Book Tour for Negotiating Skills by Laurel Cremant (Review & GIVEAWAY)

To start the week off right, today at my blog I'm featuring a short yet sexy read, Negotiating Skills by Laurel Cremant.  In this battle of wills between two business people we're treated to a seductive path to winning.  Laurel is here today talking about how the boss retains control when presented with temptation as well as providing an awesome giveaway for those who comment.  So let's get our Monday started....

....Mixing business with pleasure, how do you combine the to successfully and keep the boss bossy?

I’ve always thought that the two mixed oh so well.The power dynamic struggle adds an additional layer of conflict and tension to romances that I just love.When combining business with pleasure in romance writing I like to make sure that nothing seems too coercive. I like to firmly establish that whether it takes a little convincing,that both characters want what is happening. Regarding keeping the boss bossy, I don't, lol :).I’m a big lover of the Alpha hero and Alpha Heroine. I like it when they tease and dominate each other, so the question of who’s the boss regardless of the working/business relationship is always up for debate;).

Witnessing a private act leads to some interesting negotiations... Software programmer Veronica James is struggling to make her new business a success. Unfortunately, after finally landing a major account, she’s at risk of losing it all when she catches her new client Victor Rossi in a very compromising position. In an effort to regain the upper hand, Rossi insists on some very sexy and compromising concessions that have Veronica reconsidering her hard fast rule of not mixing business with pleasure.

EXCERPT:

Her body ached and she felt frozen to the core. She hated being sick. The helplessness of it always made her want to scream out in frustration. She burrowed further into the blankets and tried to fight back tears.
Mother Nature was always the great equalizer thought Veronica. No matter how capable and strong you thought you were, Nature would bitch slap you with some virus, germ or otherwise generally hellacious ailment that had even the strongest person whimpering for their momma. Veronica had definitely reached that point.
She wished she hadn’t made Victor leave. As obnoxious as he was it did suck to be sick and alone. Tears fell down her cheeks unchecked and she just hoped that sleep would envelop her again.
“Hey, you’re awake.”
The sound Victor’s gruff voice almost made her sob out in relief.
“You’re still here,” she whispered.
“Of course, I am,” he said.
“I told you it was going to take a lot to make me leave,” he said as he leaned over her and touched his hand to her brow.
“You’re still really hot.”
“I don’t feel hot,” she said, “I feel like someone dumped a pile of ice on top of me.”
“Well to sound completely cliché, I know how to warm you up,” he said waggling his eyebrows at her and twisting his mouth into a comical leer.
“You’re a pervert,” she said with a small tired smile stretching her lips.
“You can’t blame a man for trying,” he said returning her smile.
“Like I said, pervert.”

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THE BOOK:

When reading novellas there's usually a feeling of missing out due to its shortened length.  I never felt that here though.  I felt like we got to fully know both Victor and Veronica, both at work and in private. Seeing the softer, more jovial side of them made them more endearing and likable and had me rooting for a relationship that actually seemed important to both rather than just a power trip for the boss.

Victor is self-assured and always goes after what he wants like a bulldozer.  He's not used to a woman like Veronica though and quickly realizes that he can't bully her into anything.  Veronica is a strong-willed woman working in a man's world and doesn't miss business with pleasure until being blackmailed into it. This leads to some very erotic foreplay with an intense build-up of sexual tension that leads to a super steamy ending with a hint of playfulness.

Laurel Cremant has created a well-rounded fully fleshed-out novella that is utterly delightful.  With its likable characters and off the charts sexual tension, Negotiating Skills ended up being a satisfying dessert at the end of a long day and it gives me great hope for Ms. Cremant's writing future.

My rating for this is an A.

*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

BUY AT:  AMAZON  |  ARe  |  BN  |  KOBO  |  LULU  |  SMASHWORDS

AUTHOR INFO:

Laurel is a romance author, who like most writers loves to read. Her first love (pun intended) has always been romance. From the sappy YA romance novel to the more risqué erotica novels, Laurel is a sucker for a good love story.
Laurel writes paranormal and contemporary romance and is a self proclaimed, out of the closet nerd. She admits that she can't seem to avoid adding a bit of "nerdology" or "geek-dom" to all of her books. Living in Miami, she also admits that she can't seem to avoid giving her heroines gorgeous shoes, "In Miami, we worship everything strappy, open toed and just plain hot!"

www.LaurelCremant.com 

https://twitter.com/LaurelCremant

http://www.facebook.com/LaurelCremant

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

Laurel will be awarding either one $10 Amazon Gift Card, one 4GB USB drive or an "I Heart Dr. Who" mug to three randomly drawn commenters.

-GIVEAWAY IS FOR US ONLY!

-To be entered, leave a comment, along with your email addy.

-Three winners will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more you comment the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.

-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 12/17.