her lips, a gesture which reached deep inside him.  “I was watching.  Each and every one of them followed you around that courtroom, your every move, your every word, they were right there with you.  They didn’t believe her either.”

“Then why won’t you include me on Perry?”

Sam’s breath caught in her throat.  Trapped beneath his gaze, the question echoed Raul’s.  Around her, the noise level rose as lunch hour officially reached full sprint.  People shouted orders, metal cash registers clanged in action, but she focused solely on Vic.

Her suspicion returned.  Because I don’t need any help.  Because I don’t want the distraction.  Because I’ll be damned if some unknown hotshot comes in and tries to strip the prize from my hands regardless of how good, or how good-looking he is.

Sam’s spine locked straight.  All her life she had to work twice as hard, run twice as fast—because she was a woman.  As an adolescent, her parents forced her to share an overload of responsibility for the care of five younger siblings, despite the fact her brother was scarcely a year behind her.  In college she was offered more dates than internships with law school providing more of the same.

Sam sighed.  Baker, Schofield, Martinez and Brown had been the one interview where she felt wholly respected—wholly appreciated for her talent and not her looks.  Because of Raul.  He focused on her abilities and she responded.  From there, the man taught her everything she knew, from the law to the lowdown, and groomed her into the legal shark she was proud to be.

Her thoughts chilled.  Yet now, he was encouraging interference on her caseload from the new guy.  It didn’t make sense.

Sam honed in on Vic.  “Give me one good reason I should include you on Perry.”

“You said it yourself, I’m good.”

“So am I.”

“It’s a big case.  More than one attorney can handle.”

“I have Diego.”

“I have experience.”

“So I hear.”  Sam lifted her glass from the table, but never took her eyes off him.

“It could work to your benefit.”

“I work to my benefit.”

Vic eased his neck from his collar and reached for his glass.  “I’m offering to help, Sam.  Most attorneys would jump at the opportunity.”

“If you hadn’t gathered by now, I’m not most attorneys.” 

***********************************************************

“My father is a prominent attorney.”

Sam gave an expectant lift to her shoulders.  “And?”

“And, what?  He’s a good guy.”  Depressed, angry…  Vic sighed.  But a good man at heart.

“What do they think of you moving to Miami?”

Something inside him hardened.  “They’re very supportive of what I do.”

She nodded, as though it were obvious.  “They want you to be happy.”

Vic felt the old pressure swell in his gut.  “Something like that.”  He sipped from his drink, coating his ache with a soothing measure of gin.

“Family is important,” Sam said, with what sounded like genuine admiration.  “Particularly the dedicated kind.”

He paused, and held onto the softness that entered her voice.  “If you feel that way, why aren’t you married?”

“Why aren’t you?”

“Asked you first.  The way you said it, sounded like you have some experience in the department.”

“I do.  Loads of it.”  She shook long bangs from her well-shaped brow and said, “I come from a family of six kids.”

“Six kids?”

“Six.  And I, being the oldest, had to help raise the little beasts—I mean, dearies.”  She smiled sweet as syrup.  “And mind you, I love every one of them, but I don’t want to repeat history.”  She mimicked a shudder and fiddled with her drink’s red plastic sword.  “I’ve had my fill in the child-rearing department, thank you very much, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the commitment my parents made to keep it together.”

Oblivious now to the parade of passersby, Vic felt a strange wave of disappointment.  “What, you don’t want kids?”

“I have kids,” she asserted.  “My brothers and sisters have several between them who I enjoy very much, but as for myself I’ve chosen a different path.”

Vic nodded, but said nothing.  He was calculating the new information, turning it over in his mind, deciding what it meant and how he felt about it.

And it’s reflection on her.

“So Vic, you still haven’t explained why you chose Miami.”

He welcomed the shift in tide.  Talk of marriage and children was starting to depress him.  “I’m looking to add a little ‘sunshine’ to my life and this seemed just the place.”

Sam dipped into her martini, the fiery gleam in her eyes magnetic, her smile reflecting the earlier reference.  Inciting desire, it pulled him in, all without revealing her first thought.

“Yes, well, sounds to me like you had a vested opportunity in your father’s firm.  Why cross the country and start over?”

“I wanted a change in scenery.  While I’m young,” he added, with measured thrust.

Sam smiled, intrigued, but let the subject go.

While she had yet to decipher the reason for Vic’s move, and Raul’s insistence on acting as his cheerleader, she knew men didn’t usually uproot their careers and move halfway across the country, particularly when their father was a well-connected attorney in town and their academics were spotless.

Unless there was a problem.

**********************************************************

“It’s nice out here, isn’t it?”

The light breeze tossed hair into her face as she looked at him.  “One of my favorite places to be.”  The feel and sound of crashing waves reminded her of life’s ebb and flow, the powerful force of nature, the calming sense of continuity.  Sam loved the ocean, from the deep dark depths to the slide of incoming tides across a shore littered with shells.

Vic kept his pace slow.  Jean pant legs rolled up, he carried his loafers in one hand, allowing the other to occasionally bump with hers.  “Why aren’t you tied down yet, Sam?  Seems to me, a woman like you would have men lining up with proposals.”

She chuckled at his compliment.  “I don’t want to be tied down.”

“Ever?  You mean to tell me you never met a guy who did it for you?”

“Did it for me?” she repeated, amused by his choice of words.  But she knew what he meant and relaxed into a laugh.  “I’ve met a lot of men who have done it for me, as you so neatly put, but I choose to be single.”

“Why?  Someone hurt you?”

“No.”  Other than my family.  Being forced to care for five little kids when you were scarcely one yourself wasn’t so great.  But life did that to you.  It put you in situations and forced you to deal—which she did.  But that was behind her now and she didn’t intend to go back.  Ever.

“You don’t want kids?  Is that it?”

“Let’s say I had an overexposure at a young age, caring for my brothers and sisters and I’m cleansed of any desire to have my own.  What about you?”

“What about me.”

“Siblings, nieces, nephews...”

“None,” he said, and Sam almost tripped over the soft quality of his voice.

“Must be strange.”  When he didn’t reply, she said, “I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right.”

He looked at her and said, “Don’t worry about it.  No big deal.”

But the vulnerability in his eyes unraveled her heart.  Had he been hurt?  Was that the reason behind his distinct change in demeanor, the wall that slid between them?

This was usually easy territory for a man.  Unless there was a problem, rang the sentiment again.  “Ever thought about marriage and kids for yourself?”

“Maybe someday.”

“Someday?”

“I’m focused on my career, but later, when I’m ready to settle down...”  The thought fell away.  “Who knows?”

“They’re a lot of work,” Sam tried to make light, willing the ease to return.

“But the connection is worth it.”

She turned to him and he stopped.  In the distance, the sound of partygoers blended with the thumping base of music drifting far and wide.  Behind them, a large wave crashed.  Racing up the shore, it submerged them ankle deep, then glided across the wide expanse of sand as it made its retreat to the ocean.  Something changed.  The hairs on the back of her neck stood amidst goose bumps prickling her flesh.  Vic’s gaze cut through the gentle evening light as he touched her hair, ceasing its lash across her cheekbones.  Her pulse quickened.

“I had a nice time.”

“Me, too,” she uttered, her breathing reduced to wisps.

“I’m glad we’re working together.”

She could only nod, suspended by what came next.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dianne lives in Central Florida with her husband, two children and part-time Yellow Lab--Cody-body!  When not whacking away at her keyboard crafting her next novel you'll find her in their organic garden chasing grasshoppers and plucking hornworms all while drawing wild analogies between kids and plants and men.  Definitely men.

A girl's gotta have fun, right?

When she's not knee-deep in dirt or romance, Dianne contributes garden advice for various websites and volunteers in her kids' school garden (a crazy existence to be sure). But at the end of the day, if she can inspire someone to stop and smell the roses--or rosemary!—kiss their child and spouse good-night, be kind to a neighbor and Mother Earth, then she's done all right.

http://www.diannevenetta.com
http://www.twitter.com/DianneVenetta
http://www.facebook.com/DianneVenetta
http://www.BloominThyme.com - the last being my garden blog

**********GIVEAWAY**********

Prize is a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

-Giveaway is OPEN TO EVERYONE.
-To be entered, you MUST answer the question Dianne asks at the end of her post (it's in bold) and include your email addy.
-Winner will be randomly chosen from amongst all comments made throughout the tour.  So the more tour stops you comment on, the greater your chances of winning.  A list of tour stops can be found here.
-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 2/10.

12 comments:

  1. You are absolutely right about the reasons a young man would be fascinated with an older woman. I only wish...... oh well.

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  2. What do they say about wine? Sweeter with age or something. Any young man should count himself lucky.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  3. @MomJane Never say never! LOL

    @marybelle You are absolutely right. :)

    @Goddess Fish Thanks for the wonderful tour -- I'm having a ball!

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  4. I had my husband come read this post because when we first met, I was very independent, took a relationship on my terms - in other words, I behaved like a much older woman, confident and not looking for anything long term. He was an acquaintance of a guy I was dating at the time. When the old boyfriend and I broke up, Tony asked me out. 3 weeks later asked me to marry him and 3 weeks after that we were married (I fell hard - what can I say, lol. He was 24, I was 23 yrs old).

    So - his response to the post: "Hell yeah. If younger women were as smart as you were when we met, there would be a lot less women chasing a dream men that aren't ready to settle down. Guys want to do the chasing."

    We'll celebrate our 25th anniversary in March =)

    Can't wait to read this book, Dianne!!

    Gena Robertson
    robertsongena@hotmail.com

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  5. Thanks for the male input, Gena! He's a smart man. :) And I must say, I'm always amazed by how many couples marry and stay married after such brief courtships. Must be what "meant to be" is all about!

    Happy (upcoming) Anniversary!

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  6. Well, can't say I have anything to add...you have pretty much said it all. On the flip side of that coin, my father was 15 years older than my mother. She was 17 when they married, my dad was 32. Whenever someone had something to say about their age difference, my mom would say 'I'd rather be an old man's darling than a young man's slave'. That pretty much shut most of those people up. Except: I just thought of something else...I've heard it said that a woman reaches her sexual peak in her 30's while a man reaches his in his late teens and early 20's. That must mean a 35 year old woman would do very well with a 25 year old man.

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  7. Every older woman's fantasy come true, why not.
    r.d1@myfairpoint.net

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  8. @Karen Yes, yes, yes! Love your mother's reply. :) if only 35-40 yr old women could date 22-25 yr old men without brows raising.

    @Renald Agreed. :)

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  9. Thanks for giving us so much to read and think about. I love experienced women matched with youthful men.

    catherinelee100[at]gmail[.]com

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  10. In answer to your question, I like your reasons. Makes perfect sense to me!

    Great post!!!

    -Leslie Soule
    Falcondraco at hotmail dot com

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  11. @Catherine It's a wonderful combination, isn't it? And oh so delicious...!

    @Leslie Liberating AND logical ~ does it get any better?

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